The is an important addition to the mid-size truck market. Here's why.
The Takeaways
The Good:聽The diesel version of Chevy鈥檚 best-selling Colorado mid-size pickup truck, outfitted with Chevy鈥檚 Z71 off-road package, gets you the best of nearly all worlds: stellar fuel economy for a relatively big truck, gobs of recreational RV/trailer-towing power (max. towing capacity: 7,000 pounds) and low-end torque that will plow through, up, and over almost anything. Plus, the聽truck fits inside most garages.
The Bad:聽The Z71 is already a pricey truck at more than $35,000. The diesel engine adds another $3,905.聽And while it鈥檚 technically not a full-size pickup, it鈥檚 still a long, large truck, which can make it a pain to maneuver around the city and parking lots. Chevy put a plastic air deflector on the bottom of the front bumper to boost fuel-economy, but there鈥檚 no easy way to remove it for off-roading鈥攁nd no instructions in the owner鈥檚 manual on how to do so. It聽needs to be removable because it鈥檒l get ripped off by the first big drainage ditch you have to cross (like it did during our test).
The Verdict:聽After putting 366 miles on the Chevy on Denver city streets, crossing the Continental Divide twice, and going off road in the high-alpine terrain of the Arapahoe National Forest outside Winter Park, Colorado, we were blown away by the diesel engine鈥檚 fuel economy and near-unstoppable torque at low speeds. Driving it made us realize that,聽when it comes to聽off-roading, diesel is the way to go.
The Specs
- 笔谤颈肠别:听$39,440 (base)/$41,905 (as tested)
- 贰苍驳颈苍别:听2.8-liter聽turbocharged聽4-cyl. diesel
- 顿谤颈惫别迟谤补颈苍:听6-speed auto. 4WD w/聽4WD-Low
- EPA Fuel Economy:聽23 mpg combined; 20 mpg city/29 mpg hwy; 25.5 mpg observed
The Engine
The 2.8-liter turbocharged engine pumps out an unimpressive 181聽horsepower, but it more than makes up for that lack of power聽with 369 pound-feet聽of torque. (For comparison, the 5.0-liter V8 in a Ford F150 has 387 pound feet聽of torque.) On a gnarly Forest Service double-track in Colorado that featured rock, sand, deep ruts, and mud, and聽where traveling any faster than 5 miles per hour felt like reckless speeding, I left the truck in 4-wheel low and crawled along, barely needing to touch the gas pedal. Even at that pedestrian pace, the diesel had all the grunt it needed to pull me through obstacles. And when going up and over the Continental Divide with the truck full of people and gear for a long weekend, we average 27 miles per gallon on the highway. With a 21-gallon fuel tank, that works out to a 567-mile range.聽
The Ride
The Colorado is聽three-quarters聽the size of a full聽pickup, but it rides like a big truck. On chassis-torqueing terrain, the truck felt solid,聽there were no squeaks or groans from the chassis flexing,聽and even on washboard聽dirt roads, the cabin remained聽remarkably rattle-free. It鈥檚 still a truck though, so it rides stiffer than a car, but in this case, that鈥檚聽reassuring.聽
Cargo
The cabin鈥檚 interior was comfortably sized with plenty of room to seat four adults for an extended trip (it fits five in a squeeze). We drove the short box version, which made for a much better off-roader, but we missed the extra length for our bikes and gear. One place the Colorado makes up for the lack of length is in the height of the truckbed鈥檚 walls. They鈥檙e noticeably higher than those of the new Tacoma.
The Big Picture
If your idea of a casual Saturday morning is to drive 150 miles to a favorite fishing hole or ski area, or you鈥檙e pulling an Airstream or drift boat, the Colorado with the Duramax diesel is a worth a look. You鈥檒l pay a premium for the engine, but over the 10-plus years you drive it, the diesel鈥檚 fuel economy鈥攂oth in mile per gallon聽and at the pump鈥攕hould make up for the cost. Plus, this Colorado will likely be the only truck you鈥檒l ever need,聽as it ticks more boxes than most trucks in its class and many full-size trucks as well.