It’s the morning of day three and I’m bombing down a deep sandy gully that follows some power lines across the desert as far as the eye can see. The truck I’m piloting is doing the deep sandy rut dance and I’m staying loose and letting it do its thing. A sharper-than-expected corner comes up quickly and the rear tires come out of the rut as I toss the truck aggressively into the corner and stay on the gas. I’ve got it in 4WD, with all the electronic nannies turned off, and Baja mode engaged. The backend swings out in a controlled four-wheel drift in the deep sandy gully that has me giggling like a schoolgirl and scanning ahead for the next opportunity to do it again.
My confidence has grown in the machinery over the past two-plus days and my right foot has gotten heavier. As I come around another sweeping corner a quick uphill elevation change appears. A mischievous grin imprints itself on my face as I push my right foot to the floor and at takeoff straighten the wheel. Weightlessness lasted much longer than anticipated, but when the truck came back to Terra firm, the landing was so smooth and controlled that the grin on my face just got bigger.
Adventure Testing
This was the final morning of a three-day adventure driving from Las Vegas to Reno on the Best in the Desert racecourse in the new 2023 Chevy Colorado ZR2. It is also the first media drive of the next-generation truck, with only nine top journalists in attendance. For sure, it is just a media review/content creation drive and not a race, but they did let us pick numbers and put the numbers and our last names on the trucks. That makes them race trucks, right?
This story is from the July/August 2023 edition of Tread.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July/August 2023 edition of Tread.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
2024 WINTER 4X4 JAMBOREE
Off-Road Adventures and Beyond
ALUMIBOB
A Fully-outfitted Jeep Gladiator with Aluminum Body Panels and Armor Galore
THE OODNADATTA IN THE WET
Unexpected Rain and Mud in Australia's Red Center
Building a Better Ford-with GM Components
While some stick to their guns when it comes to remaining true to truck branding and badging, others see no division or boundaries when it comes to piecing a project together.
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM?
Breaking Down the Third-Gen Toyota Tundra
FORGED FILIPINO BOLOS
EXPLORING KNIFE STYLES FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
KING OF THE HAMMERS
Thousands of Enthusiasts Converge on a Barren, Dry Lakebed in the California Desert for the Ultimate Off-Road Experience
BLOODSHARK
BLAKE WILKEY'S SOLIDAXLE SWAPPED '92 FORD BRONCO STORY
EL JEFE
Meet the Classic YJ Turned TREAD Cover Model
THE COMFORTS OF EXARING
Ryno's Purpose-Built '98 Land Rover Discovery