What is the Ideal Truck for You?

Unless you are a construction manager and need to move large items or haul a great deal of payload to the jobsite most full size trucks are more than you will ever need. Even for some smaller trailers these trucks are overkill, which makes a midsized truck the right choice. Of course you can’t pick just any midsize truck because many of them have an engine that is so underpowered it feels as energetic as a slow moving sedan that you found at the bottom of the pricing structure. When you want to match the power you need with the athletic size and build of a midsize truck the Chevrolet Colorado diesel is the right truck for the job.

Do you want to be able to take a few dirt bikes out to the trails for an awesome weekend ride? The Colorado can do it. Do you have your heart set on camping on top of a trail over the next few nights? Let the Colorado be the truck to get you and your trailer there. Have you decided you want to haul your new race car project to the races? The diesel powered Colorado can get the job done for you.

This truck is powered by a 2.8-liter Duramax diesel four-cylinder engine that will give you 181 horsepower and 369 lb.-ft. of torque. Wait a minute; didn’t I just chastise underpowered midsized trucks? Yes I did, but this is not underpowered. The secret to power in a truck and the ability to haul, carry and pull what you need is the torque, not the horsepower and 369 lb.-ft. of twist is a number that will make even some full sized truck jealous. With this powerful engine the beauty is you also receive good fuel mileage numbers, giving you the best of both power and efficiency.

What if you don’t like the noises most diesel engines make? That’s ok, the Colorado has a great deal of insulation and sound deadening features in order to minimize the noises that are specific to diesel engines. You will still hear some of these noises, but not nearly as many as you find on most other diesel engines. The beauty of this truck is not only in the quiet cabin but in the way it instantly uses the torque when the accelerator is pressed, making for an impressive workhorse right from the start.

Inside the cabin you find a truck that is comfortable and high tech. As a new to the market truck the Colorado offers you all the driver assistance features you want to enjoy in a great sedan and as much comfort as you might expect from a truck that is a bit smaller than the others. Add the wonderful trail and trailering features and you will be able to enjoy the drive wherever you take this amazing truck. The six-speed automatic transmission helps this engine get the job done at the low rev counts to offer you the work horse you need this truck to be.

After only being on the market for a year GM pulled out the Colorado and Canyon as a pair with a diesel variant to deliver the knockout blow to the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier. Not only are these new trucks going to give the power you want but if you don’t even choose the diesel version you will enjoy the fuel mileage of over 30 mph on the highway using regular gasoline, a number neither of the Japanese models have any chance of hitting. Because of the Colorado and the Canyon the midsize truck segment is scrambling to compete, but may find themselves left behind.

For the diesel model you can expect to have anywhere from 20 to 25 mpg in town and may even gain as much as 35 mpg on the highway. This is quite a different approach to truck ownership than having a full size truck that stays in the teens for gas mileage, which is unfortunately the accepted tradeoff for the ability to tow and haul trailers and items that are needed, which is where this truck really shines over any other midsized truck model.

The average haul any of us put on a truck is under 4,000 pounds, which makes the fact this truck can haul up to 7,700 pounds a mark of serious ability. This number is a little lower with 4WD as it comes in at 7,600 pounds, but is still much better than what you might find on any other midsized truck. During towing your fuel numbers will drop, but you can still expect to reach anywhere from seventeen to twenty mpg when you tow a load behind the truck. This number fluctuates based upon your driving capabilities, which makes it important to lean to save fuel if you tow or haul on a regular basis.

Take the Colorado off the paved path and you will enjoy the amazing performance of the 4WD and the fact that you get power at low revs to get you in and out of what would be a sticky situation. The Chevrolet Colorado diesel is the truck that makes the most adventurous outdoor partner for you to enjoy the drive and explore areas you haven’t thought of before with the confidence you will make it back home safely.

Whether on the road, towing a load or out on the trails, the Colorado and the Canyon have put the final touch on their lineup with the diesel engine that leaves all others way behind.