The Chevy Colorado ZR2 Is a True Old-School Off Roader

Forget about digital drive modes and torque-vectoring. With this truck, the driver is always the one calling the shots.

Wheel, Tire, Motor vehicle, Automotive tire, Automotive design, Vehicle, Automotive exterior, Truck, Land vehicle, Rim,
Brian Williams

Hot damn, Chevy went and did it. The Colorado ZR2 that we saw in concept car form in 2014 is headed for production. And the real-deal production-spec truck you see here is pretty much identical to the concept. Which means that, in a world of increasingly computerized 4x4s, this is a true old-school off-roader. And it might be the last one we ever see.

Take a look at the 4WD system. The ZR2 package brings electronic locking differentials front and rear, controlled by toggle switches on the dash. The transfer case offers 2WD, auto 4WD, and locked 4HI and 4LO modes. Combine the four t-case modes with the lockers and you've got nine different power flow configurations at your hands. The traction, stability, and hill-descent systems calibrations change in response to the transfer case and locker settings; Off-Road Mode optimizes the electronic safety net settings, shutting off ABS at low speeds, and traction control can be turned off entirely.

Basically, it's up to you, the driver, to figure out the right setting for your terrain. High range? Low range? Locked rear? Locked front and rear? It's your call, pal.


Compare this to the other gnarly off-road pickup trucks coming our way. The Ford Raptor sports a tricky combination 4WD/AWD transfer case, along with six specific electronically-controlled Drive Modes to optimize power flow and traction. Even the decidedly old-fashioned Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro has a Multi-Terrain Select system with five settings, tailoring the responses from the truck's various computers to your chosen driving environment.

The ZR2 takes a different approach, one that's largely similar to that other off-road special, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. True, both rigs have digital assistants in the form of ABS and traction control, but they're obedient to the diffs, and crucially, defeatable in the right conditions.

That's the kind of control that hardcore off-roaders prefer. Sure, the luxury SUVs of the world use digital doodads like hill descent control, brake-based torque vectoring, and adaptive response systems to shepherd a novice across tricky terrain, but for people who actively seek out the roughest roads, the driver-first strategy trumps the synthetic brains. (Sadly, Chevy won't take it all the way by offering a manual transmission in the ZR2).


In truth, it's a setup that's likely not long for this world. Hard-core off-road 4x4s are a small portion of the market—Chevy expects the ZR2 to make up about five percent of annual Colorado sales. Serious rock-crawler equipment like low-range transfer cases and solid axles with locking diffs are stout, heavy things, and most drivers don't have a clue how to use them. For most automakers, it's smarter and easier to hand the traction-optimizing task to a computer, hiding all the hard work behind a button or knob. Hell, even the stalwart Wrangler will offer a hybrid drivetrain in its 2017 redesign. Once-brutish trucks and 4x4s are getting smarter, slicker, and more advanced all around us.

So if you're looking for a true off-road pickup, one that leaves you in control of the torque and tires, take a peek at the ZR2 when it hits dealerships in spring 2017. It might be one of the last off-road trucks that leaves you fully in charge.

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