Instrumented Test
Full-size pickups have become so large that a more rationally sized truck seems like a big deal. Indeed, General Motors has been basking in attention for more than two years since announcing that it was bringing all-new mid-size trucks—the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon—to market. Now they’re here for 2015, collecting “of the year” nominations all over the media map just for entering a neglected segment that has largely been dominated by 10-year-old designs from Toyota and Nissan.
For our first full test of the Chevy version, the tape says we’re taking the measure of the biggest of the little new trucks, a Colorado Crew Cab with the long bed (six feet, two inches), the V-6 engine, and four-wheel drive. In that four-door specification, it casts a shadow just shy of 19 feet long. Like the bestselling Toyota Tacoma, it eats slightly more driveway than does a full-size two-door standard-cab Silverado with the eight-foot bed. Stretching over a 140.5-inch wheelbase, this truck is definitely mid-size and not “compact” by any means. On the road, we sat eye-level with guys in Silverado 4x4s in the next lane. The Colorado is, however, half a foot narrower than its full-size stablemate and generally easier to wield in traffic and slip into parking spaces. And for greater ease of use, you can make it smaller by opting for either the extended cab or the five-foot-two cargo bed.
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 “chicken 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; the Tacoma trails this Colorado by four-tenths of a second in a quarter-mile drag race.
Those intent on doing “real work” with their truck might worry that the Chevy’s more carlike, higher-revving engine is less suitable. But with the tow package fitted to our test truck, it’s rated to pull 7000 pounds. You’d find more torque but less power—as well as similar overall performance—in the Silverado V-6 we tested, which is certified to tow 7600 pounds, but that full-size crew cab cost $8200 more than this Colorado. Fuel economy? We saw 18 mpg in this mid-size compared with 16 mpg from the full-size 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 “good” end of the truck spectrum but not special. There was no fade from the four-wheel disc brakes, and understeer on the skidpad was only moderate. Steering feel and weight are good on the open road 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 $8200 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 $31,000. (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 ($250).
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.
This story and its spec panel have been updated to correct an error that we originally made on the Track Sheet. The corrected Track Sheet is now available in the Downloads section.
