Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Off-Road Equipment And Specs Explained

Summary

• The 2024 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 offers impressive off-road capabilities for a competitive price of $41,795.
• With a powerful 2.7-liter TurboMax engine, the Z71 boasts 310 HP and 430 lb-ft of torque.
• Featuring a two-speed transfer case, four-wheel-drive, and enhanced towing technology, the Z71 is a versatile mid-size pickup truck.

In 2024, there aren’t many segments as hotly competitive as the mid-size pickup truck. While we’ve been treated to quite a few exceptional mid-size trucks in recent years, manufacturers from around the world have stepped out of their game once again. Subsequently, the segment has reached new heights, with certain models standing out from the crowd.

The 2024 Chevrolet Colorado is undoubtedly one of these trucks, which comes in a total of five different trims. While the top-spec ZR2 has been garnering a lot of attention, the next trim-down, the Z71, shares many similarities with the ZR2, making it an ultra-competitive mid-size pickup option if you don’t want to spend the top price. The Chevrolet Colorado Z71 starts at $41,795.

One key area that modern mid-sized trucks focus on is off-roading, which the Colorado Z71 manages to deliver, as well as all other departments that allow vehicles to excel. Coming with a four-door cab and five-foot bed layout, here’s a breakdown of the 2024 Colorado Z71’s off-road equipment and additional features that make it a versatile competitor in the mid-size pickup truck segment.

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 Motor Trend, and Car and Driver.

The 2024 Colorado Z71 Trim Comes With The 2.7-Liter TurboMax Engine

When it comes to pickup trucks, having a potent engine under the hood capable of tackling each task is why you buy these vehicles, as it is the most important element. In 2024, the Chevrolet Colorado comes with two engine options, both of them being variations of the same 2.7-liter inline-four. The top three specs, including the Z71, get the tuned TurboMax engine.

Performance Specifications

(Data was collected from Chevrolet)

The TurboMax engine pumps out an impressive 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque, and its focus on torque makes it much more capable of tackling tough terrain. In Car and Driver’s test with the top-spec ZR2, the 2.7-liter TurboMax engine managed to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 7.1 seconds, which is more than enough for a mid-size truck designed to perform in all conditions.

Its Two-Speed Transfer Case With Four-Wheel-Drive

The Chevrolet Colorado Z71 is equipped with a part-time four-wheel-drive driveline that delivers power to all four wheels, enhancing the truck’s off-road prowess. This driveline offers the benefits of all-wheel traction while off-roading, but it also enables the use of only rear-wheel drive on the road, which greatly enhances the truck’s towing capabilities.

As with the top-spec ZR2 trim, the Chevrolet Colorado Z71 features an electronically controlled two-speed transfer case with high and low-range modes. The high-range setting is ideal for higher speeds and driving through thicker terrains, such as mud and snow, while the low-range mode provides maximum torque and grip at lower speeds.

An Off-Road Enhanced Eight-Speed Automatic

To partner with the four-wheel-drive driveline, the Chevrolet Colorado Z71 comes with an electronically controlled eight-speed automatic transmission, kitted out with plenty of off-roading enhancements. One of the key features of the transmission is the Powertrain Grade Braking technology, which automatically uses the engine and transmission to slow the truck to maintain a steady speed when driving downhill.

Working hand-in-hand with Power Grade Braking, the Z71’s eight-speed automatic features Cruise Grade Braking, which downshifts the truck automatically when driving downhill if you exceed the cruise set speed by a certain amount.

A Focus On Towing As Well As Performance

As well as delivering benefits for the Colorado Z71’s off-roading performance, the specifications for the mid-size truck are also focused heavily on delivering the best towing capabilities possible. Thanks to the 2.7-liter inline-four TurboMax focusing so heavily on torque over horsepower, towing heavier loads becomes much easier with the instant power delivery.

Also, thanks to its part-time four-wheel-drive driveline, the Z71 can receive power from its rear wheels only. For towing, rear-wheel-drive is widely considered the best driveline for towing, and for good reason. Using the rear wheels to put all the necessary power down leaves the front wheels to grip the tarmac/gravel as efficiently as possible.

A Maximum Towing Capacity Of 7,700 Pounds

Overall, the 2024 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 offers an impressive maximum towing capacity of 7,700 pounds, a stat shared with the Trail Boss trim below the Z71. Compared to other Colorado trims, the Z71 boasts a higher maximum capacity than the top-spec ZR2 trim, which drops to 6,000 pounds due to its focus on performance.

Hitch Guidance And Hitch View

To make the towing process as smooth and efficient as possible, the Chevrolet Colorado Z71 comes with plenty of technology to make hitching much easier. The first is by using the Hitch View on the center display, which provides a clear close-up view of the trailer hitch.

In addition to the Hitch View, the Hitch Guidance system displays a centered guideline on the rear vision camera view. When driving, you can also use the rear camera to check that all systems work as expected. To keep on top of everything much easier, the Colorado Z71 comes with the in-vehicle trailering app, which gives you an in-depth checklist as well as reminders and diagnostics to ease any worries while towing heavy loads. It must be noted that the app only comes with the optional Advanced Trailering package, costing an extra $620.

Additional Off-Road Features For The Z71

Moving back to the off-road specifications for the 2024 Colorado Z71, the mid-size truck examines all the key components needed to extract the most performance on the trails and fine-tunes them to do exactly that. While not as adept off-road as the top-spec ZR2, the Z71 trim has all the potential to more than hold its own through its suspension, tires, and mode-select technology.

Off-Road Focused Suspension With All-Terrain Tires

Regarding the suspension, the Z71 trim doesn’t have the same top-spec dynamic spool valve shocks that come with the ZR2. However, the second-highest trim is still perfectly equipped to handle the same tricky conditions, being fitted with an independent front suspension setup with leaf springs on the rear axle.

The Colorado Z71’s off-roading performance is assisted by the truck’s tires, which are fitted with 31-inch all-terrain blackwall tires. These tires come as standard for the Z71, but they are sized up to fit the 20-inch wheel rim options if you select them when building your truck.

Four Selectable Drive Modes With Automatic Locking Rear Differential

As with most modern trucks designed for off-roading, the 2024 Colorado comes with four drive modes to optimize performance on different terrains. The first mode is Off-Road, which provides improved grip on surfaces such as grass, mud, gravel, and deep snow. Terrain is the next mode available on the Z71, designed to take steep hills and overcome obstacles.

To further enhance the Z71’s towing capabilities, the truck also features the Tow/Haul drive mode. The fourth and final Normal mode optimizes comfort and performance for everyday driving on the tarmac. A Baja mode will be available in 2024, but this is reserved for the top-spec ZR2 only.

The 2024 Colorado Z71 Compared To Its Rivals

As mentioned before, the mid-size segment is as competitive as you’d want it to be, with multiple manufacturers introducing all-new models and developing existing nameplates to stay ahead of the competition. While it’ll be hard to beat the Chevrolet Colorado after it won Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year award for 2024, there are a couple of key rivals that should definitely be considered alongside the Chevy.

2024 Ford Ranger Lariat

The first direct mid-size rival for the Colorado Z71 trim is the 2024 Ford Ranger Lariat, which is the second-most expensive trim for the Ranger nameplate behind the Raptor. As for pricing, the Ford Ranger Lariat starts at $43,630, slightly more than the Colorado Z71.

Despite being cheaper, the 2.7-liter TurboMax engine in the Colorado Z71 beats out the Ranger Lariat’s smaller 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four, which produces 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. However, with the optional 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine, the power output becomes much more competitive at 315 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. The Ford Ranger Lariat also comes with a similar suspension setup to the Colorado Z71, with independent front suspension and leaf coils at the rear.

2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport

Another iconic nameplate within the mid-size pickup truck segment is the Toyota Tacoma, which is being redesigned in 2024 to become ultra-competitive once again. In terms of pricing, the TRD Sport trim is the closest to the Chevrolet Colorado Z71, starting at $43,100.

The Tacoma TRD Sport is also slightly more expensive but still can’t match up to the base power of the Colorado Z71. Overall, the Tacoma TRD Pro produces 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque from its 2.4-liter i-FORCE inline-four. The TRD Sport also comes with four-wheel-drive but has a lower maximum towing capacity of 6,400 pounds. Despite being cheaper than its main rivals, the 2024 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 manages to come out on top in terms of base performance, making it, without a doubt, one of the best new trucks you can buy in 2024.