2017 Chevy Colorado ZR2

[p nut]

When I was shopping for my truck last year, I went to a local dealer 5 miles away. They had the truck I wanted minus a couple of options. I test drive it and talked to the guy a while. The GM came by and said hello. I told him I'm not here to play games, just give me a fair deal and we'll do business. He said the guy will take care of me. Went back to his desk, he pulled up the truck on the website. I said what's the best price you could do? He told me what I saw on the site was the best he could do. There was not a lot of margin. This was a grand over invoice. I'm fair, but not stupid. I said thanks and promptly left. Some finance guy calls and said he could knock $500 off but that's it. They'll be losing money. Said thanks and hung up. Went to a dealer 30 miles away, he showed me a truck with all options I wanted and more (8" screen, 36gal tank, etc). "Negotiation" took 15min, most of which was just talking about the truck. He had one as well. Price of the truck that had more options was a couple grand less than the first dealership. Hate the buying process, but glad I found this dealership. The guy was no nonsense and actually knew stuff about the truck. I'll be doing business with them again.
_
I'm not sure what the production numbers will look like on these ZR2's, but hopefully there won't be a lot of abusive dealerships screwing buyers.

 

[RedF]

You guys are really overstating the average consumers desire to up-size tires. For every truck you see with oversized tires, there are dozens that are bone stock. We think because "we" do it, everyone does. That is not the case.

 

[p nut]

You guys are really overstating the average consumers desire to up-size tires. For every truck you see with oversized tires, there are dozens that are bone stock. We think because "we" do it, everyone does. That is not the case.

I think RF2200's compliant is legitimate, but like you said, only among the off-road community. Even then, it seems to be a much smaller portion than what he's portraying. This will be a non-issue for potential buyers.

 

[MagicMtnDan]

Are they gonna make this available in the 4-door version (crew cab)?

<EDIT>

Yes, they are...

 

[MagicMtnDan]

I expect the ZR2 to cost about $25,000 less than a new Raptor. Dealers have huge markups on the Raptor, and pre-orders are close to being sold out. I think Chevrolet will slightly undercut the price of the Tacoma TRD Pro, which costs $43,700 for a dual cab model with automatic trans.

As I'm sure you and everyone should know, the ZR2 will not be a junior Raptor. It will be a turbo-diesel offroader and should be a terrific truck.

 

[MagicMtnDan]

Wean, as though it's a requirement to do so?

Those paddles to me would be super annoying. If I'm buying an automatic transmission it's because I don't want to deal with shifting anymore, so pull the lever to drive and go. I don't want to interact with it anymore, fire and forget. It's an annoyance of mine generally. Why put a console and shift in the first place? It's to remind the driver that some people are still cool and shift their own gears. I think putting the shifter on the column like they were in the 70s and 80s makes more sense. Free up all that space in the middle of the truck for a bigger Tuffy box and a place to put your coffee mug.

Paddle shifters, in my mind, are like putting a cueing lever on a CD player or a choke lever on an EFI engine. There's no point to it.

Pretty funny take on auto trans and paddle shifters.

Just because you don't want to "deal with shifting anymore" doesn't mean there are many others who know how to use an auto trans offroad and can benefit from paddles.

 

[MagicMtnDan]

The ONLY problem I have with GM trucks is their square wheel openings which are problematic for going with larger tires.

Apparently GM has a solution in the works...

 

[RedF]

http://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Vehicles/Trucks%20and%20Vans/2017_Colorado_ZR2_Reveal/Model_Overview/01_images/2017-chevrolet-colorado-zr2-mid-size-pickup-cwsp-1480x505-03.jpg[/IMG]

Wow, that spare tire mount is lame. I don't think they could have come up with a way to waste more bed space! Yes, I realize this is (for some reason) a popular setup for the prerunner crowd.

 

[RedF]

The ONLY problem I have with GM trucks is their square wheel openings which are problematic for going with larger tires.

Apparently GM has a solution in the works...

Toyota apparently thought tires were teardrop shaped for a short while...

 

[Clutch]

You guys are really overstating the average consumers desire to up-size tires. For every truck you see with oversized tires, there are dozens that are bone stock. We think because "we" do it, everyone does. That is not the case.

Think because there is a teenage boy living inside most of us middle-aged men...I mean, vehicles like the ZR2, Raptor, TRD Pro...wouldn't even exist even people drove what they need, instead of what they wanted. Do we really need a fifty thousand dollar diesel truck that can't haul anything worth a damn, that has more final drive options than a woman has shoes....does anyone really need that? No. But do they want that??? Yes.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

Wow, that spare tire mount is lame. I don't think they could have come up with a way to waste more bed space! Yes, I realize this is (for some reason) a popular setup for the prerunner crowd.

Its an option on the ZR2, you can get a ZR2 with the tire in stock location also. I agree its dumb that way.

 

[calicamper]

Its an option on the ZR2, you can get a ZR2 with the tire in stock location also. I agree its dumb that way.

Just a guess but 31in might fit a LB version. But the SB? Could be tight. My 93 J80 I only carried the spare on road trips. Used the wilco tire gate. Local Daily use the BFG TKO's? I had a higher probability of being taken out by a Prius than getting a flat.

 

[Ryanmb21]

Isn't 265/70/17 equal to 31.6"?

And, 285/70/17 that everybody runs equal to 32.8?

So the actual difference we're talking here is .6 ground clearance? Big whoop

 

[TwinStick]

Personally, I am happy to see this finally happen (but I still will believe it when i see it). As a person who has been writing the "big 3" and "Toyota" for more than 30 years, about their trucks, it makes me very happy to see this come to fruition. I am sure my writing to them many, many times had nothing to do with it though. I heard from a GM employee that the military asked for a truck that they could use in the rocky sandbox's of the world. True or false, IHNI ??? Just an FYI, out of all the times (at least 10-15x) that I wrote them, NOT ONCE did I hear anything from the big 3. I did include my address & phone # in all of them. One night at dinner, the phone rang. My wife took it & said "it's for you". It was a woman named Sue from Toyota Motor Co., inquiring about the vehicle I asked them to make avail in the US. I told her "simple, people want simple- solid axles, lock out hubs, diesel engine & a stick shift". I told her if they made them avail, they would fly off the lots. She listened, thanked me for my input & then said "due to gov't regulations, we can't ship those vehicles to the US. They have to meet crash test standards, emissions standards, blah, blah, blah.

So, as the proud owner of a 2008 Dodge Power Wagon w/G-56 stick shift THAT GETS 8-10 MPG, I am happy to see this come out & see it as a "mini-Power Wagon-ish vehicle that could tow my 3500 lb camper in a pinch, yet still get 25 mpg when solo. Win-win. Competition makes for a better end product, eventually. Maybe Toyota will step up their game, maybe Ram will as well. Time will tell.

 

[Clutch]

She listened, thanked me for my input & then said "due to gov't regulations, we can't ship those vehicles to the US. They have to meet crash test standards, emissions standards, blah, blah, blah.

Bull-ca-ca...

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/64...-now-rated-5-stars-by-ancap-also-toyota-prius