Do You Need Any More? - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Long-Term Road Test

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Do You Need Any More? - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Long-Term Road Test

Do you really need to pay all that money for the massive capabilities of a full-size truck? The Chevrolet Colorado is good enough now that you may not have to.

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ebeaudoin

Oh goodness, you've just opened the 1/2 ton vs. mid-size truck debate. People will say "I can get a base Silverado for less than your loaded Colorado". That's true. I can get a base Accord for less than a loaded Civic; I can get a base F-350 for less than a loaded F-150; I can get a base Pilot less than a loaded CR-V, et al.

At the end of the day, buy what you want. Do you want features or size? I'd say for at least 60% of the truck-buying public, a mid-size pickup is all they will ever need. But this is Amurica! Success = Excess. (Not for me, thanks)

jstrauch81

Do I need more on an everyday basis? No. Do I want to save $2-3k and have less capability when needed, less room, and a marginal improvement in economy? No.

jeepsrt

I thought about downsizing to a Colorado from my current Raptor SuperCrew, two things came up that will have me hold on to my Ford. First being 6'6 I have to have the seat very far back and a 3 yo daughter in a giant car seat and another baby on the way we need the added room of a full size truck. Second was seeing the truck in person, it's very narrow and tall and with small tires even on the off road version looks awkward. If I could get a smaller truck I would wait for the redesigned Tacoma over the Colorado.

reminder

I have owned many vehicles, nearly all of them cars. Truth is, very few truck buyers are buying out of pure need. They want a truck, but certainly do not have a regular need for the utility they provide.
If you work in the construction trades, work a farm, have to move large travel or utility trailers, plow snow, travel on marginal roadways like seasonal access you NEED a truck. If you pick up a couple of bags of mulch from Lowes once a year, you don't need a truck.
Full disclosure, I own a '15 Colorado. I wanted one. It pulls my utility trailer nicely & is much easier to work out of than my Camaro.
If you want one and can afford it, bomb's away.

desmolicious

That front plastic piece seems like it would take away a lot of clearance.

s197gt

can we see what the truck looks like w/out that front air dam? i thought it was reported to come off fairly easily but could be wrong...

agentorange

Kudos to Chevy for offering a truck that will fit in more garages and more driveways. All the "I can buy a half-ton" crew seem to assume that we all live on 1/2 an acre and have lots of room to park a bigger truck. Guess again, guys.

allthingshonda

This would be the perfect truck for most people. Very few people who buy trucks use them the for what they were designed for. How often do you see a pickup with a 7,000 lb trailer in tow or 1,000 lbs of cargo in the bed? This truck is perfect for the occasional move, runs to Home Depot, etc. The whole idea of buying a truck with a 10,000 lb towing capacity "just in case I need it one day" is kinda silly. I think most people must agree. Unless GM is having production problems, it must be selling well. I never see more than two trucks at my local Chevy and GMC dealers sitting on the lot. Nicely equipped (auto climate control, heated seats etc.) they run about $33,000 and a similar full size truck is usually $10,000 more.

dan_acosta

Went from an 01 Silverado extd cab 6.5 box to an 05 Frontier crew for better off-road capability. Next up was an 07 Tundra with custom 4" lift to try to match the Frontier off-road (failed, Tundra was just too wide and long) and enjoy the hot rod 5.7 (success!). Now have a Sierra crew with 6.5 box, small lift for some off-road ability, totally enjoying the huge back seat and 33% improvement in gas mileage over the Tundra (20 vs 15). The new Colorado/Canyon is impressive, but as others have said, if you really have a use for a full size truck that's what you're going to buy. Saving 1, maybe 2mpg with the smaller truck, along with better maneuverability, would be great but I would miss the huge back seat and full size 6.5 bed. Granted, this truck is too long to fit in many garages, but it fits in mine. Now that I have a full size crew with 6.5 bed, I can't imagine going smaller. There's nothing like a full size truck for hauling and towing big loads, but then again there's nothing like a mid-size truck if that's all you need. Competition will hopefully only get better with the new Tacoma. The Tundra was great, but since the 14 had the same drivetrain as my 07 it became an also ran, which is why I went with the Sierra.