Colorado ZR2 Will Be The JT Rubicon's Main Competition

[Vegas_Sirk]

The blogs are finally starting to test the Chevy Colorado ZR2:

http://www.autoblog.com/2017/05/15/2017-chevrolet-colorado-zr2-first-drive-888654433/

http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/stock-chevy-colorado-zr2s-rocked-the-damn-rubicon-trail-1795144023

Looks like solid compition for the JT

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[HeisenbergFX4]

Pretty solid looking trucks but the top doesnt come off so I will wait for the JT

 

[Cal_JLU]

Looks like solid compition for the JT

I've been watching the ZR2 very closely ever since they showed the concept at the L.A. Auto Show back in '14. I think this is a much better compromise between a factory prerunner and trail rig than the Raptor, which skews more heavily towards to former. I do like how much more simple and analog the ZR2 seems to be than the Raptor, which looks a little overly complicated between the powertrain and driveline controls.

Compared to a Wrangler though, the ZR2 will be left behind in the truly hardcore stuff by virtue of having IFS. You're just not going to have the added dexterity and confidence SFA delivers.

And while I like the maneuverability of a mid size pickup, the rear passenger compartment is compromised by virtue of where I have the drivers seat adjusted -6'5" with a "36 inseam, I'm not the smallest dude- I need to know that most of anyone that has to ride in the rear passenger compartment is going to be comfortable back there and that I don't have to hear them complaining about being cramped.

 

[JTman]

Pretty trick suspension (Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve (DSSV) dampers) is technology from supercars, but still not solid axle like the JT will be. So while it'll ride smoother on roads than the JT, it still won't have the off road capability that the Wrangler Jeep will have.

 

[Vegas_Sirk]

I agree with you guys, but with the breakover angle automatically being worst in a pick up, I'm not sure the solid axels are going to offer most people that much more in terms of trail use. Yea it will be bragging rights and the top 10% of owners might get use out of it, but for 90% of others I doubt they will notice a difference. The ride quality is what they will notice.

With that said I have two main gripes about the ZR2: 1) Is looks .... IMO I think it looks awkward and is not a very good looking truck its Canyon brother is much better looking to me and its still not all that great looking. 2) The jalopnik review said its slow. After driving my JKU for as long as I have if I'm getting rid of it I want something that can get out its own way.

 

[Billy]

I agree with you guys, but with the breakover angle automatically being worst in a pick up, I'm not sure the solid axels are going to offer most people that much more in terms of trail use. Yea it will be bragging rights and the top 10% of owners might get use out of it, but for 90% of others I doubt they will notice a difference. The ride quality is what they will notice.

With that said I have two main gripes about the ZR2: 1) Is looks .... IMO I think it looks awkward and is not a very good looking truck its Canyon brother is much better looking to me and its still not all that great looking. 2) The jalopnik review said its slow. After driving my JKU for as long as I have if I'm getting rid of it I want something that can get out its own way.

Did thy say the duramax diesel was slow?

 

[Cal_JLU]

Did thy say the duramax diesel was slow?

Any diesel is going to run out of breath the further up the rev range you go, that's just their nature. I think there have been more complaints about turbo lag than anything else.

 

[Vegas_Sirk]

Did thy say the duramax diesel was slow?

Yea they said it was better the the gas engine but the truck still felt slow.

 

[DanW]

If the JL didn't have removable top options or removable doors, I'd be over at the Chevy dealer right now putting an order in for the ZR2. I think the shocks on it are revolutionary. I just can't live without the things that make a Jeep a Jeep. Hell, you can't even get a sun roof on the ZR2. Bummer.

 

[DanW]

Any diesel is going to run out of breath the further up the rev range you go, that's just their nature. I think there have been more complaints about turbo lag than anything else.

TFL on Youtube did a back to back zero to 60 run. The 3.6 did 9 seconds, and the Duramax was just over 10. They were at high altitude, so the turbodiesel had a little advantage there, as the power loss was less noticeable at altitude. Not a huge difference in my book. If I was going with a ZR2, I'd get the Duramax, most likely.

 

[WXman]

The ZR2 is a great package. It's a shame that it's a GM product. That alone will keep me from ever even looking at one.

The 2.8L diesel is awesome though. I had it in a 2005 Jeep Liberty and mine was tuned by Green Diesel Engineering and made the same power output that GM is rating the Colorado at. It got ~15 MPGs towing a heavy trailer, 26 MPGs on my daily commute, had gobs of torque on the trail, and would set you back in the seat without downshifting if you blipped the pedal. It make so much torque that I had to upgrade the torque converter, and that transmission was the one used in Ram 3500 Hemi trucks so it was not a weak transmission to start with.

If you are going to fork over the crazy price for a ZR2, GET THE DIESEL.

 

[DanW]

The ZR2 is a great package. It's a shame that it's a GM product. That alone will keep me from ever even looking at one.

The 2.8L diesel is awesome though. I had it in a 2005 Jeep Liberty and mine was tuned by Green Diesel Engineering and made the same power output that GM is rating the Colorado at. It got ~15 MPGs towing a heavy trailer, 26 MPGs on my daily commute, had gobs of torque on the trail, and would set you back in the seat without downshifting if you blipped the pedal. It make so much torque that I had to upgrade the torque converter, and that transmission was the one used in Ram 3500 Hemi trucks so it was not a weak transmission to start with.

If you are going to fork over the crazy price for a ZR2, GET THE DIESEL.

Yep, too bad. In my humble opinion, GM is making the best cars in the world right now, for the money. I wish they made the Wrangler. That Liberty sounds like it was a great machine!

 

[Billy]

I sat in a Colorado this winter at a car show, and was completely put off by the interior build quality and asthetics. Eew! Everything about the interior seemed cheap and fugly. I will give it another look though, since the Duramax 2.8 is virtually the same motor I had in my old Liberty.

 

[WXman]

I sat in a Colorado this winter at a car show, and was completely put off by the interior build quality and asthetics. Eew! Everything about the interior seemed cheap and fugly. I will give it another look though, since the Duramax 2.8 is virtually the same motor I had in my old Liberty.

Yep, like I said, GM = I won't own another. Horrendous build quality and engineering. Sure, they look great and drive great when brand new. But they do not stand the test of time. I've had 3 in my life and all 3 were garbage. Second one I had stranded me 3 times on the highway in 3 years. The last GM truck I leased brand new went to the shop for 10 repairs in the first year I had it. It's as if their engineers are complete idiots. And stupid me...I test drove a new 2015 GM truck just to see if they've changed, and the thing had such a terrible vibration in it that the console was shaking while going down the interstate. The salesman didn't know what to say. I went home and googled it, and apparently that's a rampant issue on the new truck. GM had no fix for it last I checked. Just terrible quality. I have no idea how they keep selling so many vehicles every year. I guess name recognition is a powerful force. So I went to back to Ford and haven't looked back. 113,000 miles now on my 2013 F-150 and zero issues. I want to get back into Jeeps again when this one is paid off, so I'm watching the Jeep JT like a hawk...

 

[MuhThugga]

The Colorado is automatic-only, so it isn't even a consideration for me. If I'm replacing the Silverado, it is going to have a manual transmission, which is why I have an eye on the JT.

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