The 2019 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison is here with a whole bunch of off-road goodies for the true outdoorsman.
The wild outdoors! The rugged woods! The freedom of nature! All of these things are the true calling of pickup owners. Actually, it’s just being able to haul your friend’s fridge from one apartment to the next, but being able to carry that fridge through a swamp is pretty cool too.
Chevrolet knows that the ultimate cool factor in pickups these days is making them off-road-ready. That’s why Chevy has partnered with American Expedition to bring us all the most off-road-y Colorado that the world has ever seen.
It’s called the ZR2 Bison, so named because Bison sounds like a bull that lives in the forest. Or something. Frankly, we’re not too clear on the naming convention. What we are clear on is the tons of off-road equipment that the Colorado gets on top of the standard stuff that already comes with the top-of-the-line ZR2 trim.
First off, AEV has added not one, but five whole skid plates to protect the Bison’s delicate undercarriage: one for the engine oil pan, fuel tank, transfer case, and both front and rear differentials. They’re made of hot-stamped Boron steel, which is better than regular steel, and comes with the AEV logo on each one.
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Both front and rear bumpers are custom AEV jobs that include fog lights and integrated recovery points in case the outdoors proves to be too much for you. It’s OK, everybody bites off more than they can chew at some point or another--it’s all part of the off-road charm.
Goodyear provides a quad pack of 31-inch Wrangler Duratrac off-road tires to clad the Bison’s 17x8-inch aluminum wheels. The Bison also has the same cast iron control arms as from the regular ZR2, as well as a set of Multimatic DSSV dampers on each corner. An Autotrac 2-speed transfer case completes the off-road offering.
The Bison will come standard with the 3.6-L V6 and 8-speed automatic, but the 2.8-L Duramax turbodiesel is an available option. You can also get it in extended or crew cab with your choice of long or short bed.
And of course, there’s a ton of AEV logos on the doors, tailgate, chairs, and floor mats.
The ZR2 Bison goes on sale January 2019. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but expect it to be above the ZR2’s $42,500 starting price.
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