Enthusiast III
Yes, I think part of the problem is in the city they load the inventory up with a ton of options. The F250 FX4 I looked at was nearly 2x the price of yours. When rich people come looking they just assume that's normal I guess.
Trying to select the correct vehicle for first overland build
- Thread starter nuclear_runner
- Start date
Enthusiast III
I must commend GM for making a Colorado ZR2 and ZR2 Bison available in extended cab regular bed length.
Through all of my new truck snooping, every single manufacturer, except GM, seems to be making their top-line off-road packages available only on crew cab short beds. Mid size and half-ton. I really prefer the longer bed with the shorter cab!
Only issue I see is that when I research the Colorado a little bit more, reliability issues are pretty common on them, to the point they are rated as "worst midsize reliability".
Through all of my new truck snooping, every single manufacturer, except GM, seems to be making their top-line off-road packages available only on crew cab short beds. Mid size and half-ton. I really prefer the longer bed with the shorter cab!
Only issue I see is that when I research the Colorado a little bit more, reliability issues are pretty common on them, to the point they are rated as "worst midsize reliability".
Enthusiast III
I was concerned about this as well, but that article seems to be based solely on the CR review which heavily penalized for past years (Note: Tacoma and a few other favorites don't do much better, either). They did have a transmission issue which is under the powertrain warranty and has been resolved as far as I can tell. JD and a few others give it better marks. Every truck I've looked at has some skeletons in the closet (death wobble/leaky roofs for jeep, transmission and frame issues on the Tacoma, HEMI tick on the Ram, transmission on the Colorado, bending/rusting frames on the Ford, the list goes on and on). At some point you have to roll the dice!
Going to test drive a Ford Ranger FX4 or Tremor tomorrow allegedly, although if its a dealer bait and switch I would not be surprised. I can't find any in their online inventory.
I'm quite certain I'd buy a Colorado over a Tacoma easily. Not because the Tacoma is "unreliable", but because it doesn't live up to it's reputation, both as a "Taco!" and as a Toyota...I have definitely heard the issues with the current Tacoma. 2 of my co-workers bought 1st year Colorados (2016?) and had really bad problems with both. I have heard the Colorado is totally good now. My other co-workers are long-time GM truck/SUV owners and their experiences have been excellent.
Personally, I'm holding out for the new Frontier.
Boostpowered
Rank VI
Member III
I won't be giving up my colorado anytime soon. Transmission problems are a non issue at this point, they were putting the wrong atf fluid in and trans was slipping after they figured it out and put the right fluid in there haven't been any issues. I've had my diesel colorado since 2017 and it's still going strong. Even with all the supposed unreliable modifications I've done to it.
We originally wanted a Ford ranger in diesel like everyone else in the world but in true Ford fashion it never materialized in America. So Ford got the big f you and we went with colorado. After finally seeing the ranger at a 4x4 event I'm glad we didn't go with the ranger they are too small for me
We originally wanted a Ford ranger in diesel like everyone else in the world but in true Ford fashion it never materialized in America. So Ford got the big f you and we went with colorado. After finally seeing the ranger at a 4x4 event I'm glad we didn't go with the ranger they are too small for me
Boostpowered
Rank VI
Member III
Both the colorado and ranger have been proven to be good in austrailia as they have had em longer than us. They just lost colorados though due to holden closing up shop. Isuzu d max is the colorados 1st cousin taking up the slack for the lack of holden.
I expect we will probably be loosing the colorado lineup in the next few years too with the way they are pushing electric vehicles.
I expect we will probably be loosing the colorado lineup in the next few years too with the way they are pushing electric vehicles.
Enthusiast III
Don't get me wrong the R1T looks awesome but I don't want to be the beta testers on a first gen all electric adventure vehicle. Look at how much trouble Tesla had and is still having.
I'm really narrowing down to the ZR2 Bison. The fact I don't have to do almost any mods to do what I want and the fact the bumper etc have been crash tested really goes a long way for me. I've found a dealer with a gas Bison with nav down to 45k sticker or 48k OTD. Don't want the nav but I'm not sure how much lower they'll go.
Advocate I
Not sure where you got that idea/info from, but that is false. The Bison is fully assembled at the Wentzville, MO plant and it doesn't go anywhere to have the AEV parts installed. Direct from GM:
Enthusiast III
I believe there is some confusion between the AEV Bison and the Chevy Bison. AEV Bison is where they get the Bison or ZR2 from Chevy and add the dust snorkel, different wheels, more lift for 33s, etc. I do think AEV helped Chevy tool the Chevy Bison parts.
Advocate I
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking as well. The AEV Bison has a lot more upgrades/parts as you mentioned compared to the GM Bison, I know they both say they collaborated together on the factory Bison that GM is building but it sure seems like they left the door open for a lot of confusion by both saying they make a ZR2 Bison that aren't the same thing. :)
05/18/1980 Mt. St. Helens eruption. I lived in Vancouver, Washington at the time. I was 10 years old and remember the ash falling from the sky.
Enthusiast III
Yes.
Test drove the Ranger and F-150 today. As expected they only had the 4x4 Ranger which they legit tried to pass off as the FX4. I didn't bother mentioning it the lack of FX4 decal and rear diff lock because I wasn't going to buy from them anyway. Good enough for me to realize I was not really taken with the vehicle. Nothing wrong per se I just wasn't feeling the handling, honestly drove a bit like a full size. Plus I think the Tremor package prevents you from getting the radar cruise anyway (none of these play well with the lift is my guess except for Toyota). I don't see a huge advantage except a slightly bigger back seat and a few thousand less (which would eventually go to bumpers etc, making the different negligible). Possibly a good option if you want some of the newer tech and want to build it out yourself. Then I drove an EcoBoost F-150 4x4 (they did have FX-4 but only in V8). This I really enjoyed and it honestly made me think twice about fullsize. Took a look at what to expect when it's released and boom: "The F-150 Tremor uses Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 that produces 400 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque paired with a 10-speed automatic, and it's only available as a SuperCrew model with a 5.5-foot bed." Salty.
So here's my initial list and the reason I've ruled it out:
Tacoma TRD OR - While I do technically fit, it's only just barely, and it wasn't a comfortable position, drove like a boat with no juice, and quality seems to have dropped since 2015.
Colorado ZR2 - Probably it tbfh.
Gladiator - Close second to the ZR2, downsides being I'd have to order, still have slight concerns about the roof leaking. I think it looks great but you might not think so.
Ranger FX4 - Interior is not great (but slight step up from Colorado), didn't love the ride (better than TRD though) Tremor package limits some of the other features I'd want. Aftermarket still catching up.
Frontier Pro-4X when they 2022s drop - Well, it's not late summer yet, and if I wait I'll miss at least one trip out west with it.
Ram 1500 Rebel - Too big for me
Trail Boss - For a few k more than the ZR2 Bison, I'd give up a lot of off road capability to sleep in the bed.
F-150 FX4 - No reason I wouldn't just go with the Trail Boss.
Where things sit:
Buy the ZR2 Bison. Give up the ability to camp in Walmart parking lots but gain a lot of capability on the trail. Buy the Trail Boss. Give up some of the more technical overland trips and build a comfy bed in the back. Frankly, I think the Bison is the way to go. The only place this might suck is California, but usually you can find state parks, campgrounds or SOMETHING in case you trip goes sideways.
Enthusiast III
Well, long story short:
I want to thank everybody for their help in this thread, I really feel like I had a good list of vehicles and there were a lot of good options. For me, the midsize was a must for city driving and this one just drove the best one the roads and will require minimal modification! It's a big step up from my CR-V in terms of visibility, comfort, gas mileage (really) and capacity! As a way to try and support the community, I've joined up as a member.
I want to thank everybody for their help in this thread, I really feel like I had a good list of vehicles and there were a lot of good options. For me, the midsize was a must for city driving and this one just drove the best one the roads and will require minimal modification! It's a big step up from my CR-V in terms of visibility, comfort, gas mileage (really) and capacity! As a way to try and support the community, I've joined up as a member.
Enthusiast III
Congratulations mate!
You took an analytical approach to something most people just want to be told the answer for haha. That's a kick butt setup, when you take it offroad you will have one of the best!
See ya out on the trail!
Advocate III
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20990
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It looks like you found what you were looking for. Congratulations on the new ride. First mod? Load it up with camping gear and hit the trails.
Advocate I
Enthusiast III
Thanks everyone, I love it! I'm going to start a build thread in a few days!
Almost certainly the AEV Low Tube. I don't really like the one silver bit on the bumper on an otherwise totally black truck! Then probably lights and a bed rack. Hoping to go on my first trip in early April, maybe to Dolly Sods.
