Off-roading can seem to be a really daunting job for somebody who doesn’t actually know what they’re doing. All types of issues can go fallacious. You will get misplaced, get caught and even harm your automobile with no simple method to get it again to civilization. The Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison is right here to quell the fears of those that dislike taking the less-traveled street by making it a simple expertise.
Chevy is ready to do that by combining new-school off-roading know-how with a few of the old-school off-roader parts which were round since man determined to take a automobile down a mud path. By doing this, the ZR2 Bison creates such an entire off-roading package deal that even probably the most novice filth traveler will really feel comfortable behind the leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Full Disclosure: Chevy lent me a Colorado ZR2 Bison with the request that I get it very soiled over a protracted weekend within the Poconos. The corporate additionally gave me a full tank of gasoline. How good.
The very first thing you discover in regards to the ZR2 Bison once you stroll as much as it’s its completely huge wheels and tires. Chevy outfits each Bison with 5 — sure 5, together with the full-size spare within the tailgate — 17-inch American Expedition Car beadlock-capable wheels wrapped in 35-inch off-road tires. That alone makes the Colorado ZR2 Bison a formidable off-roading monster. Additionally a part of the ZR2 Bison package deal are Multimatic entrance and rear “Jouce Management” dampers, metal skid plates, rock rails, a best-in-class 38.2-degree method angle, a 26-degree departure angle and a 26.9-degree breakover angle Oh, and lest we overlook the Colorado ZR2 Bison additionally comes with a 12.2-inch best-in-class floor clearance in addition to power-locking entrance and rear differentials, and also you’re capable of go up and over some actually severe obstacles. There’s actually nothing on the planet that may cease the ZR2 Bison.
Powering this little (comparatively) machine is Chevy’s turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-4 engine that pumps out 310 horsepower and a really beefy 430 pound-feet of torque, and it’s mated as much as an eight-speed computerized transmission. This engine is certainly one of my favourite components of the Colorado, largely due to the loudness coming from the turbo whistle within the engine bay. It’s so charming! All that being mentioned, whereas I do actually just like the motor, it will get pitiful gasoline mileage on this software. Chevy says it ought to common 16 mpg throughout the board within the metropolis, freeway and mixed cycles, however I wasn’t even capable of crack 15 mpg over my 523 miles of blended driving. It’s a small value to pay.
The motor offers loads of grunt for going up a fairly steep hill, however it may be modulated gingerly sufficient to make it over some very severe rocks with out ruining the truck’s underside. It’s additionally a enjoyable little engine once you’re blasting down a extra wide-open filth path or hit the sand, with loads of energy all the way in which as much as its 5,800-rpm redline.
One thing else that significantly aids the Colorado ZR2 Bison’s off-roading efforts are its comparatively small dimensions. Make no mistake, the Bison shouldn’t be a small truck. It’s 214 inches lengthy, 80.2 inches broad (with out mirrors) and 81.8 inches tall. These are all very large numbers, however they pale compared to half-ton vehicles just like the Ram 1500 TRX, which is almost 233 inches lengthy and 88 inches broad. Not solely does the Colorado’s dimension make off-roading simpler because you aren’t terribly fearful about scratching the truck happening a slim path, it makes life simpler usually — you may juuust about slot in parking areas with this factor, even. Granted, you do lose some room inside, and the mattress is simply a bit over 5 toes lengthy, however the four-door crew cab setup nonetheless has loads of area for passengers and their shit.
It isn’t simply mechanical bits that help within the ZR2 Bison’s off-road prowess, but in addition a slew of tech options that make all of it the better. An important instance of this are the varied drive modes you may select from, together with off-road-specific modes like Off-Street, Terrain and Baja. Every of those modes modifications up the calibration and tuning of the Bison’s engine, transmission and four-wheel-drive system for optimum off-roadage. To assist even additional, you’ve additionally acquired a really user-friendly four-wheel-drive selector system consisting of a few buttons that swap between Two Excessive, 4 Excessive and 4 Low. Should you don’t know what you’re doing, you may all the time go away it in Auto and let the automobile determine it out for you.
All of this off-roading goodness comes as customary within the $11,700 Bison package deal, which you add to the value of a $46,800 ZR2. All in all, the truck I examined got here in at $64,730 (together with vacation spot). $500 of that cash goes to the non-compulsory — and tremendous cool — Underbody Digital camera system that factors small cameras on the entrance and rear axles. It could sound like a gimmick, but it surely did come in useful a number of instances when traversing over notably massive rocks. It’s additionally only a neat factor to point out your mates! A plethora of different surround-view cameras are a part of the Expertise Package deal that allows you to be sure you’re by no means placing your ZR2 Bison in hurt’s method.
I spent hours ripping and tearing by means of the wet backwoods of northeast Pennsylvania, and never as soon as did I ever really feel the Colorado ZR2 Bison was outmatched. Earlier than you say something, sure this was actual off-roading, and no, your Camry couldn’t additionally go up and down these trails until you needed to utterly destroy it or get caught.
The ZR2 Bison shouldn’t be an inexpensive automobile, however once you have a look at it in comparison with different off-road-oriented automobiles just like the Ford Raptor lineup and Toyota’s TRD choices, it’s actually not too dangerous. You’re getting some world-beating off-road skill for lower than the value of an entry-level luxurious crossover.It isn’t reinventing the wheel on the subject of off-roading, however with its actually compelling mixture of new-school know-how and old-school engineering know-how, the Colorado ZR2 Bison is a significantly spectacular and enjoyable package deal that even the most important fool (me) can drive off-road with confidence.
