The 2017 Chevy Colorado ZR2 pickup trucks are now rolling off the assembly line in Wentzville, Missouri and starting deliveries to customers. Chevrolet says those customers who one of the first to order the truck will take delivery this month. It’s been nearly two and a half years since we first saw the Chevy Colorado ZR2 concept at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. This is a long time for off-road enthusiasts to wait, but it is actually a short period of time for a major manufacturer to produce a new variant of a truck.
The ZR2 has the same engine/transmission combinations as a Chevy Colorado Z71 truck: gas V6 with an 8-speed or a turbo-diesel I4 with a 6-speed automatic. However, it has unique axles, suspension, and body panels. The most obvious is the front bumper and skid plate. The ZR2 does not have a front chin spoiler, and the bumper cut-outs offer improved approach angle. The axlea are a little wider, and the fenders are stretched out to accomodate the extra width and the Goodyear Duratrac tires.
The truck uses position sensitive spool-valve shock absorbers by Multimatic. This is a technology that is new to off-roading, but it has been used on racing cars and exotics cars for many years. The spool-valve technology allows suspension engineers to more accurately control how the shock behaves on compression and rebound. The two can be individually tuned and (according to Chevrolet) offer compliant ride on and off the pavement.
The ZR2 also offers front and rear locking differentials. This puts it into a small company of Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and Ram Power Wagon.
We will be driving the ZR2 next week, and we will bring you all the details from the event!
In the meantime, get all of the Colorado ZR2 details in the video below.
