Scott Evans of Motor Trend was quite
right this past week when he lamented in his most recent article that most
Americans have probably only seen the bison in a picture of the west, or
featured on a menu. These days, the most bison left are situated safely on
private ranches and raised for food, but before this, they could be found all
over the many areas of vast expanse in the U.S., Canada, and northern Mexico. It
is a very proud and deeply-woven heritage, and one that is aptly fitting for
the namesake of this year's Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison.
Even though bison are known to spend a fair amount
of time standing around, they are most definitely capable of covering a large
amount of ground in a pinch. The ZR2 is able to complete absolutely insane
jumps and go wherever it damn well pleases for sure, and we'd think it is even
more reliable than its tantrum-prone namesake. The full Bison treatment is
courtesy of American Expedition Vehicles, the experts who began making pure
magic when founder Dave Harriton started modifying TJ Wranglers for himself
while a student at the University of Montana. Today, they are a success story
with their engineering and design facility in Missoula, and an
engineering/vehicle build/warehouse plant in Detroit.
It takes 7.2 seconds for the ZR2 bison to get to
60 mph, which is just a tenth slower than the standard ZR2. It carries its
extra 144 lbs of weight extremely well, and all of us here at Chuck Hutton Chevy of
Memphis have long known that the skidplates strategically placed on
the Bison are the ultimate protectors of this well-honed and grunty number!
While on the highways leading to the dirty and boulder-rich roads less
traveled, the Motor Trend experts confirm that the current model's transmission
is way more suited for the long concrete jaunts at 75 mph +.
What the review team really highlights well here
is the way in which the ZR2 Bison feels all-in-all unstoppable. It truly
possesses top-notch breakover, departure angles, and approach. With the added
confidence that bumper reinforcements, locking front and rear differentials,
and rock sliders offer, you simply don't ever have to worry about this
dune-ready model ever not being able to get you through.
On another expedition carried through this summer,
the same team took the ZR2 Bison on a trying off-road jaunt in the Mojave
Desert: they encountered rocky hills, sandy riverbeds, and an ample amount of
dirt two-track, and never once needed to use the differential locks. In this photo gallery, you can even
witness the ZR2 Bison treading quite deep in the water: no terrain-derived
threat can even come close to defeating this precisely-crafted and top-ranking
rock crawler!
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