MotorTrend Takes Its Colorado ZR2 on a 5,000-Mile Road Trip

The Colorado ZR2 impressed MotorTrend enough that it added one to its long-term fleet. In that time, the editors put over 16,000 miles on the truck. After the initial testing, many of the miles came from simple commuting and providing back up for other road tests. The latest 5,000 miles came during a one-week road trip. Twin Falls Chevrolet gives you the highlights of that trip.

The task was to take the ZR2 from the Los Angeles office to editor Jered Korfhage’s home in Ohio. There was going to be some play during this winter holiday trip, so coming along for the ride were two road bikes and a pair of skis. Along with duffle bags of clothes and such, they also brought a bin full of off-road recovery equipment, some tools, and a Dometic CFX 35W portable 12-volt fridge in the back seat full of road trip snacks. 

“Just set that adaptive cruise control, and the miles roll on by effortlessly,” the editor described the first third of the trip. Thanks to the Multimatic Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) dampers, the same truck that can perform high-speed heroics on the trail provided a comfortable highway ride that seemed almost unbelievable for such an off-road-focused truck. He further elaborated, “Over that first leg of the California-to-Ohio journey we refueled eight times, averaging 16.2 miles to the gallon, with 39 hours of seat time. No complaints. No issues.” 

Snow was bound to occur through this winter trip that took a northern route, and it came near Cheyenne, Wyoming, along with 60-mph winds. For help, Jered selected Auto on the four-wheel-drive knob, which “summoned the wizardry of our ZR2’s AutoTrac MP3025 two-speed transfer case, which began sending power to each of the four wheels based on traction needs in a manner safe for use on the interstate.” 

While the four-wheel-drive system and the all-terrain tires kept the ZR2 on its way without issue, someone in a Chevrolet Spark was not as well equipped and landed stuck in a snowbank. This gave Jered and his companion the opportunity to put on their Good Samaritan hats and get to pulling the Spark out of its predicament. In the process, they got stuck themselves, but thanks to the snow chains and a shovel from their off-road recovery kit, the Spark was rescued.  

The rest of the trip went without incident. During the trip, they found they had plenty of space for themselves and their gear. They found the Colorado to be as good of an on-road companion as off-road. It proved ideal for pickup truck things like carrying gear, traveling worry-free in the snow, and even helping a stranger in need. The fuel economy for the trip stuck close to the EPA combined estimate of 17 mpg. 

If this paints the Colorado ZR2 as the mid-size truck that can do it all on- and off-road, it seems that MotorTrend will agree with you. The ZR2 and all the rest of Chevrolet’s impressive truck lineup can be found at Twin Falls Chevrolet, who invites you to test drive them all.