Chevy Colorado ZR2 Truck Review

July 12, 2018


This is the Chevy Colorado ZR2. This is a truck that has everything you want, but don't really need. Which is why you're gonna wanna buy it. It's a midsize truck that packs big time punch especially off road.

The beating heart of this beast is a 3.6 litre V6 engine, that produces 308 horsepower, and 275 ft lbs of torque. Take four wheel drive truck off road and it's virtually unstoppable. It has electronic locking front and rear differentials. It sits up high. The ZR2 is equipped with Multimatic’s - Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) dampers. They are more responsive, and are more tuneable than traditional shocks, and allow the ZR2 to run at high speeds on dirt, and they provide better stability on uneven surfaces like big rocks. The dampers also provide improved handling on the street, and a surprisingly smooth ride.

The suspension is probably the most important part of this truck. It performs off road just as it needs to, but it makes the truck a civilized beast in the city. The ride is smooth and quiet. Yes it's quiet even though the giant off road Goodyear tires have big knobby treads designed to grip in snow, and mud. Tire technology has come a long way. Today's high end mud, snow, and off road tires will not vibrate and shake, and buzz on pavement the way you might expect.


The truth is most people who buy this truck will spend most of their time driving on pavement, not dirt, and fortunately Chevy has created a truck that you can easily live with day to day while driving around town. It's ok on the highway too. The only real complaint we have is that the eight speed transmission is not well suited for long highway trips. The gearing is set up for low end torque mainly so it tends to shift a lot especially between 45 and 60 miles per hour. It downshifts constantly even on mild hills and wants to run in lower gears which means the engine revs higher than we would like at highway speeds much of the time. This is a much better truck around the city than it is on the highway. It was no doubt difficult for the engineers to find a happy median between the need for off low end torque, and high performance when setting up the gearing. On the upside we sort of got used to the transmission and the shifting over the week that we test drove the truck.

There is a diesel engine option which has even more low end torque but only 191 horsepower. Towing capacity is five thousand pounds regardless of which engine you choose. Payload is about 11-hundred pounds. We got about 17 to 18 miles per gallon on average with our test ZR2.

Inside our test vehicle was very well equipped with four way power driver and passenger seats, and steering wheel audio controls, You can choose different driving modes, and stabilitrack will help ensure you maintain control on dirt, snow, ice, and slippery pavement.


It has skid plates, and rock sliders.  It's a full 90 millimetres wider than the regular Colorado pickup. Those rims are 17s, wrapped in beefy 31 inch Goodyears. Chevy ain't playing around here, but you can play around inside. It's set up to work with Apple Car Play, or Android Auto. It's 4gwi-fi ready. 

If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow the ZR2 might come in handy. If you're on a farm, or spend a lot of time on construction sites or driving in fields this truck is for you. For most people though, this is a truck packed with a lot of performance and features that are extremely cool, but aren't truly needed. Doesn't matter though. It's all stuff you want, because trucks are not just about utility, they're also about fun, which is why the ZR2 is SST approved.


Rick Walker SST Car Show news.





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