Chevrolet Hits the Dirt in 2024 Colorado ZR2 Bison

Chevrolet has unveiled their latest collaboration with off-road tuner American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), the all-new Colorado ZR2 Bison.

This iteration of the Bison treatment builds off the third-generation Colorado,  giving this midsize pickup a bit more off-road performance– as to be expected from anything built in conjunction with AEV. You can expect the usual assortment of enhancements, from bumper to tire, giving it the appearance and abilities necessary to tackle the trails.

It starts with heavy-duty front and rear AEV bumpers, the former of which is winch-capable. The bumpers are joined by special fender flares which ride above unique 17-inch beadlock capable wheels wrapping 35-inch mud terrain tires. Behind that you’ll find the ZR2’s Multimatic DSSV dampers. All of that together– suspension, wheel and tire, bumpers, etc.– adds up to 12.2-inches of ground clearance (1.5-inches more than the “standard” ZR2), a 38.2 degree approach angle, a 26 degree departure angle, and breakover angle of 26.9 degrees.

Under the hood is the Colorado’s 2.7-liter turbo inline-4, which gets the ZR2’s increase to 310 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission, another carryover from the Colorado and the ZR2, as is the front grille’s “flow tie”—a cut-out Chevy logo more commonly associated with the brand’s roadgoing performance cars. 

This is Chevrolet’s third recent collaboration with AEV. The first Colorado ZR2 Bison was announced in mid-2018 as a 2019 model, followed by a full-size Silverado ZR2 Bison, announced in 2022 as a 2023 model. Pricing for the ZR2 Bison has not yet been announced, but the standard Colorado ZR2 starts at $48,295, including a $1,495 destination and freight charge.