recent consumer reports review of the colorado

Don’t need a monster pickup truck? Chevy offers a midsized alternative.

The world needs more small trucks. They’re easier to park and maneuver, and cost less to feed than the relative behemoths known as the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram 1500. The problem has been that there are only moribund and dated compact models available. And though the Chevrolet Colorado is the first redesign in 11 years, the fact that it tops the class is due more to its newness rather than it being inherently ground-breaking.

How to put this nicely? We really, really want to like this truck. We just can’t. (Watch a video above of the Colorado's twin, the GMC Canyon.)

This Colorado replaces a version that was an also-ran right out of the box. So small-truck buyers were left to choose between the aged Nissan Frontier and the rough-and-tumble ride of the Toyota Tacoma—akin to choosing between poison ivy and wasps on a 10-mile hike. Hence, Chevrolet had Rocky Mountain high hopes for the new Colorado.

The pint-sized dimensions make parking a snap. It’s clearly the most maneuverable truck in the segment, and handling is quite responsive as well. Fuel economy, at 18 mpg overall, is tops. The cabin is quiet and easy to climb into.

As for carrying out normal truck duties, the Colorado boasts a 1,555-pound payload and can tow up to 7,000 pounds. That’s more than the Tacoma or Frontier.

But this is where things start to go badly. Despite its 305 hp, the V6 is rather short on the low-end torque that’s so important for truck owners who actually haul stuff. The ride can be brutal at times, with choppiness and jostling on any road rougher than a velvet Elvis painting.

The damped tailgate is a nice touch, lowering the gate gradually.

To fulfill its trucklike duties, the Colorado offers a damped rear tailgate that opens without sounding like you dropped a box of nails on a metal floor. A standard corner step in the rear bumper and a low loading height make getting your stuff into the bed that much easier.

Expectations for interior quality in this segment are predictably low. The plastic knobs are rubber-ringed, but dials, switches, and panels are hard to the touch.

The real deal-breakers here are the seats and driving position. The standard cloth seats in our tested LT model were universally scorned by our testers for being too stiffly padded and lacking lumbar adjustment. The bottom seat cushion didn’t adjust for tilt, and the recline adjustment is manual. The steering wheel didn’t telescope far enough for many.

From a safety standpoint, we laud the Colorado for being equipped with a standard rear-view camera. We’re also impressed that it’s the only small truck currently available with forward-collision and lane-departure warning—part of the $395 Safety Package.

The as-tested price for our crew-cab four-wheel-drive LT came to an eye-widening $34,300, not far from many full-sized trucks.

Overall, the Colorado is almost a large-truck alternative. But it’s not cheap, and upcoming redesigns of the Tacoma and Honda Ridgeline mean that its elite stature among small trucks could be short-lived.

Read our complete Chevrolet Colorado road test.

HighsManeuverability, towing and payload capacities, fuel economy, damped tailgate, standard rear cameraLowsRide, uncomfortable seats and driving position, gets priceyEngines305-hp, 3.6-liter V6; 6-speed automatic; part-time four-wheel driveFuel18 mpgPrice
$20,995-$35,290

 

Bought a 2015 Canyon SLT. Drove it 7 months. Hated it. Picked up my 2015 Tacoma last week. Loving it.

 

TW, specializing in GMC mid sized pickups.

 

What did you hate about the Canyon?

 

I have seen you say this before. I really like the new colorado, but I have had really good luck with my toyota. How does interior space compare between the 15 tacoma and colorado. Just curious.

I've had a 2005 tundra access cab since I bought it new. Waiting on a 2016, getting antsy.....I want it delivered yesterday

 

x2. I sat in the Canyon crew cab. I thought the interior material was pretty cheap feeling and look. I thought the Tacoma plastic interior looked cheap, the Canyon and it's twin was cheaper looking and feeling.

 

The leather seats in my Canyon hurt my back. Tacoma's much softer. The transmission in the Canyon was the worst I've ever driven in 50 years of driving. Canyon mpg no better than my Tacoma even running Super Unleaded. The JBL in my Tacoma blows away the Bose in the Canyon. Much more low end torque in the Tacoma. The Canyon did ride nice but not any better than the Tacoma. There is more but I'm so happy to be back in a Toyota. Lesson learned.

Now that is real world experience in my world. JMHO

 

You're the reason I get suspicious of used cars in a dealer lot with super low mileage. I always wonder what the heck could be so wrong with the vehicle that the previous owner brought it back with only a few miles on the odo

 

"This Colorado replaces a version that was an also-ran right out of the box. So small-truck buyers were left to choose between the aged Nissan Frontier and the rough-and-tumble ride of the Toyota Tacoma—akin to choosing between poison ivy and wasps on a 10-mile hike. Hence, Chevrolet had Rocky Mountain high hopes for the new Colorado."

WTF? Their comparisons are getting pretty prissy.

 

I drove the Colorado. When you raise or lower the seat, the seat bottom rolls forward as it to let you slide off it. My mom's Toyota carolla is that way too, but at least it's a car.

I am 6 foot tall and have long arms and I sit right up on the wheel but it still didn't telescope close enough to me.

 

The GM twins are dinky..look under one and see how dinky the parts are. Joints are small, cab mounts are tiny, UCAs look to be off a ATV. The truck just looks weak but to each his own.

 

The drive shaft looked huge to me

 

Jeez. You honestly thought the Canyon didn't ride any better than a Tacoma? The Colorado I test drove was head and shoulders better than both of the Tacomas I've owned in terms of ride. What was your MPG like? I'm hearing reports of 25 hwy, while I get...drumroll please...19 mpg. I ended up with a Tacoma because I didn't want to pay for a brand new truck in its first model year, but on my short test drive I thought the Colorado was a nicer truck overall than my Tacoma.

Meh, I thought they were kind funny.

That's what she said?

 

I'm not a big fan of reviews in any magazines anymore. It always seems like they nitpick all these little details that I could care less about. " It doesn't ride well ". Well no shit, it's a truck, not a luxury sedan. The buttons are a hard material. Yeah...and when I still have my truck at 300k or more ( then again this is a Colorado we're talking about ), how are the rubber coated buttons going to look then. The plastic ones wear fast enough, thanks. They keep pushing for more luxury items in a vehicle that isn't generally bought by the segment that cares about luxury items. Put the money into a stronger drivetrain, or more options that you can pick to make the truck be what you bought it to be.

 

I went on three test drives with the Canyon. Each has its own issues; there was something different broken on each one. Visible welds in the bed. Plastic trim coming off. Driver's electric seat screwing itself out of the right rail. High revving, even in the V6.

Even through there was better rear legroom (barely) than the 2015 Tacoma, everything else was a "nope."

 

I don't understand why the twins got such high marks for the interior. The dash cluster looks like it came from a Chevy Spark. It has it's high points but I will question GM reliability.

 

I continue to laugh out loud when I read that the GM Twins are better than the Tacoma. Go ahead, drop 35 - 40 grand on one. Drive it every day for 7 months and put 10,000 real world miles on it. Then get back to us. I couldn't wait to unload it. Kind of feel sorry in a way for the poor guy that buys it.

FYI, the first mod I did on my new Tacoma was to put Michelin LTX M/S on it. The ride is amazing.

 

I just wish there was a real writer on the payroll these days. Not sure why every one makes stupid references, like comparing ride quality to a velvet painting of Elvis? Fuck me I hope you didn't pay for a journalism degree to come up with that.

Why does the entire world need to write about everything like it's their snarky Twitter page?

 

because



wait for it.....


















































snarkphones

 

Journalism died in America years ago.