When Chevrolet launched the all-new 2023 Colorado last July, the automaker revealed a rugged lineup of pickups. That included the tough-looking ZR2, but new spy photos show an even meaner truck with a familiar name on the way. Our photographers have captured the Colorado ZR2 Bison testing on the streets of Metro Detroit.
The truck looks quite similar to the 2023 ZR2, but a closer inspection reveals a few differences. This truck seems taller, riding on unique 12-spoke wheels with a black finish wrapped in Goodyear Wrangler Territories tires. They look larger than the previous Bison’s 31-inch ones and could measure up to 35 inches on the new truck. At the front, the exposed Flowtie emblem features a red accent on the inner lip, one of the few clues to its special status.
Gallery: 2024 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison
The new Bison looks to follow the formula established by its predecessor, first launched in 2019. It was a beefier truck with steel bumpers, steel skid plates, and an assortment of off-road equipment added to an already capable pickup. Chevrolet collaborated with American Expedition Vehicles on the truck, using OEM and AEV aftermarket parts to build the Bison. The new one should arrive with the same level of gear, including beadlock tires.
Chevrolet launched the third-generation Colorado with only one engine option – a turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder. However, the automaker offers it in three different tunes, with the weakest pumping out 237 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque. That’s not the one Chevy uses in the ZR2, which makes 310 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. This is the setup that should power the new ZR2 Bison. The only gearbox Chevy offers in the Colorado is an eight-speed automatic.
The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison doesn’t look fully baked at the moment. While the front features the production headlights, the taillights are stand-in units framed in black plastic. The ZR2 Bison should debut in the coming months, likely going on sale later this year, possibly for the 2024 model year.
