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Serious off-roaders might find the last line of the Chevrolet press release for the most interesting Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison 2019. "The 2018 ZR2 Bison Colorado will be released in January 2019, modified for extreme off-road use and covered by a full factory limited warranty." Chevy pledges the new mid-size truck will be ready for use. " The additional protection is due to a new partnership with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV).
Heavy equipment installed in the factory
The new Colorado ZR2 Bison will be factory equipped with steel bumpers and five different skid plates to protect the undercarriage from damage from off-road driving. The Colorado ZR2 2019 will go into the mid-size all-terrain truck market currently controlled by the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro. Ford recently confirmed that they would build a Raptor version of the much anticipated Ford Ranger. John Goreham, editor of Torque News, has published numerous articles on the all-new Ford Ranger.
The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison 2019 is Chevy's first collaboration with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), a well-known off-road spares manufacturer. It would make sense that if this vehicle succeeds, you can expect to see a Silverado AEV version and perhaps an SUV version.
Chevrolet offers four different versions of its mid-size Colorado truck. It features a diesel engine, a V-6 gasoline engine, an all-terrain ZR2 and now the extreme off-roader Bison. No word yet on how additional equipment will affect fuel economy.
Bison will have five skid plates protecting the oil pan, fuel tank, transfer case and front and rear engine lock differentials. Designed by AEV, these protective plates are made of hard, hot-stamped hard boron steel.
The stamped steel front and rear bumpers designed by AEV further protect the truck. The front bumper features standard winch provisions and fog lights, with recovery points built into the rear bumper.
The off-road market is highly desirable
Sandor Piszar, who oversees marketing for Chevy Truck, says: "More and more enthusiasts are discovering that Colorado is ideal for off-road racing, especially overland travel. The Colorado Z71 offers a full range of off-road equipment, the handling of an intermediate truck and the driving range of a diesel engine exclusive to the category. The Colorado ZR2 offers an even greater off-road capability with front and rear locking differentials and class-exclusive Multimatic DSSVTM dampers. And now, Bison is offering its customers an even more extreme off-road truck, ready to face your next adventure. "
The Colorado Bison includes Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac all-terrain tires of 31 inches. The flares are wider to allow a better maneuver. There will be "Bison" decals on the sides of the bed, an "AEV Bison" logo on the hatchback and AEV logo-embossed floor linings and headrests.
"We have followed Colorado since its launch, and the ZR2 has really caught our attention," said Dave Harriton, founder and president of AEV. "As this is the first Chevrolet vehicle to have AEV treated, we wanted to do something special with the industry's first use of hot-stamped boron steel. We also expect Colorado drivers to love the increased robustness of our front and rear bumpers on the ZR2 Bison. "
The ZR2 Bison includes all the equipment of the ZR1 version and more:
- 2 "suspension installed at the factory.
- Front and rear locking electronic differentials exclusive to the class.
- Revolutionary DSSVTM Multimatic shock absorbers exclusive to the segment.
- Anti-tip protection
- Cast iron control arm
- Autotrac transfer box.
- Choice of cabin or extended cab configurations (including short and long beds).
Serious off-roaders can even send their vehicles to the AEV and ask them to snorkel, for a fee, to drive the dusty or muddy trails.
I would expect Chevrolet to announce an AEV version of its popular Silverado soon to better compete with the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram Rebel. Off-roading seems to be a hot market for trucks right now and it makes sense to hit while the skidplate is hot!
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