Chevrolet News:What Does $48,045 Buy You? A Colorado ZR2 Bison

[William Maley]

Chevrolet has announced pricing for the upcoming Colorado ZR2 Bison. Built with the help of American Expedition Vehicles, the Bison takes the capable ZR2 and adds some more features to allow it to go further in the bush. But it will set you back a fair amount of cash.

When it arrives at dealers in January, the Extended Cab will set you back $48,045. The crew cab begins at $49,645. Both prices include a $995 destination charge. That represents a premium of $5,000 to $6,000 when compared to the standard ZR2.

That price premium may seem a bit much, but it is going towards some proper upgrades. The includes new skid plates protecting key items such as the oil pan and transfer case; steel bumpers, and 17-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac off-road tires. A snorkel will be available as an option.

It will be interesting to see Chevrolet can draw some buyers away from the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro.

 

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[A Horse With No Name]

I would but it in a hot second, actually. 

[Drew Dowdell]

That's a damn good looking off-roader.

[Robert Hall]

Cool.. Ford really should offer the Ranger Raptor here, would be competition...and you know Jeep will have a Rubicon version of the Gladiator. 

[ocnblu]

Very nice rig.  It is funny to me though that a steel front bumper is suddenly a selling point to set the Bison apart.  GM never should have gone with car-style plastic covered bumpers on their midsize trucks to begin with.  And the fact that Ford mentions their Ranger has steel bumpers on all trims tells me I'm right.

[ccap41]

18 hours ago, William Maley said:

That price premium may seem a bit much, but it is going towards some proper upgrades. The includes new skid plates protecting key items such as the oil pan and transfer case; steel bumpers, and 17-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac off-road tires. A snorkel will be available as an option.

$5-6,000 for that stuff?!? 

There's no way I would buy this over a ZR2 or at the 50k price I'd special order a base model Raptor. 

[Robert Hall]

4 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

$5-6,000 for that stuff?!? 

There's no way I would buy this over a ZR2 or at the 50k price I'd special order a base model Raptor. 

Same price range as a Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon.   The off road upgrades gets premium priced. 

[ccap41]

There aren't REAL upgrades though.. I can't imagine buying skid plates, non-body matching bumpers and tires would set you back that much. 

The Rubicon gets actual upgrades with 33inch tires, a true crawl ratio, sway bar disconnect, and Dana 44 axles(front and rear).

Also, the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon starts at 43k.  

[ccap41]

What you're really getting with the Bison is an appearance package with skid plates and fog lights. 

[Drew Dowdell]

GM's pricing is rather assertive lately.  They'll get fewer buyers, but at higher prices... and they seem to be okay with that.  They're clearly not chasing volume to keep the lights on anymore.  The days of the $99 down $99 a month Cobalt are over. 

Personally, they're driving me away.  The only new cars from them I consider competitive to other brands in terms of pricing are the CT6, ATS, Encore, and perhaps Impala.  Everything else has an attractive base price, but then they really nail you on options that are standard issue or much cheaper at the competition. 

[G. David Felt]

GM's approach is an interesting one and one that is making me rethink if I leave them for some other brand. Be very interesting to see what happens with their large EV roll out.

[ocnblu]

Oh believe me, since you're under a rock, this big roll-out will be met with singing crickets and not much more. 

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, ocnblu said:

Oh believe me, since you're under a rock, this big roll-out will be met with singing crickets and not much more. 

Doubtful, as I expect a decent sales rate as more ev options enter the market.

Society has become a consumable one that does not want to deal with maintenance. ICE has plenty of maintenance in comparison to EV and once people start to see the options of driving and the reduced cost to maintain ev's will leave the niche sector and enter the mainstream.

More people than you know are waiting to buy.

[balthazar]

Cars are basically maintenance-free now until 100K, other than oil changes.
And those... you can "take a break from driving and have a bite to eat while they do it". Easy-peasy!

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

Cars are basically maintenance-free now until 100K, other than oil changes.
And those... you can "take a break from driving and have a bite to eat while they do it". Easy-peasy!

True, but even that maintenance of oil changes, brakes, etc. while small stuff is a bother for many. 

I do not expect @ocnblu or you to buy an EV, but I know plenty that want alternatives to Tesla, Nissan or GM for an EV and not have to deal with the ICE maintenance.

[balthazar]

I don't see how it's remotely a 'bother'. Having to sit in a Panera for a half hour while your Tesla jostles with others at the plug mid-day is also a 'bother'.

I say 'Panera' because they put 10 tesla superchargers right near me at one, and they seem to be operational finally (I don't know if all are online). Today coming home about 1PM, and there were about 6 Ts sitting there, including one parked across empty spots right near, apparently waiting for a slot. Me, I'm not quite smitten by a $9 bowl of mac & cheese, and staring at others eating soup and sandwiches incredibly slowly as they force the passage of time is not my idea of getting something accomplished.

I prefer to have food thrown at my open mouth from a slow roll thru the drive-up window.

Edited November 15, 2018 by balthazar

[A Horse With No Name]

4 hours ago, balthazar said:

I don't see how it's remotely a 'bother'. Having to sit in a Panera for a half hour while your Tesla jostles with others at the plug mid-day is also a 'bother'.

I say 'Panera' because they put 10 tesla superchargers right near me, and they seem to be operational finally (I don't know if all are online). Today coming home from a job about 1PM, and there were about 6 Ts sitting there, including one parked across empty spots right near, apparently waiting for a slot. Me, I'm not quite smitten by a $9 bowl of mac & cheese, and staring at others eating soup and sandwiches incredibly slowly as they force the passage of time is not my idea of getting something accomplished.

I prefer to have food thrown at my open mouth from a slow roll thru the drive-up window.

I prefer to live life on my terms and eat at decent family owned restaurants. Personally, I refuse to throw electrics out the window because as an enthusiast it s  one of the few parts of the market doing anything interesting.  Pony cars have been around since the sixties...BRZ/FRS isn't that awesome...GTI is a glorified Rabbit....WRX is cool but only so exciting...I like Cadillac styling but have no desire to actually put a Cadillac in my driveway....very little else actually excites me that much of what is built. 

As far as the Colorado, interesting appearance package/off road package here. 

9 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Oh believe me, since you're under a rock, this big roll-out will be met with singing crickets and not much more. 

At least i have the self awareness to know that my rants about Ford are irrational and a bit hateful. Not sure you have the same level of self awareness. 

[ocnblu]

When you can have an oil change done every 5k miles in less time than it takes to recharge an electric car every 238~ miles, and when it takes less than 5 minoots to fill a gas tank if I pay at the pump, why on this green earth would I change my mind?  And as far as irrationality and hate go, I have no idear what you're talking aboot.  Dfelt and I are like a balance shaft in a 1995 4.3L V6, you need both to keep things lubricated and running smooth there, compadre.

[Drew Dowdell]

Most people who have EVs never have to sit there in a Panera with $9 Mac-n-Cheese because most people are not doing 400-mile journeys every day. The car gets charged up at home.

What's going on is that the Tesla owners are overusing the free SuperCharging.  They're being cheap wads and potentially harming their battery's life in the process. They still haven't switched their mentality away from gas-powered cars.  The only people who should be at a Supercharger should be those who don't have enough juice to get home. 

Based on my driving habits, I'd have to charge up once a week at most... I can do that at home.  Charging every night is not necessary. Plugging a Bolt or Model S in at night once a week when I'm done driving for the day takes far less of my time than filling up with gas at the local Costco. 

[ccap41]

10 hours ago, dfelt said:

True, but even that maintenance of oil changes, brakes, etc. while small stuff is a bother for many. 

I do not expect @ocnblu or you to buy an EV, but I know plenty that want alternatives to Tesla, Nissan or GM for an EV and not have to deal with the ICE maintenance.

I don't even expect you to buy one... 

[A Horse With No Name]

42 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Most people who have EVs never have to sit there in a Panera with $9 Mac-n-Cheese because most people are not doing 400-mile journeys every day. The car gets charged up at home.

What's going on is that the Tesla owners are overusing the free SuperCharging.  They're being cheap wads and potentially harming their battery's life in the process. They still haven't switched their mentality away from gas-powered cars.  The only people who should be at a Supercharger should be those who don't have enough juice to get home. 

Based on my driving habits, I'd have to charge up once a week at most... I can do that at home.  Charging every night is not necessary. Plugging a Bolt or Model S in at night once a week when I'm done driving for the day takes far less of my time than filling up with gas at the local Costco. 

...and not stopping on the way home during rush hour traffic is a major time save. 

 

[Robert Hall]

Given that I work from home and drive very little every week (sometimes a 200 mile road trip on the weekends), an EV could work for me.  But not anytime soon...

[A Horse With No Name]

37 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I don't even expect you to buy one... 

Ohhh eventually we all will. Time frame is the question. More and more people I know are driving them. Couple guys in one of my woodworking club just bought Teslas and love them.

 

[G. David Felt]

37 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I don't even expect you to buy one... 

 I will not buy anything else but an EV as my next new auto. Just waiting for the right options to come along.

[A Horse With No Name]

Just now, Robert Hall said:

Given that I work from home and drive very little every week (sometimes a 200 mile road trip on the weekends), an EV could work for me.  But not anytime soon...

Your Jeep should last another decade plus easily. Lots will change by the 2029 model yer. 

Just now, dfelt said:

 I will not buy anything else but an EV as my next new auto. Just waiting for the right options to come along.

When the Model 3 is available half priced as a 4 year old low mile car, i will probably consider one. 

[ccap41]

I genuinely don't think you will within the next 10 years, to have something as big as you claim to need. 

[Robert Hall]

27 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Your Jeep should last another decade plus easily. Lots will change by the 2029 model year. 

Ya, 100k miles is my goal.  Just got to 40k miles...took me 18 months to get there from 25k miles.   I don't plan to go for 170k/17 years like I did w/ my old Jeep--the newer one is way more complex w/ the electronics, so it may be worse over 100k than the old one was. 

Edited November 15, 2018 by Robert Hall

[G. David Felt]

2 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I genuinely don't think you will within the next 10 years, to have something as big as you claim to need. 

By 2028 either I will have an EV Suburban one way or another!  

[ccap41]

I will only believe it when I see it.

[G. David Felt]

22 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I will only believe it when I see it.

I can respect and understand that. Either GM will come out with a full size Electric SUV or my 1994 GMC Suburban SLE will be converted.  

[A Horse With No Name]

51 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Ya, 100k miles is my goal.  Just got to 40k miles...took me 18 months to get there from 25k miles.   I don't plan to go for 170k/17 years like I did w/ my old Jeep--the newer one is way more complex w/ the electronics, so it may be worse over 100k than the old one was. 

One reason the beetle will probably go down the rod at 100K rather than 200K...

35 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I will only believe it when I see it.

Don't hold your breath...i like purple but....

[Robert Hall]

Just now, A Horse With No Name said:

One reason the beetle will probably go down the rod at 100K rather than 200K...

Yeah, I just don't want to deal w/ old vehicle shit anymore.  When I get to 100k I'll go for another CPO GC or other...

[A Horse With No Name]

13 minutes ago, dfelt said:

I can respect and understand that. Either GM will come out with a full size Electric SUV or my 1994 GMC Suburban SLE will be converted.  

Running around in miniature on a Seattle slot car track.  Of course, they had that in the sixties...

Just now, Robert Hall said:

Yeah, I just don't want to deal w/ old vehicle shit anymore.  When I get to 100k I'll go for another CPO GC or other...

Your mindset changes as you get older IMHO. I feel the exact same way.