In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show Oct 29, 2025

Off-Road Muscle Meets Family Utility In 2025 Models

Annotations will appear as you listen

0:00

13:35

Car

2025 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2

The 2025 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 is a new version of a small pickup truck that is built for off-road driving. It has special features that help it handle rough trails and tough conditions.

Concept

third generation

The third generation means this is the latest version of the Chevrolet Colorado truck. Each new generation usually has improvements and new features compared to older models.

Term

LED lighting

LED lighting is a type of car light that uses special tiny lights called diodes. They last longer and use less energy than regular lights, making them popular in new cars.

Part

skid plates

Skid plates are strong metal pieces that protect the bottom of a car from getting hurt when driving on rough surfaces like rocks or dirt.

Term

tow hooks

Tow hooks are strong hooks on a car that help pull it out if it gets stuck. They're important for off-road driving.

Term

rocker panel protection

Rocker panel protection is extra material on the sides of a car that keeps it safe from rocks and dirt when driving off-road.

Term

power folding side mirrors

Power folding side mirrors are mirrors on the sides of a car that can fold in automatically with a button. This helps protect them when parking in tight spots.

Part

Beadlock capable wheels help keep tires securely attached to the wheel, especially when driving on rough terrain. They allow you to lower the air pressure in your tires for better grip without the risk of the tire coming off the wheel.

Term

off-road

Off-road means driving on surfaces that aren't paved, like dirt or sand. Vehicles designed for off-road use can handle rough conditions better than regular cars.

Term

infotainment system

An infotainment system is what you see on your car's screen that helps you with music, navigation, and connecting your phone.

Term

surround view camera system

A surround view camera system uses several cameras around the car to show you everything around it. This helps you see better when parking or driving in tricky places, especially off-road.

Term

Android Auto

Android Auto lets you connect your Android phone to your car, so you can use apps and get directions right on your car's screen.

Term

Apple CarPlay

Apple CarPlay lets you connect your iPhone to your car so you can use apps, get directions, and listen to music directly from your car's screen.

Term

2.7 liter turbo inline four-cylinder

This is a type of engine that has four cylinders arranged in a line. It uses a turbocharger to boost power, which helps the vehicle go faster and tow heavier loads.

Term

tow rating

This is the maximum weight that a vehicle can pull behind it, like a trailer. A higher number means the vehicle can tow heavier things.

Term

EPA fuel economy

This is a measure of how far a vehicle can go on a gallon of gas. The EPA gives these ratings to help you know how fuel-efficient a car is.

Term

lifted suspension

A lifted suspension means the vehicle is raised higher off the ground, which helps it drive better on rough roads and off-road.

Term

MSRP

MSRP is the price that the car maker suggests you should pay for a vehicle. It's often used as a reference point when buying a car.

Car

Toyota Tacomas

The Toyota Tacoma is a type of truck that is good for driving off-road and is known for being tough and reliable. Many people use it for work and outdoor activities.

Car

Ford Ranger

The Ford Ranger is a type of truck that is smaller than full-size trucks but still useful for carrying things and going off-road.

Car

Honda Ridge Line

The Honda Ridgeline is a truck that also feels like an SUV, making it good for both carrying stuff and driving comfortably.

Car

Chevrolet El Camino

The Chevrolet El Camino is a special kind of vehicle that looks like a car but has a truck bed in the back for carrying things. It's popular among people who like both cars and trucks.

Car

Ford Ranchero

Concept

trim levels

Trim levels are different versions of a car that offer different features and prices, so you can pick the one that suits you best.

Car

Kia Telluride

The Kia Telluride is a larger SUV that can fit more passengers and cargo. It's designed for families and has many features to make driving easier and more comfortable.

Car

Kia Sportage

The Kia Sportage is a smaller SUV compared to the Telluride, making it a good choice for those who want something more compact. It still has plenty of features for comfort and convenience.

Part

LED projector headlamps

LED projector headlamps are special headlights that use LED lights to shine brighter and further down the road. They help you see better at night and in bad weather.

Part

power folding heated side mirrors

Power folding heated side mirrors can move in and out by themselves and warm up to keep them clear in winter. This makes parking easier and helps you see better in cold weather.

Part

panoramic sunroof

A panoramic sunroof is a big glass roof that lets in a lot of light and makes the inside of the car feel more open. It can also be opened to let in fresh air.

Part

power smart liftgate

A power smart liftgate is a back door that opens automatically when you press a button or get close with your car key. It helps you put things in the trunk without using your hands.

Part

17 inch black matte alloy wheels

17 inch black matte alloy wheels are special wheels that are lighter than regular ones and look stylish. They help the car perform better and give it a cool appearance.

Term

captain's chairs

Captain's chairs are special seats in cars that are like individual chairs instead of a long bench. They are usually more comfortable and have extra features like armrests.

Term

panoramic displays

Panoramic displays are big screens in cars that show lots of information at once, like maps and music, making it easier to see everything you need.

Car

Kia Sorento

The Kia Sorento is a larger car called an SUV that can fit more people and cargo than a regular car. It's known for being comfortable and having a lot of modern technology inside.

Car

Honda Crv

Car

Toyota RAV4

The Toyota RAV4 is a type of car called an SUV, which is bigger than a regular car and great for families or carrying lots of stuff. It's known for being dependable and having plenty of space inside.

Car

Subaru Ascent

The Subaru Ascent is a big SUV that can carry a lot of people and their things, making it great for families. It also has special features to help keep you safe while driving.

LIVE

Alright, you can go ahead and start your review now, so we're going to talk about the

2025 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 four-wheel drive crew cab.

Now this is the Colorado, kind of like the Colorado reborn, there was one several years

ago back when the mini truck when you called them small trucks and so now it's out used

to be called the New Mexico but in this case it's the Colorado yeah so this is the part

of the third generation that was introduced in 2023 comes to five trim levels come through

the work truck and LT the trail boss the ZR1 and the ZR2.

Now it is a four-wheel drive crew cab truck the government says it's a standard size pickup

I would call it an inside segment but what do I know if survive past your vehicle we

know you don't know it's got it's it's an off-road vehicle it's got heavy off-road

styling and a lot of the accents or a lot of the styling things that are on it are

very functional the LED lighting with the headlamps and the fog lamps and that's all

part of the common what you're going to find in most new vehicles but it's very functional

in this vehicle the front bumper is made for off-road work and got tow hooks skid plates

in the front in the rear and for the gas tank you got a few skid plate on there it's got

wheel flares on it because of the ZR2 package and it's got rocker panel protection on it

and it that by the way looks kind of like a step plate but it's not it's strictly to

protect the other part of the body whenever you go rock climbing now it does have heated

power folding side mirrors to make things a little bit more pleasant power sunroof

and it has the Stoflex tailgate which is where you can drop the tailgate and there's some

storage that's put in there that's kind of like an underfloor storage in some of the other vehicles

so it's really that was really smart move use some space that wasn't really being used

runs on 17 inch wheels now these are beadlock capable wheels and part of this again is geared

towards the off-road so you got more tire wall there to work with instead of having some of these

little short run flats beadlock capable right so you can take and make these beads they're not

beadlocked from the factory but you can make them that way because if you go to a tire shop like

discount tire and say oh I got beadlocked wheels on here they're gonna laugh at you so you got to

have it to where you can operate in the regular world and then turn them into the beadlock type

wheels when you go off-roading that's about all I know about it I don't know much about beadlock

wheels because we got sand we don't have rock so when you get to the interior now we had the

jet black Artemis leather seating and Artemis Artemis leather you know out west we have herds

of Artemis running wild out there if you can go out and find them now the front seats are heated

the rear seat is a 6040 folding that has storage up underneath it has the 11.3 inch

touchscreen in the middle of it now this is where you're going to find your nav

your convenience controls your infotainment your apple carplay android all those good things and

it's also where you're going to find your surround view camera system now this again it's very much

kind of becoming mainstream but in the off-road world that this vehicle is designed for it's

going to help you see where you're at in relation to the rocks to the edges it'll help actually this

one will actually help you see what's underneath your vehicle so it's really good for that and

then we also have the 11 inch driver infotain information center and that's where you're

going to find all your configurational things you want to know about your truck configurational

yeah and we also had the Bose premium audio system which I really like that particularly

in a smaller vehicle like this now up under the hood we had a 2.7 liter turbo max inline

four cylinder now this is 310 horsepower 430 pound feet of torque so it will move this vehicle

sometimes it sounds like it's working pretty hard at it but it will do it without a problem

tow rating on this vehicle probably equipped at 7700 pounds the haul rating of 1685 now again

we used to call these small trucks mid-sized trucks and they've become a little bit bigger

EPA says in the city you should look for 16 miles to the gallon on the highway 16 and combined 16

now I drove 445.9 miles and I got 14.3 miles to the gallon on the average and I will tell you that

during this time it does have a very firm truck ride now this is part of this is because of the

suspension on this package it's up higher it gives it a little more room to move the tires and that

work with that suspension to kind of smooth out some of the road imperfections and again to that

lifted suspension while it does make the off-roading world a lot better it also makes getting in and

out of that vehicle a little bit tougher for a short guy like me that rock that protection down

below that looks almost like a step rail if it was a retractable step rail I think that would

make it a lot easier I know my wife would really appreciate that whenever she had to get in and

out of it now if you're looking for the pricing on this thing the work truck the base model is down

around $33,495 now the base trim price when you get up into that zr2 level is $49,600 so there's a

pretty good size jump but there's several different trims in there that you can work with MSRP is

tested for this vehicle $64,340 if you're looking for something to compare it to the Toyota Tacomas

comes in at $3,500 to start and the Ford Ranger is around $33,800 now if you're looking over into the

more the SUV, CUV, truck line like a Honda Ridge line $40,150 is where you're going to start looking

so if you're looking for something that's basically a car by the way yes with a bed on it

so that's where you're not through it kind of like an El Camino but it still falls in a Ranchero

yes but it falls into that same category of vehicles that this Colorado is which I think is

kind of a misnomer if you would and but I do think if you're looking for something that you

want to take off-roading and you want something to start with or maybe you just don't want to wrench

it yourself this is a vehicle you ought to look at and more importantly you can put it in the dang

garage absolutely you're not going to be able to put a full-size truck in there anymore no you

used to be able to and on west they got the three-legged hairy Artemis that you could get your

seats so three-legged with three-legged yep they're very rare that's my review of the

2025 Colorado four-wheel drive ZR2 QQ it only leaves a trail

thank you Mike you're quite welcome are you going to you're going to send that off to General

Motors and say here's my review after I do a little editing

I had the chance to drive the 2025 Kia Sorrento now I had the X-Pro SX Prestige

2.5 turbo all-wheel drive now that's because this vehicle comes in five base trim levels LX,

S, EX, SX and then the SX Prestige at the top of the line however there are two add-ons you can

have packages I suppose you would call them the X line and the X-Pro they bring in some

enhancements makes things a little more sporty trim level wheels a couple of things they've got

now this vehicle the Sorrento this is the fourth generation of this vehicle induced in 2021 and

continue to tweak it this is a three-row small SUV to let you know where it fits in the Kia lineup

it is smaller than the three-row telluride but it's larger than the two-rowed Sportage now

up front you're going to find typical modern cars LED projector headlamps I got tail lights that are

LED fog lights LED got roof rails on it got power folding heated side mirrors with LED turn signal

so you got LED lighting all the way around now you're also going to find that you've got the

panoramic sunroof with the power sunshade which comes in real handy we had this power smart lift

gate to make things easier to get packages in it and one thing that was interesting is the SX Pro

is rolling on some 17 inch black matte alloy wheels 20 inch wheels are standard but we were on the

17s which we'll get back to that in a few minutes now you get into the inside of it we had an olive

brown leather seating package really nice stuff front seats are heated and ventilated the rear

seats are captain's chairs and they are also heated and ventilated now up front we're going to find

we got the dual 12.3 inch panoramic displays two different displays but they're parked together so

that it looks almost like one complete got one that's got all your nav or your convenience controls

your infotainment system if you will the other one's going to serve as a driver's information center

we used to call it gauge package but it's got all the information the driver's going to be looking

for we also had a digital rear view mirror and I'm coming to like these a whole lot more and

more as I see more of them it's a better wider angle shot of what you've got behind you the one

thing another interesting note on this vehicle we had the door window shades on the rear doors

you know kind that you can lift up and down and pull up almost like a sunscreen it was kind of

neat to see them and they worked really well and I'm surprised that more people don't have them

because of how well they work instead of putting sun tint on the glass because then that sun

tints there at night we also had the Bose premium audio package now this is 12 speakers and a subwoofer

that really will fill up this vehicle under the hood of the Kia Sorento we're going to find that

we've got a 2.5 liter turbo again so we're not dealing with the hybrid model here it has 281

horsepower 311 pound-feet of torque and it does run on regular fuel now this is backed by an eight

speed automatic so it's capable of towing in this configuration 4,500 pounds I'll get most of your

jobs done unless you're really serious into something else now the EPA says in the city you

should be looking for 20 miles to the gallon highway 27 combined for 23 I drove 445.5 miles and I

got 22.5 and considering what I usually get I'm quite happy with that now we'll say that around

town it is a very easy city driver is what I would call it the size is easy enough to get in and out

of traffic parking lots parking spaces it's got very responsive steering so that helps a lot too

now you get out on the highway you know you're on the highway you feel it but it doesn't wander

all over the place so it's it's a it's a solid ride is what I would call it and here's where we get

back to the 17 inch wheels the 17 inch wheels have a taller sidewall on the tires I am not a fan of

the run flat tires because they have no sidewall every one of them I ever been in we're road rough

and I understand why but it's not something that I care for and I think this high level trim of the

sorento is the reason they've got the 17 inch on there to make it ride much better now if you're

looking for something to compare that to because it is a very crowded segment there's a lot of

things to choose from in there the Honda CRV starts at $30,100 the Toyota RAV4 comes in at

$29,250 for starters and the Subaru Ascent is up at $38,910 so if you're looking for something to

again there's a lot of things to look at in that segment and if I was to start looking at it I would

definitely look at this as be one of the first I would look at because there are so many choices but

also my wife's got a 2015 we've had it for 10 years it's serviced this really well it's got 100,000

miles on it now no problem so far and so she's happy with it I'm happy without having the car

note but if I was to buy one I would absolutely go look at this as part of looking in that segment

because that's the size of vehicle that she likes so again this is my review of the 2025 Kia

Sorrento X Pro SX Prestige 2.5 Turbo all-wheel drive vehicle

you

About this episode

The episode dives into detailed reviews of the 2025 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and the 2025 Kia Sorrento X-Pro SX Prestige. The Colorado ZR2 is highlighted for its off-road capabilities, featuring a robust design with functional styling elements, a powerful turbo engine, and advanced tech like a surround view camera. The Kia Sorrento impresses with its spacious three-row layout, luxurious interior, and strong performance from its turbo engine. Both vehicles cater to different needs, showcasing the blend of utility and modern features in today's market.

17 inch black matte alloy wheels 2.7 liter turbo inline four-cylinder Android Auto Apple CarPlay beadlock capable wheels captain's chairs EPA fuel economy infotainment system LED lighting LED projector headlamps

Chevrolet Colorado Chevrolet El Camino Ford Ranchero Ford Ranger Honda CR-V Honda Ridgeline Kia Sorento Kia Sportage Kia Telluride Subaru Ascent Toyota RAV4 Toyota Tacoma

Original notes

As we head to the end of the year, with new 2026 models out or on the way, many buyers are looking for end of year deals. We are doing a review of some of our reviews of popular models, just in case....

A trail tamer or a family hauler—what truly fits your life right now? We put two 2025 standouts under the microscope: Chevrolet’s Colorado ZR2, a factory-built off-road machine with real armor and beadlock-capable wheels, and Kia’s Sorento SX Prestige with the X Pro package, a smart three-row SUV tuned for comfort, tech, and daily ease. Along the way, we unpack the details that matter beyond the brochure: how the ZR2’s underbody camera and rocker protection change your confidence on rocky terrain, why the lifted suspension improves clearance but complicates step-in height, and how the TurboMax four-cylinder’s 430 pound-feet moves the truck even when it sounds busy.

Shift to the Sorento and the vibe changes. Dual 12.3-inch panoramic displays streamline navigation and driver info, while a digital rearview mirror widens your view in traffic. Heated and ventilated seats in both the front and second-row captain’s chairs elevate comfort, and rear door sunshades beat tint when you don’t want darkness at night. On the road, 17-inch wheels with taller sidewalls calm bumps and cut harshness in a way low-profile tires rarely can. With up to 4,500 pounds of towing in the 2.5-liter turbo AWD setup, the Sorento handles small trailers and weekend projects without drama, and city maneuverability stays stress-free.

We also get practical about numbers. The Colorado’s ZR2 pricing reflects serious hardware and a 7,700-pound tow rating when equipped, all in a package that still fits a standard garage. The Sorento’s value story spans from accessible base models to a feature-rich SX Prestige around the high $40Ks as tested, competing in a crowded segment with a flexible third row that doesn’t feel oversized. By the end, you’ll know whether your miles call for rock gardens and skid plates or a calm commute with room for kids and cargo.

If you enjoyed this breakdown, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s shopping, and leave a quick review to help others find us. Which one would you park in your garage and why? We’d love to hear your take.

Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!

The Lupe' Tortilla Restaurants
Lupe Tortilla in Katy, Texas

Gulf Coast Auto Shield
Paint protection, tint, and more!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

---- -----
Want more In Wheel Time car talk any time?

In Wheel Time is now available on Audacy!

Just go to Audacy.com/InWheelTime where ever you are.
----- -----
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast provider for the next episode of In Wheel Time Podcast and check out our live multiplatform broadcast every Saturday, 10a - 12nCT simulcasting on Audacy, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch and InWheelTime.com.

In Wheel Time Podcast can be heard on you mobile device from providers such as:

Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music Podcast, Spotify, SiriusXM Podcast, iHeartRadio podcast, TuneIn + Alexa, Podcast Addict, Castro, Castbox, YouTube Podcast and more on your mobile device.

Follow InWheelTime.com for the latest updates!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/InWheelTime

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inwheeltime/

https://www.youtube.com/inwheeltime

https://www.Facebook.com/InWheelTime

For more information about In Wheel Time Podcast, email us at

[email protected]

In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show

In Wheel Time Podcast | Automotive talk with Don Armstrong, Michael Marrs, and Jeff Dziekan

View classic page →

0:00

13:35