Chevy’s Answer to Ford’s Raptor is the Bison

The Colorado ZR2 Bison joins Chevrolet’s midsize truck lineup as an all-new performance variant. Bison is Chevy’s first collaboration with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), an off-road aftermarket manufacturer.

The Bison features five skid plates covering the engine oil pan, fuel tank, transfer case and front and rear locking differentials. The AEV-designed skid plates are constructed of hard, durable hot-stamped Boron steel.

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AEV-designed stamped steel front and rear bumpers further shield the truck from obstacles. The front bumper contains winch provisions and standard fog lights, with recovery points integrated into the rear bumper.

“The Colorado ZR2 offers even greater off-road capability with class-exclusive front and rear locking differentials and Multimatic DSSV dampers,” said Sandor Piszar, director of marketing for Chevrolet Truck. “And now, Bison offers customers an even more extreme turnkey off-road truck ready to tackle your next adventure.”

An exclusive, flow-through grille replaces the traditional bowtie on Bison’s front end. The 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac off-road tires sit beneath larger fender flares and wrap all-new, ZR2 Bison-specific 17×8-inch aluminum wheels.

This new Colorado variant also features Bison decals on the bed sides, an AEV Bison logo on the tailgate and embroidered AEV logo floor liners and front head restraints.

“We’ve been following Colorado since its introduction, and the ZR2 really captured our attention,” said Dave Harriton, founder and president of AEV. “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.”

The ZR2 Bison also duplicates the full equipment list of the Colorado ZR2, including, but not limited to:

• Front and rear locking electronic differentials
• Multimatic DSSV dampers
• Off-road rocker protection
• Cast-iron control arms
• Autotrac transfer case

Like ZR2, Bison also features a modified rear axle with a 3.42 ratio, front and rear tracks widened by 3.5 inches and a factory suspension lifted 2-inches over a Colorado Z71.

Available options on Bison include:

• 2.8L Duramax Turbo-Diesel engine paired with a six-speed automatic transmission (capable of 186 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque)
• Choice of crew- or extended-cab configurations (including short and long beds, respectively).
• Third-party snorkel from AEV (this feature is compatible with all Colorado pickup variants)

The 2019 Colorado ZR2 Bison goes on sale in January.