2025 Chevrolet Colorado Review: ZR2 Bison Is A Beast, But Is Trail Boss Enough?

Getting muddy is one of my favorite hobbies. On my two feet (or my Chevro-legs as my father calls them), I still splash in puddles like I did when I was a child. Driving isn't any different. If I see a puddle on the street, especially if I'm driving a truck, you better believe I'm heading straight for it. Muddy off-road puddles? Even better. And that's how I ended up at the local pay-n-spray car wash at 1AM, trying to get all the dirt off the 2025 Colorado before I had to return it to the folks at Chevrolet. Since there was rain in the weather forecast the same week I had a Colorado to test, there was only one thing to do: play in whatever mud the weather created.

The Colorado in question was the ZR2, the most off-road capable version of the midsize Chevy truck with the extreme off-road Bison package added on for good measure. Off-roading would obviously be a must-do, bit it wasn't the only thing on my schedule. I also had a few days of travel on the calendar, with a trip planned to the mountains for an escape from the city. As it turns out, hustling up a mountain road is a hobby of mine too, so on the surface, this was the perfect week to test the truck out. 

Powering the ZR2 is the same engine you'll find in every 2025 Chevy Colorado, a turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder (branded the TurboMax) that makes 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. Like the engine, there's only one choice for the Colorado's transmission: an eight-speed automatic. In 2024, a less-powerful version of the 2.7-liter engine was also available on base trims, but Chevy has pulled that one from the lineup. Long-gone are the days of the Colorado's once-available V6 or turbodiesel engines, but this four-cylinder still gets the job done.

Mash the throttle when the light turns green and the Colorado moves with purpose, rushing towards the horizon at a respectable pace. Shifts from the eight-speed automatic were fired off quickly and without much of a jolt. The Colorado's heaping helping of torque means that the transmission wasn't hunting around for gears either. On the long uphill grades that led to my cabin getaway, there was no drama whatsoever. 

The Tacoma offers more power and torque with the i-Force Max hybrid powertrain, and better fuel economy estimates. The increase in power is mild, but the Tacoma's hybrid powertrain feels like it has more low-RPM urgency, which makes it inherently more appealing to me, but the Colorado's four-cylinder is a close second place.

Off-roading provides tough terrain, and once I got out of the mountains I was able to test out the Colorado's capabilities on the rough stuff, but most driving happens in the city. The broken asphalt and potholes that define life in the concrete jungle are pretty intense too, giving trucks like the Colorado plenty to handle on a daily basis. 

Thankfully, the ZR2 Bison has some seriously robust underpinnings to deal with either scenario. For starters, the massive 35-inch tires soak up pretty much every small road imperfection you can conjure up. The Goodyear Wrangler M/T's make an audible hum on the highway, but that's to be expected, and it can easily be drowned out with just a bit of conversation or music.

Compared to other versions of the Colorado, the ZR2 Bison has a 3-inch suspension lift, which gives it a commanding presence and lots of travel over big obstacles. The Multimatic DSSV shocks are also a big part of the equation, giving the ZR2 an incredibly smooth ride. Potholes and speed bumps alike are no match for the ZR2. In contrast to the complicated suspension however, the Colorado's seats are relatively simple. Unlike the Tacoma, the ZR2 doesn't get suspension in the seats; just regular (heated-and-ventilated) chairs up front, and a relatively flat bench in the rear. There's not much bolstering and there's minimal lumbar support, but the seats still felt pretty good after a few hours.

A common complaint in the midsize-pickup truck class is limited interior space. To fit a spacious cabin on top of body-on-frame architecture is a tall task when you're restricted to midsize truck dimensions. That's why a unibody pickup like the Honda Ridgeline is so high up on my list of top truck choices for the class. It has a passive cabin. The Colorado, while adequately sized for a few adults, has limited space inside. 

For starters, the bottom of the driver's seat is relatively close to the floor. I'm 5-foot-9 so there was just enough legroom for me, but taller drivers will struggle. The rear seat is straight-up cramped, like many of the other trucks in this segment, and for the most part I think of it as a cargo space. Loading in a weekend-getaway's worth of luggage, it felt silly to have to play backpack-Tetris in a truck as large as the ZR2. 

Yes, I could've used the bed, but without a tonneau cover, I don't think my bags would've survived the heavy rain. On a somewhat-related note, I would support Chevy selling an extended cab version of the Colorado with a longer bed and sacrificing the back seat entirely (on the condition I could buy a waterproof tonneau cover). Unfortunately, very few truck buyers spend their money on anything less than a crew-cab configuration these days, so it's hard for automakers to justify those models.

Interior real-estate complaints aside, there's a lot to like about the Colorado's interior. The layout of the Chevy's dashboard feels functional but also pleasing to look at. The 11.3-inch center touchscreen has impressive graphics and it's mounted low enough on the dash to keep it from obstructing your forward view. There's also a nice row of buttons just below the screen that control climate functions. 

The heating functions of the front seats worked quickly in the cold mountains, and adjusted the seat temperature in big swings. I can normally spend a good 20-30 minutes with a car's heated seat on full blast, but the Colorado had me cooking after about 10 minutes. Previous generations of the Colorado offered a split-heating element that I loved (one setting heated just your back, the other back-and-butt), but this generation lacks that little feature and I'll forever miss it.

The cabin materials feel up to snuff when you consider the ZR2's high price point, but there were some squeaks and rattles on my drive – especially during cornering. Even unladen, it seems like the ZR2 had some misaligned panels or materials that rubbed a bit in the back seat. That might've been a function of the press truck's hard-lived life, so I considered it to be a small blemish on an otherwise enjoyable experience.

Truck buyers, especially ones who enjoy off-roading and adventuring in their rough-and-tumble trucks, want switches, knobs, and buttons. In all my years testing vehicles and in the car community, I've never heard anyone say, "I'd like my headlight switch to be moved into the touchscreen" but that's what Chevy has done with the Colorado.

Turning on or off the lights in the Colorado (outside of the Auto mode that's set as a default) requires use of the touchscreen, and it's a confusing choice at best. Imagine this: you're driving through the mountains, with limited visibility from a thick fog bank. So, naturally, you want to turn on the fog lights. Well, there's no stalk off the steering column, no dashboard button, no switch or dial to do it. Instead, you have to press at least two buttons on the touchscreen to activate the foglights. 

I didn't have to imagine that precarious situation, as it happened to me multiple times on my mountain trip in the Colorado and it was just as disappointing every time. We've complained about this pretty much every time we've driven the Colorado, but it bears repeating: hopefully as the sort of design flaw that gets addressed in a mid-cycle refresh. 

While I didn't have the opportunity to tow or even haul much more than some luggage with the Colorado, there are some numbers of note for the midsize Chevy. Maximum towing capacity for properly-equipped versions of the Colorado rises to 7,700 lbs. The Jeep Gladiator has the same topped-out towing capacity of 7,700 lbs, while the Nissan Frontier is limited to 7,160 lbs, and the Tacoma reaches its limit at 6,500 lbs (the hybrid Tacoma is limited to 6,000 pounds). Unibody trucks like the Ridgeline check in much lower at 5,000 lbs.

With the Colorado's maximum towing capacity of 7,700 lbs you'll have more than enough grunt to pull a small trailer, but be sure you're getting a Colorado with the right gear. The ZR2, with its off-road focused suspension, drops to 6,000 lbs and the Bison goes down to 5,500 lbs. That's a common theme amongst off-road oriented pickup trucks, but that's the price you pay for such impressive off-road capability.

The Colorado is available in five different trims: WT, LT, Trail Boss, Z71, and ZR2. For most buyers, something like the Trail Boss (from $41,395 plus destination) will satisfy their off-roading needs with its 32-inch all-terrain tires and a 2-inch lift, but there's a lot more to be had if you're looking for off-road supremacy. The ZR2 gets mud-terrain tires (perfect for my splash-inclined personality), a 3-inch suspension lift over standard models, locking front and rear differentials, the Multimatic DSSV suspension, and some unique body work. The ZR2 Bison package goes even further, and adds $11,700 to the ZR2's asking price along with a seriously lengthy equipment list.

The Bison upgrades from 33-inch tires to 35's, wrapped around 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels and accented by big wheel flares. The underbody of the truck is protected by AEV skid plates. Steel AEV front and rear bumpers cap off the front and rear. There's Multimatic jounce control dampers, a bed-mounted spare-tire carrier for a full-size spare, all-weather mats for the cabin, and AEV branding on the inside and outside. 

All this hardware added to an already-capable truck meant I could be pretty fearless off road. Big rocks, little rocks, dips, articulation sections, and of course, mud puddles: all were conquered with ease. On my local trails only a few sections required fiddling with things like the locking differentials, but the ZR2 was seemingly unbothered by just about everything I threw at it.

Driving the ZR2 Bison for a week, venturing into the mountains, and tackling all the on- and off-road obstacles I could find was a great experience. The quiet and comfortable cabin was well-suited for long journeys, the 7-speaker Bose stereo provided excellent sound quality, and the big center touchscreen connected to my iPhone quickly via standard wireless Apple CarPlay (Android Auto is there too if that's what you use). Considering the ZR2 Bison's off-road intentions, it handled corners pretty well too. It's no sports car, of course, but the ZR2 felt stable and confident on long sweepers through the mountains.

Without a back-to-back test with something like the Tacoma Trailhunter or the Gladiator Rubicon, it's hard to tell who reigns supreme in the off-road world, but the ZR2 Bison is certainly a top contender. Depending on which version of the Colorado you go with, class-leading towing capability is within reach, and regardless of the trim you select, there's strong performance from the turbocharged four-banger. There are some drawbacks like the utterly-silly touchscreen headlight controls and the cramped rear seats, but overall, the 2025 Colorado is still one of the strongest choices in the midsize pickup class.