Chevrolet has finally unveiled the production version of a model bearing a name it trademarked quite some time ago. The Colorado ZR2 Bison is an extra-brawny variant of Chevy’s off-road truck — a collaboration between General Motors and aftermarket manufacturer American Expedition Vehicles (AEV).
It was clear to everyone and their mother that GM was prepared to further plumb the butch end of the midsize truck market. Recall the Colorado ZR2 AEV SEMA concept from the 2017 SEMA show. Certainly, with Toyota planning upgrades (including a snorkel) for its 2019 Tacoma TRD Pro, the domestic automaker wasn’t about to see the Colorado positioned as an also-ran.
Looking at the Bison, it seems GM took Ford’s 2018 Detroit auto show put-down to heart. “Real trucks don’t have fascias,” said soon-to-be-ousted North American president Raj Nair.
You’ll notice a solid, exposed bumper spanning the breadth of this Bison’s face — a significant departure from the stock Colorado’s plastic lower and the ZR2’s barely-there, cutway setup. It’s assumed you might have to bash into a few things while owning this truck.
Made of steel, the AEV-supplied bumper offers a mounting point for the winch you’ll need to pull yourself out of pools of brown goo. Fog lights come standard, and the AEV rear bumper sports tow hooks for assisting hapless Ford Ranger owners. Interestingly, Chevrolet has signed on to the convention that tough trucks must favor obnoxious lettering over simple badges. Yes, FORD and RAM owners, that’s a bowtie-less CHEVROLET you see comin’ at you.
Unless you’re the sort of jerk who buys an off-road truck just to look cool while cruising the bar strip, you’ll probably drive over plenty of pointy things that pose a grave danger to the Colorado’s precious bodily fluids. As such, AEV supplied five underbody skid plates made of Boron steel to shield the gas tank, oil pan, transfer case, and front and rear (locking) differentials.
The only wheels you need to know about are the Bison’s standard, trim-specific 17 x 8-inch aluminum discs shod with 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac off-road rubber. Like the ZR2, the Bison boasts a rear axle ratio of 3.42, and four wheels come into play via an Autotrac transfer case.
Elsewhere, suspension and linkages are carried over from the ZR2: cast-iron control arms, a 3.5-inch wider track (with corresponding fender bulges), a two-inch factory lift, and DSSV shocks supplied by Multimatic. These spool valve dampers, normally found on certain sports cars, offer a more compliant ride at both extremes of the performance spectrum. In the ZR2’s case, Multimatic added a third spool valve to soak up the impact following brief periods of low-altitude flight.
While it isn’t standard content, buyers can tick a box for AEV’s snorkel and air filtration system, designed for operation in high-speed, dusty environments. You’ll need this is you park anywhere a Tacoma TRD Pro owner. In case you’re interested, AEV will sell that snorkel kit to any Colorado owner.
Like the stock ZR2, there’s a choice of cab and led lengths, with GM’s 2.8-liter Duramax diesel inline-four available for those seeking more twist. A familiar 3.6-liter V6 providing 308 horses and 275 lb-ft of torque comes standard, mated to an eight-speed automatic. Diesels get a six-speed.
While pricing hasn’t been announced, expect the Bison to retail in excess of the ZR2’s $42,500 pre-delivery MSRP when it launches in January 2019.
[Images: General Motors]
“You’ll need this is you park anywhere a Tacoma TRD Pro owner.”
Srsly?
I guess it’s Ralph Wiggum day where Steph works.
Me fail English? That’s unpossible!
Followed by:
“Like the stock ZR2, there’s a choice of cab and led lengths“
I get that this isn’t the New York Times, but is it really too much to expect basic typos to be corrected before publication?
Too bad about the styling, though. I think it looks juvenile.
I like the regular ZR2 bumper with the cutaways on the side better than the bison’s front bumper. I don’t like the Chevrolet cut out grille thing. Other than that- I like the kit. I like AEV’s stuff in general too.
That’s probably it, then; this just isn’t the sort of vehicle I’d ever buy.
hey, if Toyota is selling Tundras with a fake hoodscoop on a fake hoodscoop, who’s to say what’s “stylish” and what’s not?
I kinda like the CHEVROLET grill. I’d never buy one of these, but props to Chevy for going for it. I’m sure they’ll find buyers.
@Kyree: “Too bad about the styling, though. I think it looks juvenile.”
Very true but you could say that about the majority of upmarket trucks these days.
You could say it about the majority of vehicles in general.
I don’t care for the snout. The snorkel is a good idea for hardcore off-roaders running in deep water/mud or deep silty dust. Unfortunately most are put on their vehicles just for show like the Jeep guys with a rear cargo rack with unused shovel, jerry can, and Hilift jack. The rear bumper is okay.
What is the point of this truck when the rest of the vehicle is stock?
I’m looking forward to the first youtube video of a moron driving their factory-snorkel truck into 5′ deep water.
ZR2 Gunning for the TuRD-Pro. It already exceeds it in every way.
@VW4motion – agreed.
As an aside, the TRD – Pro isn’t available in Canada. I’m looking forward to the Ranger Raptor and hopefully a Bronco “Raptor”.
Bison? They really named it that? That takes the cake for stupidest thing I’ve read today, but that’s probably only because I already knew there was a RAM REBEL and I haven’t checked any political news yet.
I like the principle of making a truly offroad capable midsize pickup, so kudos to Chevy here. But boy are you a Poser-until-proven-otherwise when you drive around with a plastic snorkel on your truck.
How would they prove otherwise to you? Just curious- if you saw this in the mall parking lot- would you assume poser- how bout if they had one of those overlanding tents on a rack in the bed.
I’m not getting confrontational- I’m just thinking if I had one, I’d take it off road, but if I did it well no one would know it. I wouldn’t drive it around for 4 weeks with mud on it like some bro’s do- so how would I demonstrate my machismo to assuage my doubters?
I really don’t expect anyone to prove otherwise to me, I generally wash the trail dirt off my vehicle soon after getting home as well. I assume most people see my SUV as just another mall crawler and am OK with that.
But that’s the problem with putting conspicuous flashy performance bits on a vehicle; it invites attention and all that goes with it. The function could be achieved by a body-colored snorkel integrated far more subtly onto the A-pillar, but like a big wing on the back of a WRX that never hits velocities requiring additional downforce, this snorkel is designed to be seen. Once you’ve shouted your abilities to everyone in earshot and they’ve turned to look at you, they kind of expect some proof of the brag.
DeadWeight. Paging DeadWeight.
Don’t blame GM – its a great formula:
Cheap money from the Fed
+ insatiable demand for luxury and vanity trucks
= Big a$$ profits
Now that domestic consumers owe in excess of 1 trillion dollars in car loans, I can wait for the cries of “predatory loans!!” as soon as the economy turns and those buyers can’t make their payments.
I predict snorkels on CUVs in 10 years.
Yikes. Ugly as sin with GM lowest bidder parts bin sharing.
GM-JUNK!
In flyover country and the south, they’ll sell for “Market-Adjusted MSRP”. Now bring on the Raptor Ranger.
Maybe. They’re still mid-sized, butch or not, and that segment doesn’t play in flyover country. If it was a Chevy equivalent of a Raptor, we could talk. If it was a GMC version of a Raptor, it’d be a no brainer.
Funny to see that uber-protected bumper but the diesels still have that absurdly low hanging exhaust pipe. That thing isn’t long for this world on the sort of terrain the rest of the truck can tackle.
Why Bison? With that snorkel it looks more like an Elephant. Or a High Five.
Juvenile? OK, but I think cartoonish is a better adjective.
Still no Xenon or LED headlight option… Really?
That’s what the aftermarket’s for. LED light bar.
So… question. How is this truck going to do against the real deal- like a Raptor or a Power Wagon?