2024 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison Rumbles in on 35-Inch Hooves

• The 2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison is a more extreme take on Chevy's off-road-themed Colorado ZR2.
• This is the second time Chevy has partnered with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) to create a Bison-badged version of the Colorado.
• Upgrades include 35-inch Goodyear mud-terrain tires, Multimatic hydraulic bump stops, steel bumpers, and steel underbody skid plates.
• A full-size spare is mounted upright in the cargo bed, directly behind the cabin.

With design, engineering and production facilities split between Missoula, Montana, and Detroit, AEV has once again crafted plenty of add-ons to keep hardcore truck adventurers happy. Riding on a suspension with 12.2 inches of ground clearance, which is 1.5 inches more than the standard ZR2, the Bison is fitted 35-inch Goodyear mud-terrain tires mounted to 17-inch alloys. These wheels look straight out of the Mad Max film franchise and are larger than anything offered on rivals from Ford, Nissan or Toyota. Wider AEV fender flares are fitted to cover these monster tires.

At either end are AEV-designed steel bumpers, with the front bumper being winch-capable. These allow the ZR2 Bison to have a 38.2-degree approach angle and 26-degree departure angle, along with a breakover angle of 26.9 degrees. We'd say "who's counting?" but these things matter a lot when you're deep in the wilderness, scaling dunes, or traversing muddy ravines far from civilized settings with things like paved roads and the nearest Starbucks.

The ZR2 Bison also comes with five underbody skid plates crafted out of high-strength Boron steel. In the standard-issue ZR2 these are made out of aluminum and don't extend as far rearward, including over the 21-gallon fuel tank, like they do in the Bison. Additional standard features include steel rock rails, a spray-in bedliner, electronic power-locking front and rear differentials, and a full-size spare mounted upright in the 5-foot-2-inch bed. Thankfully, Chevy mounted it slightly toward the driver's side to limit its impact on rear visibility.

But wait, there's more, and we're not talking about the AEV-embroidered front headrests, the "Flowtie" Chevy emblem in the front grille, or the Bison's fancier floor mats. We're referring to the ZR2 Bison's trick suspension parts, particularly the Multimatic-designed dampers with what Chevrolet refers to as "Jounce Control."

Because, after all, the last thing you want in your vehicle is some out-of-control jouncing. What this refers to are hydraulic bump stops that help the ZR2 Bison absorb especially large impacts during off-road driving. It's another next-step piece of hardware that goes beyond what's offered on its midsize pickup truck rivals.

One thing that didn't get, ahem, "Bison-ified" is the powertrain. The ZR2 Bison comes with the same 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that sends 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. This is the exact same output you get in the ZR2 but, given the Bison weighs about 300 pounds more than its stablemate, its max payload and towering capacities are slightly lower.

Sales are expected to begin in the fall and Chevrolet will announce pricing details closer to that time. Considering the Colorado ZR2 has an asking price of around $48,000, we expect the Bison variant will start in the region of $55,000 to $60,000.

Edmunds says

Chevrolet's Colorado ZR2 Bison is locking horns with rivals like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma for off-road bragging rights. We love the visuals and go-anywhere hardware of the Bison, though a bump in horsepower to match its tougher image would have been welcome too.