Chevrolet is adding a specialty off-road edition of the Colorado midsize pickup, improving trail capability in a segment with multiple updated offerings headed to showrooms.
Chevy worked with off-road aftermarket equipment manufacturer American Expedition Vehicles, known as AEV, on the Colorado ZR2 Bison edition for the 2024 model year. The Bison shares the ZR2’s 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four engine, which offers 310 hp, 430 pound-feet of torque and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Bison is about 1.5 inches longer than the ZR2 and also offers about 1.5 inches of additional ground clearance, for a total 12.2 inches, according to Chevy. The Bison’s maximum payload is 1,050 pounds, compared with 1,280 pounds for the ZR2. The Bison also offers 5,500 pounds of max trailering capacity, compared with the ZR2’s 6,000 pounds.
Both the Bison and ZR2 versions come with Multimatic Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve dampers, while the Bison also offers Multimatic Jounce Control dampers in the front and rear. The Bison edition also offers a heavy-duty front bumper with winch capability, an AEV-specific rear bumper and fender flares, 17-inch wheels with 35-inch mud and terrain tires, and unique badging on the exterior and interior.
Chevy did not disclose pricing or say when the Colorado ZR2 Bison edition would go on sale.
GMC plans to reveal an AEV-badged Canyon midsize pickup in July. Toyota this month showed off the redesigned Tacoma, which leads the midsize pickup segment, while Ford is adding a first-ever Raptor performance variant on the Ranger midsize pickup.