Every now and then a concept vehicle is introduced to the public that creates a buzz around it that never goes away. One vehicle that made waves was the 2017 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 AEV concept at the 2017 Specialty Equipment Market Association show. AEV stands for American Expedition Vehicles, a company that partnered with Chevrolet to make the beautiful and bruising Bison. AEV also helped identify which parts of the Colorado would be the most vulnerable for off road traveling. What did Chevrolet and AEV come up in their final product that’s now being released? The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison is complete with five skid plates of Boron-steel and an additional three skid plates protecting the undercarriage.
“We’ve been following Colorado since its introduction, and the ZR2 really captured our attention. As this is the first Chevrolet vehicle we’ve given the AEV treatment to, we wanted to do something special with the industry’s first use of hot-stamped Boron steel. We also expect that Colorado drivers will love the added ruggedness of our front and rear bumpers on ZR2 Bison,” said American Expedition Vehicles President, Dave Harriton.
How Protected Is The Bison While Offroading?
Owners of the Colorado ZR2 Bison can feel confident that their pickup can handle the terrain of most trails. Boron-steel skid plates will protect all the most important parts of the vehicle underneath, including the engine oil pan, fuel tank, transfer case, the front and rear locking differentials. While the protection of the underside was one of the most important improvements AEV could do, the company went the extra mile and designed and integrated all new bumpers made of Boron steel. AEV provided tubular protection on the corners that are connected to the chassis. What that means is any part of the vehicle that is hit, the entire vehicle helps to absorb any damage, lessening any hard hit to the vehicle.
Colorado ZR2 Bison features front and rear locking differentials and a special Multimatic DSSV damper, which provides precision spool valve technology to provide high levels of damper predictability, allowing the vehicle to absorb more impact energy and reduce the peak vertical movement of the ZR2 Bison’s center of gravity up to 40 percent. AEV redesigned the flared fenders and gave a two-inch suspension lift to allow for greater clearance. Not only is the Bison fully capable of handling the difficult routes and travels that are often presented in off road travels, but drivers can feel confident no matter where they take their Colorado ZR2 Bison.Sitting on new 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires paired with 17-inch wheels designed for the Bison, this is a special pickup ready to go from day one. Those tires are exclusive for the Bison and all together, the vehicle is ready to go rock crawling and over any muddy terrain.
What helps the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison stand out from the crowd is the flexibility drivers gain; not only in the ability to go off-road easily, but how much power they prefer. An extended cab or crew cab body are available. Drivers can choose from a 3.6-Liter Pentastar engine or a 2.8-Liter turbo diesel engine. The gasoline engine provides 308 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque and equips an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 2.8-Liter turbo diesel affords 186 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque with a six-speed automatic transmission.
Chevrolet is confident they have built the perfect vehicle for adventure and exploring with this incredible off road centerpiece. Drivers have a great interest in knowing how the vehicle will handle, but best way to explain how great it feels to own one and have the flexibility to travel where you need can be explained by the makers at Chevy.
Show up to Miami Lakes Automall where we make it easy for our customers to find what they want and our professional team is happy to show off our entire lineup, including the 2018 Chevy Colorado ZR2. Not sure about how to pay for everything? Let us help you with financing, for any purchase, lease and if you need to sell or trade-in your current vehicle, that’s all possible at Miami Lakes Automall, too. Our friendly sales team is ready to help. Just come in to see what you can end up with. From our professional sales team to our entire staff at Miami Lakes Automall, we welcome you to our business with pleasure.