I've Got The A 2015 Chevy Colorado For A Week, Whatcha Wanna Know?

"Andrew T. Maness" (theroadlessdriven) 01/13/2015 at 21:10 • Filed to: Chevy Colorado, Truck Yeah, Road Trip, Andrew Maness, The Road Less Driven, Motor Trend, Toyota Tacoma

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Look at that little toy truck right there. Isn't it cute? It's cute right? Motor Trend thought it was so cute that they named it 2014 Truck Of The Year. That's how they pick TOTY right? Cuteness?

Okay maybe some other factors went into their decision to award it the vaunted golden calipers. Maybe it was the 305hp 3.6L V6 that pulls strong as hell on the highway. Maybe it was the no detail overlooked bed with thirteen standard tie down locations and standard locking tailgate.

My guess as to what sealed the deal though, the interior. The last gen Colorado cabin was a terrible place to be for more than 10 minutes and due to the fact that my friend had one with a corporate gas card, I logged a lot of hours in that plastic factory. The new Colorado, much, much better than the old one. Great seats, Chevy's MYLINK infotainment system and lots of storage make the Colorado a pleasant place to hang out for an extended period of time.

My tester is a fully optioned Z71 off road package equipped model. I'll be taking it up to an off road park outside LA and seeing what kind of trouble I can get myself out of with the hill descent control. Aside from that, I'll be tooling it around town, seeing just how easy it is to live with a midsize truck in the city. Chevy wants young urban types to ditch the crossovers and get a crew cab, short box, Colorado instead, probably why they loaned me one. They also hope to lure over some Tacoma owners, which shouldn't be too hard since the the current gen would be an incredibly stupid purchase given how outdated it is and the next gen looks like a Tonka toy designed by anime artists.

So I'm going to take it offroad, I've already taken it on a mini road trip and I can tell you that the rear seat legroom is great for people up to 6'2. What else do you want to know internet folk?

Andrew Maness writes about cars because he has one and also has a computer. He's been known to drunkenly Tweet as !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and upload photos to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . He also has a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and thinks talking about himself in the 3rd person is really weird but knows it's necessary if he wants to be taken seriously as an automotive journalist.

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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 13:33

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Does it jump?

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 13:37

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Soooo far away. Looks like "some truck".

HammerheadFistpunch > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 13:37

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If you can, find a way to characterize the engine's powerband. I understand from my research and from the reviews that I've read that it feels very car like and doesn't have that low down grunt truck buyers want/need. If there is a way to help us [me] picture that, I would be appreciative.

The Little Engine That Couldnt > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 13:37

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how big is it compared to an average crossover? Does it drive particularly truckish? Can it do sick burnouts?

nermal > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 13:48

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How's the 4x4 system work? Is there an "auto" mode in it?

Aside from that.... how well does it work for picking up babes?

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 13:52

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Will it drift?

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 13:57

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I need to know everything, possibly a full write up after?

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 13:57

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Do something truck-ish with it. Cram the bed full of 2x4s and make a garden shed or something. Tow a rented jet-ski. Do anything that test the capabilities of this truck in the real world.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 14:05

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Considering the cost of a stripper Silverado (and the fact that even the stripper trucks aren't all that poorly equipped), what's the value proposition for the Colorado?

Easier to park, does most things you need from a truck, good on gas, pulls in an attractive mate?

JDMatt > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 14:09

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Can It blend in with other contractor's trucks in case you need to sneak onto a construction site?

bradleyjames518 > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 17:02

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Everything...I had an 05 Colorado Crew Z71...it was terrible in that although it looked packed feature wise, its practicality lacked. For example, the rear seat folded. It actually reduced the amount of storage. The seat did not even fold flat.

jkm7680 > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 21:12

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How truck-y is the ride?

Andrew T. Maness > HammerheadFistpunch 01/13/2015 at 21:13

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I think characterizing it as a car like powerband is spot on. It's got the go, make no mistake about that, especially when in manual mode and above 4500rpm.

It will move you in a hurry when you need it to but not with the most confidence I've ever experienced, especially when compared to a full size truck.

But that's not fair is it? To compare the Colorado to it's bigger brother or full size competitors. It's far better than the current Tacoma and doesn't have other competitors so for now, winner!

Andrew T. Maness > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 01/13/2015 at 21:15

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I've let all my friends know that I have a truck and am available to help them will all things "truck-ish" so hopefully someone will take me up on that.

Andrew T. Maness > JDMatt 01/13/2015 at 21:16

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Funny you ask that. I snuck into a construction site when I had the Silverado 2500HD so I will be trying the same thing with this truck tomorrow.

Andrew T. Maness > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 01/13/2015 at 21:16

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Full video review and "Oppositelock Review" will be up a week or so after I return the truck.

Andrew T. Maness > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 01/13/2015 at 21:16

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good question...

Andrew T. Maness > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 01/13/2015 at 21:17

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I plan to find out.

Andrew T. Maness > The Little Engine That Couldnt 01/13/2015 at 21:18

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Not much bigger than most crossovers, doesn't drive very truck-ish and I will attempt burnouts tomorrow which you can find on my instagram, @theroadlessdriven.

ly2v8-Brian > HammerheadFistpunch 01/13/2015 at 21:27

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With a quick Google search I found you the chart for the LFX. Very flat curve with almost instant delivery, very good for a truck.

Firewrx234 > nermal 01/13/2015 at 22:00

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I can tell you from experience that it doesn't have "Auto 4x4" but the 4x4 works well from what I've experienced.

*Chevy new car salesman

HammerheadFistpunch > ly2v8-Brian 01/13/2015 at 22:02

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check out the scale, it throws it off big time

ly2v8-Brian > HammerheadFistpunch 01/13/2015 at 22:06

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It's not going to change much zoomed in. You have 200+ lb/ft at idle with a gradual increase to the peak of 269 lb/ft @4000 RPM. still flat.

HammerheadFistpunch > ly2v8-Brian 01/13/2015 at 22:09

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I'm on my phone now but i did a analsys of it and when you extrapolate its more clear, I'll try and find it on my computer

ly2v8-Brian > HammerheadFistpunch 01/13/2015 at 22:14

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Ok, but I do agree on the scale, SAE went with a wonky scaling on this one.

HammerheadFistpunch > ly2v8-Brian 01/13/2015 at 22:14

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found it http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/trucks-need-tr…

ly2v8-Brian > HammerheadFistpunch 01/13/2015 at 22:19

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Interesting the minor differences between the tune in the Terrain and the Colorado

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Andrew T. Maness 01/13/2015 at 23:42

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That would be great!

HammerheadFistpunch > ly2v8-Brian 01/14/2015 at 01:04

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i just think they smoothed the curve visually, its the same engine

ly2v8-Brian > HammerheadFistpunch 01/14/2015 at 01:25

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Maybe some tweaks to the program.

For example here is the ATS. This version like the Terrain achieves peak torque at 4800, while the Colorado gets it at 4000. So the Truck engine has some minor differences, likely in the PCM flash. I find this a bit interesting really.

Minor differences aside lets look at the 1GR-FE

You get a very similar curve.

nermal > Firewrx234 01/14/2015 at 10:32

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That stinks that there's no open center or on-demand 4x4 mode. It's vastly superior for driving on the road in winter than either 2wd or locked 4x4.

Firewrx234 > nermal 01/14/2015 at 11:52

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If I'm not mistaken, a customer of mine said the new Canyon does have an "Auto 4WD" feature

jdrphs > nermal 01/21/2015 at 21:35

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The Colorado does not come with auto mode, but the Canyon twin does.