Exterior Designed for the Trail
The 2017 Chevrolet Colorado is visually bigger and bolder than the standard Colorado. Its suspension is lifted 2 inches and its track (basically, the distance between the outside edges of the tires) is 3.5 inches wider. The front bumper is exclusive to the ZR2, and it provides a better approach angle, allowing the truck to conquer rough terrain.
Below the front bumper is an integrated skid plate that prevents damage to the lower hanging components of the engine. Another shield protects the transfer case. The truck’s hood features a large black air intake.
Along the side of the ZR2 are tubular rails that protect the vehicle's lower panels in rocky terrain. The truck's spare tire can be relocated to an available bed-mounted rack, creating better ground clearance at the rear of the vehicle, preventing damage to the tire, and ensuring that you have access to the spare, even if the truck is bogged down in mud or sand.
An off-road sport bar and off-road lights are available.
Two Potent Powertrain Options
Chevy offers a choice of two engines for the 2017 Colorado ZR2. The standard engine is a 3.6-liter V6 that’s new to the Colorado lineup for 2017. It produces 308 horsepower and sends its power to the wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Buyers can also get a ZR2 with a 181-horsepower 2.8-liter turbodiesel. Though it produces fewer horsepower than the gasoline engine, it produces much more torque – which is ideal for off-road driving – and gets better fuel economy. The diesel engine is matched to a six-speed automatic transmission.
The ZR2 is the only off-road performance-oriented pickup that’s available with a diesel engine option. When properly equipped, the Colorado ZR2 can tow up to 5,000 pounds.
Equipped for Extreme Conditions
Off-road prowess is all about controlled suspension travel and traction. The Colorado ZR2 has plenty of both, thanks to a host of added or upgraded hardware. Each ZR2 features a locking transfer case and electronic locking differentials in the front and rear. Other suspension components were strengthened for durability.
The ZR2 employs special dampers in its suspension struts to maximize comfort for on-road driving and performance when you leave the pavement. They're supplied by Multimatic, which provided similar technology that was tuned for the racetrack on the 2014 Camaro Z/28.
An off-road mode tailors the Colorado ZR2’s various electronic systems for different driving and traction conditions, whether the truck is on dry asphalt, deep sand, or sloppy mud. ZR2-exclusive 17-inch aluminum wheels are shod with 31-inch Goodyear Duratrac off-road tires that maximize available grip.
Aggressive Tires Reduce Fuel Economy
If you’re looking for great fuel economy, you should probably look elsewhere. The 2017 Colorado ZR2 comes standard with four-wheel drive and aggressive off-road tires that conspire to greatly reduce efficiency. That’s common for trucks that prioritize off-road ability and performance over street driving.
Equipped with the 3.6-liter gasoline engine, the truck earns EPA fuel economy estimates of 16 mpg in the city and 18 on the highway. With the turbodiesel, the numbers are significantly better at 19 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway.
If fuel economy is critical, consider skipping the ZR2 off-road model and choosing the Colorado with rear-wheel drive and the diesel engine. It earns class-leading EPA-estimated mileage of 22 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway.
Safety Trails Rivals
The 2017 Chevrolet Colorado and its GMC Canyon sibling trail all of their rivals in our rankings of compact pickup trucks when it comes to safety scores. They earn four stars overall in crash testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but only three stars in their rollover test.
Every truck in the class trails the 2017 Honda Ridgeline, which earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
The Chevy comes standard with the Teen Driver system. It provides parents with a report card showing how their kids are driving based on a number of factors, including how often safety systems were employed. It also limits radio volume and sets speed alerts.
Plentiful Cabin Tech
The Colorado's off-road performance not entertaining enough? Fortunately, there's plenty more entertainment to be found inside the Chevy Colorado ZR2. Standard equipment includes an 8-inch touch screen, a 4G LTE data connection, a Wi-Fi hot spot, plus support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
A navigation system and a seven-speaker Bose audio system are available. Single-zone automatic temperature control comes standard.
Cargo Capacity Options
The 2017 Chevy Colorado ZR2 is available with two pickup bed lengths, based on which cab you select. Opt for an extended cab, and you'll get a 6-foot-2-inch long box. Choose a crew cab, and the truck's equipped with a 5-foot-2-inch bed. The ZR2 can haul up to 1,000 pounds.
Some Colorado diesel models can tow up to 7,700 pounds, but the ZR2 is limited to 5,000 pounds of towing. To maximize the truck's departure angle for severe off-road driving, the CornerStep bumper common on other Colorado models isn’t included on the ZR2.
Roomy Interior Space With Quality Materials
Extended cab models of the Chevy Colorado ZR2 hold up to four, while crew cabs can carry five with more room than extended-cab rear-seat passengers enjoy. Leather upholstery with stitched ZR2 logos comes standard on all ZR2 models, as does a four-way power driver’s seat.
Compared to its rivals, the Colorado’s interior feels more upscale and car-like than utilitarian and truck-like. While other trim levels of the Colorado are quiet and refined, buyers should not expect the same from the ZR2, due to its more aggressive tires.
There’s enough room in the Colorado’s rear seat for two child seats, though the LATCH anchors are a bit difficult to find and use. If you have a rear-facing car seat, you’ll find that the crew cab accommodates it much better than the extended cab, where you will have to move the front passenger seat pretty far forward to have enough room to install it.
Pricing
The base 2017 Chevrolet Colorado has one of the lowest starting prices in the class at $20,000, but the Colorado ZR2 starts at more than double that, with a base price of $40,055 for an extended cab. The ZR2 Crew Cab is about $1,600 more expensive than the extended cab.
Compared to a 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, the Colorado ZR2 is about $1,200 less expensive, but the Tacoma is only available in a crew cab configuration. When compared to the Colorado Crew Cab, the Tacoma is a few hundred dollars cheaper.
If you compare the Colorado ZR2 to the current off-road pickup performance king, the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor, you’ll save more than $8,000 with the Colorado, plus the additional dealer markup that Ford dealers are currently charging on the super-popular Raptor. However, the full-size, 450-horsepower Raptor is larger and significantly more powerful.
The 2017 Nissan Frontier is a much older, more basic truck than the Colorado, but it is offered in an aggressive Pro-4X off-road trim for about $8,000 less than the starting price of the ZR2.
The Competition
While some might want to put the 2017 Chevy Colorado ZR2 on the performance pinnacle with the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor (pictured above), its most direct competitor is the 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro (pictured above). Like the ZR2, the Tacoma comes with a host of specialized off-road equipment, plus leather upholstery.
There are some distinct differences, however. The Tacoma TRD Pro comes with a five-mode electronic Multi-Terrain system for different trail surfaces, hill start assist to get you moving when traction is limited, and crawl control, which manages acceleration and braking in extreme off-road conditions.
Unlike the Colorado, the Tacoma TRD Pro is available with a six-speed manual transmission. There is, however, no diesel engine option for the Tacoma. In terms of cabin tech, Toyota does not offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto capability on any of its vehicles.
More Shopping Tools From U.S. News & World Report
When you’re considering a new pickup truck, you should explore our rankings of compact pickups and full-size trucks. You can evaluate cars side-by-side – even if they’re from different classes – using our comparison tool.
When you’re ready to buy, you’ll want to check out our new car financing incentives and lease deals pages, where the expert researchers and journalists of U.S. News & World Report comprehensively search the market to find to find the best offers available.
Our Best Price Program links buyers with local dealers, where they save an average of $3,279 off MSRP.
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The Civilized Chevy Colorado Goes Rugged
There’s a new 2017 Chevrolet Colorado that’s equipped to haul across the desert with the same authority that it hauls stuff home from the local Ikea. The Colorado ZR2 is far more than just an appearance package slapped on the stock pickup – it’s a full-fledged off-road performance truck.
First shown as a concept vehicle at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Colorado ZR2 arrived in dealers this spring. While many buyers customize their trucks for off-road duty, the benefits of buying a ZR2 from the factory include full warranty coverage for all of the added equipment, the ability to include all of the modifications in your new car financing, and the knowledge that all of the changes to the Colorado have been engineered specifically for the truck and durability-tested by Chevrolet.
Find out what makes the ZR2 tick on the following slides.