Any new pickup owner is no doubt concerned with untapped adventure. There's a certain sensation you can only obtain from blasting off the main road, feeling the tires grip around dirt or gravel-laden corners, and putting your beloved machine to the test. American Expedition Vehicles is a world-class manufacturer of off-road and overland vehicle parts, as well as finished products, with their turnkey models of able vehicles. They have done extensive work with Jeep on special editions and show cars, and are experts regarding what traits vehicles need to have to conquer difficult terrain.
All of us here at Jim Butler Chevy could not be any more excited: they have teamed up with Chevy now, to build a concept off-road vehicle based on the Colorado ZR2 pickup. With amazing production such as the Brute Double Cab DC 350 and the Wrangler JK200 under their belts, this is cause to get very antsy. The tan truck was revealed at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, and features like new engineered suspension and driveline components are going to set it far above the rest in navigation capability. This beast looks like a vehicle that you would see skidding sideways through the desert, climbing a nearly vertical rock, or even be used by the Army for missions that are simply billed as “that intense”.
The 35-inch tires on this heavily modified ZR2 look like they could just roll right over a 12-pack, and that is no joke. There is an overall 1.5-inch lift for the truck, and the 2.8-liter diesel engine is now able to breathe a bit more through a high-rise snorkel. One of the additives that really make this stand out from the standard work truck are the front and rear off-road bumpers, as well as skidplates. When you see it for the first time, it really is reminiscent of a character you would see on the early days of “Monday Night Wrestling” on cable: It is so menacing and equipped to do damage, that any experienced off-roader will want to immediately jump in and give it a very demanding spin.
The new grille is very unique, with a bit of a revamp of the bowtie emblem, spelling out “Chevrolet” in full. There is a roof-high expedition rack mounted to the bed, which is loaded with goodies like a portable ARB refrigerator. The element that we like about this pristine AEV creation the most is the panel on the right rear fender: here you'll find auxiliary power, an air compressor, and fresh water system. RV's have long been touting high-tech and practical additives like this, because they are naturally bigger, with more room to plant the goods. But squeezing in these goodies on a truck has not been done quite as well as this yet. Engineers, surveyors, all types of contractors, and rock crawlers have quite the reason to turn their heads for 2018: we concur that AEV did a bang-up job on bolstering the ZR2 for the desperado existence!