Full-estimate pickups have ended up so vast that an all the more objectively measured truck appears like a major ordeal. In fact, General Motors has been lolling in consideration for over two years since declaring that it was bringing all-new moderate size trucks the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon to market. Presently they're here for 2015, gathering "of the year" designations everywhere throughout the media delineate for entering a dismissed section that has generally been overwhelmed by 10-year-old plans from Toyota and Nissan.
For our first full test of the Chevy adaptation, the tape says we're taking the measure of the greatest of the minimal new trucks, a Colorado Crew Cab with the since quite a while ago bed (six feet, two creeps), the V-6 motor, and four-wheel drive. In that four-entryway detail, it throws a shadow barely short of 19 feet long. Like the top of the line Toyota Tacoma, it eats somewhat more garage than does a full-estimate two-entryway standard-taxi Silverado with the eight-foot bed. Extending over a 140.5-inch wheelbase, this truck is most likely medium size and not "minimized" by any methods. Out and about, we sat eye-level with gentlemen in Silverado 4x4s in the following path. The Colorado is, notwithstanding, a large portion of a foot narrower than its full-measure stablemate and for the most part less demanding to wield in movement and slip into parking spots. Furthermore, for more prominent convenience, you can make it littler by opting on either the extended cab . Although based on a global design built in Brazil and Thailand since 2011, the revised-for-our-market versions of the Colorado and the Canyon are assembled in Wentzville, Missouri, to avoid the absurd 50-year-old “tea tax” levied against imported trucks. Yet even based on a years-old design, they’re much fresher than the Nissan Frontier and the Toyota Tacoma that trace their origins to 2005. (A new Tacoma is due for 2016.) For now, then, this Colorado has the advantage of being the newest player in a tired field. This shows up in the Colorado’s modern-looking cabin full of the latest technology, its polished road manners, and its array of electronic safety aids. Its 3.6-liter V-6, which features direct injection and variable valve timing, makes 305 horsepower, a respective 69 and 44 more than the 4.0-liter V-6s from Toyota and Nissan. The engine is quiet and somewhat refined and mates to a six-speed automatic where the others still rely on five-speed units.
These differences in powertrain don’t amount to much against a stopwatch, though. The Colorado got to 60 mph from a standstill in 7.1 seconds. The last Tacoma we tested, a TRD off-roader, did 7.3; the best one we ever saw turned in a 6.9. The Frontier did 7.6 in its younger days. Both Japanese engines, however, are coarser in operation, relying on low-rpm grunt to get them off the line, after which they fade. They’re also thrashier at freeway speeds, where the Chevy, already smoother, has taller gearing to quiet things down even more. And that’s also where the power advantage shows,Those purpose on doing genuine work with their truck may stress that the Chevy's more carlike, higher-revving motor is less suitable. However, with the tow bundle fitted to our test truck, its appraised to draw 7000 pounds. You'd find more torque yet less power—and also comparative general execution in the Silverado V-6 we tried, which is affirmed to tow 7600 pounds, however that full-size group cab cost $8000 more than this Colorado. Efficiency? We saw 18 mpg in this average size contrasted and 16 mpg from the full-measure V-6 Chevy and 17 mpg in the Tacoma TRD Pro Series.
By other track measures, the Colorado lands midpack, braking from 70 mph in 174 feet and cornering at 0.78 g, numbers on the "great" end of the truck range yet not extraordinary. There was no blur from the four-wheel circle brakes, and understeer on the skidpad was just direct. Controlling feel and weight are great on the open street and light in parking situations.With gas prices suppressed as of this writing, GM isn’t getting any help with the argument that people should “right size” their truck purchases to suit their own needs rather than overbuying capability “just in case.” A margin of 1 or 2 mpg is unlikely to convince many truck buyers—who seem to have notoriously short memories about the volatility of fuel prices—to choose smaller. Aside from dimensions, though, the Colorado buyer doesn’t give up much and gets a smaller monthly payment when you start matching up features against similarly equipped full-size trucks.As noted, this one was $8000 cheaper than a V-6 Silverado, even though it was loaded up beyond $38,000 with options. The starting price on the big-cab, long-bed 4x4 is nearly $30,000. (An extended-cab V-6 4x4 starts just shy of $29K.) This example showed up with a $1080 Luxury package that includes heated seats with power adjustments (even lumbar) for both driver and passenger, heated outside power mirrors, auto climate control, and projector-beam headlamps. Another $950 brought black leather and ash-colored trim, and $1000 added dark-gray 18-inch wheels. Remote start, rear defrost, front fog lamps, and an easy-lift tailgate added $615, then came the Bose audio ($500), the navigation system with eight-inch color touch screen and Chevy MyLink ($495), a $395 Safety package with lane-departure and forward-collision alerts, plus a locking rear differential ($325), and the trailering equipment .
Clearly, truck marketers still know how to pile up the pricey bits. Penny pinchers or those with lesser tow/haul needs may look to the smaller Colorado with a starting price in the low twenties, four-cylinder power, and perhaps the six-speed manual gearbox. GM is making us wait until the 2016 model year for the promised turbo-diesel version, although that won’t be the cheapest way to go.
While there’s some wait-and-see attitude out there about the mid-size-truck market—notably from GM’s two Detroit-based rivals—both Nissan and Toyota are already making noises about their coming responses. For now, the Colorado is the latest big small thing, but that’s not a status you can mine for very long.
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