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The redesigned ZR2 from 2023 is an excellent living and breathing version of a capable and terrain-slaying midsize truck, and the fantastic news ahead on the holiday hearth is that 2024 will bring a new version that rocks even harder! The ZR2 model is a bit taller than the Colorado and is fitted with very beefy wheels and underbody protection. Front and rear light bars, winches, off-road bumpers, safari bars, and numerous cargo management features fulfill the duty of not leaving anything to the imagination as to what this vehicle’s “reasons for living” are.
Just a few decades ago it was very difficult to conceptualize just how much a class-leading assortment of cameras could help someone in the pursuit of off-road adventure. The ZR2 boasts a category-exclusive underbody camera, which lets you bear detailed witness to every brutal scrape, battle scar, and abrupt bump. The 2023 Chevy Colorado showed up mountainside with several powertrain options, but the sole choice now is the 310-horsepower turbocharged 2.7-liter 4-cylinder. It’s a higher-powered version that is specifically tuned for 430 lb-ft of torque and paired with the same 8-speed automatic that comes across the Colorado lineup.
To be properly primed for the challenges of the jagged and unforgiving wild, the ZR2 sees additional upgrades across the suspension lineup, boasting a high-performance setup with a stable and wider stance, Multimatic dampers, and a useful 3-inch lift. The payload rating is superbly situated at 1,050 lbs and has a maximum towing capacity of 5,500 pounds. The upgraded suspension is paired with Jounce Control dampers, which employ a piston inside the damper to provide resistance against hydraulic fluid and absorb excess energy. Ground clearance resides at 12.2 inches, and the all-important trail hound’s breakover angle resides at 26.9 degrees.
Standard steel skid plates and rocker trim are the “Guardians of the Galaxy” as far as the underbody is concerned, assuring that the many ruts, ravines, and washout don’t dole out extreme damage. Don’t forget to check out the Desert Boss Special Edition package, which adds beadlock-capable wheels, leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, very cool black exterior badging, a bed-mounted 40-inch off-road light bar, an off-road front bumper with a safari bar, and numerous other safety and comfort upgrades.
As the trail maps are depicting your next dusty conquest and all the climbing gear is packed, the Flex Utility Package decks things out a higher notch with configurable bed rails and cargo tie-downs. The Recovery Package boasts the “getting unstuck” goodie of the winch, bed-mounted LED lighting, and a hard tonneau cover. The Motor Trend crew navigated a 3-foot near-vertical ledge, boulders the size of small sedans, and other massive obstacles that would completely destroy the average vehicle with the ZR2. On Johnson Valley’s infamous Chocolate Thunder Trail, they rendered their test drive as “valuable and up to the task, with excellent approach and departure angles for getting tires on top and over rocks.”