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Review by Dr. David A. Zatz - ACarPlace.com
Chevrolet Colorado
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Review Notes: Chevrolet Colorado LS Extended Cab
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| Personality |
Real truck with carefully hidden advanced technology |
| Quirks |
GM overloaded stalk, sheer truckness |
| Unusual features |
Highly efficient engine, OnStar |
| Above Average for Price |
Acceleration, handling, gas mileage (for power), stereo |
| Needs Work In |
Cruise control placement, and, for some, comfort |
| Driveway Test |
Passed easily |
 The Chevrolet Colorado is a surprising truck from a company that seems to be full of surprises.
You have to love the specs: a standard 175 horsepower four-cylinder, independent front suspension,
antilock brakes, theft deterrent system, big wheels, air conditioning, cruise control, and gas mileage
that's better than quite a few cars, all at a reasonable price. But many may be turned off by the
Colorado's character: at least with the sport suspension and stick-shift, it's a truck lover's truck,
with a stiffly sprung (yet cushioning) suspension and a simple interior that seems to have been designed
in 1980. The Colorado is almost the exact opposite of Chevy's TrailBlazer SUV, which could pass for a
minivan. You always know you're driving a truck.
Given that the Colorado is bigger than the S-10,
many believed it would compete directly against the Dodge Dakota, which has long been the only entry
between a compact and full-sized pickup (unless you count past Japanese attempts at full-sized pickups).
The two are very different beasts: the Dakota is bigger, with much higher load capacities and a smoother
ride, along with a steeper price tag. The Colorado is smaller and more efficient, but still bigger than a
Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10, taking the other end of the so-called "mid-sized" pickup market. If
you want a Colorado, you probably won't look at a Dakota, and vice versa.
 Our test vehicle, a bright yellow LS with an extended cab, drew a lot of looks, and not just for its color.
Squatting low to the ground, with plastic trim that resembles what kids buy at absurd prices and stick onto
their Hondas, the Colorado looked as though it had been heavily customized. And so it was - by General Motors,
which added almost-well-fitting plastic trim to the base Colorado, as well as a sport suspension and an
optional 220 horsepower 3.5 liter straight-five engine. The result was a pickup that handles and accelerates
like a sports car.
The engine is much stronger than you'd think a five-cylinder would be, yet it provides 19 mpg city,
25 highway (with a five-speed stick). It's not a traditional truck engine, of the type that produces lots of
low end torque but runs out of breath when you rev it, but feels more like a car engine. It's okay on the
bottom end, but likes to be revved, and the computer seems to shift programs at 5,000 rpm to provide an
added boost. At low speeds, the low first gear provides ample push from idle, but when you want acceleration
from cruising speeds (35 mph and up), you'll want to make sure the engine's already turning at 3,000 rpm first.
The sport suspension and tires did their job well, keeping the power to the ground and making the pickup
handle better than many popular cars. It cushions even very deep potholes and ruts, but seemingly always
bouncing a bit, making you feel every road imperfection but not get jarred by them. Like most "serious"
pickups, the Colorado feels better when it has a full load.
 Though the motor revs like a car engine, the feel of the transmission
and the good low-end torque combine to provide a real truck feel that's
been slowly filtering out of modern pickups. You know when you've engaged
the clutch, and you know when you shift. The shifter itself is unambiguously
connected to the engine, constantly shaking back and forth and clearly
transmitting vibration to the driver's hand. If you want a truck that feels
like a truck, you don't have to go to Nissan any more. The home of the
American truck sells one too.
The low suspension made it very easy to load the pickup bed, and the
not-too-heavy tailgate was a welcome relief from some pickups. There's
something to be said for a truck that's low to the ground; it's far easier
to put heavy packages and cumbersome objects into the bed.
Inside, if it were not for the tight tolerances between trim pieces
and the lack of an ashtray (or any place to put one), we'd think this truck
really had been designed twenty years ago. The dark grays don't offend
and are welcome in direct sunlight, but many trucks these days are tarted
up more like luxury cars. GM still seems to have a few million of their
patented too-many-function stalks in a warehouse somewhere, for they used
the old-fashioned cruise/wiper/washer/turn signal/brights stalk on the
left, with no stalk on the right (perhaps this saves a dime per car?).
The horn is somewhat hard to press, and the release for the footbrake feels
just like the hood release in the dark (the hood release is lower down,
to be fair). The vent system hails from past days, with hard-to-turn knobs
and a simple rotary vent control, but it's not likely to be misunderstood.
The stereo is GM's standard unit, with surprisingly good sound coming out
of six speakers (LS). XM Satellite Radio is available for $325, including
the first three months of service.
While the various lights are together in one pod, if you want to shut
off the headlights, you have to do it each time you drive: your choices
for normal positions are automatic headlights, parking lights, and headlights
on.
 The interior features two deep, simple cupholders, map pockets with
a cupholder built in, a two-level center console, and a moderately deep
glove compartment. Rear passengers have a removeable dual-cupholder console.
Interior lighting is good, with a separate light for the cargo bay. Visibility
is excellent in all directions, thanks partly to oversized exterior mirrors
and strong headlights. Wind noise is a bit strong at higher speeds, increasing
quite a bit as you go faster - did we mention how good the stereo is? It
includes an "auto volume" control that boosts volume as you drive faster.
Our LS Extended Cab included four doors - two normal doors and two hidden
doors. The hidden doors are really hidden - people don't believe you have
them until you open the front door, expose the latch, and open the rear
doors to a 90 degree angle. That makes it very convenient to get to the
inside; there's no post between the doors, so the entire interior is exposed.
The bad news is that it's hard to get out from between the doors in a tight
parking space. But the extended cab is not really for extended, regular
use as a four-door, four-seat pickup. The rear seats are clearly tokens
- they don't bother making the cushions look like a regular seat, but have
a back cushion and a separate bottom cushion with quite a bit of distance
between the two. While LATCH child seat fasteners are provided, which is
the only way you can safely use a child seat thanks to the very small ledge
(the seats aren't deep enough to support a non-LATCH child seat), the center
fasteners are in the middle rather than behind each seat, not the ideal
place, and the front seats have to be pretty far forward to allow space
for a child's legs. The back seats are clearly for use only in a pinch.
The bottom cushion easily folds up to reveal a plastic storage box, which
can itself be flipped over for easier storage of large objects in the back
seat area. This makes the area behind the seats quite versatile for both
cargo (such as the tools people don't want to leave in the bed) and people
- and you can quickly switch one for the other.
 Our truck included traction control, a $295 option that's well worth the price for a rear-drive vehicle whose weight is concentrated up front. It kicks in quietly, and if you feel like doing a few burnouts, you can shut it off with a simple pushbutton (whose only indication is an amber light on the button itself, not a dash light - the same system the fog lights use). The traction control definitely helped us to get straight takeoffs on wet and slippery roads, though relying on it is not a good idea. Our truck also came with side airbags ($215),
OnStar ($700), the Power Convenience Package ($500), and the aforementioned $1,000 engine upgrade and $165 worth of yellow paint. That boosted the price of our $21,545 truck up to $24,740 including destination charge. The engine upgrade may or may not be needed, depending on how you drive. It's hard to argue with 175 horsepower in a light pickup, even one with a gross weight capacity of 4,600 pounds (with the 3.42 axle).
The Chevrolet Colorado is a surprising vehicle to come out of General
Motors: it has more personality than you would expect from the world's
largest automaker. We suspect it will quickly become a favorite of those
who use their trucks for work, rather than to make them feel more manly,
and that it will also be popular among those who simply like trucks that
act like trucks, but see no reason to burn the fuel required by full-size
pickups. The Colorado's strong handling will earn it a lot of friends,
as will the satisfying drivetrain.
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