2024 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison | First Drive
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Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family

Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family

I put some of Chevy's finest off-road ready trucks to the test in Palm Springs, California

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Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

You’ve read the reviews, but you want more. I get it. Chevrolet’s ZR2 and ZR2 Bison family look as good as they drive, and you need a little more eye candy. The great news is that I took plenty of photos while I was cruising around the desert behind the wheel of the 2024 Chevy Silverado HD ZR2 Bison, the Silverado LD ZR2 Duramax, the Colorado ZR2 Bison, and the Colorado ZR2 — all so you can pretend you’ve hit the dusty trail right along with us.

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Full Disclosure: Chevy invited me out to Palm Springs, California to get my hands on every member of the ZR2 off-roading family, including the Bison trims.

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2 / 20

2024 Chevy Silverado HD ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Silverado HD ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

The Silverado HD ZR2 Bison is outfitted with massive tires, Multimatic dampers, steel skid plates, and the steel bumpers you see in the photo, which are equipped with winch and recovery capabilities.

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3 / 20

2024 Chevy Silverado HD ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Silverado HD ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

The wide-open nature of the grille means Chevy has foregone an underbody camera — but you still have plenty of views around the truck to tell where you’re going.

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4 / 20

2024 Chevy Silverado HD ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Silverado HD ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

Even this massive truck felt nimble as we crawled down a mountain.

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5 / 20

2024 Chevy Silverado HD ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Silverado HD ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

It was equally as comfortable on the sandy ascent, too.

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6 / 20

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

Not to pick favorites, but the 2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison was best of the ZR2 Bison bunch. Its smaller size made it more nimble, especially for someone of my shorter stature. This view shows off the underbody skid plates (and also a handsome desert flower).

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7 / 20

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

We took the Colorado ZR2 Bison through two different obstacles: a medium-speed drive over flat desert sand, followed by a slower crawl over plenty of rocks.

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8 / 20

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

The narrow trucks fit comfortably on the equally narrow trail.

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9 / 20

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

I was the first person to complete this rock crawl, which meant I had plenty of time to hop out of the truck and watch the rest of the crew give it a shot. Seeing the movements of the Colorado over the rocks gave me a whole new appreciation for what these trucks can do.

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10 / 20

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

That articulation.

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11 / 20

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

I promise you that this felt far more tilted when you were the one behind the wheel.

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12 / 20

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

I also promise that this felt much more dramatic than any photo can show.

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13 / 20

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

Because the tires are so big, the spares no longer fit underneath the truck. Instead, they’ve been mounted in the bed, behind the driver window — to the extreme detriment of any ability to see anything.

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14 / 20

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

I did that. That’s my scuff.

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15 / 20

2024 Chevy Silverado LD ZR2 Duramax

2024 Chevy Silverado LD ZR2 Duramax

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

I only had the Silverado LD ZR2 Duramax for a short cruise through a mild off-road course, but all that low-end torque was a godsend.

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16 / 20

2024 Chevy Silverado LD ZR2 Duramax

2024 Chevy Silverado LD ZR2 Duramax

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock
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17 / 20

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

And finally, the last car I drove was the Colorado ZR2 — sans Bison designation, but still with plenty of off-road ready features.

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18 / 20

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2

2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

Including these beefy wheels.

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Multimatic DSSV Dampers

Multimatic DSSV Dampers

Image for article titled Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family
Photo: Jalopnik / Elizabeth Blackstock

I firmly believe there is no terrain too gnarly for these Multimatic DSSV dampers. I was out there gliding over sand as if someone were skipping a rock over a windblown pond. (And yes, they’re just as comfy on the highway.)

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