Chevrolet News:Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Becomes Burlier With Bison

[William Maley]

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Back in the spring, we reported that Chevrolet and American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) would taking the Colorado ZR2 AEV concept shown at SEMA last November into production. It would be named Bison. Today, Chevrolet and AEV have unveiled the production Bison.

Beginning with a base ZR2, the Bison swaps the front grille, adds a tougher front bumper with integrated winch, a rear bumper with recovery hook-ups, and a set of 17 x 8-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac off-road tires. Underneath, AEV designed five skid plates made out of Boron steel to protect various mechanical bits. The snorkel seen in the photos is available as an option.

“As this is the first Chevrolet vehicle we’ve given the AEV treatment to, we wanted to do something special with the industry’s first use of hot-stamped Boron steel. We also expect that Colorado drivers will love the added ruggedness of our front and rear bumpers on ZR2 Bison,” said Dave Harriton, founder and president of AEV.

Buyers will be able to choose between the 3.6L V6 or 2.8L Duramax turbodiesel; extended and crew cab; and sort and long beds. 

The Bison will be arriving at dealers in January. Pricing will be announced close to the on sale date.

Source: Chevrolet

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Chevrolet Unveils the Colorado ZR2 Bison

• Factory steel bumpers, Boron-steel skid plates make Bison ready for off-the-grid adventures

DETROIT — The Colorado ZR2 Bison joins Chevrolet’s midsize truck lineup as an all-new performance variant. Bison is Chevy’s first collaboration with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), a premium off-road aftermarket manufacturer.

Through constant innovation, Chevy has gained more than a quarter of all midsize truck sales in less than four years in the marketplace. In consecutive years, Colorado introduced the segment’s first diesel engine (excludes other GM vehicles), an all-new V-6 gas engine/eight-speed transmission combo, the ZR2 “segment of one” off-roader and now the Bison.

For maximum protection of key undercarriage elements while driving over rocky, jagged terrain, Bison features five skid plates covering the engine oil pan, fuel tank, transfer case and front and rear locking differentials. Designed by AEV, these skid plates are constructed of hard, durable hot-stamped Boron steel.

AEV-designed stamped steel front and rear bumpers further shield the truck from obstacles. The front bumper contains winch provisions and standard fog lights, with recovery points integrated into the rear bumper.

“More and more enthusiasts are discovering that Colorado is ideal for off-roading, especially overland travel,” said Sandor Piszar, director of Marketing, Chevrolet Truck.

“The Colorado Z71 offers a full suite of off-road equipment, the maneuverability of a midsize truck and the driving range of a class-exclusive diesel engine. The Colorado ZR2 offers even greater off-road capability with class-exclusive front and rear locking differentials and Multimatic DSSVTM dampers. And now, Bison offers customers an even more extreme turnkey off-road truck ready to tackle your next adventure.”

An exclusive, flow-through “CHEVROLET” lettered grille replaces the traditional bowtie on Bison’s front end. The 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac off-road tires sit beneath larger fender flares and wrap all-new, ZR2 Bison-specific 17 x 8-inch aluminum wheels.

This new Colorado variant also features “Bison” decals on the bed sides, an “AEV Bison” logo on the tailgate and embroidered AEV logo floor liners and front head restraints.

“We’ve been following Colorado since its introduction, and the ZR2 really captured our attention,” said Dave Harriton, founder and president of AEV. “As this is the first Chevrolet vehicle we’ve given the AEV treatment to, we wanted to do something special with the industry’s first use of hot-stamped Boron steel. We also expect that Colorado drivers will love the added ruggedness of our front and rear bumpers on ZR2 Bison.”

The ZR2 Bison also duplicates the full equipment list of the Colorado ZR2, including, but not limited to:

• Class-exclusive front and rear locking electronic differentials.
• Revolutionary, segment-exclusive Multimatic DSSVTM dampers.
• Off-road rocker protection.
• Cast-iron control arms.
• Autotrac transfer case.

Like ZR2, Bison also features a modified rear axle with a 3.42 ratio, front and rear tracks widened by 3.5 inches and a factory suspension lifted 2 inches over a Colorado Z71.

Available options on Bison include:

• 2.8L Duramax Turbo-Diesel engine paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, capable of 186 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque.
• Choice of crew- or extended cab configurations (including short and long beds, respectively).

Customers will also be able to purchase an available third-party accessory snorkel for ZR2 Bison from AEV, ideal for air filtration while driving on dusty trails. This feature is compatible with all Colorado pickup variants.

The 2019 Colorado ZR2 Bison goes on sale in January 2019, modified for extreme off-road use and backed by a full factory limited warranty.

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[G. David Felt]

SWEET

I will take one in Forest Green Metallic fully loaded with the Duramax please! 

[riviera74]

Two questions:

One: When will they build a Silverado and/or a Tahoe version of this truck?

Two: What is that gray pipe jutting out of the front passenger side quarter panel?

[daves87rs]

One in blue, please..Still quite cool! 

[William Maley]

20 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

Two: What is that gray pipe jutting out of the front passenger side quarter panel?

 

That would be the optional snorkel.

[ocnblu]

Like dfelt said, give me one in dark green in an extended cab Duramax.

I find it funny they'd go to the trouble to point out the obvious... that it has a steel bumper (LIKE THE NEW FORD RANGER... WINK WINK).

No snorkel for me.  Too gay.

I like the grille and bumpers on this better than the ZR2 actually.  Honestly I think the ZR2 looks like someone who lost their lower jaw in a horrific accident.

This model would be the perfect springboard for GM to utilize their 2.7L turbo in the smaller truck, then let it trickle down to the more mainstream models.  Of course then they'd need to upgrade the 2.8L Duramax.

Edited September 7, 2018 by ocnblu

[ccap41]

At first look I think it looks gnarly and awesome but the more I look at it I don't like something about the front and I think it's the grille. I'm all for a black grille but something about it they made it look really crappy. It's still gnarly but not exactly how I would want it to look. 

[Robert Hall]

Cool..Chevy's answer to the Ranger Raptor, and it's going to beat the Ranger Raptor to market. 

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

At first look I think it looks gnarly and awesome but the more I look at it I don't like something about the front and I think it's the grille. I'm all for a black grille but something about it they made it look really crappy. It's still gnarly but not exactly how I would want it to look. 

I agree that the truck is gnarly and I also do not like the all black plastic grill. That is the one Item I would go 3rd party on getting a replacement for. Would rather have a black chrome grill with a Black chevy logo than the plastic with Chevrolet name on it.

Something like this is not bad, better than what GM did.

[Robert Hall]

20 hours ago, dfelt said:

I agree that the truck is gnarly and I also do not like the all black plastic grill. That is the one Item I would go 3rd party on getting a replacement for. Would rather have a black chrome grill with a Black chevy logo than the plastic with Chevrolet name on it.

Something like this is not bad, better than what GM did.

I like that mesh grille, but it needs the bowtie, IMO.   Black w/ the blue insert maybe. 

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

I like that mesh grille, but it needs the bowtie, IMO.   Black w/ the blue insert maybe. 

I agree, The web site says they have it for the Colorado, but no pictures. They do have a black bow-tie that is back-lit or any other unlit color.

[G. David Felt]

OUCH, seems ZR2 trucks are blowing their airbags in mild off road use and clearly lots of fans are not happy as GM is blowing them off.

https://jalopnik.com/chevrolet-colorado-side-curtain-airbags-keep-deploying-1828951213 

Crazy to watch the videos and see very mild off road stuff being done and BOOM the side head airbags are deployed. A bit too sensitive I think for what this truck is supposed to be capable of.

[ccap41]

Yeah I've watched a few of those as well and the stuff they're going over is less severe than hitting a pothole on the interstate. 

I'm pretty sure my dad's Taco has a switch or button to turn off air bags for off-roading to prevent this.

[G. David Felt]

7 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Yeah I've watched a few of those as well and the stuff they're going over is less severe than hitting a pothole on the interstate. 

I'm pretty sure my dad's Taco has a switch or button to turn off air bags for off-roading to prevent this.

I agree, I am surprised that Chevrolet did not install a manual deactivate switch for airbags when offroading. Seems like a common sense rather than have such a sensitive your rolling over sensor when they are not. 

[Robert Hall]

Hmmm....a switch to turn off airbags seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen...unless it can only be activated when in 4 wheel low and for low speeds...

[ccap41]

8 minutes ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Hmmm....a switch to turn off airbags seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen...unless it can only be activated when in 4 wheel low and for low speeds...

I looked it up and it's just the passenger side airbag that can be turned off. 

[G. David Felt]

1 minute ago, ccap41 said:

I looked it up and it's just the passenger side airbag that can be turned off. 

The durangos and dakota pickups had this also. My daughters 1999 Durango and sons 1998 Dakota both have this option.

[Robert Hall]

I think it was something offered in regular cab trucks, because you need to be able to turn off the passenger airbag if using a child safety seat.  I recall reading something about that long ago.

Edited September 17, 2018 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[G. David Felt]

Very cool additional details on the ZR2 Bison.

https://www.theblock.com/article/2018/september/the-colorado-zr2-bison-is-here.html

Gotta love this video:

 

[Scout]

On 9/17/2018 at 8:36 AM, dfelt said:

OUCH, seems ZR2 trucks are blowing their airbags in mild off road use and clearly lots of fans are not happy as GM is blowing them off.

https://jalopnik.com/chevrolet-colorado-side-curtain-airbags-keep-deploying-1828951213 

Crazy to watch the videos and see very mild off road stuff being done and BOOM the side head airbags are deployed. A bit too sensitive I think for what this truck is supposed to be capable of.

That needs to be addressed before someone gets seriously hurt or worse. It's very common for people to have their head out the window for better tire placement spotting. And apparently it's not just the trucks. Then there is sticking owners with a very expensive tab for a problem that shouldn't exist.