Description
Chevy had big boots to fill when it unveiled the all-new second-generation 2023 Colorado ZR2. The previous generation of the company’s midsize off-roader, itself a revival of the former S10 ZR2 nameplate, revitalized the segment by arguably picking up where the doomed Hummer H3T Alpha left off nearly a decade prior. Fit with locking front and rear differentials, steel rock rails, a raised suspension, knobby tires, and Multimatic DSSV dampers the last Colorado ZR2 proved to be quite the force both on and off the pavement. Thankfully, when it came time to develop a new ZR2 based on the latest Colorado—new for 2023—Chevrolet didn’t deviate much from that winning recipe.
Off-Road Is Where It Gets Good
Tackling the most rugged off-road terrain is what the Colorado ZR2 is built for. And thanks in part to the truck’s unparalleled suite of hardware, it does this with comfort and composure. The ZR2’s most impressive hardware remains its Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve (DSSV) dampers from Multimatic, which are very good at taming much of what the backcountry has to offer. Mild bumps, short desert whoops, G-outs, ditches, and even a bit of airtime are all effortlessly absorbed. However, with just 10.3 inches of front wheel travel and 11.6 in the rear it is still easy to over-drive the suspension. Getting a bit too spicy with the throttle into moderately sized (or larger) humps and bumps will quickly send the suspension into the jounces. While the Colorado ZR2 might play the part of a desert racer quite well, an unlimited-class truck it is not.
It’s not just the shocks that make the truck. The Colorado ZR2 comes fitted with front and rear electronic locking front differentials, a host of skid plates, steel rock rails, and meaty 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires, as well. Combined with the truck’s 10.7 inches of ground clearance and staggering 38.3-degree approach angle, it is virtually unstoppable. Driving through a riverbed strewn with boulders is no big deal, and the truck shrugs as it climbs up loose and rutted trails. The engine has plenty of torque (430 lb-ft!) for pushing through sloppy mud and the Goodyear tires do an admirable job of keeping their tread blocks clear.
We also value how well the different available off-road drive modes function. Admittedly, we’re still getting used to the one-pedal drive setting in Terrain mode and quirks that come from the truck constantly dragging the brakes to halt the truck simply by lifting off the accelerator, without using the brake pedal. The Baja drive mode is a favorite, thanks to its reduction of the electronic stability control intervention and its propensity to hold lower gears both high into the rev range and after jumping off the throttle for greater engine braking. And we’re always appreciative when automakers will allow the traction control system to be fully disabled, which allows the Colorado ZR2 to become a drift and donut machine on loose surfaces.
For 2023, Chevy offers the Colorado in five trim levels starting at an MSRP of $29,200: WT, LT, Z71, Trail Boss, and ZR2. A suite of upgrades set the range-topping ZR2 apart and it’s anything but an appearance package (shoutout to all the “Your State’s Landmark” Edition trucks).
Every Colorado comes with a turbocharged 2.7-liter straight-four up front, but output varies depending on trim level. The standard engine makes 237 horsepower and 259 foot-pounds of torque. An upgraded Turbo Plus variation that makes 310 horsepower and 390 foot-pounds of torque comes standard on the Z71 and Trail Boss; it’s an option on WT and LT trucks. Only the ZR2 gets the Turbo High-Output version of the engine that dishes up 310 horsepower and 430 foot-pounds of torque.
Combine that stump-pulling grunt with an audible turbo whistle and you’ve got a recipe for hoonery. Unfortunately, you’ll also get V8 fuel economy. The ever-thirsty Colorado is EPA-rated at 16 miles per gallon — city, highway, and combined. It’s not bad enough to keep my foot off the gas pedal, though.
The ZR2 doesn’t just look down on its stablemates on the spec sheet; it’s significantly taller in real life. The Colorado normally offers 7.9 to 9.5 inches of ground clearance but the ZR2 sits 10.7 inches off the ground. Do your morning stretches because there are rock sliders where a step would normally be and ascending into the ZR2’s cab can be quite a test of flexibility.
Off-road upgrades include trimmed bumpers for improved approach and departure angles, snazzy Multimatic DSSV suspension, locking front and rear differentials, and loads of armor to keep rocks out and oil in. There’s even a clever feature that lets you select a tire pressure you want to air down to, manually let air out of each valve stem, and then it honks the horn when each tire is sufficiently squishy.
The Everyday Driver crew is known for being sticklers for good tires, and four-wheel-drive trucks that come with wimpy tires are a pet peeve of mine. The ZR2 gets the rubber it deserves: 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler mud-terrain tires that are as chunky as a 90s football player’s favorite soup.
