Beast Wars: Ford F-150 Raptor v. Chevrolet Colorado Bison
One is a flying desert runner. The other is a plodding off-roader with a bow tie. Will Chevy’s answer to the Raptor be enough?
Millions of years ago, raptors roamed the earth in search of their next meal, using their feathers to quickly glide across slopes when their claws weren’t enough.
A few million years later, and into the present day, bison plodded across the plains, grazing upon wild grasses and smashing skulls of all unfortunate predators.
Today, these two beasts are the names of Ford’s and Chevy’s hardcore off-roaders, ones TopSpeed got a hold of recently for a comparison review to determine which one was the best off-road truck.
Had their namesakes met at the same time way back when, the giant bison would have crushed the turkey-sized raptor. Today, though, the roles are reversed between the full-size F-150 Raptor and mid-size Colorado ZR2 Bison. For starters, the Raptor was developed entirely in-house, and is in its second generation. Meanwhile, the first-gen Bison was built in a collaboration with aftermarket off-road outfitter American Expedition Vehicles. We think experience (and doing it yourself) is a big win in our book.
We already know what the Raptor has going for it: military-grade aluminum construction, a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 with 450 horses and 510 lb-ft of torque paired to a 10-speed automatic, the ability to scale and fly over slopes and dunes like its feathered namesake, and a luxurious interior. What does this plodding Bison have in comparison?
Aside from the stamped steel bumpers and boron steel skid plates, the Bison has a standard 3.6-liter V6 only good for 308 horses and 275 lb-ft of torque linked to an eight-speed automatic. There’s a 2.8-liter diesel option that has less horsepower (198), more torque (369 lb-ft), and less gears (six-speed automatic). It’s definitely living up to its namesake, to say the least.
Though TopSpeed says the Bison is the better off-roader than the Raptor due to its size and powertrain options, the Raptor has the better fit-and-finish, especially on the inside, better towing and hauling, and better materials. We say we’d rather fly with our pretty feathers than get bogged down in the mud with the slowpokes (though with Trail Control, the Raptor can definitely eat a Bison or two for days, if so desired).
