As I've alluded to, this is no mall-crawling brodozer. To prove it, Chevy took us out into the Sonora Desert east of Phoenix and let us bang their $48,045 truck (to start for an extended cab V-6, $49,645 for the four-door Crew Cab V-6) off all the rocks we could find. This was no bunny slope, either. The rock garden Chevy turned us loose on required spotters on every element just to limit the damage to the parts meant for it.
And damage we did. The rock sliders below the doors got the biggest workout, followed by the underbody protection. Most of it doesn't show, and even the dings you can see didn't look that bad, a testament to the strength of the guards. No matter how strong the skidplates are, you never quite get comfortable with the noise they make when you drag them over rocks. Not faring nearly as well was the massive exhaust tip on the diesel models, which was smashed into the shape of a peapod on every diesel truck. If you're doing this at home, you're just gonna want to cut that thing off. The gasoline models, with their shorter, smaller-diameter exhaust pipes, were fine.
In most cases, the grip from the Goodyears and the torque-multiplication provided in low range was enough to get the Bison through, but the locking rear differential was more than a little helpful. It was a rare obstacle and a bad driving line that necessitated the use of the front locker, but when it did, the truck went through, no winching required.
Don't think its newfound strengths have left compromises in their wake, however. Skidplates thoroughly bashed, we disabled the lockers, popped the Bison back up into four-high, and bounded out the trail and dirt access road no differently than we would've in a standard ZR2. Back on the highway, any extra weight from the protection or changes in tuning were invisible. The noise of the off-road tires was the only indication of the truck's specialty.
The back-to-back trail and highway driving put into perspective the biggest decision you'll have to make when buying a Colorado of any kind: gas or diesel. In general, we're fans of the diesel's low-end torque, on-road and off. With the Bison's penchant for rock crawling, it's a no-brainer. The gasoline V-6 has always been a bit soggy on the bottom end, making all its power up high in the revs, and that's not what you want off-road. On the other hand, the diesel is quite a bit slower getting up to freeway speeds, and it costs an extra $3,730. It does get significantly better fuel economy, which is something to consider if you're going to spend a lot of time away from a gas station. Chevrolet would do well to consider offering its new 2.7-liter turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder, which combines the diesel's bottom end with the V-6's speed.
The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison isn't a better ZR2; it's a different ZR2. It does all the things a ZR2 can, but it also specializes in getting out of the worst situations you can put it in. What's more, it offers you an excellent platform to build the off-roader of your dreams. At nearly $50,000 to start it's no Craigslist special, but if you're planning to base your off-road build on a new truck rather than a used one, you're going to dump some serious money into it regardless. Why not start with the best?
SOURCE: MOTOR TREND