Class Compact pickup truck | ||
 | ||
Manufacturer Chevrolet/GMC (General Motors) Production 2003–2012, 2014–present (U.S.)
2004–present (Thailand)
2012–present (Brazil) Assembly Wentzville, Missouri, United States
Rayong, Thailand
São José dos Campos, Brazil
Shreveport, Louisiana Body style 2-door regular cab
4-door extended cab
4-door crew cab Layout Front-engine, rear-wheel drive/four-wheel drive | ||
The Chevrolet Colorado and its counterpart, the GMC Canyon, are compact pickup trucks marketed by American automaker General Motors. They were introduced in 2004 to replace the Chevrolet S-10 and GMC Sonoma compact pickups. It is named for the American state, Colorado.
Contents
First generation (2003–2012)
The Chevrolet Colorado and its twin, the GMC Canyon were jointly designed by GM's North American operations, GM's Brazil operations, and Isuzu. Isuzu, which participated in the design process, began selling its own version worldwide in 2002. In late 2005, Isuzu offered a version in North America called the Isuzu i-Series. This North American model Isuzu shared North American powertrains, styling, and equipment with the Colorado/Canyon twins and differed from Isuzu's worldwide offering. All Chevrolet, GMC, and Isuzu versions worldwide are based on the GMT355, itself the basis for the GMT 345-based Hummer H3. Most vehicles for markets outside North America are manufactured at a GM plant in Rayong, Thailand, as well as at a GM plant in São José dos Campos, Brazil. Most North American-market vehicles were manufactured in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The cooperation between GM and Isuzu to build a light-duty truck and offer it in North America returns to an original arrangement the two companies had in the 1970s with the Chevrolet LUV, a rebadged Isuzu Faster.
The Colorado/Canyon offer both manual and automatic transmissions. GM also offers either a rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive drivetrain with standard, extended, and four-door crew cab body styles. Most models come with the 2.8 L (171 cu in) LK5 I4 engine as standard, but a more powerful 3.5 I5 comes with the Z71 package on four-door versions and is optional on all others. The 4-door Z71s also get the 4-speed automatic transmission standard. This package was later dropped in favor of LT2 and LT3.
A ZQ8 edition is available with a lower and more road-tuned "sport" suspension than the standard Z85 and comes with 17 inch wheels, color-matched bumper and grille, and low profile fender flares. There is also a Xtreme edition of the ZQ8 which has a different front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, fender flares, grille, headlights, and 18 inch wheels. The Xtreme edition is basically a continuation of a trim package from its predecessor, the Chevrolet S-10.
For 2007, Colorado/Canyon was facelifted and offered new engines, which include the 2.9 L (177 cu in) LLV I4 and 3.7 L (226 cu in) LLR I5 which were both introduced due to numerous head problems, new colors — Deep Ruby (Sonoma Red for the Canyon), Pace Blue (Sport Blue for the Canyon) and Imperial Blue (Midnight Blue for the Canyon), and new tires and wheels. Minor changes to the grille and interior for the LT and LTZ models; the LS models kept the same pre-facelift look, similar to the facelift of the TrailBlazer in 2005 & 2006. In addition, the "Colorado" & "Canyon" badges were phased out from the doors in favour of GM's corporate logo. For model year 2009, the Colorado was facelifted again and a 5.3 L (323 cu in) LH8 V8 is offered, producing 300 hp (224 kW) and 320 lb·ft (434 N·m). For the 2010 model year, the GM badges were phased out from those trucks, although fewer 2010 models had the GM logo on the doors.
Colorado/Canyon U.S. sales peaked in 2005 at 163,204 units, surpassing the perennial segment leader, the Ford Ranger, by almost 35% and just 3.3% behind the new best-seller, the Toyota Tacoma. In 2006, however, while still leading the Ford pickup by 27.5%, Colorado/Canyon's sales lagged their Toyota competitor's by almost 34%. One 2005 Canyon owned by successful U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown became famous as it was widely featured in his TV advertisements.
SG Automotive manufactures a clone of the Colorado called the Huanghai Plutus in China
Safety
In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's frontal offset test the Colorado (extended version) is given a "Good" overall score, however the crew cab is rated "Acceptable". In the side impact test, the Colorado crew cab is rated "Poor" with or without side curtain airbags. Side curtain airbags were made standard on all 2010 models; side torso airbags are not offered.
Isuzu i-series
The Isuzu i-Series mid-size pickup truck line was manufactured from 2005 to 2008. Launched at the 2005 New York International Auto Show, for the 2006 model year, the i-Series replaced the Isuzu Hombre, which had been out of production since 2000. Like the Hombre, which was based on the compact Chevrolet S-10 / GMC Sonoma, the i-Series was based on the Chevrolet Colorado / GMC Canyon. The sales for the i-Series were poor, with just 1,377 sold from the start of production through February 2006 according to Automotive News. As part of Isuzu's withdrawal from the United States market after the 2008 model year, the i-Series was discontinued, replaced by the related Hummer H3T for GM's Hummer brand.
Second generation (2012–present)
The second-generation Chevrolet Colorado was shown at the 2011 Bangkok Motor Show. It is available in three different cab styles: regular cab (single cab), extended cab (space cab), and crew cab (double cab) and may either be rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.
Holden Colorado
The Holden Colorado was revealed at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show and went on sale in June 2012 in both Australia and New Zealand. It is available in four trim levels: DX (single cab chassis only), LX (chassis only), LT and LTZ. Single cab and crew cab models are available as either two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.
A Thunder Edition is available on 4x4 LX, LT and LTZ models. Among the features included with the pack are a nudge bar and towing kit, front carpet floor mats and a one-piece rear carpet floor mat, a bonnet protector, slimline weather shields and "Thunder" badging.
Trim levels
US market
The US-spec model was revealed on November 20, 2013 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Production is expected to begin at Wentzville Assembly in 2014, with vehicles arriving at dealerships nationwide by mid-late 2014, as an early 2015 model year vehicle. It competes with other midsized pickup truck offerings, such as the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma. The US spec model features a different front fascia, with its design being similar to the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, and different engines. General Motors' Wentzville assembly plant, received a $380 million expansion of 500,000 square feet that was constructed to support the new Colorado's assembly. On September 18, 2014, GM announced that it would add more workers to the Wentzville assembly after it received early advanced orders of 30,000 Colorado/Canyons from its dealerships ahead of its release.
For the initial launch, the Colorado was available with either a 2.5 L Ecotec I4 engine or the 3.6 L LFX V6 engine. The 2.8 L Duramax LWN turbodiesel engine was added in 2015, and is a first for its class ever in the US market. It is also available in three cab configurations: extended cab with a 6.2 ft (1.9 m) bed, crew cab with a 5.2 ft (1.6 m) bed, or crew cab with a 6.2 ft (1.9 m) bed, with four-wheel drive being optional.
Sixteen-inch or seventeen-inch steel wheels or alloy wheels are available, as will a decor package for the W/T model that adds a chrome front grille and body-colored door handles and side view mirrors.
Trim levels
GMC Canyon
The all-new GMC Canyon was introduced on January 12, 2014. GMC introduced in an official press and video release and made its public debut the following day (January 13, 2014) at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Sales started at dealerships in the second quarter of 2014 as a 2015 model.
The Canyon offers the same features as its cousin, but will have a higher MSRP and more options. It also sports a front grille design that closely resembles its full-size sibling, the GMC Sierra. The 2015 Canyon comes in three trims and either two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The base model is only available with the 2.5 L Ecotec I4 engine, a 6-speed manual transmission, and two-wheel drive.
Optional features (based on trim) will include active aero grille shutters, available OnStar 4G LTE connectivity with on-board wifi, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and an available Teen Driver feature that limits speed and audio volume.
On February 16, 2015, GMC posted spyshots of a Canyon with Denali styling, indicating plans to add the mid-size truck to the Denali lineup as a 2016 model.
Colorado ZR2
The ZR2 concept was shown at the 2014 LA Auto Show, and due to positive feedback a production ready version was announced 2 years later at the 2016 LA Auto Show to be a part of the 2017 lineup.
The Colorado ZR2 offers the same amenities as its brother the Z71, but is heavily tailored towards off-road performance. The ZR2 model will be available in 2 body configurations; crew cab with 5 ft bed or extended cab with 6 ft bed. Engine options are the 3.6 L LGZ V6 engine and the 2.8 L Duramax LWN turbodiesel engine.
Chevrolet designed many new parts specifically for the ZR2 to improve off-road performance. New features and parts standard on the ZR2 include: