Supercharged V6-Clad 2020 Colorado Xtreme Featured in Carbuzz.com

After the complete and utter mastering of a 1,000-hp Camaro Convertible, Specialty Vehicle Engineering has now shifted their focus to the Chevy Colorado. All of us here at O'Rielly Chevy of Tucson are now getting to check out the 2020 Chevy Colorado Xtreme, a present-day throwback to the Chevrolet S-10 Xtreme sports truck from the 1990s. Made available for crew cab or extended-cab models, the Colorado Xtreme derives power from a 3.6-liter V6 cranked up to 455 horsepower and 425 lb-ft of torque.

It all uses a special in-house developed centrifugal supercharger with a unique head unit that features a planetary drive assembly instead of a traditional gear drive. This allows for spinning up to 90,000 rpm with no supercharger whine and provides a smooth ride as well as linear power band that boosts power up to 6,400 rpm. SVE's air-to-water intercooler system minimizes heat soak to help maintain optimal power at all times. There are other awesome upgrades like a composite Xtreme engine cover, black bowtie emblem, a custom dual exhaust, body-color painted fog lamp surrounds and a completely reworked suspension.

This suspension lowers the Colorado Xtreme by two inches at the front, and five inches at the rear. The 2020 Chevy Colorado Xtreme sports 20-inch five-spoke wheels that are currently available in satin black or gloss black wrapped in Michelin 275/45R20 Pilot Sport PS2S performance tires. Once inside, the front headrests feature embroidered red Xtreme logos and premium floor mats in black or cocoa dune alongside the Xtreme logo. Other super-cool optional upgrades include a heavy-duty sway bar, heavy-duty traction bars and bushings, a folding black tonneau cover, and a custom seat trim package for the front and rear seats that blend perfectly with the two factory interior colors.

At this point it looks as if only 100 of these special limited-edition 2020 Colorado trucks will be built, emphasizing just how unique and trailblazing they will be. The front-seat headroom of the Colorado was ranked the best in its class by the review staff at Cars.com, as well as for its connectivity and multimedia options. For 2020, a key fob-operated tailgate lock is available and the truck also now has a tire fill alert system. The available turbo-diesel engine includes an exhaust brake system to help reduce brake pad wear when descending steep grades, and we are proud of how comfortable a ride the Colorado lays down on the highway for a model that is so off-road ready.

Colorado ZR2 Bison Created With Aid From AEV for the Ultimate in Off-Road Adventure

Details regarding a very detailed pre-emptive strike against the competing Ford Raptor have been circulating around the office and on the lot here at O'rielly Chevy, where more off-road equipment has been added to the bad and burly ZR2. Based on the AEV concept seen during last year's SEMA show, the new ZR2 Bison features very awesome and able custom gear from American Expedition Vehicles. First setting apart the new Bison from ordinary ZR2s is a winch mounting plate underneath with “Chevrolet” spelled out across its width, as well as an AEV steel bumper with fog lights.

There are now larger fender flares positioned over very cool customer 17-inch black wheels, and 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires, an AEV steel rear bumper with integrated tow hooks, and Bison decals on the bed. For the most proper and fitting in rock climbing  equipment, Chevy traded the ZR2's aluminum skid plates for a total of five new steel units that cover both differentials, the transfer case, engine oil pan, and the fuel tank. New logos of a charging bison and the AEV name now appear on the tailgate and headrests.

For the most part, the Bison has similar traits to the standard ZR2's equipment, sporting the usual Multimatic remote-control reservoir dampers, cast-iron control arms, front and rear electronic locking diffs, a two-inch lift, and a 3.5-inch-wider front and rear track then is found on the lower-model Colorado Z71. Engine selections are the turbo-diesel 2.8-liter inline-four with a six-speed automatic transmission, or the 3.6-liter gasoline V-6 with the 8-speed automatic, in crew-cab or extended cab body types. This is the truck that the folks at Jalopnik called “A plated pickup to power through anything”, and raved about the strength of the newly installed protective plating.

The skilled folks at AEV are the ones who turned the Jeep Wrangler into the fully-fledged off-road ready AEV Brute, and are currently tinkering with Dodge Ram pickups as well. Since the main ingredient is the skid plates, it's hard not to notice that they are constructed of very hard, durable hot-stamped Boron steel. This makes an enormous difference for anyone who Is going to be taking their truck off road: oil pans and differentials can be some of the first items to crack, and this armor for the underbelly is wildly sensible. Crawling rocks and racing through the desert at dusk are popular forms of recreation right here in the Tucson area, and you will be more than excited to embark on your own adventure with the trusty and battle-ready 2019 ZR2 Bison!