Category: News

Factory steel bumpers with integrated winch provisions and recovery points and Boron-steel skid plates, all co-developed by Chevrolet and AEV, make Bison ready for off-the-grid adventures

Introducing the new Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison, the most capable off-road truck in its class meets the most innovative manufacturer in the aftermarket. The new Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison was a co-development project between Chevrolet and American Expedition Vehicles (AEV). Bison marks the first occasion that AEV has collaborated with any OE manufacturer on a production vehicle of this magnitude.

The Colorado ZR2 Bison joins Chevrolet’s segment-redefining midsize truck lineup as an all-new performance variant. Colorado’s constant innovation – including a segment-exclusive diesel engine (excludes other GM vehicles), a new V6 gas engine and 8-speed transmission combo only two years into production, and the ZR2 performance variant – has allowed Chevy to carve out more than a quarter of the midsize truck segment in less than four years in the marketplace.

With the help of several key integrated AEV components, this most extreme Colorado yet pushes the boundaries of Chevrolet off-road ability with features that optimize the rock crawling and overlanding capabilities already present on the Z71 and ZR2 models.

For maximum protection of key undercarriage elements while driving over rocky, jagged terrain, Bison features five skid plates that cover the engine oil pan, fuel tank, transfer case and both front and rear locking differentials.

Designed by AEV, these skid plates also offer another rarity for a production vehicle in that they are constructed of hot-stamped Boron steel.

That focus on off-road protection also extends to the AEV-designed stamped steel front and rear bumpers, which offer excellent protection while traversing obstacles like rocks and logs.

Trail recovery is another key component of these bumpers, with the front featuring winch provisions and recovery points integrated into the rear.  Bison also features standard fog lights below the traditional headlights.

“More and more enthusiasts are discovering that Colorado is ideal for off-roading, especially overland travel,” said Sandor Piszar, director of Marketing, Chevrolet Truck.

“The Colorado Z71 offers a full suite of off-road equipment, the maneuverability of a midsize truck and the driving range of a class-exclusive diesel engine. The Colorado ZR2 offers even greater off-road capability than Z71 with class-exclusive front and rear locking differentials and Multimatic DSSVTM dampers. And now, with Bison, we offer customers an even more extreme turn-key off-road truck ready to tackle your next adventure.”

The 2019 Colorado ZR2 Bison goes on sale in January, 2019 – modified for extreme off-road use and backed by a full factory limited warranty.

The Bison is also distinguished by an exclusive, flow-through “CHEVROLET” lettered grille replacing the traditional bow-tie. The 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac off-road tires wrap all-new, ZR2 Bison-specific 17x 8 inch aluminum wheels. The truck comes standard with an all-terrain ZR2 Bison spare tire and special larger ZR2 Bison fender flares. The Bison-specific wheels and fender flares were also co-developed by AEV.

This new Colorado variant also features “Bison” decals on the bed sides, an “AEV Bison” logo on the tailgate and embroidered AEV-logo floor liners and headrests.

Customers will also be able to purchase an accessory snorkel for ZR2 Bison from AEV, ideal for air filtration while driving on dusty trails. This feature is available for all Colorado pickups.

“We’ve been following Colorado since its introduction, and the ZR2 really captured our attention,” said Dave Harriton, founder and president of AEV. “As this is the first Chevrolet vehicle we’ve ever given the AEV treatment to, we wanted to do something extra special in bringing five hot-stamped Boron steel skid plates to off-road customers for the first time in the industry. We also expect that Colorado drivers will love the added ruggedness of our front and rear bumpers on ZR2 Bison.”

Specifically the AEV-designed and developed components for Chevrolet ZR2 Bison include:

• Winch-compatible, stamped-steel Front Bumper with integrated fog lights.
• Five hot-stamped Boron steel underbody skid plates protecting the front end, engine oil pan, transfer case, gas tank, and rear differential.
• Stamped-steel Rear Bumper with robust A356-T6 cast-aluminum recovery points and chassis-mounted tubular corner protection.
• Bison-specific injection molded fender flares for additional tire coverage and an aggressive look.
• AEV-designed, Bison-specific cast-aluminum wheels.
• Interior and exterior AEV branding package.
• Optional AEV snorkel available directly from AEV or GM dealerships.

The ZR2 Bison also duplicates the full equipment list of the Colorado ZR2.

Among 4WD enthusiasts, Utah is known worldwide as the home of Moab and the Easter Jeep Safari. Each year the famous Easter Jeep Safari attracts thousands of 4WD enthusiasts who come down to enjoy Moab’s legendary slickrock landscapes. However, it turns out that Moab’s landscapes are just a fraction of what Utah has to offer and for 4WD enthusiasts who want to see just how diverse and amazing this state really is, the Utah Back Country Discovery Route offers a front row seat.

The Utah Back Country Discovery Route (UTBDR) is a 4WD track that stretches roughly 900 miles across Utah – from the border of Arizona to the border of Idaho. Along the way it passes through some of Utah’s most stunning locations including the Valley of the Gods, Lockhart Basin, San Rafael Swell and the Uintas Mountains. During the month of July, AEV’s Chris Wood guided a team of AEV friends across the UTBDR – over which they traveled self-contained, camped remotely each night and ultimately completed the route in nine days. We hope you will be inspired by Chris’ photos from the trip and consider running the UTBDR yourself.

For those of you who own JK Wranglers and like to tackle long, self-contained trips such as the UTBDR, you may have noticed your JK has gotten particularly heavy with the addition of accessories like a fridge, roof-top tent, storage drawer system and much more. In fact if you’ve weighed your JK on a truck-scale, you may have been surprised to find that it came in well above GVWR. If so, you might be interested to know that AEV recently introduced its new High-Capacity Springs for JKs like yours. These springs were specifically designed not only to help level your JK, but drastically improve its stability, too. (Note: the white, gray and green JKs all feature these new springs in the UTBDR photos)

AEV JK High Capacity Springs >>

If you would like more information about the UTBDR or AEV’s High-Capacity Springs, you can reach out to Chris at [email protected] . You can also visit Back Country Discovery Routes at https://ridebdr.com/ or American Expedition Vehicles at www.aev-conversions.com

AEV Utah BDR Trip Gallery:

We’ve been hearing it ever since the first Jeep Wrangler JL models began rolling off the line in Toledo in late 2017: When will we see the new JL accessories from AEV?

Our answer? Soon! But not until they are perfect!

At AEV, patience is not just a virtue—it’s a necessity. Sure, it’s frustrating to see that many competitors have already rushed to market with accessory parts for the JL. But AEV did not make its name as the world’s premier Wrangler accessory manufacturer by rushing things. Our approach to developing JL parts will be the same that made our JK products so successful. We will be methodical, detailed, and patient. Because we want to get things exactly right again.

AEV purchased several JL Wranglers as soon as they became available, and our design team and engineering staff immediately began dismantling and modeling every inch of the vehicle. Virtually the entire vehicle has been mapped and converted to data for our state-of-the-art Computer Aided Design (CAD) system.

In CAD our designers are free to bring full creative license to the new JL bumpers, hoods, skid plates (and other undercarriage protection), wheels, and more that we will ultimately build. Engineers can test feasibility before money is invested in expensive tooling, and before a part is ever stamped and placed on a Jeep. And while this OE approach to manufacturing slows development time at the start, it definitely means we will have ingeniously designed, longer lasting, and more durable parts when they do come to market.

So AEV asks its loyal customers for a bit more patience. Quality takes time, and AEV never sacrifices quality. But what we can tell you now is that we are revamping every product in our JK line for the new JL Wrangler, and we are developing several new products that we’ve never done before. The look will be all new, and the quality, fit, performance, and durability will be even better.

At first glance, the JL Wrangler does not appear to be much of a departure from the JK. But upon closer inspection we can see significant differences and/or improvement. For one, the JL has a wider variety of trim levels and available configurations with different flares, grilles, and hoods. This will challenge us a manufacturer to develop bumpers for all of these permutations.  

Additionally, the tailgate and tire carrier on JL are significantly different, and while the suspension system looks similar it is actually totally different. For one, the handling is tremendous, with a super tight steering radius on the four-door JL that turns like a much shorter wheelbase two-door Jeep. AEV has already spent months developing our trademark custom-tuned springs and shocks and, as of mid-2018, is just beginning to build suspension prototypes for extensive testing.

And on the subject of testing—AEV insists on exhaustive testing on all products—another necessity that slows the path to market. AEV performs OE-level stability control testing and corrosion testing. There is even thermal testing to see how temperature expands and contracts plastic and metal parts. The average test takes 16 weeks, and if results are not optimal the product goes back to the drawing board.

So, will AEV ever be first to market? No. Not if we’re doing it right. In mid-2018 there are already companies selling JK bumpers to JL owners, or marketing roughed-out suspensions. AEV believes that patience in the short-term results in the ultimate long-term goal—extremely well-conceived JL components made in the USA using world-class automotive technology, manufacturing, and materials.

So we ask you to hold on a little longer. AEV is coming very soon with all the goods for JL Wrangler! Expect to see our first JL Wrangler parts at SEMA 2018!