Aug 11, 2020, 10:33 AM by Michael Garland

Beginning in the mid-to-late 1990s, the mid-size pick-up truck segment seemed to have lost its spirit and public appeal. However, in the early 2000s, the segment revitalized as consumers began thinking that smaller might be better at times, so Chevrolet took notice and returned to the small-package pick-up genre in 2004 with the Colorado, a compact pick-up launched to replace the Chevy S-10, in tandem with the GMC Canyon, which replaced the GMC S-15.

Thinking outside the truck box for Colorado’s second generation in 2012, Chevrolet resisted the impulse to build a “baby Silverado” by developing Colorado-specific architecture with a spirited demeanor. Colorado’s design is unique with a confident stance, aggressiveness, tall bedsides, a bold raked belt line for the cab, wrap-around headlights, distinctive trapezoid grille and more subtle fender flares. And the exciting ZR-2 and ZR-2 Bison come with a widened stance, higher suspension and enhanced off-road capabilities. Chevrolet also recognized that in trucks, power takes precedence, and to address that, Colorado, which began with 116-hp and 142-hp engines (206-to 216-lb-ft of torque) in 2004, has steadily increased its muscle to as much as 308 horses on one engine option and up to 369 lb-ft of torque on another.

Next year, Colorado will refresh with an updated grille, and a third generation should hit the showrooms in 2023 or 2024. So the second-Gen Colorado for 2020 adds only a key fob-operated tailgate lock control, a Tire Fill Alert, and Package-level changes including the Safety Package now available for the Z71 trim, changing the Chrome Luxury package to the Luxury Package, now available on Crew Cab models, and deletion of several cab long bed models, as well as the Redline and RST Luxury Special Packages. 

With a Crew Cab and 5-foot-2-inch box (it is also offered with a 6-foot-2-inch box and can be optioned with an Extended Cab), the 2020 Chevrolet Colorado measures 212.7 inches in length, 70.6 inches high (in 4WD) and 74.3 inches wide on a 128.3-inch wheelbase (the larger box requires 224.9 inches in length on a 140.5-inch wheelbase). Step-in height is 22.6 inches and minimum ground clearance is 8.2 inches. Curb weight for my LT trim came in at 4433 lbs. for the 3.6-liter engine, short box and Crew Cab in 4WD – the long box adds about 63 lbs. The Colorado features triple-sealed doors inlaid in the body sides and offers the segment’s first active aero grille shutters, designed to enhance aerodynamics when closed.

The interior is packed with convenience and safety features that blend attention to the driver’s need for work, recreation and everyday comfort. A bold, upright instrument panel with large controls and a center console with a floor-mounted shifter are a center focus, and a sculpted headliner that enhances headroom. Halo lighting on key controls offer an easier view and an open area at the front of the center console for easier phone charging are upscale appointments for a smaller truck.

Inside, with the Crew Cab, driver and passengers get 41.4 inches of front headroom and 38.3 in the Crew extension, 45.1 inches of front legroom with 35.8 for those in the second row, and shoulder room of 57.5 inches in row one and 56.2 in row two.

Engine choices are a 2.5-liter DOHC I-4 engine that puts out 200 hp and 191 lb-ft. of torque and is EPA rated at 19mpg/city and 24mpg/highway for the 4WD version, while the 3.6-liter V-6 delivers 308 hp and 275 lb-ft. of torque with an EPA estimate of 17/24 for 4WD.  The 2.8-liter turbodiesel that hums out 181 hp and a strong 369 lb-ft is rated at 19/28. My mixed-use tests put the 3.6-liter’s average at 21.1 mpg.

Nimble and maneuverable, utilizing its wide mid-size stance and demeanor, my Colorado LT’s electric power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering was responsive, and its maneuverability was markedly better than that of a full-size truck, but not carlike. I found only minimal bed looseness as my test truck attacked turns with confidence. Acceleration was steady and predictable in all ranges, and at the track, my LT 3.6 completed a hand-timed zero-to-60mph sprint in 7.1 seconds, and a quarter-mile in 15.5 (hand-timed). My LT’s 4-wheel-drive independent coil-over-shock front suspension with twin-tube shocks, mated to a solid axle rear with semi-elliptic two-stage multi-leaf springs and twin-tube shocks smoothed most road inconsistencies and was adequate for soft-road, and non-extreme off-road challenges.

The 2020 Chevrolet Colorado starts at $27,895 for the base WT trim in 2WD with the 2.5-liter engine, $30,895 for the LT in 2WD with the 2.5-liter engine, $35,095 for the Z71 trim and 3.6-liter, $44,195 for the base ZR-2. My test LT in 4WD started at $35,595 and upgraded to the 3.6-liter powerplant. Red Hot exterior paint was no extra charge, and a Luxury Package that added Jet Black, Leather-appointed seat trim, 4-way power front passenger seats, power driver seat lumbar control, the LT Convenience package, projector-beam headlamps, heated driver and front passenger seats, automatic climate control, remote start, manual sliding rear window, heated steering wheel, rear window defogger, fog lamps and more, added $2715. Front and rear splash guards added $180, Navigation added $495, 7-speaker Bose audio system was $500, The Safety Package for $690 added Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning, and destination and freight added $1195 for a sticker-as-tested of $40,175.

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Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years. </I>