Overview
The Chevrolet Colorado is a smaller version of the famous full-sized, heavy-duty truck Chevrolet Silverado. These trucks are a counter-top part of the GMC Canyon and are marketed by General Motors. They were introduced back in 2004 to replace the GMC Sonoma and Chevrolet S-10 compact pickups, but over the recent years have developed into some of the best trucks available in the US.
Not to mention, ever since the debut of these trucks, they have been dominating the mid-sized, budget-friendly pickup trucks market and have, for more than 10 years, been offered in a variety of options, configurations, and trim levels. Chevy offers these mid-sized beasts in four-wheel and rear-wheel drive-trains with numerous body styles, including four-door crew cab (picture above), two-door crew cab, standard, and extended cabs.
The first generation of these mid-sized pickup trucks was available with an incredibly fuel-efficient, yet powerful 2.8L, I4 standard engine. However, the latest second generation model vehicles of the Chevrolet Colorado bring something even better to the table. This includes a 2.5-liter fuel-efficient engine in its base level and another powerful V6 engine that delivers even more power, torque, and horsepower.
Regardless of the engine size and vehicle performance, the Chevrolet Colorado definitely proves to be one of the best mid-sized trucks available on the road and is also available in a variety of colors, as well as custom options for headlights, grille, fender flares, and other body parts that allow you to give a personalized touch to the vehicle. The body and chassis of the vehicle are also incredibly powerful for a price of just $20,120 (an incredibly low price for a reliable vehicle) and are also used in many others cars including Isuzu MU-7, Hummer H3T, Hummer H3, Isuzu D-Max, and GMT 355.
Specifications
| Engine | Transmission | HP | Torque |
| 2.5-L, I4 | 6-Speed manual | 200 HP | 191 Lb-Ft |
| 0-60 MPH | Top Speed | Body Style | MPG |
| 7.4s | 98 MPH | Pick-up Truck | 19 City/26 Hwy |
Performance
As mentioned earlier, the 2015 Chevy Colorado comes with two options as far as engines are concerned. The standard is a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder, which is capable of delivering a decent 200 HP and 191 pound-feet of torque. The engine works hard, but is mostly unobtrusive when it comes to acceleration. However, it is smoother than the bigger V-6, and not to mention a far better match than the base engines in the Frontier and Tacoma.
On the other hand, the available 3.6-liter comes mated to the six-speed automatic, and delivers an impressive 305 HP and 269 lb-ft of torque. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that it’s pulling and power ratings are in line with quarter-ton trucks, which as you probably may know, are absolute beasts! The engine is powerful, and though it is not as quiet as the four-cylinder, it is smooth enough.
The Colorado also offers electric power steering as a standard across the lineup and runs on a fully boxed frame along with a coil front suspension. Not only this, there is a front-wheel drive available as an option, and the disc brakes with long-life rotors are standard. As a result, the truck is capable of towing a minimum of 3,500 lbs, even over bumps, with utmost ease and smoothness.
That is not all though as the truck boasts a fuel economy of 19 miles per gallon in the city, and 26 on the highway, which is quite impressive considering the fact that it’s a pickup truck. According to performance tests, the base model 2015 Chevrolet Colorado can go from 0 to 60 within 7.4 seconds.
Exterior
In comparison to Chevy’s latest pickup trucks and GM’s full-sizers, the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado definitely brings many new styling cues on the table. Not to mention, Chevrolet has done well in eliminating the weird boxy and square shape design of the first generation Chevrolet Colorados.
As you can see from the picture above, the Colorado hangs on to more global-truck cues than its Canyon Twins. The look is much more refined, less cluttered, sporty and a whole lot attractive. Many of the vehicles body parts have also been replaced with newer and more stylish ones. These include the wheels, headlights, backlights, grille, fender flares, side skirts, rear bumper, and different front bumpers as well. Therefore, there is no doubt the vehicle looks much better than the previous generation models.
In fact, the appearance of the vehicle is perfect in all aspects for a budget-friendly pickup truck. This is mainly because the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado successfully manages to pull off the ‘not so expensive’ and ‘I’m a good off-roader’ looks which many people look for nowadays. Therefore, if you are looking for a vehicle that doesn’t break your bank account while still allows you to travel in style and luxury through its amazing design features, then the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado is definitely worth buying.
Interior
If you have had a look at its competitors lately, you will find the Chevrolet Colorado’s interior to be noticeably better in terms of quality, design, finishes, as well as features (which we will discuss later on). At a glance, the interior seems to have a close similarity with the Chevrolet Silverado.
However, it is rugged and has an upscale finish. In fact, the finish is much better than you would find in the Frontier or Tacoma. The steering wheel is beefy and truck-ish, and has a set of control buttons which offer different functions. When it comes to the dashboard, it’s in an attractive shield-shape and houses an LCD display, the primary controls, and a shifter.
All the gauges, controls, and knobs are refreshingly intuitive and well-placed. The rear seats provide a few additional inches of legroom as compared to other pickup trucks, which makes transportation a lot more convenient. Seating bears a strong resemblance to the latest GM sedans, and has dual-firmness foam that makes it extremely comfortable, and resistant to staining.
The rear seats offer storage space underneath, allowing you to store valuable gear or tools, rather than leaving them unprotected in the bed. However, you wouldn’t want an adult to sit on these seats for more than a short trip. Apart from this, Colorado’s tailgate and taller sides are almost full-size truck high, making it easier to tow bulky payload items.
Features
The 2015 Chevrolet Colorado is available in three trim levels, namely Z71, WT, and LT. Each includes power windows, tilt steering, air conditioning, vinyl seats, and an AM/FM radio with a USB port. In addition, there’s a locking tailgate, a rear view camera, a cornet-step rear bumper, and a 4.2-inch color touchscreen interface. Not only this, you can also trim up base WT trucks with a convenience package or appearance package that includes cruise control and remote keyless entry.
For connectivity, Bluetooth is available as well as multiple USB ports for accessing music storage and charging your devices. There is also a touchscreen interface that boasts an eight-inch screen on the Z71 and LT Colorados. Navigation is optional, and so is LTE 4G connectivity and GM’s OnStar service, which can be tested through a free trial. Other standard or available features the Z71 and LT Colorados include are heated front seats, steering-wheel audio controls, remote start, Bose premium audio, a sliding rear window, and an easy-lowering tailgate.
When it comes to accessories, the truck’s bed comes with bed lighting and a locking tailgate, along with stamped-in detents to support two-tier loading. However, that is not all. A factory sprayed-in bed liner is also available. There are 4 stationary and 13 re-configurable load-tie downs in the truck’s bed, as well as numerous accessories to cater loading anything from construction materials to sports bikes.
Safety
For safety, all Colorado’s come equipped with six standard airbags, which have larger side bags to secure passengers in the event of a rollover. The side mirrors are over-sized and a rear-view camera is standard, therefore offering better visibility on the road while you drive. There is also a standard stability-control system, trailer sway control system, as well as hill descent control systems to ensure perfect maneuverability at all times.
The OnStar telematics system, which is standard on upper trims, provides remote locking and unlocking services, as well as stolen vehicle notification and emergency crash notification. Advanced safety technologies include lane departure warning systems and forward collision, both of which are offered as options on all models.
At this time, however, limited crash test information is available for this new Chevy truck. According to tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Colorado has been awarded four stars overall, along with five and four-star scores for side impact and frontal impact respectively. This means the vehicle has proven safe to drive in initial testing.
Competitors
The next generation Colorado will be a major contestant in the mid-size pickup truck segment and will be competing against two primary rivals, the Nissan Frontier and the Toyota Tacoma. Even the 2015 GMC Canyon, Colorado’s own platform mate, will be a competitor.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Colorado
http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/chevrolet/colorado/2015-colorado/
http://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/chevrolet_colorado_2015
