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Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison

The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison is an extreme off-road variant of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 off-road pickup truck that makes various improvements for off-roading, overlanding and exploration.

Features & Equipment

The Colorado ZR2 Bison includes the following features:

  • CHEVROLET lettered grille
  • AEV Front Bumper
  • Fog lamps (T3U)
  • AEV rear bumper (VHU)
  • Wheel Moldings (B7O)
  • Front floor liners (CPX)
  • Rear floor liners (CPY)
  • AEV Embroidered Headrests
  • Fuel tank skid plate (PZ9)
  • Front skid plate (PZG)
  • Rear differential skid plate (PZL)
  • Transfer case skid plate (PZN)
  • 17″ AEV aluminum wheel (RIG)
  • 17″ AEV spare wheel (S4M)

The snorkel is not part of the Colorado ZR2 Bison package. Instead, it is available as a third-party accessory form AEV and is ideal for air filtration while driving on dusty trails. Notably, this feature is compatible with all Colorado models.

Body Styles

The Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison is available as a midsize pickup truck with the following cab and bed configurations:

  • Extended Cab, Long Box
  • Crew Cab, Short Box

Powertrain

The Colorado ZR2 Bison is offered with the following powertrain:

Engine Transmission Horsepower @ RPM Torque @ RPM Rear Axle
3.6L V-6 LGZ gasoline 8-speed automatic M5T 308 @ 6800 275 @ 4000 3.42
2.8L I-4 LWN diesel 6-speed automatic MYB 181 @ 3400 369 @ 2000 3.42

AEV Collaboration

The Colorado ZR2 Bison represents Chevy’s first collaboration with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), a premium off-road aftermarket manufacturer.

Production Of Concept

The Colorado ZR2 Bison is the production version of the Colorado ZR2 AEV.

Trim Level / Options Package

The 2019 Colorado ZR2 Bison is not a trim level. Instead, it is an options package available exclusively for the Colorado ZR2.

The ZR2 Bison package is assigned RPO Code ULV, available only on the Colorado ZR2.

Availability restrictions are as follows:

  • Requires:
    • (G7C) Red Hot
    • (G9K) Satin Steel Metallic
    • (GAN) Silver Ice Metallic
    • (GAZ) Summit White
    • (GBA) Black exterior color
  • Not available with:
    • (PDE) ZR2 Dusk Special Edition
    • (PDF) ZR2 Midnight Special Edition
    • (B38) Floor covering, full length Black vinyl
    • (B34) front carpeted floor mats
    • (B35) rear carpeted floor mats
    • (PDZ) Chrome Appearance Package, LPO
    • (PCI) Premium Interior Package, LPO
    • (VAV) All-weather floor mats, LPO
    • (RIA) All-weather floor liner, LPO
  • Upgradeable to (SAS) rear spare tire carrier, LPO

Platform

Like all second-generation units of the Chevy Colorado, the Colorado ZR2 Bison rides on the GMT 31XX platform shared with the following vehicles:

  • 2015 and newer GMC Canyon
  • 2013 and newer Chevrolet and Holden Colorado for international markets
  • 2014 and newer Chevrolet Trailblazer, also known as the Holden Colorado 7 and Holden Trailblazer

Production

The Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison is assembled at the GM Wentzville factory in Missouri by GM USA.

Availability

The Colorado ZR2 Bison went on sale in the December 2018 – January 2019 timeframe as a 2019 model year vehicle.

Beyond 2019

We expect that the current, second-generation Chevrolet Colorado will remain in production at least thru the 2022 model year, and that an all-new, future Chevy Colorado will launch for the 2023 model year. The Bison ZR2 will likely follow that production schedule.

Discussion

Discuss the Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison in our Chevrolet forum.

News

Follow our coverage of:

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Evidence

Prior to its official reveal, we had the following evidence of the Colorado ZR2 Bison’s imminent arrival.

Chevrolet hinted at a Colorado ZR2 with more rugged capability in November 2017, when it showed off the Colorado ZR2 AEV concept.

The first concrete evidence of Chevy planning to bring a Colorado variant called “ZR2 Bison” to market came in early April 2018, when Chevy’s parent company, General Motors, filed to trademark the term “ZR2 Bison” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Then, in May 2018, new spy photos showed a Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 with revised front and rear bumpers plus a snorkel undergoing testing.

It was also rumored that Chevrolet showed dealers a production version of the ZR2 Bison during its national dealer meeting in April 2018. According to meeting attendees, the production-intent version followed the ZR2 AEV Concept very closely, while lacking some of the concept’s over-the-top elements, such as a bed rack system as well as the integrated air-compressor set-up. It should, however, be noted that such items could be ordered from AEV to make a vehicle close to the original Colorado ZR2 AEV concept shown at the 2017 SEMA show.

The link between the Bison name lies in the American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) logo – which includes an image of a bison. AEV was involved in conceptualizing and building the Colorado ZR2 AEV.

Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison Spy Shots - May 2018 003

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