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NEXT-GENERATION CHEVROLET COLORADO ZR2 GETS ‘BAJA MODE’

The 2024 Colorado ZR2 Will Be Better Equipped To Send It Through The Sand

Hall Racing 2021 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2
The 2021 Hall Racing Chevrolet Colorado ZR2.

Despite a tapering of the muscle car market, off-road performance and adventure vehicles are all the rage right now in America. They come in all sorts of forms; as big as the EarthRoamer XV HD, as small as the 2021 Bronco Sport, and somewhere in between, there’s the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 pickup truck. This is currently the only thing General Motors has to compete with the significant off-road offerings from either Jeep or Ford, and it was recently refreshed for the 2021 model year. However, today brings news not about the refreshed ZR2, but the next-generation Colorado ZR2.

According to a report from GM-Trucks, the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 is slated to get a sand-surfing “Baja Mode” after the 2021 model year. Details were murky beyond that, so we tapped our own network of sources to get a better understanding.

2021 Chevrolet Colorado
2021 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2

Here’s what we’ve uncovered: the Baja Mode will debut on the next-generation Colorado ZR2, which is based on the 31XX-2 Platform and will debut in 2023 as a 2024 model year truck. It will be a drive mode that will optimize the truck’s behavior over sand. Of course, it won’t be able to keep up with the sheer power and speed of the newly revealed 2021 Ram TRX, but as far as midsize trucks go, it will likely have the Jeep Gladiator Mojave watching its back.

As we here at MC&T originally reported, the 32XX-2 platform is a revised version of the 31XX platform we currently see today. The 32XX platform, as well as a Bronco-fighting body-on-frame SUV program that was based on it, vanished into the aether during GM’s 2018 corporate restructuring. Somehow the automaker thinks it’s more profitable to build compliance-oriented electric Cadillacs for China instead. We’re not salty about it at all.

Like the rest of the 31XX-2 truck family, the 2024 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 will be powered by the 2.7L turbo four engine currently found in the larger Silverado and Sierra 1500 trucks. It will be the only engine available, with a 10-speed automatic being the only transmission available.

Chevrolet Colorado
2021 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2

Written by Manoli Katakis

Muscle Cars & Trucks was founded by Manoli Katakis - an automotive media veteran that has been covering the latest car news since 2009. His journalism has uncovered dozens of major product changes, updates, plans, and cancellations long before automakers were ready to make things official.

Some highlights over the years of his reporting include the uncovering of the Zora trademark before anybody else reported on the coming of a mid-engine Corvette, as well as the dead-accurate reporting of the coming of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, two years before it hit the market, and even before the debut of the concept vehicle. This type of reporting has immediately continued here, with reports of the original seventh-generation Camaro plans being shelved, as well as what's in store for the Chevrolet Silverado.

Some of his work can be found on massive automotive media outlets, such as Motor1. He also has been a guest on the 910AM Radio Station with Detroit News auto critic Henry Payne, as well as the enthusiast-oriented Camaro Show podcast.

Over the years, Manoli has interviewed various automotive industry titans, leaders, and people that make things happen otherwise. These include figureheads such as GM CEO Mary Barra, GM President Mark Reuss, automotive aftermarket icon Ken Lingenfelter, Dodge firebrand Tim Kuniskis, along with various chief engineers of vehicles such as the Ford F-150 & Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro & Corvette, and many more.

At MC&T, Manoli is taking his journalism expertise, deeply planted sources, driving abilities, and automotive industry knowledge to new levels, covering more vehicles and brands than ever before. This is the place where you will continue to read groundbreaking stories about American performance vehicles, pickup trucks, and sport utility vehicles. Here is where you’ll also read insights and quotes from various automotive subject matter experts on the latest relevant products, as well as some of the latest official news from their manufacturers.

Fun facts: he also once beat Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner in an autocross with a Chevrolet Bolt EV. The biggest vehicle he’s ever driven is a John Deere mining truck. Besides a go-kart, the smallest vehicle he’s driven has been a Hyundai i10. He’s also spent time in the cockpit of various American performance vehicle icons, including the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Dodge Challenger Demon, and Ford Mustang GT350R. He has reviewed dozens of trucks, SUVs, and performance vehicles over the years.

One of his favorite new vehicles on the market today happens to be the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison. He is also a card carrying member of the Sports Car Club of America, and regularly participates in Detroit Region autocross events.

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