Chevy Confirms Silverado ZR2 Bison Finish
Off-road hungry gearheads are spoiled for choice – and there are more on the way. Chevrolet announced a truck they heavily hinted at earlier this year: The Silverado ZR2 Bison.
For those following the latest naming schemes from Detroit, allow this 4×4 author to bring you up to speed. On the new Silverado, a ZR2 trim usurped the Z71 for off-road supremacy, adding Multimatic DSSV shocks to the pickup of the kind found on the smaller Colorado ZR2 truck. Along with the nifty shocks, other off-road goodies help separate the ZR2 from the Z71, including front and rear lockers, specific 33-inch tires and a unique set of skid plates.
It is this last element in which we expect the ZR2 Bison to stand out from a standard ZR2. When the American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) crew was tasked with building the Colorado ZR2 Bison, they chose to focus their efforts on protecting the underside, fitting the truck with additional skid plates on expensive items like the oil pan and transfer case. In an effort to save weight, these have been stamped from boron steel, a substance that’s lighter than traditional materials but can apparently withstand the kind of abuse typically thrown at trucks by off-road vehicles.
In the absence of any official word from GM, we’ll logically assume that similar additions will also find their way to the Silverado ZR2 Bison. Aggressively turning up the brightness in screenshots from the video suggests that AEV may also be modifying the Silverado’s front bumper, perhaps in an effort to improve those all-important approach angles. Throw in a few unique styling features – the grille has more body color than a ZR2 and the Multiflex tailgate has a contrast panel if you look closely in the video – and Chevy probably has yet another off-road trim they can. charge a few extra shekels. Predictably, pricing hasn’t been announced, but we’ll note here that the Bison package is a $5,750 option box on the Colorado.
What do you think? With the myriad of off-road bowtie options (Z71, ZR2, Bison) in two different sizes (Colorado and Silverado) as well as related GMC equivalents (AT4, AT4X, etc.), does the General cut his cake in very small pieces? Sound off in the comments below.
[Images: GM]
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