So after test driving the Frontier, the Dancer saw a Colorado that someone had driven in and decided she really liked the look of them as well, so we drove to a Chevy dealership and test drove one of those- and she far preferred the Colorado.
So, what can everyone tell me about them? Thanks!
Also, counterintuitively, we’re debating leasing instead of buying it...
Newest generation or last? The last generation did not seem to age well at all when i looked at them last year.
I’ve rented a few and been pleased. A few folks here have towing and multi year experience.
If we are talking the first-gen rigs, they have the stupid setup where the brake rotors bolt to the back of the front wheel hubs, so unless you have an on-car lathe or ar okay with pad-slapping, a brake job usually turns into replacing front rotors at the same time as well. The engine bays are kind of the proverbial 5-pound bag. Want to change a valve cover gasket? You have to yank the LF inner wheel well, the intake manifold and either the alternator or A/C compressor (can't remember which). The Atlas I4s and I5s don't seem to be particularly powerful but are pretty coarse and thrashy. They were available with 5.3Ls from the factory but those are rare as hen's teeth. This might be a Rust Belt thing, but I've seen a rash of them where the fuel pump rusts out and then when you pull the fuel tump, the tabs for the lockrings also turn to dust, requiring replacement of the whole tank.
I am also thinking about a used 2017 Colorado. Would want 2wd, 6cyl, LSD, towing package. Crew cab. I am retiring this year. Will be towing open trailer with about 2800 lb car between FL and DE twice a year. (Snow bird and Autocrosser)
other wise I like mid size idea and practicality of a pickup.
Is it enough to tow comfortably?
i understand they drive well on the highway.
opinions?
We’re looking at 2019’s... hers is one vehicle I’d prefer to not have to worry about maintenance on and just have fixed under warranty..:
I researched this and the Silverado to death. Being a tall guy I had the seat way back past the B pillar to be comfortable. I also felt the price was similar to the Silverado of course it was when the latest generation had come out and they had minimum available at the dealers.
I like the Colorado’s but the one I like is pushing $40,000. The downside to my Silverado is gas and the behemoth in my small garage.
I sell Chevrolet commercial vehicles. So wear Chevrolet goggles but the Colorado is a very good vehicle. I chose one as my demo. The 3.6 makes enough HP and Tq to feel nimble. Never had the trans in a place where shifts weren't absolutely spot on. Averaging 22.7 MPG. Good turning radius. Very good bluetooth. Tows 7,000 lbs. Voice activated controls. Best for me is that it is smooth, tight and quiet everywhere. Very good seats but take longer than 20K for the foam to break in. Basically does everything well. Its about as big as two generations old full size. So would I vote with my own pocket. Yes. Crew cab 2wd (because Atlanta) LT trailer tow Bose. Have driven the ZR2 in the desert at Ron Fellows place and it is uber capable if that's your thing.
I have two of the older ones. They have been pretty much perfect.
I know a local pro-level autocrosser that bought a current gen Colorado with the diesel.
It was in the shop almost continuously for months after purchase. I just texted him, Chevy finally gave him a big discount on a new one.
For more info- we'd be getting a crew cab (4 full doors) 4WD 2019 (or 2020, if for some reason we're not able to get it until the new ones come out.. and would likely be trying to get a good deal on the previous model-year ones....). Probably won't be getting a fancier trim like the Z71 and just getting a 'work truck' model.
We're reconsidering whether the lease would work... there's a definite concern of staying in the 36,000 miles over the course of it as it would mean we really couldn't ever take it on any of our longer trips, which would be one of the things we'd certainly want to do with our newest and nicest vehicle... but the trip to WI and back itself is 1,200 miles- so effectively a month's worth of driving in less than a week.
In reply to Datsun310Guy :
There are some good deals to be had on the 2018 Silverados... but they're just too big...
If considering a lease then consider something with high resale like this Tacoma sample lease for $174 or maybe a new Jeep Gladiator
I just bought a 2019 GMC Canyon, crew cab, long box, 4wd. I tow a small car on an 18' open trailer. Overall I like the truck, however I'm not fussy on the seats. They're hard and flat, not uncomfortable, but not comfortable either. Maybe they'll break in over time. Mine listed for just under $40K and with the incentives at month end it went out the door just under $35K, taxed and tagged. My sons and I can fit comfortably in the rear seats and we're all about 5'10" and I'm the smallest at 190#. The rear isn't as roomy as a full size, but it's big enough. Running around I'm averaging about 21-22 MPG, which is about the same cost per mile as my R53 MINI CooperS gets running 93 octane. Overall, I'm happy with it.
For the base trim trucks, I found the Tacoma SR’s to be the best equipped for the least amount of money, at least in 2018 when I was looking. Some quick builds on the Chevy site and Toyota site says that a Colorado WT is about $1000 more when similarly equipped, before rebates and all that. To me, the Tacoma fit better and looked better and will definitely have a better resale.
A friend got a double cab first gen Colorado and hated it with a fiery vengeance.
I5 got abysmal mpg, he averaged 14mpg. The front axle and 4wd system needed several repairs, and for some reason the heater relay needed replaced 4 times in a year. It didn't have high miles when he got it and he got rid if it as fast as possible
In reply to skierd :
For better or worse, in this case it doesn’t matter whether a different brand/model would be a better value/hold its value or potentially more comfortable- the first criteria is that she likes how it looks, and she definitely doesn’t like how the Tacoma or Rangers look. She’s more ambivalent about the Ridgeline (actually liked the previous gen better) but for now is pretty set on the Colorado. Even though I’ll drive it a lot, it is and will be her vehicle so unless there’s a serious flaw or downside I’ll go along with what she wants.
Oh, so you're looking at the 2nd generation of Colorados. Those are a pretty good rig. They are a really nice driving truck, they feel way more solid and better bolted together than the Silverado/Sierras. The earlier ones had some weird transmission vibration issues that required replacement of torque converters (basically GM was just leaving the chips in the case after machining, thinking that the filter would catch them, but the material was instead getting in the torque converter and causing a shudder while cruising) but that has since been taken care of. The 4-cylinder models aren't terrible to drive, but the 3.6L has more punch to it.
2017 Colorado Z71 with the 2.8L Duramax here. Current mileage is 25,950 and its been flawless. Tow once a month, either a small work trailer or the Fiesta ST/Chump Car to get worked on or to events. It is my daily driver and tow pig. I cross shopped between all of the mid-size trucks along with the 1/2 tons.
The colorado offered more for less in my case. For $35,752 out the door, i got a Z71 package versus just an XL package F150 with the 2.7L Ecoboost and a few options at $38k. While its not a full 1/2 ton it makes up for it with the included options in the Z71 trim.
My take after 25k miles of fun:
~The diesel engine is amazing but needs a little bit more power. An extra 15hp would make the truck just about perfect. The truck actually reacts better with a load on it than unloaded. I assume Chevy removes part of the torque management system when you hit the exhaust brake button as the whole truck feels more lively in almost every gear.
~Transmission shift points are funny. It will hold a gear when you want it to shift and then shift when you want it to hold a gear. Worse when towing and the exhaust brake is electronically controlled so it only works when certain parameters are met(throttle %, load % and downhill %). If it was just set to DFCO at all times it would be exceptional when towing. Instead it will rev the engine out to 4k and hold it there while going down a hill with a load behind it. You just feel its unecessarily wearing something out being that high in the rev range for that long.
~I have one rattle from the front suspension. I believe it to be the strut mounts clunking. Only happens occasionally(once a month) and when it does its only for a second. Tried to get GM to fix it but they want to hear it first before throwing parts at the thing. I have driven 10x with a service manager to try to get it to make the noise but the truck doesnt want to act up when they are riding shotgun.
~The stock Goodyear Adventurer Kevlar tires are absolutely garbage. The single worst aspect of the truck to date. They have zero grip in the snow, no grip on the job site and road noise is abhorrent. They also have bubbling on the sidewalls after 25k of very light towing/offroad abuse. I called Goodyear and they offered to replace them with another set but i dont want to deal with them again. I went and got Falken Wildpeaks which are ready to go on at my 30k mile service.
~The stock struts are very high in compression damping. Rebound feels great but the compression damping is a bit stiff for my liking. Makes bumps feel worse than they really are. I know alot of people going with a monotube damper(Bilstein/Rancho) and saying the ride improves immensely with just a shock change.
~People do complain that the interior is low quality but i feel its perfect for a truck. The seats are "leather" but have held up to some abuse by the way of tools, parts, baby vomit(that was a bad one) and dog paws. No rips, tears or stains so far and they are very easy to clean. Dashboard is plastic fantastic but does the job fine. I wouldnt want anything else for a truck. Easy to clean and no signs of wear to date.
~Truck will get high 20' to low 30's mpg unloaded as long as i let the truck warm up. My commute right now is 1/2 a mile from my house to my jobsite so i get around 23mpg. The last job was over 50 miles one way and the truck got on average 30mpg. While towing is where it shines. With a loaded uhaul auto transport the truck was getting 17-20mpg on average. With a lighter tow dolly and the Chump Car on it the truck got 22mpg going approx. 90 miles. Not bad for a truck.
~i had a fuel filter housing crack sometime in the winter of 2017. Caused all kinds of idle surge and bucking. GM replaced the whole filter housing, filters and added anti-gel to the tank for free.
Overall its been great. I purchased the add on 5yr/100k mile warranty from Chevy as i planned to keep this truck for a while. I doubt i will need it. No issues with emissions junk yet and it seems that if you dont have any problems by this point the truck is not likely to have them.
Here is the truck picking up the Chump Car:
Did GM ever fix the timing chain issues on the 3.6? I recall that being a pretty big issue on other platforms with than engine
Had an '11 5 cyl WT and loved it. Great mileage, mid 20s on the highway and very comfortable on long drives. The engine sounds like a 5 cylinder, get used to the sound or turn up the radio. Even though they are rated for pretty high tow numbers I found with a 3500 travel trailer it was working a little too hard for my liking. And that was with the trailer empty and just me in the cab. So if you are considering it as a tow vehicle the silverado might be a better choice. I bought an 04 with the little LS and while it is not as much fun to drive it tows great and gets high teens mpg around town.
tjbell said:Did GM ever fix the timing chain issues on the 3.6? I recall that being a pretty big issue on other platforms with than engine
They seemed to have. The majority of timing chain issues seemed to be on the Lambda chassis (Acadia, Traverse, Outlook, Enclave) and Caddy CTs. Equinox/Terrain with the 3.0L and 3.6L or the Malibus with the 3.6L we never saw an issue with, unless it was obvious negligence/abuse. But from about '14 on, even the ones that were notorious for timing chain issues seem to be much better.
Thanks for all the good input!
We'd be getting the V6- they did have one diesel on the lot, but everyone involved agreed that it was unnecessary for what she'll be using the truck for (she will haul a lot around in the bed, but it's light stuff and any towing will likely still be handled by my Infiniti since, well, I'll be the one towing and it's my vehicle...). Ironically one of the strike against the Z71 was the leather seats- she hates them with a passion, though the partial-leather ones weren't as bad as the Infiniti's full, black leather seats (and the cooling function on the Z71 was nice). Neither of us noticed much difference in suspension between the 'work truck' and Z71 models.
When test driving the Colorado for the first time after driving the Frontier, she noted that though it didn't seem to be slow that it just felt like it had less power than the Frontier. I pointed out that the Colorado had several more gears in its transmission to play with than the Frontier and that it was likely because the computer was keeping the engine in a more efficient RPM range since she was driving it fairly conservatively... and proceeded to punch it after we swapped for me to drive it back to the dealership and demonstrate that if you really wanted it the power was definitely there.
Figuring out what to do regarding leasing, financing, or trying to outright buy it is almost trickier than deciding what truck to get in the first place. We don't have a really good bead on just how many miles she has driven over the last few years so there's a concern that with a 12,000 mile/year lease we'd go over that- especially since we'd likely want to be driving the nice, new truck instead of my nearly 20-year-old (but still quite nice, honestly) SUV. At least some of it will come down to what we can get in the way of financing on it... when we ran the numbers with a loan through our insurance/bank (USAA) the monthly payments for a 5-year loan were almost exactly the same as we were quoted for a 39-month lease- so for 2 more years of the same payments we'd own the truck outright.
I have a crew cab long bed Colorado diesel, LT trim. I use it primarily for commuting, but have towed with it (5k lbs) and piled stuff in the bed when moving or doing yard work. I put 15k miles on it in 7 months, and it has only been back to the dealer for the complimentary oil changes. The transmission had a shudder to it when new, but seems to have stopped now that it's "learned" my driving habits. Lifetime average is 27mpg and I do about 65/35 city/hwy.
The seats are satisfactory, but definitely not uncomfortable. I do plenty of driving and my back has never complained. I have the non-lumbar seats in gray cloth. The CarPlay/Android Auto system is awesome and even the WT trim gets them as an option. Mine also has the Bose and nav, which both work well and is one of the better sound systems I've had in my vehicles.
Buying outright is what I did. The truck stickered for $43k and I got it for $38k taxed and tagged. You can generally get 10% off MSRP, and then add on all the incentives that Chevy has. The incentives are around $3-4k max, so nothing like the $5k discounts you see for a fullsize. However, the resale of these still look pretty good where I see some used diesels going for low-$30's with 30-50k on them.
The dislike of leather seats makes me also recommend the possibility of a former rental car Nissan Armada. The low trim (but still very well equipped) SV model (cloth seats) has a new MSRP of $50k but after 36k of rental miles they are $28-$26k which seem like a lot of SUV.
Also, I have a used car loan through PenFed who is currently showing 3.49% on New Cars and 4.04% on Used Cars for 60 months. The Hertz ad I listed above is offering 6% and 7% rates which is pretty crappy.
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