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First 2017 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Off-Road Pickup Trucks Ship to Customers

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2017 Chevy Colorado ZR2 off-road pickup truck built at the Wentzville Assembly Plant in Missouri

Driver Chad Hall’s 2017 Chevy Colorado ZR2 poses in front of the Wentzville Assembly Plant

Chevrolet has begun initial deliveries of the 2017 Chevy Colorado ZR2, its long-anticipated, off-roading monster of a pickup truck. Customers who put in early orders for the ZR2 can expect to receive their vehicle sometime this month.

On Friday, the first production models shipped from the Wentzville Assembly Center. The first batch out of the Missouri plant, located 40 miles west of St. Louis, included a Red Hot Crew Cab powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, which will be raced by Chad Hall of Hall Racing. This race truck will make its competition debut at the Best in the Desert race series in August.


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“The Colorado ZR2 really caught our attention with its built-in versatility and the high-speed, off-road potential of the Multimatic DSSV dampers,” said Hall. “We love the ground clearance, ride stability, departure and breakover angles of the ZR2, and the inherent light weight and maneuverability of its midsize package. It should be a great platform for us to build an off-road desert-racing truck.”

2017 Chevy Colorado ZR2 off-road pickup truck built at the Wentzville Assembly Plant in Missouri

After some modifications, the Colorado ZR2 will be used as a development vehicle in races at the Best in the Desert series, including the General Tire Vegas to Reno on August 18th and 19th, and the VT Construction Tonopah 250 October 19th through the 22nd.

Chevy believes these races will act as a validation test of Chevrolet Performance Parts being developed for Colorado customer looking to enhance their off-road performance.

“Producing the Colorado midsize pickup has been a great honor, not to mention great business for the Wentzville plant,” said Satya Veerapaneni, plant manager, GM Wentzville Assembly Center. “ZR2 helps to take the Colorado nameplate to the next level, and we’re thrilled to be delivering one of the very first of these trucks to Hall Racing. We look forward to following its performance at upcoming races throughout 2017.”


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A midsize pickup with a host of new off-road features and the most off-road technology of any vehicle in its segment, the ZR2 is a unique vehicle, building upon the standard Colorado with front and rear tracks that have been widened by 3.5 inches and a suspension that’s been lifted 2 inches. Functional rockers allow the ZR2 to handle rocks and obstacles better, while modified front and rear bumpers allow for better off-road clearance.

Front and rear electronic locking differentials, and available diesel engine, and the first off-road application of Multimatic Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve (DSSV) damper technology are among the ZR2’s class-exclusive features. Like all Chevy trucks, the Colorado ZR2 is built for durability, meaning the truck comes with a fully boxed frame, roll-formed high-strength steel bed, and Duralife brake rotors.

The ZR2 is currently on sale in dealerships nationwide, along with the standard Colorado, which was recently updated for the 2017 model year with an all-new V6 engine and a class-exclusive eight-speed automatic transmission.