What Makes The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 The Standout Off-Road Truck

Summary

• Off-roading trucks from Chevy and others are now fully equipped with features for tough terrains, eliminating the need for costly modifications.
• The Colorado ZR2, with a strong chassis, offers big-truck capabilities in a mid-sized package, making it ideal for advanced off-road adventures.
• Packed with technology, comfort, and rugged features, the ZR2 leads the mid-size truck market and is a top choice for off-road enthusiasts.

It used to be that getting way off the beaten track on an off-roading adventure involved a lot of time and cash modifying your truck so it could handle what you wanted to throw at it, and often with mixed results. Luckily, in the last few years manufacturers like Chevrolet have started doing the hard work for you and the current lineup of mid-sized off-road spec trucks are impressive, powerful, and loaded with features you may not have realized you wanted until you see them.

While they aren’t as large as other trucks on the market, they make up for it with far greater capability for getting down and dirty where larger trucks might get stuck or damaged. The discussion around built vs bought has become more clouded as off-road trucks straight from the dealership are coming equipped with almost all the features you would modify and install yourself.

We’re going to take a dive into Chevrolet’s lineup, show you just why the Colorado ZR2 is the pick of the bunch, and even check out some of the other mid-size trucks on the market and how they stack up when conditions get tough.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Car and Driver, Chevrolet, Toyota, and Ford.

The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, Award-Winning And Tough

This is a very hotly contested segment of the market, but there’s one truck that stands above the rest as the toughest, meanest, off-road machine; the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. Packed to the roof with features that will eat up any landscape, your off-road adventures are only limited by your imagination with this mid-sized monster. Perfectly pairing comfort and advanced technology inside the cabin with rugged, durable off-road ready parts on the exterior, the ZR2 comes ready to drive out of the dealership and straight onto an adventure.

Undisputed Truck Of The Year

Last year saw the introduction of the third generation Colorado, bringing a new approach to the mid-size truck design by borrowing from its larger sibling the Silverado; both models share Chevy’s TurboMax engine, chassis, and frame. The Silverado (and its ZR2 counterpart) go even bigger when it comes to towing and payload, but the Colorado ZR2 really pushes the limits of off-road capability.

For a mid-sized truck, the ZR2’s lift kit, wider body, and borrowed Silverado chassis and frame give it a fairly large footprint, almost the size of a full-sized truck. Unsurprisingly, Chevrolet’s work on the Colorado earned it MotorTrend’s Truck of the Year and Edmunds’ Top Rated Truck – and that’s not just for the mid-size market, Edmunds rated it highest of all trucks on the market as it’s a complete package and raises the bar for trucks, especially off-roading models.

Loaded With Features You’ll Really Want

MSRP for the Colorado ZR2 starts at $48,395 but Chevy has a mountain of extras and accessories that you’ll definitely want to add on, so expect to pay a bit more for your ZR2. Off-roading is a breeze with the ZR2’s plethora of features, including goodies like driver-selectable full-locking front and rear differentials and antilock disc brakes on all four wheels so when you need to go four-wheel-driving you know you’ll have maximum traction.

Handy additions like an engine block heater for cold starts in Winter or if you’re up in the mountains camping, and a remote start so you can warm the truck up before you hop in make life that little bit more comfortable.

Just because it’s a tough off-roader doesn’t mean it’s short on technology either; you’ll find a solid selection of driver assistance and convenience features crammed into the ZR2 cabin, like dual-zone climate control, heated driver and passenger seats, optional heated steering wheel, lane keep assist, and front and rear USB ports. Possibly the coolest addition to the ZR2 is Chevrolet’s underbody cameras, offering a front and rear view underneath your truck to keep an eye on things when you’re driving through tough terrain.

Performance Specifications

(Source: Chevrolet)

How The Colorado ZR2 Stacks Up Vs The Competition

The Colorado Family Unwrapped

As you move through the Colorado range, from the WT and LT to the Trail Boss and Z71, the aesthetics get tougher and wider, but that’s just a hint at the features Chevrolet has added to each model, culminating in the class-leading ZR2 which is ready and rearing to eat up any off-road trip you can think of.

Just because it’s the entry model doesn’t mean it’s lacking; the WT comes with a 2.7-liter turbocharged engine that puts out 237 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, although you can opt for the TurboMax engine that is present in the top models for an extra $1,050.

It includes Chevy Safety Assist, but it’s the multitude of packages and options available that really stand out, including upgrades to the body, towing capacity, and the looks of the truck. The LT adds keyless entry and start, and with options like the skid plate package and advanced trailering package, you’re already looking at an impressive truck.

Stepping up to the Trail Boss or Z71 is where you’ll start finding really impressive off-road-centric features, with the Trail Boss adding a 2.0-inch factory lift kit, 18-inch wheels, and 32-inch tires, and Chevy’s Autotrac 2-speed transfer case with push button controls to make four-wheel-driving a breeze. Chevy has also improved off-road traction by adding Hill Descent Control and an automatic locking rear differential.

The ZR2 and the fully loaded Bison model however kick things up quite a lot from the other Colorado models, taking you not just off the dirt track but wherever you feel like driving your truck, whether it’s rock hopping, dune bashing, or exploring places no one else can go.

The Big Three Of Off-Road Trucking

While the Colorado ZR2 is top of the class for many features, the popular Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro and the new-kid-on-the-block (although it has been available overseas for a few years) Ford Ranger Raptor is hot on its heels, pushing the limits of what has previously been possible for a mid-sized truck.

Chevrolet is making a statement with the ZR2, clearly intending to push its competitors out of the way as it charges up the mountain of the best off-roading trucks, dominating the mid-size truck market with a host of impressive additions to the base model.

Chevrolet vs Toyota vs Ford; By The Numbers

(Source: Chevrolet, Toyota, and Ford)

The Colorado’s 11.3-inch infotainment system isn’t just for GPS and radio, it includes genuinely useful features like active tire pressure monitoring and an Air Down Mode to sound the horn when your pressures are at the right spot, access to all 10 cameras around and under the truck (which can be washed with the press of a button), and Off-Road modes to get full diagnostics on the pitch, roll, steering angle and a compass to ensure that when you’re driving through the roughest terrain you can have full vision of how the truck is handling it.

The dash display also offers quite a lot of info for drivers including a full map or an off-road display with some of the data from the infotainment’s Off-Road mode. It even has heated side mirrors so your vision isn’t interrupted by fog, ice, or snow, and Chevy’s handy StowFlex tailgate which adds a nicely sized storage box in the tailgate itself; with the ZR2 it’s all about the little features that add up to an awesome off-roader.

Mid-Sized Truck With Big Class-Leading Features

To say that the Colorado ZR2 is class-leading is almost an understatement given the sheer level of advancement Chevrolet has gone to in order to push this truck to the extremes. They haven’t just loaded in some fancy bits of tech and called it a day either, the ZR2 is top of its class where it matters if you’re an off-road enthusiast.

Head to head vs the previous best mid-sized truck, the TRD Pro, the ZR2 shows that bigger can mean better, with upgrades that push it past the popular Tacoma. Chevy hasn’t forgotten about performance either, despite lagging behind the Raptor and TRD Pro in raw numbers; they’ve included the Flow Tie badge to improve aero and cooling so the engine doesn’t get too hot under load.

Class-Leading Off-Road Goodies

Chevrolet is serious about the ZR2 being a proper off-roader and as such has teamed up with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) to upgrade the existing platform so that it is ready for anything as soon as you jump in the cab. We’re talking best-in-class ground clearance, best-in-class breakover angle, best-in-class underbody protection thanks to AEV, largest-in-class 35-inch tires, and class-exclusive underbody cameras so you can monitor exactly what you’re crawling over.

AEV has built an optional stamped-steel front and rear bumper, front skid plate and transfer case skid plate, and hot-stamped Boron-steel fuel tank, and rear differential skid plates so rocks or trees don’t cut your trips short. You’ll also want to look into adding on the heavy-duty winch by COMEUP and the optional 17-inch Beadlock wheels (you’ll definitely want these if you’re planning to go through any difficult rocky terrain).

As with the 2023 model, Chevrolet has included DSSV Multimatic suspension dampers and hydraulic bump stops which will ensure the truck will handle big impacts (or jumps) smoothly. A 3-inch factory-installed lift with high-performance suspension makes light work of rough terrain, and while the rear leaf springs are somewhat dated vs the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro and Ford Ranger Raptor’s coil springs, it gives the ZR2 a far greater towing capacity.

While the Ranger Raptor puts out more power and is quicker off the line, most off-roading is quite slow and it just doesn’t keep up with the ZR2 in tough spots. Another handy feature when you’re off the beaten track is the two 120-volt power outlets in the ZR2; one on the rear of the front console and one in the cargo bed.

Chevy Didn’t Forget About Carrying Cargo

In the Colorado ZR2 you’ll be able to go climbing over mountains or thrashing through the deserts, and then after a long weekend of adventure load the bed up with up to 1,423 pounds of equipment, cargo, or tools, and the ZR2 will keep on trucking without a worry. Unlike other off-road-centric trucks in the market, the ZR2 can tow and carry a massive weight thanks to the leaf spring suspension in the rear.

Sure, leaf springs are old technology, but being able to use the ZR2 for work or play gives it a real advantage if you’re someone who needs a work truck and doesn’t want to settle for a not-so-good off-roader for the sake of carrying the gear you need during the week.

With best-in-class cargo tie-downs and handy bed features like the 120-volt socket, watertight non-skid spray-on bedliner, cab-mounted cargo area lights, optional cargo bed LED lighting and StowFlex tailgate storage, Chevy has made it clear that they want you to use the ZR2 exactly how you want; whether that’s tying down all your camping gear or loading up with equipment for the job site.

And for some peace of mind, if you are going to carry around valuable equipment or tools, Chevrolet offers a hard-folding lockable tonneau cover by REV. Fully loaded with all the features, cargo, and passengers you’re looking at a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 6,250 pounds, which is large for a ‘mid-sized’ truck, but that’s exactly why it is 2024’s best choice for off-roading.