2017 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Crew Cab 4wd Review
The Car Connexion Expert Review
Senior Editor
June 5, 2017
Likes
- Makes full-size trucks feel one-time fashioned
- Comfortable, well laid-out interior
- Versatile in most every version
- Thoughtful bed features
Dislikes
- Turbodiesel is expensive
- The Canyon'southward better-looking
- Rear seats are tight
- Can overlap Silverado in price
Buying tip
features & specs
2WD Coiffure Cab 128.3" LT
2WD Crew Cab 128.3" WT
2WD Crew Cab 128.3" Z71
Don't quite demand a full-size truck? The Chevrolet Colorado makes a compelling case for the way most of the states truly use our pickups.
Entering its third model yr, the Chevrolet Colorado has proven to be a formidable effort in the mid-size pickup segment. For the new twelvemonth, the truck, which is a near-twin of the GMC Canyon, gains a new 3.six-liter 5-6 engine that'southward the same size as last yr's model but promises to exist more fuel efficient and refined.
The Colorado is available in WT, LT, and Z71 configurations, and nosotros think it has the right combination of comfort, style, and capability to score a respectable 6.3 out of 10 overall. (Read more almost how nosotros rate cars.)
The Colorado went from an flunkey to a serious rival to the Toyota Tacoma that has long dominated this segment when it was redesigned for 2015, outclassing its nearest rival in several categories: interior space, packaging, connectivity, bed amenities, V-6 fuel economic system, and even its more than neutral driving position.
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It'south bachelor in a wide range of options, including three engines and several torso and bed sizes.
Chevrolet Colorado styling and performance
New for 2017 is a 308-horsepower V-6 that's sized like last year'south, but features some fuel-saving tricks similar cylinder displacement that lets it run equally a V-4 under low-load situations. The V-6 comes mated exclusively to an likewise-new eight-speed automatic manual.
Merely don't count out the Colorado's base 2.v-liter inline-4, which is rated at 200 hp and offers a selection of 6-speed manual and automated gearboxes. For many light duty users, this 4-cylinder will testify to exist more than than sufficient.
For even more grunt that'll satisfy those who programme to tow heavy loads long distances, in that location's a two.8-liter turbodiesel inline-iv that arrived last year, making 181 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. Its fuel economic system ratings top 30 mpg on the highway, while its tow ratings extend upward to vii,700 pounds in some configurations. The diesel is a pricey add-on, but it suits this truck very well.
The Colorado's fully boxed frame rides atop a gyre front end suspension with ringlet-over shocks and rear leaf springs with a alive rear beam. Aiding the Colorado's superior driving dynamics in the mid-size truck segment is a well-weighted electric ability steering system. Every bit with all trucks in this segment, the Colorado is available in rear- or four-bicycle drive, but four-bike disc brakes give information technology the upper hand over the Tacoma, as does the Colorado's long-life restriction rotors.
For 2017, higher trim level Colorados with the V-6 also gain a transfer case with an automatic 4-bicycle drive mode suitable for utilise fifty-fifty on dry pavement.
Chevrolet Colorado condolement, safety, and features
The Colorado's triumvirate of trims spread across 3 torso styles cater to just about any would-be truck possessor. Both v- and 6-foot beds tin exist paired with the Colorado's four-door. Those who simply desire a functional truck can make due with the extended cab Colorado and its half-dozen-foot bed. At that place'south even a bed delete for commercial users.
No matter which cab you selection, the Colorado offers a superb interior and room for front passengers, with better materials and a more natural driving position than its rivals. In back, it'south either a pair of kid-safety-sized seats or cramped accommodations for adults, with bolt-upright seat backs and a marked lack of articulatio genus room, all the same.
But information technology'due south the bed that'south a bigger pickup selling point, and while it's shy on length confronting total-sizers, its available bed extenders permit an 8-foot object to be hauled abode with minimal fuss. The Colorado'due south corner bumper stride offer improved, easier admission to its bed, while its easy-lowering tailgate ensures you lot won't wake up the neighbors when y'all drib the tailgate at 4 a.yard. as yous load upwardly for a weekend fishing trip. It can be fitted with either a spray-in bedliner or a drop-in one; cargo dividers; a arrangement of racks and carriers dubbed GearOn; cargo nets and tonneau covers; a drop-in toolbox; and of course, trailer hitches and harnesses.
The Colorado's lineup looks simple at showtime glance, but there are many options for the WT work trucks, the nicely-outfitted LT, and the off-route-oriented Z71 with its ain styling and all-terrain tires.
6 airbags and a triumvirate of electronic aids in the form of stability control, trailer-sway control, and hill-showtime help are standard kit on the Colorado. Z71 models, with their off-road aims, additionally add together colina-descent control as standard. Bringing safety upwards a notch if you so choose are forwards-collision and lane-departure alert systems available every bit options, while a rearview camera organisation is standard on all Colorados.
On the infotainment forepart, all Colorados come with a USB port and touchscreen-controlled audio, while Bluetooth and a larger, eight-inch touchscreen with extra USB ports are available on LT and Z71 Colorados. If y'all need data on the go, GM OnStar's 4G LTE data connectivity pick is there for you lot, as is optional navigation. Every bit of last yr, Apple CarPlay joins Chevrolet MyLink to enhance the infotainment experience for iPhone users.
Looking decidedly global, the Colorado is a nice looking truck that we call back is slightly overshadowed past its GMC Canyon sibling.
Visit southeast Asia and you'll see a lot of Chevrolet Colorados driving around. Surprised? You shouldn't exist. Just because pickups were created for the heartland of America doesn't hateful that they're not pop overseas. In fact, GM is a dominant histrion with the Colorado in markets like the Philippines.
If it works over there, it as well works hither. The Colorado scores a 7 out of 10 for its prissy mix of interior and outside styling. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
TheCarConnection.com's editors believe the GMC Canyon is the truckier truck thank you to a more rugged design, but the Colorado is notwithstanding skillful looking in its ain right. What's interesting is that it doesn't expect much like the Silverado with which it shares showroom space, while the Coulee is a near expressionless-ringer for the GMC Sierra.
While the full-size Silverado (and its SUV cousins, the Tahoe and Suburban) have been transformed with relentlessly rectilinear lines, the Colorado adopts a smaller, slimmer grille and ascent shoulder line that softens the usual pickup silhouette. Its boxy fenders make an unusual counterpoint because, to some degree, there'southward no way to make a truck a truck without making it look like one. Those hints reveal the Colorado's global aspirations, a wait more than common to trucks in Asia and Due south America.
Inside the Colorado, there's a much closer kinship with the Silverado. Information technology's rugged with an upscale finish, and better finishes than you'll find in any Tacoma or Frontier. There'due south a beefy steering wheel with lots of control buttons, a shield-shaped dash wearing the chief controls and an LCD display, and a shifter mounted on a rather broad console that splits the cabin downward the centre (at least in front). It'due south truck-ish enough, but there's more than a passing resemblance to the latest Full general Motors sedans in the bolstering of the seats, the intersection of trim on the doors and nuance, and fifty-fifty in the soft-touch, aluminum-look trim itself.
The GMC Canyon, again, acquits itself a trivial better inside with some material and color selections, but you really need to park the two together to discern any major differences.
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A new V-vi should make the Colorado equally competitive as e'er.
With a trio of engine choices, the Chevrolet Colorado offers something for merely about every buyer.
And while nosotros haven't yet driven the updated 5-6 engine in the 2017 Colorado, nosotros've experienced it elsewhere and doubt information technology volition affect our seven out of ten overall rating for this mid-size pickup. (Read more than most how we charge per unit cars.)
The new V-vi is shared with a host of other GM products, and in this application it is rated at 308 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. Not only is the engine, with its direct injection and cylinder displacement tech new, but and so is the viii-speed automated transmission that accompanies it.
A 2.viii-liter turbodiesel inline-4 was last yr's star addition, making 181 hp and 369 pound-feet of torque at only ii,000 rpm. Trust usa, you'll notice no shortage of available torque for piece of cake pulling across the rev range. Properly equipped, a Colorado with the turbodiesel is rated at up to seven,700 pounds. Just the more important fact isn't a number—it'due south how effortlessly this engine catapults the Colorado and its cargo upwardly to speed, even at high elevations and up steep grades.
With V-8-like operation at the lower end of the rev range, acceleration from the turbodiesel is near effortless and it doesn't require the dramatic downshifts of a gasoline engine when scaling steep grades. Even if you're hauling a heavy load over the Rockies, the turbodiesel'due south torque helps eliminate hilly drama and its optional exhaust restriction makes traversing the other side a at-home affair by modulating downhill speeds.
Unless you're regularly exercising most of the Colorado's available payload capacity and towing capability, the 4-cylinder gasoline engine option is worth a look. With 200 hp and 191 lb-ft of torque on tap, it's acceptable for medium-speed urban duty that is the province of contractors and commuters akin. Don't immediately write it off.
If you're equally into manual transmissions, you're forced into the 4-cylinder anyway—but GM's six-speed automatic also makes the most of the four's moderate output. It'due south not the economy leader in the Chevy lineup—and rival fours from Toyota and Nissan match its combined fuel economy ratings—but it's a far better match for the kind of driving and infrequent hauling that a lot of truck buyers do, whether they realize it or non.
The gasoline V-6 checks in at the same 7,000 pound maximum towing capacity as last yr's same-size unit, which should exist fine for a small boat or even a trailer with a lighter weight machine on information technology.
For 2017, Chevy has added its Autotrac transfer instance, with an automatic mode suitable for any kind of pavement or dirt, to all LT and Z71 models. The work-oriented WT, on the other end, has a simpler setup that isn't meant for use on dry out pavement or just damp roads.
Regardless of setup, all Colorados smooth over bumps deftly with steering that tracks mostly true. Like whatsoever body-on-frame design, at that place are a fair amount of secondary ride motions that make their way into the cabin, but big tire sidewalls help quell some of the roughness.
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With its roomy interior and nice finishings, the Colorado is an first-class mid-size truck.
There's no regular cab Colorado, just that should be fine with most buyers. Instead, the coiffure cab offers a decent facsimile of a family car, while the extended cab offers decent in-cabin storage.
On all, the interior is a cut above the mid-size truck norm, almost impersonating the big boys like the Silverado when configured properly. For that, nosotros rate it a six out of x, dinging it mainly for a so-so second row of seats on all. (Read more well-nigh how we rate cars.)
Front seat passengers are treated to a big view outside and a car-like dashboard on both the crew cab and extended cab models. The Colorado has somewhat skinny forepart seats, but information technology'due south surrounded by good head and leg room, a well-finished nuance, and lots of small storage slots, bins, and trays. The driving position solitary would convince us to upgrade: it has a higher hip betoken and a more natural human relationship to the steering cycle—completely without the splayed-out, legs-out opinion you have to prefer in the Tacoma, in detail. This may not stand out on a quick test drive, but after an hour behind the wheel, the Colorado proves far more relaxing to drive.
The second row is definitely 2d form, regardless of cab. Pick the extended cab and a pair of jump seats occupy the space behind the front row. They're suitable for children to ride brusque distances, but that'south about it. The crew cab has enough room for adults, but it'south limited in leg room and the seatbacks are very upright.
The extended cab comes with a 6-foot bed, while the coiffure cab offers either a vi- or 5-human foot option.
The bed's much amend configured for twenty-four hours-in, twenty-four hour period-out use. It's shy on length to total-sizers, simply with available bed extenders, an 8-human foot object can be brought domicile without much fuss. Thoughtful touches abound in the bed: there'southward a corner bumper pace and easy-lowering tailgate on all versions, as well equally some 17 tie-down spots within the bed. Information technology tin exist fitted with either a spray-in bedliner or a drop-in one; cargo dividers; a system of racks and carriers dubbed GearOn; cargo nets and tonneau covers; a drop-in toolbox; and of course, trailer hitches and harnesses.
On the fit-and-finish front end, the Tacoma and Frontier have a lot of catching up to do, too. The Colorado's tall console stores an iPad out of sight, while likewise housing the shift lever, a USB port (or as many as four), and a pair of big cupholders. The shifter location's a modest concern, as it sits shut to the driver'due south knee joint, but it's a small-scale gripe in a motel and then well turned-out, particularly for the grade.
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Safe scores for the Colorado aren't fully complete, just federal ratings aren't too impressive.
The Chevrolet Colorado hasn't been fully tested past the IIHS, but federal testers haven't been all that kind.
The NHTSA assigned the Colorado a four-star (out of five) overall rating to the Colorado with a worrisome 3-star rating in the calculated rollover score.
Those scores mean that we can't assign it a prophylactic score higher than four out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
The IIHS gives the Colorado its summit "Proficient" rating for the enervating small-scale overlap front test, just it hasn't been evaluated in any of the agency'southward other tests.
Standard equipment with the includes six standard airbags that have larger side numberless meant to forestall passengers from existence ejected in a rollover. Over-sized side mirrors give better visibility, and a rearview photographic camera is standard. In improver to the standard stability-control system, the Colorado also includes standard trailer sway control and hill-descent control systems.
A forward collision warning system and a lane departure arrangement are optional on LT models, but at that place'southward no automatic emergency braking feature yet.
From piece of work truck to bucks-upwardly off roader, in that location are Colorados for everyone.
Though there are just three trim levels, a pocket-size number for a pickup, the Colorado offers a fairly high degree of flexibility and customization.
You tin can't choice and choose options similar you could decades ago, but the broad range of engine and sub-packages mean that you're not likely to find two matching Colorados on a dealer lot. For that, nosotros rate this truck an 8 out of x. (Read more about how we charge per unit cars.)
There are 3 flavors: WT, LT and Z71.
The WT stands for "piece of work truck," only even its features aren't necessarily basic. All Colorados come with vinyl seats, only they also get a standard rearview camera; a locking tailgate; tilt steering; power windows; ac; and an AM/FM radio with a USB port and a four.2-inch touchscreen interface; vinyl seats. These armada-duty trucks can also be configured with cruise command and keyless remote.
You can even order a WT with a bed delete in instance yous want to put a flatbed back there, for case.
From there, the LT serves every bit the volume model, and it includes cruise command, fabric upholstery, an 8.0-inch infotainment system, parent visitor GM'south OnStar safety and concierge services (which are included for five years every bit a basic plan but require a monthly charge afterward), a 4G LTE hotspot (that again requires a subscription), and alloy wheels.
The LT offers a wide range of options, including navigation, heated seats (in textile or leather), machine-dimming mirrors, and a Bose audio system.
The Z71 serves equally the flagship, but it'south also the well-nigh off-road-oriented model. It includes hill descent control, an automated locking rear differential, tow hooks, and all-terrain tires as standard.
Only the LT tin be ordered with lane departure warning and forrad collision alert, however.
The iv-cylinder gas engine is standard on extended cab WT and LT models, while the 3.6-liter Five-6 is standard otherwise. LT and Z71s are available with the turbodiesel, simply only with the crew cab trunk style.
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The Colorado is reasonably frugal for a mid-size pickup and its new 5-half dozen helps it stay competitive.
The 5-half-dozen is the virtually popular pick for many Colorado buyers, and in rear-bulldoze spec it's rated at eighteen mpg city, 25 highway, xx combined. With four-cycle bulldoze that rating slips to 17/24/19 mpg.
Since the V-half dozen is the virtually popular engine, by far, information technology earns a 6 on our calibration—simply. (Read more than near how we rate cars.)
The most fuel-efficient Colorado is the rear-bicycle bulldoze, automated manual 4-cylinder, which checks in at xx/27/22 mpg. Opt for the automatic and those figures driblet to 20/26/22 mpg.
A four-bicycle drive model with the 4-cylinder is rated at 19/25/21 mpg.
The rear-drive turbodiesel is much thriftier at 22/30/25 mpg, an impressive ready of numbers for a modest pickup. The four-wheel bulldoze version, meanwhile, is a still decent twenty/28/23 mpg.
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The Car Connection Consumer Review
Source: https://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/chevrolet_colorado_2017
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