I drove a $43,500 Chevy Colorado ZR2 - and it was one of the best pickups I've ever tested

• The 2018 Chevy Colorado ZR2 is a highly capable off-roader, with a robust 4WD system.
• But the pickup can still do everyday duty.
• For the price, you're getting a lot of truck for the money.

I've always been a big fan of the Chevy Colorado, the compact (really, mid-sized) pickup truck that Chevy rolled out a few years ago to invigorate the small-pickup segment.

The Chevy Colorado has been a big hit, compelling Ford to revive its own Ranger pickup in the US. So in addition to a pickup-truck war among the big guys - the Ford F-150 full-size, along with the forthcoming all-new Chevy Silverado and the Ram 1500 - we have a skirmish shaping up in the smaller-pickup segment, between Chevy and Ford.

Adding to the fun is the bevy of high-performance variants we now have in the market. We just put the Chevy Silverado Z71 up against the might Ford Raptor, and recently I got to check out the 2018 Chevy Colorado ZR2, the oomphier sibling of the regular truck.

Our $43,475 tester was well-equipped and ready for off-road action, but sadly I spent most of my time driving around suburban New Jersey. That's a shame, as fans of the ZR2 know that it's a capable rock-buster and really made to haul dirt bikes out the desert for dusty thrills.

Anyway, here's what I thought: