Call it the Go Anywhere Truck- The Colorado can do everything from off-road exploring and hefty towing to school runs. The Colorado certainly has the looks as well with the large front grille ready to eat some trails thrown in-front of it, to it’s muscular fenders and a simple yet buffed up rear. It has a strong, distinctive features that make it look bad ass.
Engine and Transmission
It’s difficult not to appreciate what the Chevrolet Colorado has under that bonnet. You’ve got a meaty 2.8 litre Duramax four-pot turbo-diesel engine that produces 200 horsepower and 500Nm of torque, which is the best engine fitted in this car’s segment. Flooring the accelerator would leave you saying, “Oh sh*t!” Then i remember it’s a pick-up truck! On normal drives around town, the smooth 2.8L engine is very smooth, and responsive. This being a diesel though, you can still hear a bit of engine noise but it’s tolerable.
The 6-speed automatic transmission has a new torque converter to balance out undesirable torsional vibrations and its over driven fifth and sixth gears maximize fuel economy at highway speeds. There’s also the option of manual sequential shifting and what GM calls grade logic braking, which automatically starts downshifting on steep inclines to assist with foot braking. A dial on the centre console controls the part-time dual-range 4x4 transmission, which features a 2.62:1 low-range reduction and low 36.4:1 crawl ratio.
Drive
The first thing you notice is refinement. The Colorado is much smoother and quieter than before, along with sharper steering response, improved handling and ride quality when empty or fully-loaded. In city and suburban driving with a light load on board, the Duramax 2’s 500Nm of torque combined with the intelligent six-speed auto ensures good throttle response and brisk acceleration, that belies the vehicle’s two-tonne-plus kerb weight. The new electrically power-assisted variable ratio steering is a big improvement, though not much road feel as I would want, it is very comfortable. Noise suppression is vastly improved, with the most noise at highway speeds now coming from minor wind swirl around the large door mirrors, which is a common trait in large vehicles. Conversations can take place without raised voices.
Practicality
With a 2121kg kerb weight and 3150kg GVM, the Colorado is a genuine ‘one tonner’ with an impressive 1029kg payload rating. The cargo bed is 1484mm long and 1534mm wide with 1122mm between the wheel arches, making a working man quite happy. Storage options for front seat occupants include a bottle holder and storage pocket in each door. The centre console has a small open storage cubby in front of the gearshift, two central cupholders and a lidded box which doubles as an arm-rest. There’s also a single glove box and open storage pocket in the centre of the dash-pad. Rear seat passengers get a drink bottle holder and storage pocket in each door, plus flexible storage pockets on the back of each front seat.
Our only major criticism is the lack of steering wheel reach adjustment. Given segment leader Toyota has now included such a welcome feature in its Hilux, there can be no more excuses for its closest rivals. With the seats base cushion slid back far enough to provide adequate knee clearance from the edge of the lower dashboard, we have always found the Colorado’s driving position too straight-armed for our liking. Reach adjustment would fix this.
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