2015 Chevrolet Colorado

PelicanHazard

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Small Not-Full-Size trucks from the Big Three return to the US next fall with this, the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado. Final specs and pricing will have to wait until next year, but here's a list of what's known so far:

  • It releases in Fall 2014 as a 2015 model
  • It will be assembled in Wentzville, Missouri
  • It's based on the global Colorado, which is related to the Isuzu D-Max
  • It will be available in Extended Cab with a six foot bed, or Crew Cab with either a five or six foot bed
  • The base Work Truck trim in Extended Cabs has an optional rear seat delete.
  • Engines at launch will be a standard 2.5L I4 making approximately 193 hp/184 lb-ft, and an optional 3.6L V6 making 302 hp/270 lb-ft, both engines gas-powered.
  • The only transmission is a 6-speed automatic
  • For the 2016 model year, it will get an optional 2.8L Duramax I4 turbodiesel based on the engine in the global Colorado, which currently makes 200 hp/368 lb-ft (these figures will change due to US regulations)
  • Max towing for the V6 is estimated at around 6,700 pounds
  • Trims offered at launch will be WT (Work Truck), LT, and Z71
  • Depending on trim, the Colorado weighs about 900 pounds less than a comparable Silverado
  • Pricing and final specs will be announced next year, though Chevy is clear about its position under the Silverado, so starting prices for the basic truck (Extended Cab WT trim) are expected to be a little above $20,000

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I quite like it. The styling looks better than the global Colorado without suffering Mini-Me Syndrome and looking like an oddly-proportioned Silverado. Pricing against comparable Silverados should be lower, and by 2016 it'll have three engine choices for various operating regimes.

I keep thinking about possibly buying a truck, both to tow stuff for leisure and to haul stuff for house work and such. I've been reticent due to not really wanting a full-size truck. This might fit the bill perfectly, though, so I'm keeping my eyes open for more info later next year.
 
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I hope the interior is better in person than photos. Looks like previous generation GM product. I.e., bad.
 
Really interested by the I4 diesel in a compact pickup. Have compact trucks ever had a diesel option in the US?
 
Really interested by the I4 diesel in a compact pickup. Have compact trucks ever had a diesel option in the US?

From what I know, diesel engines were last offered in a compact truck in the mid '80s, around the first generation of the Ford Ranger and Chevy S-10. I can't find any info on diesel compact trucks in the US after that.
 
At this size and price I don't see a reason not to get a full size truck. I had an S10 and really liked it, but there was a good deal of difference in the size between it and it's big brother. Not so much so here, and there should be. A real small truck is all that most people need.

But it looks halfway decent.
 
It looks great!
 
How much smaller is this than a fullsize? Basically an SUV with a bed?
 
its platform mate is shorter by anything between 2 and 5 inches in every direction than a 2003-generation single cab, short bed Silverado.
 
I feel like if speculation is correct and this will be in the $20k+ range, people will just skip this and go for the Silverado. Didn't Ford discontinue the Ranger because people would just pick up F150s with the marginal price difference? Maybe I'm wrong, but it feels like any small truck over $18k is going to have a hard time selling to the general public.
 
I guess it just depends on why you're buying a truck. If it's a work vehicle, then the practical aspects will matter most; size, capacity, etc. But if you're just buying a truck because you like them, then things like how it drives might matter more. Or styling. This truck looks a lot better than the Silverado, imo, and if it drove better, handled better, then I would definitely buy this over a full size. And I'm probably not alone. Toyota, for example, have no problems selling Tacomas, but the bigger Tundras always seem to have lots of incentives and rebates. You could get either one for almost the same price, but it's the Tacoma that outsells* the bigger truck.

*every year other than 2007, if wiki numbers are accurate:

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Some of that is that people don't associate Toyota with larger trucks, some of it is that some people buy the Toyota pickups as a habit just like Corolla drivers habitually buy those things, and some of it is that Toyota's prior full size trucks got a deservedly poor reputation. Over in the domestic brands, the full sizers regularly outsell their compact counterparts.
 
Some of that is that people don't associate Toyota with larger trucks, some of it is that some people buy the Toyota pickups as a habit just like Corolla drivers habitually buy those things, and some of it is that Toyota's prior full size trucks got a deservedly poor reputation. Over in the domestic brands, the full sizers regularly outsell their compact counterparts.

Absolutely, but the fact remains, it's usually the "better" truck that sells better. I don't think the S10, Ranger, or Dakota were ever truly better than their big brothers in any meaningful way. And chances are this new Colorado won't get as much attention/R&D as the bread-and-butter Silverado, but who knows.
 
What worries me it's that's it's based on the D-max, which, lets face it, is not very good compared to the competition, and it's already an aging platform, not sure how the US market will respond, but over here we had a similar case with the Euro Ranger which was a Mazda underneath, it failed terribly, simply because it was sO much worse then then contemporary Toyota/Nissan/even that Godawful Mitsu thing in every way possible :p

Now the new Ranger, which I hear is a lot better and seems to come with some actual power, seems to still be struggling to get a foothold as a result.

Anyway, no full-size, no V8, me no care. :p
 
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How much smaller is this than a fullsize? Basically an SUV with a bed?

All models are 74.3 inches wide, 70.5 inches tall (70.6 for the Z71 suspension). Extended cab is 208.2 inches long. Crew cab with short bed is 212.3 inches long, long bed is 224.1 inches long. Silverados are 80 inches wide, 73 inches tall, 230 inches long for Double Cabs and Crew Cabs with the short bed, and 239.5 inches long in Crew Cab with standard bed. So the Colorado is half a foot narrower, marginally less tall, and between one to two feet shorter than an equivalent Silverado. Again, depending on configuration the Colorado also weighs about 900 pounds less.

Another way of putting it, it's about the width of "compacts" like the Ford Escape, about as tall as mid-size SUVs like the Explorer, and the longest configuration is about the length of 7-seat SUVs like the Expedition. The shortest configuration is about half a foot longer than a Taurus.

I guess it just depends on why you're buying a truck. If it's a work vehicle, then the practical aspects will matter most; size, capacity, etc. But if you're just buying a truck because you like them, then things like how it drives might matter more. Or styling.

Also a consideration, the Colorado should get better mileage with the standard 2.5L and the 2.8L diesel. People on Jalopnik have already commented that they would pick the Colorado over the Silverado if either engine can break 30 mpg highway. Others have also stated that the size difference could sway them; the Silverado with anything other than a regular cab is longer than a Ford Expedition and equivalent vehicles, which is a detriment to city residents like me.
 
  • The only transmission is a 6-speed automatic

In an update that is making me eat my preemptive words and challenging every internet commenter that constantly bitches that simple everyman's trucks have disappeared, GM has confirmed they will offer a manual in the Colorado, but only on the Extended Cab 2WD WT trim (the most basic Colorado that will be offered). No word yet on the manufacturer or gear count of this manual. But GM considers it a risk, so if it sells poorly it will be deleted in subsequent model years.
 
The interior is very "Hello 1995".

The competition doesn't do any better IMO. Of course ill reserve total judgement until I sit in one.
 
The competition doesn't do any better IMO. Of course ill reserve total judgement until I sit in one.

Just because your competition is mediocre doesn't mean you have to be it too (but hey, maybe I'm too sensible to be a salesman).
 
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