Go Off-Roading With The Chevy ZR2 And ZR2 Bison Family

The Silverado HD ZR2 Bison is outfitted with massive tires, Multimatic dampers, steel skid plates, and the steel bumpers you see in the photo, which are equipped with winch and recovery capabilities.

The wide-open nature of the grille means Chevy has foregone an underbody camera — but you still have plenty of views around the truck to tell where you’re going.

Even this massive truck felt nimble as we crawled down a mountain.

It was equally as comfortable on the sandy ascent, too.

Not to pick favorites, but the 2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison was best of the ZR2 Bison bunch. Its smaller size made it more nimble, especially for someone of my shorter stature. This view shows off the underbody skid plates (and also a handsome desert flower).

We took the Colorado ZR2 Bison through two different obstacles: a medium-speed drive over flat desert sand, followed by a slower crawl over plenty of rocks.

The narrow trucks fit comfortably on the equally narrow trail.

I was the first person to complete this rock crawl, which meant I had plenty of time to hop out of the truck and watch the rest of the crew give it a shot. Seeing the movements of the Colorado over the rocks gave me a whole new appreciation for what these trucks can do.

I promise you that this felt far more tilted when you were the one behind the wheel.

I also promise that this felt much more dramatic than any photo can show.

Because the tires are so big, the spares no longer fit underneath the truck. Instead, they’ve been mounted in the bed, behind the driver window — to the extreme detriment of any ability to see anything.

I did that. That’s my scuff.

I only had the Silverado LD ZR2 Duramax for a short cruise through a mild off-road course, but all that low-end torque was a godsend.

And finally, the last car I drove was the Colorado ZR2 — sans Bison designation, but still with plenty of off-road ready features.

Including these beefy wheels.

I firmly believe there is no terrain too gnarly for these Multimatic DSSV dampers. I was out there gliding over sand as if someone were skipping a rock over a windblown pond. (And yes, they’re just as comfy on the highway.)