2015 Chevrolet Colorado: All The Truck (Most Of) You Need

It's really easy to buy more truck than you actually need, but until recently it's been harder to do the opposite. A dearth of mid-size options, as compared to the full-size pickup spectrum, has had utility-facing customers facing the same seldom-updated Toyota and Nissan choices for the past decade or so as major truck players have instead focused on the obscene profits to be had in peddling big luxury models at high margins.

Enter the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado, an all-new mid-size model that goes beyond expectations by addressing the fact that size matters - in both directions. For those who live anywhere other than the wide open spaces that are indeed a facet of millions of Canadian lives, the Colorado fits better into a daily lifestyle that includes more concrete and congestion than cow-wrangling.

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Not Mid-Size: Right-Size

I'd like to dispel a common pickup myth that says any truck smaller than full-size is handicapped to the point of being a mere fashion accessory. The best truck for a given customer is the one that fits perfectly into their lifestyle, not necessarily the model with the highest tow rating, heaviest payload capacity, or most Chaparral leather stuffed inside the cabin.

I submit that the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado fills the role of urban runabout in a far more appropriate manner than its larger Silverado sibling. First, there's the matter of its modest proportions: yes, the completely redesigned edition of the Colorado is significantly bigger than its predecessor, but its overall length and especially width are quite manageable when squeezing through tight alleys, narrow parking garages, and bumper-to-bumper traffic. I drove the Chevrolet back-to-back with the also-new Ford F-150 and found that the Colorado was capable of taking corners and claiming roadside spots that the Blue Oval-badged pickup couldn't begin to contemplate.

But What About The Haulin'?

I know what you're thinking - a smaller truck means reduced utility, which translates into more trips back and forth to haul everything you need for whatever project or activity you bought the Colorado for in the first place. Again, the truth might surprise you. The four-door crew cab version of the Chevrolet is available with a box that measures just over six feet in length, which is a full six inches longer than that available with the family-sized F-150. The difference was apparent when hauling home eight-foot planks for a bookshelf I was building in my front hallway, as the Colorado was equally up to this same task I had performed with the Ford the week before. Towing is also impressive, with the V6 edition of the truck capable of lugging 3,200 kilos of trailer when equipped with the right package (more than double the average load being pulled by North American drivers).

Daily Practicality, Too

The crew cab's four doors aren't just there for show, either. Unlike the extended cab edition of the Colorado, the crew's rear accommodations are adult-friendly, which means you'll be able to justify the Chevrolet as a daily driver on top of its task-focused excellence. Interior trappings on top trim level trucks are comfortable, if not premium, which I found refreshing after the deluge of luxury-oriented pickups soaking up dollars on dealer lots. Sometimes I just want cloth seats, big knobs for handling the basic HVAC and audio duties, and an easy-to-clean centre console, and the Colorado delivers.

About That V6…

The 2015 Chevrolet Colorado starts out with a with a 200 horsepower, 2.5-litre four-cylinder base motor that's adequate for most day-to-day tasks, but the model I drove for a week had been upgraded to the vehicle's optional six-cylinder mill that's also… adequate. 305 horses and 269 lb-ft of torque are on tap from the 3.6-litre motor and are managed by a six-speed automatic transmission, and while the truck is certainly mightier than it's four-cylinder cousin, there's little sport to be found under you right foot. The Chevrolet may not be objectively quick but it does the job, which is what 90 percent of pickup buyers want to hear.

Much more impressive is the agility of the Colorado's platform when asked to turn a corner. I said it the first time I drove the Chevrolet back in the fall of 2014, and I still feel the same way: this is a truck that drives much more like a crossover than a full-frame pickup. Steering is more precise than expected (although I dealt with a rattle located somewhere in the column that reared its head when driving over bumps), the ride is comfortable, and I never felt like I was at the tiller of a cargo freighter that needs a hectare or two to complete a three-point turn.

Cut Through The Hype

In my time driving the Colorado, I found myself frequently hearing 'oh yeah, but for the same money you could be driving a full-size truck.' While in some cases, this is true - my four-wheel drive crew cab tester's sticker sat at just under $39k - statements focused on 'how much pickup' you get for your dollar miss the point. Why buy more truck than you actually need, especially if you've got nowhere to park it? Few would point at a sports car and complain that for the same money, one could be rocking a fully-loaded Suburban, and it's the same argument with the mid-size Chevrolet pickup.

The Colorado's not about getting better fuel efficiency (the improvement is marginal over the Silverado), nor is it focused on gaudy towing and hauling specs that will be accessed by a small percentage of owners on the rarest of occasions. Instead, Chevrolet has built a useful, smooth-driving truck that just makes sense to a significant number of city-bound customers and a sizable list of country-dwellers, too. It's also managed to catch competitors like the Nissan Frontier and the Toyota Tacoma flatfooted in the process.