By Glen Woodcock, Autonet - After an absence of three years, General Motors' Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins are back, filling a void in the pickup truck segment that's existed since Ford also killed off the Ranger in 2012.
Until the return of Colorado/Canyon for model year 2015, Toyota Tacoma was the only compact or midsize pickup available to North American buyers.
The Colorado extended cab is about as basic a truck as you can buy these days, with a starting price of $22,800. As tested at the recent Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) competition, it weighed in at $27,515. Still, that was $9,750 less than the better equipped Canyon Crew Cab, $27,079 less than Ford's F-150 Crew Cab, and a whopping $35,255 under the price of the Ram 150 diesel Crew Cab that also were competing in the pickup category.
All of its rivals had four-wheel drive while Colorado competed in rear-wheel-drive form.
Many people - small tradesmen especially - don't want or need a truck equipped like a luxury car. These are the folks among whom the Colorado (or Canyon) Extended Cab will find favour.
For CCOTY, GM replaced Colorado's standard 2.5L inline-four engine and six-speed stick with the optional 3.6L V6 and six-speed automatic. That added $2,365 to the MSRP, but both options are upgrades that many buyers will go for. So is the $275 trailering package. Towing capability is a respectable 3,175 kg.
With the bigger 305-hp engine, anticipated fuel economy of 13.0 L/100 km city and 9.2 L/100 km highway beats all rivals except Ram diesel.
The interior is a little slim on creature comforts, and the rear jump seats are occasional use only, but Colorado's driver position, visibility, handling and ride comfort were not blown away by the opposition.
Colorado felt quick when I drove it and the official numbers recorded by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada confirmed that. With a 0-100 km/h time of 7.8 seconds, the RWD Colorado was much quicker than the bigger and heavier Canyon and Ram, and beaten only by the new light-weight aluminum F-150. And not even the Ford could come close to its 80-120 km/h passing time of 4.7 seconds.
If proof was needed that the days of the V8-powered pickup are numbered, all of the 2015 CCOTY contenders were powered by V6 engines.
Even in base form Colorado is no stripper, with four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, traction control, electronic stability control, rear-view camera, air conditioning, and power/windows/locks/mirrors/driver's seat. It's exactly what a lot of pickup buyers have been looking for.
Until the return of Colorado/Canyon for model year 2015, Toyota Tacoma was the only compact or midsize pickup available to North American buyers.
The Colorado extended cab is about as basic a truck as you can buy these days, with a starting price of $22,800. As tested at the recent Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) competition, it weighed in at $27,515. Still, that was $9,750 less than the better equipped Canyon Crew Cab, $27,079 less than Ford's F-150 Crew Cab, and a whopping $35,255 under the price of the Ram 150 diesel Crew Cab that also were competing in the pickup category.
All of its rivals had four-wheel drive while Colorado competed in rear-wheel-drive form.
Many people - small tradesmen especially - don't want or need a truck equipped like a luxury car. These are the folks among whom the Colorado (or Canyon) Extended Cab will find favour.
For CCOTY, GM replaced Colorado's standard 2.5L inline-four engine and six-speed stick with the optional 3.6L V6 and six-speed automatic. That added $2,365 to the MSRP, but both options are upgrades that many buyers will go for. So is the $275 trailering package. Towing capability is a respectable 3,175 kg.
With the bigger 305-hp engine, anticipated fuel economy of 13.0 L/100 km city and 9.2 L/100 km highway beats all rivals except Ram diesel.
The interior is a little slim on creature comforts, and the rear jump seats are occasional use only, but Colorado's driver position, visibility, handling and ride comfort were not blown away by the opposition.
Colorado felt quick when I drove it and the official numbers recorded by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada confirmed that. With a 0-100 km/h time of 7.8 seconds, the RWD Colorado was much quicker than the bigger and heavier Canyon and Ram, and beaten only by the new light-weight aluminum F-150. And not even the Ford could come close to its 80-120 km/h passing time of 4.7 seconds.
If proof was needed that the days of the V8-powered pickup are numbered, all of the 2015 CCOTY contenders were powered by V6 engines.
Even in base form Colorado is no stripper, with four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, traction control, electronic stability control, rear-view camera, air conditioning, and power/windows/locks/mirrors/driver's seat. It's exactly what a lot of pickup buyers have been looking for.
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