Colorado Bison Tramples Over Raptor in Comparison Review
Chevy’s new hardcore off-roader built to handle the rocky and muddy roads Ford’s big reptile can’t fly over.
Way back in the day, raptors chased after their prey, running as fast as they could with their feathered, flightless bodies. Had there been a few lumbering bison around, though, the turkey-sized dinos would have their skulls crushed like a bag of chips by the big mammal’s hardy hooves.
Today, the bison still roams the plains while the raptor is a museum piece. The same can be said for Chevy’s newest hardcore off-roader, the Colorado ZR2 Bison. TopSpeed recently pitted this metal ungulate against Ford’s reptilian pickup, the F-150 Raptor, and the results speak for themselves.
Built with the help of off-road outfitter American Expedition Vehicles, the Colorado ZR2 Bison packs a big punch in its small (relatively speaking) size. AEV outfitted the Bison with stamped steel front and rear bumpers purposefully designed with accessories in mind, like winches and extra lighting. The truck gains plenty of protection on the sides, too, as well as a five-piece boron steel skid-plate setup to protect the drivetrain from rocks and the like.
Speaking of the drivetrain, there are two options available for the Colorado ZR2 Bison. One is a 3.6-liter V6 paired with an eight-speed automatic, good for 308 horses and 295 lb-ft of torque to the corners. Diesel fans can opt for the optional 2.8-liter Duramax, pumping 189 horses and 369 lb-ft of tree-pulling torque through a six-speed automatic.
That may not sound like a lot against the Raptor’s high-horsepower twin-turbo V6, but the Colorado ZR2 Bison was designed not to fly over dunes (though it could if it wanted to), but to slog it out on muddy and rocky trails. The Bison’s smaller size and better approach/departure angles, front and rear locking diffs, and 31-inch off-road tires also help Chevy’s off-roader do what Ford’s cannot.
There’s one more thing the Colorado ZR2 Bison has that the Raptor doesn’t: a lower price. The Bison starts at $45,000, compared to the Raptor’s starting price of $53,000. Looks like this Bison just crushed the Raptor like a beer can in a recycling bin.
