The 2023 Silverado ZR2 Bison Stampedes Into the Off-Road Market

First introduced in 2019, the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison saw the automaker collaborate with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV)––one of the world’s foremost off-road and overland vehicle parts and accessories manufacturers––to produce an even more rugged version of the Colorado ZR2. The midsize pickup won considerable accolades right out of the gate and was named Overland Truck of the Year by Overland Journal. The maxed-out rig has proven popular and allowed Chevy to keep pace with the new breed of off-road pickups on offer from some of its biggest rivals, though only in the mid-size category. That all changes in 2023 as the Silverado, Chevy’s full-size pickup, gets its own ZR2 Bison trim that includes a full slate of trail-tested off-road parts and accessories, and as your Albany car dealership, we couldn’t be more excited.

The base model Chevy Silverado ZR2 is already an off-road beast, boasting a massive 6.2-liter V8, 33-inch all-terrain tires, spool-valve dampers, and more, so what more can the new Bison package really add? Short answer: a lot. While specifics surrounding the forthcoming Bison version of the Silverado are still scant, the Colorado provides a useful roadmap as to what the trim package might look like when it arrives on the full-size pickup. While we wait for Chevy to fill in some of the details, let’s take a closer look at AEV’s history and see what we can glean from some of the early sneak peeks of the 2023 Silverado ZR2 Bison.

Big Sky Thinking

AEV founder Dave Harriton has long had a passion for putting his own unique twist on popular off-road models. The company traces its roots back to the ’90s when Harriton, then a student at the University of Montana, arrived in Missoula with a 1991 Jeep Wrangler and a AAA membership. After two years spent studying engineering on the West Coast, Harriton was more than ready to dive into all the hiking, biking, and outdoor adventure Big Sky Country had to offer, with his 1991 Wrangler serving as his trusty sidekick. The Jeep got the job done well enough, allowing Harriton to haul his kayak and bike to some of the state’s most far-flung locales, but even so, he couldn’t stop dreaming up ways to improve the 4×4.

For most drivers, that would mean upgrading the wheels, investing in a reinforced bumper, or maybe adding a winch, but Harriton had bigger plans for the humble Wrangler. The AEV founder set his sights on extending the Jeep’s wheelbase, which would not only give him more room but make for a more comfortable ride when exploring some of Montana’s rugged backcountry terrain. The project was no small order, requiring Harriton to literally chop the Jeep’s chassis in half, but that’s where the AAA membership comes in.

After using a $40 socket set and stripping the Jeep in his garage, Harriton used one of the AAA membership’s four free annual tows to get the Wrangler hauled to an auto shop where it was halved and extended. The next tow got the Jeep back to Harriton’s garage, where he reassembled the body before sending it out once again to get it fitted with new sheet metal body parts he had designed. A final tow saw the Jeep returned to Harriton, who put the finishing touches on the Jeep. The souped-up off-roader immediately turned heads, with Harriton regularly finding strangers checking out his unique ride. “I’d walk out of the grocery store and someone would be lying under it because they’d never seen one. It looked factory-made, but it wasn’t,” said Harriton in an interview with The University of Montana’s alumni magazine.

The Jeep might have started off as a fun side project, but after Harriton was assigned to submit a proposal for the school’s annual business plan competition, the wheels started turning. On the first go-around, Harriton simply proposed a business based on the same lengthening project he had undertaken with his own Jeep. On the advice of a business professor, Harriton tweaked the proposal to include custom accessories, and the rest is history. Harriton won the competition and parlayed the success into a $35,000 loan from a local bank. That $35k bought Harriton and business partner Mike Turner a 1997 Wrangler, which the pair set about stripping down and building back up into the ultimate off-road menace.

The resulting Wrangler found instant success, earning not only the Chrysler Design Excellence Awards at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show but also five pre-orders in the process. Harriton set about establishing contacts with Detroit-based engineering and manufacturing experts who could help him achieve his dream of bringing OE-quality parts to the off-road market, and AEV was born. Early projects involved Harriton bringing his innovative AEV approach to a number of common accessories, applying lessons learned from hundreds of hours spent out on the trail to the consumer market. For example, one of AEV’s first products was a hollow rear bumper that could be used to store five gallons of water. Similar innovations were applied to the empty space behind the spare tire, where Harriton installed a 10-gallon reservoir for extra gas.

In the decades since its founding, AEV has grown into one of the world’s pre-eminent suppliers of aftermarket parts and accessories for the off-road market. The company now has a global network of dealers, selling AEV parts and finished vehicles to drivers on nearly every continent. The company still calls Missoula home, though it also has facilities in Detroit, where much of the engineering and construction takes place. The company’s presence in the birthplace of the American automobile has been one of AEV’s greatest advantages, with more than 90 percent of its parts built within 200 miles of the Motor City.

AEV has largely focused its efforts on producing off-road parts like aftermarket accessories, stamped steel off-road bumpers, off-road suspension systems, and engine conversions. This has resulted in a number of flagship products for the Wrangler, including the Brute Double Cab, which converts the JK Wrangler into a four-door pickup, a Heat Reduction Hood, and a first-of-its-kind 5.7L or 6.4L HEMI V8 Engine Conversion Kit for Jeep Wrangler. The specialty manufacturer has branched out in recent years, leaving behind the familiar territory of the Wrangler to explore projects with the Jeep Gladiator, HD Ram trucks, and now, the Chevy Colorado and Silverado. Chevy’s Bison trim actually takes its name from AEV, which features a Bison in its logo. The bovine mascot not only speaks to AEV’s Montana roots but also the trim’s off-road prowess.

AEV Meets Chevy

The Silverado ZR2 provides the perfect canvas for Chevy and AEV to create an off-road masterpiece. The brawny ZR2 model was already a respectable off-roader in its own right before it was given the AEV treatment, boasting a 420-horsepower 6.2-liter V8, electronic locking front and rear differentials, and more. While the teaser video released by Chevy can be a little tough to decipher with all its close-cropped shots and moody shadows, experts have been able to parse a few AEV accessories on display. These include upgraded front and rear bumpers that feature AEV’s signature heavy-duty style, as well as the addition of underbody skid plates protecting the rear differential, gas tank, transfer case, and front end.

Of course, skid plates are nothing new for off-road pickups––the base Silverado ZR2 already features a few skid plates––but the Bison trim takes it one step further with the inclusion of AEV’s Boron steel version. These hot-stamped skid plates are not only lighter than the base offerings, but they’re also stronger with a unique press-hardened construction that allows drivers to traverse even the most foreboding terrain with confidence.

Automotive sleuths have also been able to identify the Silverado ZR2 Bison’s wheels as AEV’s popular Crestone DualSport models. First designed for the Colorado ZR2, these 6-spoke off-road wheels are built with T6 cast aluminum, providing exceptional strength without weighing the pickup down. Compatible with the Silverado’s Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), the Crestone DualSport wheels also features a recessed valve stem to prevent damage in challenging off-road scenarios. The wheels come in three styles depending on the intended use, from a beadlock ring version that can operate with very low tire pressure to a puncture-resistant protection ring version for on-road driving and a no-ring option that provides a clean, minimalist look.

Like the base version of the Silverado ZR2, the Bison model will come with Multimatic’s Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve. A marked improvement over the traditional shock absorbers, DSSV dampers use spool valves instead of pistons and shims. First used on the fifth-generation Chevy Camaro, these dampers are easy to adjust and allow for a softer, smoother ride when navigating smoother, paved surfaces and a firm, responsive feel when you hit the trail. These dampers are becoming increasingly popular in off-road circles and are the perfect addition to the Silverado ZR2 Bison’s off-road arsenal.

While there’s no word on whether the Silverado ZR2 Bison will receive any notable performance tweaks, it’s almost beside the point. The Silverado ZR2 is already one of the best-equipped in its class, with a 6.2-liter V8 engine that delivers 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. This stacks up quite well against the Silverado ZR2’s two closest competitors in the category, the Ford F-150 Tremor and the Ram 1500 Rebel. Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 lags behind in power with 400 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, while Ram’s offering trails both models with a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 producing a disappointing 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque.

The Silverado ZR2 Bison still lags behind the new breed of supertrucks like Ford’s F-150 Raptor and Ram’s 1500 TRX, but those are in another league––and tax bracket––altogether. The two supertrucks are aimed at high-performance off-road fun like desert racing, whereas the Silverado ZR2 Bison is most at home with some lower-octane antics like rock-crawling and overlanding.

While AEV is traditionally all about performance, that doesn’t mean style has to take a back seat. The 2023 Silverado ZR2 Bison is expected to feature AEV badging on the floor mats and headrests, and the signature AEV black tailgate provides a striking contrast to the base model. Other expected upgrades include a two-inch suspension lift, a redesigned rear bumper with built-in tow hooks, a front bumper with a spot for a winch, and possibly even a snorkel for fording water.

We Can’t Wait to Drive the 2023 Silverado Bison

We’re still waiting to see what surprises the latest Chevy and AEV collaboration might have in store, but if the early hints are any indication, this looks like another successful experiment between the two storied manufacturers. The 2023 Silverado ZR2 Bison takes everything we loved about the Colorado ZR2 Bison and kicks it up a notch, stuffing many of the same off-road upgrades into an even bigger, more capable Chevy pickup.

AEV has come a long way since its humble dorm room beginnings, growing from a co-ed’s daydream into one of the world’s most respected off-road and overland vehicle parts and accessories manufacturers. Harriton has come a long way from abusing his AAA towing privileges, with these new Chevy collaborations serving as a prime example of how far some outside-of-the-box thinking can take you. The new 2023 Silverado ZR2 Bison is a testament to both Harriton’s ingenuity and Chevy’s ability to recognize a promising partnership when they see one and the results speak for themself.