First Drive Overview
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We place the spurs to Chevy’;s new mid-size pickup.
A single could make an argument that element of the Toyota Tacoma’s stronghold on the not-very-complete-size truck industry can be attributed to its easily condensed name: “Hey brah, sweet Taco. We need to totes take it on a recon mission to spot some tasty waves.” Hard to say without having affecting a SoCal drawl. It’s no coincidence that, by Chevrolet’s estimate, the Los Angeles area alone accounts for far more Taco sales than 48 other states combined (Texas is the other exception).
Of course, the Nissan Frontier—just try to come up with an equally illustrative and organic chunk of lazy vernacular for that name—has been the only other player in the segment for the last couple of years, so Toyota hasn’t specifically been on the offensive. (You want to incorporate Honda’s Ridgeline, as well? Well, okay.) Sensing an chance, Chevrolet is bringing an all-new mid-size Colorado to market in hopes of stealing some of the Tacoma’s juju. As several Chevrolet engineers, designers, and PR flacks told us, they by no means stopped tracking the bull’s-eye on the Taco’s backside during Colorado development.
Quiet Confidence
Pulling into site visitors, it’s immediately clear how quiet the Colorado is inside. Brad Schreiber, ride and handling efficiency manager for mid-size trucks, runs down the laundry list of information that contribute to the refinement: triple-sealed doors, in depth use of sound-deadening materials, the advanced tread pattern of the Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires, and even unique focus paid to the lower back of the cab structure to quell wind noise. Our 1st impression is that it is drastically quieter at highway speeds than the Tacoma. Of course, it all begins with the totally boxed frame, which Schrieber says is downsized from a Silverado design and style. He adds that its sturdiness made calibrating the dampers and spring prices easier.
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There’s a lot of room for stout American physique shapes to get comfortable inside, which includes 41.4 inches of headroom and 45. inches of legroom in the front seats combined with the adjustable steering column, even 6-and-a-half-footers will have no difficulty locating a comfortable driving position. Fabrics and plastics are understated, consisting largely of matte-completed blacks and grays.
Aside from delivery solutions and tradesmen, most users will want to opt for the 305-hp 3.6-liter V-6. It is no racehorse, but it pulls strong by way of all 6 of the mandatory automatic’s gears. The 200-hp 4-cylinder has adequate energy to get through the workday, but the on-road manners of the Colorado are polished enough for perform and play, and the bigger engine makes both far more enjoyable. (A 6-speed manual will be available for 4-cylinder models, but we haven’t but wiggled its shifter. Chevrolet estimates the take rate for the manual will be about 5 percent.)
The electric power steering provides good valley feel and weights up speedily off-center. Transitional responses are reasonably quick close your eyes, and you might think you are behind the wheel of, okay, a mid-size pickup truck. But it’s light years much better than the previous Colorado or the old Ford Ranger. Likewise, braking is substantially modern, and a firm, straightforward-to-modulate pedal hauls down the truck with authority, and the chassis is tuned to mitigate any brake dive.
Off-Road Ready
Even though correct off-roading wasn’t element of Chevy’s plan for the 1st drive, staged near San Diego, we did manage to uncover a dusty, rutted, and steeply inclined dirt road to get that 4-wheelin’ feelin’ in a Z71 crew cab. Choosing low variety needs shifting into neutral it requires a second but engages with no any clunking or funkiness. The Goodyear Wrangler A/T Adventure Off-Road tires dug in, and the truck crawled up the incline with little drama, thanks in portion to the automatic-locking rear differential with a 4.10:1 axle ratio. (That ratio is common on all Colorado trims. You can see how we’d spec our personal equivalent Colorado right here.) The twin-tube shocks we discovered so compliant on the road earlier allowed the front independent suspension to flex sufficient for affordable articulation, and the steering produced positioning a tire atop a crusty embankment a a single-handed job. Stretching out on a flat section revealed a planted feel with nicely-proportioned braking in the dirt sadly, we by no means identified the proper off-road terrain to completely assess the capabilities of the suspension throughout our drive. As a final test, we backed up the incline and then let the Z71’s standard hill-descent handle decide our fate on the way back down. We lived.
Pulling Energy
All Colorado models have a 3500-pound tow rating by default, but purchasers of the V-6 models can double that quantity to 7000 pounds for a paltry $ 250 by deciding on the Z82 trailering package (basically a 2-inch receiver and a wiring harness), which is cash well spent. Starting with the heaviest things and working backward, we tugged a 4500-pound fiberglass boat, a pair of Jet Skis, and, in a scenario that must paint a misty-eyed picture for an entire generation of Tacoma owners, a pair of dirt bikes on an open trailer.
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The tow/haul mode (not offered on 4-cylinder trucks) does a very good job of deciding on the proper gear to hold the engine in the meat of its torque curve, even though the engine does get a tad raucous at greater rpm. Are its abilities comparable to those of an HD diesel or even a large gas V-8? Nope. But the Colorado is about doing a lot more with less and about adding some versatility to the standard pickup formula at the exact same time.
Chevy has bet this distinct bank on the theory that “people will acquire as significantly truck as they need to have if offered the decision.” If nothing else, the Colorado will serve as a real-time-analysis model of the notion. As one would expect, the Jet Skis proved to be of small burden and the dirt bikes had been barely noticeable from the helm, each trailers tracking smartly behind the Colorado. Chevrolet’s GearOn system (a dealer-installed choice, yet it’s covered below the Colorado’s warranty and you can roll the price tag into the financing) provides sturdy mounting for kayaks and bicycles and other gear, despite the fact that the kayaks in specific can really howl when car speed and wind circumstances are right.
The aim for the Colorado was easy: offer you enhanced NVH, decent payload and towing capabilities, and a quiet cabin with a lot more amenities and content material than the competitors. But the Taco’s image has lengthy surpassed its spec sheet, and vanquishing a close to-icon might take far more than just logic. But comments made to us by a pair of sunbaked enthusiasts lugging outrigger kayaks along the beach of affluent Del Mar, California, indicate that the maker may possibly have hit the sweet spot: “Dude, is that the new Chevy mid-size truck? It looks awesome.” We just wonder if Chevrolet must have named it the ’Rado proper out of the gate.
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