The Colorado ZR2 Bison Chevrolet is ready to face the Ford Ranger Raptor

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For the imminent battle against Ford's Ranger Raptor, Chevrolet has launched a pre-emptive strike by installing more off-road parts on the Colorado ZR2.

For the impending battle against Ford's Ranger Raptor, Chevrolet launched a pre-emptive strike by equipping the Colorado ZR2 with more off-road equipment and naming it after a sturdy farm animal: the Bison.

While the buffalo can reach or not reach the level of a Raptor, the new equipment makes this micro loan even more efficient. Based on the ZR2 AEV Concept at last year's SEMA show, the ZR2 Bison features equipment from American Expedition Vehicles (a well-known off-road equipment supplier, mostly from Jeep owners), but does not make Bison a pilot of the desert. A new angry face, thanks to an AEV steel bumper with fog lamps and a winch attachment plate under a new grille with "CHEVROLET" across its entire width, distinguishes the Bison from the ordinary ZR2. Larger flared wings on custom 17-inch black wheels and 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratec tires, Bison stickers on the bed and an AEV steel rear bumper with integrated tow hooks complete the exterior changes. For low shots, Chevy traded the ZR2's aluminum skid plates against steel units – a total of five covering the two differentials, the engine oil sump, the transfer case and the fuel tank . Additional logos of a bison and the name of the AEV appear on the tailgate and headrests.

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Otherwise, the Bison reflects the standard equipment of the ZR2, with Multimatic remote tank shocks, front and rear electronic lock differentials, cast iron control arms, a two-inch lift and front and rear tracks. rear 3.5 inches wider than in the next model down, the Colorado Z71. The red truck in the photos published by Chevrolet shows a snorkel, but owners often buy it from the AEV separately. Either the V-6 2.8-liter turbodiesel with a six-speed automatic or the 3.6-liter V6 with eight-speed automatic transmission. Expect to pay a few dollars more than the base price of $ 41,895 from the ZR2 2019, probably closer to the $ 44,430 that Toyota charges for a Tacoma TRD Pro 2019. The ZR2 Bison, in all its splendor, will be put on sale in January.