The Test: After topping out at 4,533 feet on the Stinger鈥攁n arduous ten-mile climb to the top of Southern California鈥檚 Mount Figueroa on crumbling tarmac, gravel, and double-track鈥攚e were sold on the 鈥檚 new 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel engine. It purred up grades topping 15 percent, up a long freeway incline at 65 mph towing a 1,500-pound trailer, and over wheel-sucking sand off-road.聽
But towing power and braking controls equal to pickups twice its size are only half of the Colorado鈥檚 appeal. The other half? Eye-popping efficiency numbers. We averaged nearly 27 miles per gallon on our hill climb and off-road adventure up the Stinger. Inside, the cabin boasts amenities like 4G LTE wireless hot spot capability and Apple CarPlay connectivity鈥攋ust plug in an iPhone and access contacts, maps, music, and Siri from the eight-inch dashboard touchscreen.聽
Chevy鈥檚 excellent clean diesel is a hefty $3,730 over its gas-powered brethren, but compared with the four- and six-cylinder gas options, the Duramax engine unleashes the Colorado鈥檚 true potential as a 500,000-mile, long-haul trucker.
The Verdict: A midsize, four-door 4×4 pickup that punches above its weight.聽
$35,080; 20 mpg city/29 hwy