GM Authority Features 2020 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison Live Photo Gallery

It was 3 years ago now that the Colorado ZR2 AEV Concept was shown for the first time to the public at SEMA, where the response was overwhelmingly positive. This makes perfect sense to all of us here at West Chevy of Knoxville since it is truly a rig that can be taken to the harshest of extremes and not even feel a ding. With built-in collaboration derived from expert aftermarket off-road manufacturer AEV, the 2020 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison is loaded to the gills with protective equipment and other features that make it the optimum choice for tackling the roughest of outdoors.

The well-versed folks on staff at GM Authority cranked out a great feature last week that took a close-up look at ZR2 Bison through a live photo gallery shown here. Up front the fun begins with an exclusive “flow-through” grille bar stamped with Chevy lettering. Below the grille resides a custom AEV front bumper, while fog lamps exclusive to the model are situated at the bumper's outer edges. The 2020 ZR2 Bison is also available with an AEV air snorkel, keeping the sensitive bits of the engine free of massive dust particles during less than optimum conditions.

There's a two-inch lift, yielding upwards of 8.6 inches of suspension travel in the front, and 10 inches of suspension travel in the rear. When you are dealing with off-road situations, every single little impact and rut in the road affects your ride, and lurching around endlessly can make for a tough trip through the outback or woods. Multimatic integrated spool-valve dampers work overtime on the Bison to keep extra shaking and movement under control, and AEV 17-inch wheels are bestowed with the rolling duty of keeping this capable and crank-daddied rock climber afloat just wherever it wants to trawl.

The power is gleaned heftily from the naturally aspirated 3.6-Liter LGZ V6 engine, which churns out 308 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque, while paired to the GM MST 8-speed automatic transmission. You can also opt for a ZR2 Bison with the 2.8-Liter LW 4-cylinder diesel, which doles out 181 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque while pairing to the GM MYB 6-speed automatic transmission. No matter which color you pick, you’re going to love it on your ZR2: the selections are Red Hot, Satin Steel Metallic, Silver Ice Metallic, Summit White, and what is probably our favorite: jet Black. You can choose from the Extended Cab/Long Box configuration, and the Crew Cab/Short Box configuration to get what suits you, and we guarantee you won’t be disappointed: If you are planning on going where streams flow bountiful and obstacles are plentiful, there is really no better and well-equipped detour around what STANDS in your way aside from the Bison!

2019 Colorado ZR2 Bison Test Drive Proves It to Be Most Off-Road Ready in its Class

Auto journalist Gary Gastelu has completed in-depth tests of just about every type of vehicle in existence, and we knew that he was going to enjoy getting his hands on the pre-customized Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison. All of us here at West Chevy of Knoxville have long admired the work that American Expedition Vehicles has done on cars for years now. The Brute Double Cab was an amazingly-built Wrangler Unlimited that was converted into a pickup, and a close look at its custom accessories let one know that they could work wonders with something such as the ZR2.

The raw goods are a steel set of bumpers with a winch mount in the front, wide black fender flares, black 17-inch alloy wheels, a Chevy branded grille, and five boron steel skid plates. All the additives mean about 200 extra pounds added to the truck, but it is evenly enough spread so the balance is not too upset. Gary immediately billed the ZR2 as “the most off-road capable vehicle Chevrolet has ever made”. Thanks to front and rear locking differentials, a two-inch lifted suspension and Multimatic “spool valve” dampers the truck is capable of anything ranging from high-speed off-roading to taking jumps and crawling over obstacles such as rocks.

The official ground clearance for the Bison is 8.9 inches, which at first may not sound impressive but is measured under the suspension mounts instead of right in the center of the truck. The Bison is available in extended and crew cab versions and with either a 3.6-liter V6 or a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbodiesel. As Gary began his test drive he thought that the control layout was spot-on, and what it is missing in luxury elements is ideal with off-road handling in mind.

This video does a great job of getting all of the ways underneath and showing us the five boron skid plates that prevent the underside from taking a severe beating during off-road duty. The track that the Bison was tested on was far from a breeze: rocks of all sizes were strewn all over, and you see the truck navigate a massively washed out puddle turned-into-stream. Gary is even shown catching sizable air on a tabletop, putting about everything you could imagine to the test during landing. The bison is a rather limited-edition truck for the 2019 year, but we want to invite you to the lot here this fall: check out the full range of trucks for sale, and see which one will be the perfect fit for your growing family or business!

2019 Chevy Colorado Bison Deemed “Wonderfully Designed and Off-Road Capable” By New Atlas

Bison are definitely at home on the open prairie, running through tall grass and over hills. Clint Eastwood himself was one of the American icons that showed through his pictures just how beautiful the High Plains are, and the solitude as well as the struggle for survival than can encompass existing there. Chevy has partnered with AEV to create the Colorado mid-sized pickup truck that has the ability to wander in the same locations that a bison would, and those on staff at New Atlas were excited to test the ZR2 packaged AEV Bison in the crew cab with the diesel engine.

The parts are put on by Chevy, but the experts at AEV add the expertly-placed off-road gear, and it's now a fierce enough contender to compete against the likes of vehicles such as the Gladiator. A standard ZR2 is already well-stacked with off-road gear, but where AEV really shows their full-on expertise is with the duty of shielding. The Colorado receives boron skid plates that protect everything vital underneath the truck, including the transfer case, transmission, both differentials, and fuel tank. There is a more aggressive grille, new interior stitching and badges, wheel flares, and boron steel AEV bumpers.

This is the only Chevy truck that has both front and rear locking differentials, and you are already riding on larger 31-inch tires and a beefier suspension ideal for 4 x 4 setup. AEV claims that the use of boron steel is what enables the skid plates and bumpers to take a hefty amount of abuse and still bounce back relatively unscathed. They have a high amount of resistance for gouging, and also possess a high yield strength that allows them to return to shape after bending on top of low mass. The AEV boron plates actually aren't that much heavier than the aluminum-alloy plates they replace on the standard ZR2.

After you account for everything, you're adding about 200 pounds more weight to the vehicle, and the Bison's suspension spring rates are tuned to properly compensate for the extra weight. The New Atlas testing team chose a virtually impossible hill in the wilds of Wyoming that requires a lot of raw power, clearance, and ability to absorb shocks to conquer. The team realized that they had picked a hill that had a severe lack of breakover clearance, and although the Bison was able to get down with no problem, getting up was a different story.

As was the case with the Gladiator Rubicon, this location was simply so challenging in regards to wheelbase that “If you're stuck, you're stuck”. Many who have ran the Bison hard in areas such as Moab and the Sierras have professed just how capable and trail-dominating it is. It was still decided upon that this is a truck that lives up to its reputation and looks to the fullest when put to the test, and we hope you come to see the Bison along with the rest of our extensive truck lineup right here at West Chevy of Knoxville this back to school season!

Colorado ZR2 AEV Revamp: Extras Abound With Teeming Features and Off-Road Capability

All of the spots around Knoxville that are great for off-roading are going to now really meet their match: The Colorado ZR2 was already a very awesome truck, just begging to become much better. All of us here at West Chevy was full aware that when Chevy took the liberty of collaborating with AEV, a vehicle that was now more off-road ready than ever before was going to be given the opportunity to fully roar to life. By being consistently innovative and thoroughly tough, the Chevy namesake has gained more than a quarter of all midsize truck sales in just under four years, and in past models, the Colorado line introduced an all-new V-6 gas engine with 8-speed transmission combination. To complete the job of protecting the most important of undercarriage elements over rough and jagged terrain, the Bison model now proudly features five different skid plates that house the fuel tank, engine oil pan, transfer case, as well as front and rear locking differentials.

Custom made by the ingenious and all-around dynamite manufacturer AEG, these skid plates are made up of incredibly durable hot-stamped Boron steel. This is the main ingredient used to shield the truck from various obstacles it can encounter during adventurous off-road jaunts. Offering a fully stocked suite of equipment to make sure its off-road abilities shine strongly, the ability to maneuver like a truly midsize truck, and the driving range of a high-performing diesel engine, the ZR2 is on deck to now provide excellent off-road capability in multiple scenarios. Multimatic DSSV patented these awesome dampers, and them along with the front and rear locking differentials are two other qualities that make this one of the best vehicles to conquer the back roads of Tennessee that aren't able to welcome traffic from anything other than the most trusty and able of vehicles.

The experts at AEV have been closely following the Colorado since its early origins, and knew full-on ahead of time that the first use of the hot-stamped Baron steel would be a legendary truck in many ways. Many drivers who already had cause to be very excited about the Colorado are bound to take to the rugged can-do vibe and appearance that the new front and rear bumpers add, and there is a multitude of extra equipment on board to appeal to those with the ultimate sense of wanderlust. The modified rear axle with 3.42 ratio, front and rear tracks widened by 3.5 inches, and a factory suspension that sports a two-inch lift over a Colorado Z71 are all other elements that will have you packing your camping and climbing gear quick, to depart the city in a hurry.

Getting rapidly off of frequently traveled roads in a truck is always a bonding time with yourself that can't be beaten: properly kicking up some dirt and traveling on trails in the Knoxville area are bound to be a pastime that you will be eager for all week! The 2.8 -L Duramax Turbo-Diesel engine is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, and is capable of putting out 186 horsepower, with 369 lb-ft of torque. Buyers also have the option to choose a crew or extended cab configuration, and to purchase an available third-party accessory snorkel for the ZR2 Bison direct from AEV. We hope that you come to pay us a visit here at West Chevy soon, and see for yourself in depth the features and off-road prowess of the brand new truck that Cnet deemed ideal for “just you and your pals, living off the grid for days or even weeks at a time.”

Chevrolet Announces Redline Special-Edition

Chevrolet has just announced it will be rolling out the Redline special-edition later this year. The Redline special-edition trim will be offered on nine Chevrolet vehicles. Get excited Knoxville Chevy drivers because this will be one of the largest cross-brand special edition ever offered by Chevrolet. 

“Redline is another example of Chevrolet bringing SEMA concepts to showrooms,” said Brian Sweeney, U.S. vice president of Chevrolet, in a statement. The SEMA show has proven to be a great way to identify customization trends in the industry, and quickly apply those trends to our most popular Chevrolet models.

The Redline special-edition trim will feature black wheels with red hash marks and blacked-out nameplates, and Chevy logos and grilles. The redline edition will be available on the Silverado double cab LT Z71 and crew cab LTZ Z71, Cruze LT (both sedan and hatchback), Malibu LT, Camaro LT/SS (coupe and convertible), Trax LT, Equinox LT, Traverse Premier, and Colorado LT. 

Chevrolet is expected to release this special edition later this year. Until then stop by West Chevrolet in Knoxville, TN to shop our entire inventory!