The Chevrolet Colorado is a mid-size pickup truck that entirely shares its platform with the GMC Canyon. These trucks are available in rear-wheel drive (RWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD), in extended cab and crew cab configurations, and with both short and long bed options for the crew cab. They can be had with a four-cylinder gas engine, a V6 gas engine, or a four-cylinder diesel. Colorado customers are typically those who need the capability of a pickup truck but want a truck that costs less than a full-size pickup would or that fits in a smaller garage.

Generations: Two

• Chevrolet Colorado 1st Generation
• Chevrolet Colorado 2nd Generation

Pros: Not quite compact, not quite full-size, Easily maneuverable, Up to 7,000-lb towing capacity
Cons: Early transmission issues on the second generation, Expensive to run, especially for the diesel trucks, Tight interior dimensions on extended cab

Chevrolet Colorado 2nd Generation, 2014 to present

The current Chevrolet Colorado arrived in 2013 and finally went on sale for the 2015 model year, leaving a two-year gap between the two generations in 2013 and 2014.

The market for midsize trucks was wide open when the all-new Colorado arrived. The Toyota Tacoma was ancient at the time, and so was the Nissan Frontier. Both had owned the midsize space after the Ford Ranger left the building entirely in 2011. In the rest of the world, the Colorado is available in a regular cab, but from its introduction until the present, it has hit the US market in just two cab configurations: the extended cab with reverse-opening rear doors, and the crew cab with full doors and more legroom in the rear.

There are two cargo box offerings: If you purchase the extended cab model, your only choice is a long box, with a 74-inch cargo bed. The crew cab offers both the 74-inch bed and a short box option with a 61.7-inch bed. The distance between the wheel wells is about 44 inches, so the standard 4x8 sheet of plywood won’t sit flat on the floor. But Chevrolet did design pockets in the inner bed sides to accommodate a pair of 2x6s that allow a 4x8 sheet to sit over the wheel wells, further supported by the two-level tailgate.

The trucks are available in rear-drive and four-wheel drive. RWD trucks come with either the 200-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine or the 308-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 in the WT and LT trim levels. The Z71 and ZR2 models both force 4WD. The base engine would be the 3.5-liter V6 engine, and four-wheel drive opens the availability of the 2.8-liter Duramax Diesel engine, with 369 lb-ft of torque, which arrived in the 2016 model year. All Colorado pickups feature an automatic transmission which varies by powertrain: either a six-speed with the four-cylinder, an eight-speed with the six-cylinder, or a unique six-speed with the diesel.

Prior to 2020, there was a “base” trim level. Today the WT (or “Work Truck”) trim level is the base offering, equipped with a four-way power-adjustable driver seat, a 7-inch color touchscreen, front, side, and side curtain airbags, electronic stability control and traction control, manual folding mirrors, a locking tailgate, the CornerStep rear bumper, black moldings, and carpet. Features of the infotainment system include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as standard equipment, as well as a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot (for an additional monthly fee).

The Chevrolet Colorado LT adds a body-color rear bumper, mirror caps and door handles, 17-inch alloy wheels, an 8-inch touchscreen, remote keyless entry, a leather wheel, a six-way power-adjustable driver seat, and the EZ Lift & Lower tailgate.

The sport-oriented Chevrolet Colorado Z71 adds an off-road suspension package, automatic locking rear differential, skid plates, unique wheels with all-terrain tires, automatic climate control, driver power lumbar control, wireless charging, and an HD Rear Vision Camera.

At the top of the line, the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 has an Off-Road Appearance Package, off-road suspension, Multimatic DSSV Damping System, increased ground clearance and track width, a spray-on bedliner, unique front styling, a black rear bumper, wheel flares, larger 265/65R17 all-terrain tires, leather front seats, and a four-way power passenger seat.

Getting advanced safety features typically requires stepping up from the base trim level to higher trims, with the exception of the federally mandated rear safety camera. An HD camera comes with the Z71. Colorado LT and Z71 models also offer the option of lane-departure warning and forward-collision warning. Rear park assist is standard on the Z71 and available as part of a package on the LT.

Part of the promise of a smaller truck is better fuel economy, and the numbers are certainly better than those offered by the Silverado 1500 in most cases. In ZR2 trim with four-wheel drive, the crew cab configuration, and the V6, the Colorado offers a grim 17 mpg combined according to the EPA estimate. That number climbs to 23 mpg with the 2.8-liter diesel.

Chevrolet Colorado 1st Generation, 2004 to 2012

The first-generation Chevy Colorado was the replacement for the Chevrolet S10, which originally debuted in the 1982 model year. The truck was a joint venture between Chevrolet, GM Brazil, and Isuzu.

The original Colorado was available in three cab configurations: regular cab, extended cab, and crew cab. The regular and extended cab trucks had a six-foot cargo bed, and the crew cab models’ bed was shorter by a foot. All of the trucks were available in either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.

Early Colorado pickups were either available with a 2.8-liter inline four-cylinder or a 3.5-liter inline five cylinder, making the Chevy Colorado and its GMC Canyon cousin the only two pickups in the United States to be available with a five-cylinder engine before or since. In 2007, along with a facelift, the Colorado got two new engine options to replace the 3.5-liter: a 2.9-liter inline five-cylinder and a 3.7-liter inline five-cylinder.

Early Colorado pickups were available in two trim levels: Base and LS. Base trucks were pretty stripped, with an AM/FM two-speaker stereo, manual locks, and a fixed steering column, though air conditioning and power steering were standard. LS provided a better audio system, power windows and locks, a tilt wheel, and a host of interior comfort and convenience items. Later Colorado models added an LT trim level that split the difference between the base pickup and the full-blown LS, along with a fourth LTZ trim.

2009 added Bluetooth hands-free phone pairing, and the single-disc CD player gave way to a six-disc changer for most of the trucks north of the Base trim level. Various sizes of aluminum wheels became standard on everything but the steel-wheel-equipped Base. Most of the trim levels also began offering SiriusXM satellite radio and OnStar, both with subscriptions.