2019 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison Pricing Released, Declares War on Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

There are now two off-road-ready, wildly capable, factory-built vehicles you can buy for $50,000.
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The 2019 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison is an even more extreme, off-road focused version of the popular midsize truck. Prepared from the factory to tackle the most challenging trails, the Bison is surely going to be a hit amongst off-roaders around the country. But until today, we weren’t sure how much that the price of admission was going to set us back.

Opting for the Bison trim adds $5,700 to the cost of an already capable Colorado ZR2. That means for those buying an extended cab V6, it starts at $48,045 including destination. Need more space for stuff, whether it be children or outdoor gear? The crew cab model starts at $49,645.

American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) provides many of the updates that make the Bison—a Bison. The upgrades include skid plates many for nearly-indestructible boron steel, replacement stamped steel front and rear bumpers with provisions for a winch and bigger fender flares. Chevrolet and AEV clearly have a target in mind with the Bison: the Wrangler Rubicon

“Although they play different roles, and are for different customers, a fully loaded Rubicon with similar levels of capability and equipment will be over $50,000,” said Dave Harriton, president and founder of AEV. “However, when looking at other factory off-road vehicles on the market, the ZR2 Bison is unmatched for all-around versatility.”

Both the Rubicon and Bison have front and rear lockers. Both the Bison and Rubicon have suspension and tires set up from the factory to immediately hit the trails. Does that mean they’re both equal in that regards? We’ll have to wait and see until we get a chance to drive the new Bison.

This is the fourth full year that the Colorado has been on sale in the United States, and according to Chevrolet, they’ve sold 428,792 of them. Now that’s a lot of pickup trucks, but it’ll be interesting to see how those numbers fare when the Ford Ranger goes on sale next year.

Also intriguing is the fact that next year, it won’t be a Wrangler Rubicon that Chevy will be comparing their off-road pickup truck to—but the Scrambler Rubicon that we’re expecting to debut at the LA Auto Show.

This segment is only getting hotter.