The 2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Desert Boss made waves when it debuted alongside the rest of the Chevrolet Colorado lineup with the pickup doing a good impression of the much larger Ford Raptor thanks to some of its desert focused upgrades. However, it would seem that the Desert Boss is only an opening act, with rumors suggesting that it will be leaving in 2024 to help Chevy make room for the ZR2 AEV Bison model.
Shifting Terrain Between Desert Boss and Backwoods Ready ZR2 AEV Bison
While the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado Desert Boss is meant to be used in sandy dunes and other desert terrain, the ZR2 AEV Bison model is a backwoods ready bruiser and comes with its own suite of upgrades. The folks at GM Authority think that the Desert Boss will move aside to make room for the Bison in 2024. Bison testers have been spotted several times in the Metro Detroit area with the AEV boasting a more extreme suite of upgrades including a front mounted snorkel, bigger 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Terrain Tires and reinforced components including steel bumpers and enhanced skid plate protection which would allow the truck to tackle more extreme terrain.
As such, the removal of the Desert Boss from the lineup would make sense since both trucks are attempting to achieve the same mission and would in theory step on each others toes. That would especially be true in pricing with the Desert Boss’s $58,680 base sticker (the package adds $9,295 to the sticker of a Colorado ZR2) potentially being too close to the potential price of an AEV Edition despite that model probably getting a premium to justify the AEV add-ons.
When Will We See The ZR2 AEV Bison?
Chevrolet for its part has not commented on these rumors as of yet, but look for the AEV Edition to potentially make its debut this year. We hope to learn more about the ZR2 AEV Bison. Look for the one size fits all 2.7-liter Turbo High Output four-cylinder to carryover from the Desert Boss with the four cylinder also being available in standard Colorado models albeit with a slightly tamer tune.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.