Chevrolet made a bet on the midsize pickup truck market that some other
brands weren't ready to take when it introduced a new Colorado pickup truck
for the 2015 model year and it's up the ante for 2016 by offering a new duramax
turbodiesel four-cylinder engine increases maximum towing capacity to
7,700 pounds and it's paired with trailering oriented features like an
exhaust brake in an integrated trailer brake controller but how does it perform
in everyday driving
let's take a look
the diesel colorado is distinguished by just a few unique exterior cues their
duramax badges on the front fenders in an oversized tail pipe or otherwise it
looks a lot like the gas Colorado Artest truck is the off-road oriented z71 trim
level
c70 ones get a gun metal gray finish instead of chrome that other models get
a projector beam headlights and 17-inch aluminum wheels with all terrain tires
there's also an automatic locking rear differential in skid plate for the
transfer case our truck also had these tubular assist steps there a 745 dollar
option
they look pretty good but they're not that useful in real life even in z71
form the cholera isn't that high riding truck so I didn't need the steps to get
into it and when trying to get out of the truck
they were just constantly brushing against my pant leg because they stick
out so far
the built-in rear bumper steps however make it a lot easier to get into the
cargo bed
the diesel is rated at 181 horsepower and 369 pounds
for and it teams with a six-speed automatic transmission
you'll hear familiar diesel clatter when driving it but you don't feel it and
that impressed a lot of our editors acceleration is acceptable though not as
strong as the gas v6 and the transmission is unobtrusive making her
fine
ships and kick downs high-speed passing power though is modest the diesel just
doesn't have a lot of reserve power left at higher speeds with the diesel the
four-wheel-drive Colorado gets an epa estimated 23 miles per gallon in
combined driving
that's a few miles per gallon higher than the gas 4-cylinder gas v6 get in
mix city and highway driving we got about 22 miles per gallon
the Colorado is poised on the highway and is a maneuverable easy to drive
truck in places that can be nerve-wracking and larger full-size
models like parking garages
it's small dimensions are a key reason but it's responsive car like steering
also deserves some of the credit
the cabin has a lot of hard plastic surfaces but low gloss green and gives
it a nice look
but the one place i would have liked to seen some soft touch material is on the
upper portion of the doors because it could be more comfortable place to rest
your arm
the driving position is comfortable thanks to a standard height adjustable
driver's seat that's something that turned into coma doesn't offer and it
makes driving that truck much less enjoyable higher trim levels of the
Colorado have four USB ports including one in the center console storage bin
it makes the been a good place to stash your smartphone
if you're going to connect it to the available my link multimedia system
which supports apple carplay and android auto smartphone mirroring the crew cabs
rear seating area has good legroom for adult passengers but comfort is
compromise a little by the upright background the seat folds two ways
the back rest comes down or the
seat cushion flips up when the cushions up
you don't have a flat loading floor because of this structure for the seat
the duramax diesel costs about 4,200 dollars extra in the z71 Colorado but
unless you plan on regularly towing more than 7,000 pounds
it's not an option you have to check especially considering the Colorado
offers an impressive gas v6 engine
yeah