Recently the Motor Trend “Truck of the Year” competition was moved to Michigan, where there is now a greatly improved location to put trucks to the extreme off-road test. This paved the way for the ZR2 and Colorado to use their collective and burly skills to shine brightly against their sworn rivals. There is a longer-wheelbase frame sourced from the Silverado, along with a 2.7-liter turbo 4-cylinder and smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic. The suspension roars menacingly at the first berm as beefier and more off-road capable, and you’ll also be taking on a ridge-lined challenge near you with thoroughly updated safety gear.
Numerous experts have thoroughly approved of the overall design that has been toughened up both inside and outside, and the pickup box’s utility is greatly improved with standard gear such as corner bed steps and corner tie-downs. You’ll be the well-equipped life of the tailgating party or job site with a 400-Watt 120 Volt power outlet, along with the convenience of the 45-inch wide, 4-inch deep StowFlex stowage box in the tailgate. It provides optimum security for your goods when the gate is locked and is an excellent place to store tie-down ropes, tools, and other odds and ends that boost your ability to get the job done.
Things get a bit more astringent and detailed to evaluate with 1000 lbs situated in the bed, and the motor train crew also stuffed enough passengers on board to reach the official vehicle weight limit. The Colorado managed to tow a 7500 LB trailer during his runs amazingly well, displaying what an ideal model this is for spur-of-the-moment lake runs or entry-level site survey. Off-road mastery is a difficult challenge, as ruts, rocks, and ravines can wreak havoc on the frame and other valuables.
The knobby tires and locking front and rear differentials make for a finished package that is truly ready to take on the far corners of the earth, as well as the cool forestry roads that wind through Mark Twain Forest here in Missouri. There is so much useful traction and jounce absorption here that it takes getting into another pickup and doubling back on the same demanding terrain to fully realize how hardcore and well-equipped the new Colorado is. There’s even a new Off-Road performance app that displays valuable details such as overlanding guidance and altitude, along with transfer-case status and crucial wheel slip.
There are up to 10 available camera views to gauge how the ascending or traversing potential fares, which is more than you’ll find on any competing model. Here the Motor Trend crew admits that incoming models such as the Ford Ranger Raptor and Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro have an incredibly tall mountain to conquer if they're going to come close to topping the ZR2. Posting a thrilling existence as a “climb it on the first try” truck, the Colorado also benefits from the presence of the very precise and capable traction/stability control and hill descent control.
The screens onboard make the task of trailer attachment easier, and there are handy safety checklists to keep all the vitals organized and ready to go. The Multimatic spool-valve shocks “deliver off-road compliance second to none”, and the search functionality of Google Built-In on all models is a huge value. Its stellar capability across the range and range of offerings make the Colorado stand out enough to render the other available options drastically far behind and lacking!