Mid Missouri Powerhouse Links

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Refined Rock-Crawling, Off-Road Domination, and Beyond: All-new Colorado ZR2



Completely pushing the reset button on the construction of off-road trucks is a task that no manufacturer should take lightly. Just in the zone of shock absorption alone, technology has really been stepped up in the past few years. Over a decade ago, raw power and a spruced-up paint job could yield you quite the animal to conquer the woods or Ozarks with. Prime contenders in the market then like Jeep had a lot of great ideas: some of them stuck around as anchors in the off-road offerings of new, and some of them did not. Here in the Show-me state, we have plenty of unconquered and pristine off road territory, and many customers come in and ask us about our best recommendations to explore the endless amount of terrain.

The new Colorado ZR2 is the off-road vehicle with more technology to conquer this type of domain than any other mid-size pickup on the market. Some of the newer features are a much wider track, and heavily lifted suspension. Additional rockers have been added for better performance among off-road elements, as well as the front and rear bumpers seeing some modification, for more suitable off-road clearance. With the fishing poles packed in back or a busy itinerary lined up for contract work, the option for diesel will no-doubt entice you, as well as the powerful and trusty front and rear electronic locking differentials.



After seeing success while developing Corvette and Camaro performance envelopes, the engineers at Chevy took the time to apply the same successful principles to the ZR2. Based in Markham, Ontario, Multimatic, Inc. is the manufacturer best-known for their production of high-performance Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve Dampers. Recent Formula One winners have used them, but this goes down in automotive history as the first time they have been incorporated on an off-road vehicle. Compared to deflected-disk valving that takes place on most common dampers, the ZR2 uses spool valves, which offers an increase in precision, and a very noticeably enhanced ride.

The desire to improve ease of driving over mud, sand, and rock was taken a close look at during the production process for the ZR2. Come down to the lot and check out how the wider stance, changes to front and rear bumpers, and mounting of the spare-tire carrier on the bed all will improve your performance when navigating rough terrain. Featuring 17 x 18 -inch aluminum wheels wrapped in 31-inch Goodyear Duratrac off-road tires, the ZR2 is great for gripping traction that you'll realize right when you get behind the wheel.



The all-new 3.6-L V-6 is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission, and cranks out 308 horsepower. 275 lb-ft of torque is also cooked up effortlessly, and this truck can tow up to 5,000 lbs. Snow mobiles, jet skis, and other fun machines are an easy haul, even with all of the off-road upgrades to the able and nearly menacing ZR2. About 500 pounds lighter than some front-running trucks with offroad capabilities, the new ZR2 could be your fast track to plenty of Ozark and rugged Missouri landscape enjoyment during fall. Come pay us a visit soon, and check out this well-equipped and modified monster rock crawling machine!