Chevrolet

2015 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Crew Cab Test Drive

Written By: Jerry Reynolds | Dec 11, 2014 12:00:00 AM

 

While I had the new Colorado for review, it was named the Motor Trend Truck of the Year, a bit of a surprise for all of us who expected the 2015 F150 to walk away with the award.

2015 Chevy Colorado Z71

My review truck is the 4-wheel drive Z71 short bed Crew Cab and it is nicely equipped. It is silver in color with the black interior. It has the 3.6-liter V6 and a 6-speed automatic transmission. You can get a 200-horse 4-cylinder if you wish and we know that sometime next summer, there will be a 4-cylinder diesel option.

Let’s talk size for a moment; this is NOT a compact truck. It is midsized and a lot more, with plenty of room inside for five adults, with good rear seat room. You have plenty of different configurations including a Work Truck (W/T) that starts about $21,000 but you cannot get it in an automatic transmission. Next up is the LT followed by the Z71.

Notable standard equipment on the Z71 includes locking differential, hill descent control, rearview camera, keyless entry, locking EZ lift tailgate, fog lamps, tow hooks, power driver's seat, heated seats, and steering wheel controls.

Everything operates by an 8” color touchscreen that lets you choose a suite of apps, including one that turns the inside of the cab into a Wi-Fi hotspot. Front seats are bucket with a center shift transmission. The seats are comfortable and appear to be of high-quality materials. The Colorado is pleasing to look at and drive.

Options on my tester are Bose premium stereo, navigation system-which, by the way, works great, it’s got a spray-in bed liner, and trailer towing package. The options are run $1720. Oddly missing for a truck in this price range is push-button start, some sort of sunroof, and HD radio. It does have automatic temperature controlled air conditioning.

The Chevy Colorado is a very enjoyable truck. It is capable of towing 7000 pounds, looks like it would be terrific for people who want to go off-road, and it has a lot of safety features. It is receiving very good reviews from most of the automotive press, who rate on the truck itself without regard to value.

Pricing Issues

As I feared would happen, the Chevy Colorado is priced very close to the 2015 Silverado comparably equipped and is more than a 2014 Silverado. There are no rebates on Colorado at this time, but I suspect that will change. For me, there needs to be $5000 difference between Silverado and Colorado equipped the same. Down the road, I am confident there will be good incentives on Colorado, and I expect the diesel version to be a big seller, no matter where they price it.

I like the truck a lot, but the price is just way too high, and I had hoped for better fuel economy. I am going to try to review a lessor equipped version with the 4-cylinder, I think that is where their sales success could come from.

  • What I liked most: Ride, drive, and exterior looks.
  • What I would change: As stated, the price.
  • MSRP: Base price $34,115. As equipped $36,710.
  • Fuel Economy: 17 City/24 highway/20 combined.
  • Odometer reading when tested: 830 miles.
  • Weight: 4380 Pounds.
  • Length-Width-Height: 212.7 long/74.3” wide/70.6” High.
  • Fuel Tank Capacity: 21 gallons.
  • Towing Capacity: 7000 Pounds
  • 2015 Chevy Colorado in a few words: Great truck, seriously overpriced.
  • Warranty: 3-year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper, 5-year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty with roadside assistance, and 2-years of free maintenance.
  • Manufacturer’s website: Chevrolet

Photo Credit: Chevrolet

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