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Jalopnik does it again, with this Edmunds-supplied leak of the Chevrolet Colorado. GM’s mid-size truck looks like it’s gotten a thorough cosmetic revamping compared to the global variants, but no word on what powertrains we’ll be getting.
87 Comments on “Global Mid-Size Truck Fans Get An Early Christmas With Jalopnik’s Chevrolet Colorado Leak...”
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great products + horrible marketing = epic fail.
get rid of the banksters and have a chance. til then, sorry no cigar.
Buickman
They better call David Leisure, there’s a guy that knows how to sell an Isuzu. And change the name to “LUV”, that is a name with some brand equity.
Excellent.
I am not likely to get one of these (there are places around me that rent out pickups on the rare occasion I need one), but if I do get one I am getting LUV badges made.
Gives new meaning to find a car you LUV.
Now there’s more to LUV than ever.
+1
Shes not fat, she just got alot to LUV.
My comment was an actual slogan for the old LUV. Your comment could be an actual slogan for the new LUV.
I’ll have to post a forwarding address for my royalty check.
Cryptic equation + bizarre statement = Grandpa Ego is back
You commenters get the he11 off my lawn!
So… is the new pecking order midsize truck = old fullsize, fullsize = old hd, hd = aircraft carrier?
And the “super HDs” (4500, F550, IH trucks with pickup beds, etc.) are Imperial Star Destroyers.
Now we need someone to drive one really slowly overhead of a camera sitting on the pavement.
Probably the best-looking pickup on the road once it’s released.
I like the looks of this. It doesn’t try to pretend it’s a ‘big rig’ truck.
Likely still too big for my taste, but I’ll at least go take a look at it once it hits the dealerships.
Finally, the US gets the Isuzu D-Max.
If we get the SUV version that will mean the return of the Isuzu Rodeo!
Looks great! It’s what the 2014 Silverado should have looked like. Bring a diesel and I’ll be at the dealer.
To be fair, a Fisher-Price plastic pedal car has a better interior and is screwed together better than a Colorado. A pile of parts thrown in a cardboard box is better assembled and more reliable than a Colorado. Also, the cardboard box has a higher towing capacity under the SAE J2807 towing capacity test protocol.
I should probably add that I’m looking forward to the new Colorado and have my fingers crossed that it will demonstrate the excellence we know GM is capable of.
Great looking truck, keeping my fingers crossed for an SUV…oh and a diesel motor.
The global Trailblazer, which is made in Brazil, is currently on sale in Russia. 2.8L turbodiesel, 5spd manual or 6spd auto, traditional part time 4wd system. The cost is an eyewatering $53k in large part due to all the tariffs and whatnot imported vehicles in Russia face. I doubt they’d ever bring it here, especially with the diesel. There is simply too little demand for a midsize SUV with classic BOF build and interior space inferior to an Equinox.
http://www.zr.ru/content/articles/592505-ramnye-vsedorozhniki-dvoe-na-dvoe/p/2/
In the article, the Trailblazer faces off against a Chinese Hover H5 (copied Isuzu Axiom with an old mitsubishi 2.4 gas engine+manual gearbox and part time 4wd), a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (successor to Montero Sport, 2.5L diesel+ superselect 4wd), and the homegrown UAZ Patriot (solid front axle, 2.7L gas with available diesel, manual transmission). The testers loved the engine/gearbox combination, but the high cost was a negative. The aforementioned UAZ with its monster ground clearance tied the rear-locker equipped and aggressive-tire-shod Mitsubishi offroad, the Chevy was the nicest to drive on pavement.
Good info, thanks. I think this is the first time I’ve found myself envious of the vehicle selection available in Russia!
I know it is a long shot but I think a market still exists for a small(er) SUV that can tow with off-road capability that falls somewhere between the Wrangler Unlimited and Grand Cherokee. The geriatric 4Runner and Xterra would be the only competition.
Oh believe me I’d love to have a bunch of “real” SUV options back on the market, ideally affordable ones. The Xterra is right in the sweet spot for me from just about every angle. It’s affordable, utilitarian, can be equipped with a stick shift and optional rear locking diff. I considered buying one as an only vehicle but ended up with my commuter civic and my weekend wheeler/hauler 3rd gen 4runner instead. 18mpg in mixed driving is too hard to stomach. One of these 2.5-2.8L overseas diesels would be just the ticket, minus all of the insane emissions stuff we’re saddled with.
My brother has a 2002 Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7, that’s a real sleeper of a trucklet. He has a 5spd manual mated to the 185hp 2.7L v6, part time 4wd and manual hubs that he installed on the cheap. Some A/T tires and a steel skid plate and it’s the perfect all around vehicle. The hubs allow for the front axles and diff to completely disconnect and not be rotating when in 2wd, he ends up getting about 25mpg around town, with a torquey, turbine smooth small v6. His is a base model so the useless 3rd row was never installed, instead there is ample cargo space. His isn’t lifted so the long-ish wheelbase can get him hung up on really gnarly stuff, but for most non-rock crawling offroad situations it is perfectly adequate.
Strangely, here in Oz where we have had these for a while, the Colorado always comes second to the Ford Ranger in reviews but the Isuzu D-Max has just won several ute of the year awards. Is it just the available engines that make the difference? I don’t know.
The front of that truck bears a striking resemblance to the ’07 Tahoe parked in my garage. So styling wise, who is copying who again?
Great looking truck, hopefully it is put together as well as the full size stuff from GM.
I disagree, front looks like my 6 year old Chevy Tahoe with a refresh. Looks nothing like the current Colorado.
Whats the differences in engines?
Thanks! I was trying to find out some details on the engines. Was bit of a pain for the Chevy side.
I do like the Isuzu better myself but, beggars can’t be choosers especially if this get a diesel here in the US.
Given that GM dumped its VM Motori shares on Fiat, maybe the Colorado will be switching to Isuzu engines, too …
It is likely too large for my tastes in a “midsize” but it is a handsome looking vehicle.
That looks hot. Looking forward to see the GMC version.
Please GM, send that front end to global markets.
the global version is ugly compared to this
the global SUV version is especially heinous
did US test audiences not like the global one?
The global version wasn’t too bad considering what it will be competing against. I was wondering why they bothered to redesign it for the US market. Now I understand why. This just takes it to a whole another level and the Tacoma is going to get slaughtered.
Cant wait to see the GMC version which is almost always better designed. They can sit back and start printing money if they sell a new Trailblazer here with that front end.
Oh,I thought you had your sarcasm button on. “the Tacoma is going to get slaughtered” and “if they sell a new Trailblazer”. Well, maybe; kinda sorta; could happen in some sort of parallel universe; bizzaro-world.
Additional snark: The GMC is the same truck. Let me repeat, it’s the same truck.
Correct, typically with better styling than its Chevy cousin.
I’m pretty sure US test audiences didn’t warm up to the int’l. front clip, which looks almost identical to an Equinox.
Handsome. Looks tougher/meaner than the int’l version, but without going into cartoon territory.
This looks suprisingly good for a GM truck.
looks like when they let 15% of the air out of the bag, the typical small genitals compensation hubris went with it.
A diesel motor in a nicely equipped version priced to compete against an SR5 Tacoma would likely do very, very well.
“the typical small genitals compensation hubris went with it”
Somewhere right now, an under endowed tough guy is trying to figure out what it will take to get a huge lift kit and some knobby mud tires under this thing.
Looks pretty, here’s hoping this is step one in getting the global ranger back in ‘Mercia where it belongs.
Herp-derp; I’ll take me a diesel that will cost as much as Silverado and replace it once every human generation. Brown and manual transmission to finish up the meme.
Sorry, but Jalopnik doesn’t get credit for this leak. Your headline is inaccurate. It was tipped by a reader on carscoops.com, which in turn was tipped to Autoblog, then Jalopnik, and now – TTAC.
Way to go GM i thought you would screw up the look. This is perfect.
One of the best things about small and mid sized trucks is the ability to put and get things in and out of the bed without a step ladder.
Bit small (too tall, yet too narrow), and the CUV front end is hideous.
If it was any bigger it would be a, um, Silverado
Both vulpine and davefromcalgary have clled it too big. You think it’s too small? You realize this is “mid-sized” right? Vulpine and davefrom calgary want a compact truck like the Ranger. What are you looking for?
I’ll toss in my hat in the too big crowd, although to be fair I will need more pictures to render a decisive verdict. This should be the Silverado and the Colorado should be an S-10 without all of the S-10 issues.
I’m talking about proportions equal to a midsized, its way to tall from the rockers too the roof yet lacks approach angle. Maybe with the high sides cut down it would look more appropriate
Not sure the crowd that is concerned with approach, breakover, and departure angle is the target audience here. A crew cab truck is always going to get hung up offroad. Guys who care about those things buy used and build anyway.
I’ll credit that 18″ shorter while retaining a 6-foot bed helps it a lot for me. But six inches narrower and only three inches lower aren’t enough. This thing could lose five inches more in each dimension and I wouldn’t complain.
Hummer – can’t build GMT800’s forever.
Do what? This article is about mid sizers…
“Hideous CUV front end”? You’ve not seen the int’l. market front end, then. Lifted straight off an Equinox.
I didn’t say it wasn’t better than the intn’l front end, but they could have least made it not reek of estrogen. The whole plastic skid/front “bumper” looking thing was outdated before they put it on the Z71 GMT900 SUVs.
Love to see Ford caught with their pants down. Ford needs to find a new CEO because the idiot they have now has left this area of the market completely.
Rather than give people what they want (a light-duty pickup that’s not the size of an aircraft carrier), Ford thinks that what Ranger buyers really want is a Focus or Fiesta. Unreal…pickup buyers don’t actually want a pickup, they want a compact or sub compact tin can. That is the level of idiocy at Ford Motor Company.
GM is going to do well with this.
Actually, Ford would rather sell Transit Connect vans to former Ranger buyers, and the Transit Connect has proven to be a smart-enough idea that Chrysler Group and GM have both been sent scrambling to release their own downsized vans (GM ended up rebadging a Nissan van and Chrysler Group made light modifications to the Fiat Ducato). I don’t think there really is an appreciable market for people who want compact trucks like the Ranger; however a midsized truck that slots below the gargantuan F-150 and the other fullsizers would probably be quite successful, but it probably wouldn’t be all that profitable, considering the fact that Ford doesn’t currently have a midsized BOF platform in the U.S.
“downsized vans”
You mean like a minivan? What a great idea, they could sell them to housewives, they’ll just love them
Not anymore, they don’t. The average stay-at-home mom would much rather have a CUV over a minivan, even though a minivan is much more space-efficient. The minivan now has shouldered the image of the station wagon, the very thing it was built to usurp.
Yeah, I’ve heard that
Niche product. While I like it there isn’t money to be made here. How much cheaper will this be than the Silverado with the cash on the hood. I say this as a Nissan Frontier owner so I am clearly not a midsize hater.
Additionally they had a midsize up until very recently so this isn’t a new idea. I think Ford is making a smart business move here. Let GM test the market. If it is a hit the global Ranger is ready to go but keep in mind the market here. The midsize truck buyer is by and large made up of fleets and cheapskates. Not a ton of money to be made here but glad to see what looks to be a competitive product none the less.
But I would give it a look when the Frontier wears out, but I am a cheapskate that likes to roll up my windows with a crank and sit on vinyl if possible, like your average non fleet midsize buyer.
Niche product just like the Jeep Wrangler is a niche product. I guess I’m just a cheapskate then because I drive a Wrangler Sahara and absolutely do NOT want a full-sized pickup truck (even though I have one.) Honestly, I was actively looking at trading my F-150 for a Toyota Tacoma ’til I saw some of the teaser shots of the Colorado. Still wish they’d kept the Global front end, though. At least this front end looks better than any other pickup trucks’ for now.
I didn’t want a fullsize either, but the Wrangler and this truck hardly occupy the same niche.
The most important thing to take away from Z71_Silvy’s comment is that he does NOT have an axe to grind. I repeat – no axe to grind.
The naughty Ford man touched his special place. I can understand the anger.
Ford has a Ranger that it can import from Thailand chicken tax free should this sell.
The market has shown that not very many people actually want compact or midsize pickups. When they can get a super size basically for free, the vast majority take the upgrade.
“Supersize … for free”? You’ve GOT to be kidding! $7,000 is NOT free and that’s the average price difference between “equivalent” models right now of mid-size to full-size pickups. That’s an average of $100 more per month or one year more on the loan.
There are more people who want mid-size or smaller trucks than you think. Many of them are driving mid-size or smaller SUV/CUVs right now simply because they don’t want a Nissan or Toyota.
If Ford’s case, the difference between the Global Ranger and the low end F-150 was minimal. This is one of the main reasons they aren’t selling it in NA/ there is actual overlap.
The second reason is that it has been a shrinking market. Fewer and few buyers want them, so why invest heavily in the segment or cannibalize some full size sales to appease the Orkin man? Ford gladly sold him a Transit Connect anyway.
I heard this traight from Jim Farley’s mouth. So I guess you could call him a liar, but in reality, if there was money to be made by selling the Global Ranger here, they would do it.
@Vulpine – Crew cab mid-sizers are comparable most with full-size extra cabs in front/rear legroom, minus 3-across seating. And their prices are within a few $100, MSRP. But after full-sizer rebates, mid-size trucks get killed.
Ah, but see, you make assumptions again. I don’t want CREW CAB in any truck I buy; I simply don’t need the seats. The extra cab compact has more than enough space behind the seats to carry my dog, my bowling balls and almost anything I would normally carry inside–including my tools. What I NEED is a 6′ long bed that’s wide enough to carry at least 20 (preferably 22 to 24) heavy plastic event tables for a once-a-year charity event and the occasional sheet of plywood/wallboard for my hobbies and home repairs.
I don’t NEED an 18-foot-long Road Whale™ for that purpose, though for the price of $2500 I couldn’t argue when I bought the one I have. What the one I have DOESN’T have is room for my dog, my tools, my bowling balls, etc. INSIDE the cab. So the truck I have does not meet my needs OR my desires; I’m forced to make do with what was available and that’s why I hate the current mindset that everyone wants a full-sized truck.
I.
Don’t.
A double cab Tacoma with 4WD and the V6, the only midsize that currently exists as far as retail buyers are concerned, stickers around 32-33,000 and actually sells for around 29.
You’re telling us a lightly equipped, extended cab half ton actually sells for 36,000?
What you’re really telling us is you haven’t shopped trucks since the Ranger was fresh.
Are there stripped down Tacoma Crew Cabs out there? I ask because sticker on my Frontier was like 24k, considerably less after rebates and negotiations. Only option was the automatic (AC, V6 were all standard). I could not find a similarly equipped Tacoma and no dealer seemed interested in getting me one. But yes, the pro4x models with Nav were over 30k and that is in fullsize territory even for the homely Frontier.
One thought. Perhaps the seemingly high asking prices on the Sierra that were being bantered around were to make some room for this truck, though that strategy only works if the other makers play ball, otherwise people just buy the cheaper fullsize from another manufacturer.
@Dan – The F-150 Super cab 4X4 in XLT trim is $35.6K, but in the upper $20Ks after rebates. But don’t expect much money on the hood of Tacomas. They don’t spend much time on the lot.
This is so much better looking than the current Colorado/Canyon, which has the appeal of a hairless cat.
When the Colorado/Canyon came on the scene a decade ago, the styling wasn’t a problem. The awful engines and quality made them third rate. GM’s quality has gotten incrementally better. Chances are they’ll still expect buyers to take engines that only make sense on their CAFE balance sheet.
2.5 4-banger @ 193 HP / 184 TQ
3.6 6-banger @ 302 HP / 270 TQ
2.8 diesel – release after launch
6700 lb towing capacity
leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-colorado.html
I don’t know the full logistical picture, but I’m a little disappointed they went for the 3.6L over the 4.3L.
Once they released the all aluminum 5.3L V8 in those trucks, they were good performers with basically no fuel economy penalty over the lackluster 5 banger.
I’m thinkin there won’t ever be a V8 option in these.
Lets be honest, it isnt like the Tacoma or Frontier were setting the styling world on fire. You are correct, these trucks didn’t sell because they were garbage, not because they were ugly. My Frontier is cheap inside, but it is honest cheap and screwed together decently and the VQ40 is solid if thirsty. The GM twins just felt like garbage. The Taco was the most refined of the bunch when I shopped.
Make this 1/2-3/4 the size and I might be interested. Same problem as the current gen Taco, too big.
Last time I went car shopping I looked long and hard at the Tacoma, test drove it a number of times, and just couldn’t do it. I’ve owned older ‘Yotas in the past and liked the size up until the early 2000’s (also a fan of old S10’s, Ranger’s, etc). I hate the road presence of a large truck, and that its such a pain to park, and its just plain inconvenience. I ended up buying a Golf instead and putting a roof rack on it. I have an older 22re 4runner I keep around for offroading and if I need to haul shit, but it would have been nice to have a reasonable daily driver that also offered those options.
I’m 6’2″, and I like the Tacoma’s cabin size. I drove one of the bigger Tacomas the other day though, and with a 4-door cab and reasonable sized bed, it is too big to be convenient in our unlined parallel parking spaces. A friend of mine buys them with the jump-seat cab though, and those are probably as small as there is a real market for in this age of super-sized people. It isn’t like ‘global’ trucks are smaller.
I like the looks of this truck and think if it is competitively priced and offered with an optional diesel it could do well. I hope the this truck sells well enough to give Toyota and Nissan an incentive to update their midsize trucks.
Only 9 more years and I can swap in the legendary Toyota 3 litre diesel into our family Truckster, 1997 4Runner! If it wasn’t for mounting issues, a GM 3800 V6 would be the backup plan.
Good looking truck. Engine and tranny combo’s will make it or break it for GMC. Mind you, not much in the way of competition so it has a good chance of eating into Toyota sales if it turns out to be reliable.
@Lou_BC – Yeah looks good, but it’ll eat Toyota’s lunch, no matter what. Governments and other fleets (like Orkin), practically demand domestic compact trucks, as opposed to offshore brands. But mostly base strippers. The same with middle America consumers. The only question that remains, will it be profitable for GM? And does that matter to GM.
That’s my thought…I can’t see how they make a profit here but I’ll be pulling for them. As a midsize truck guy I will be highly disapointed if in 2023 I go shopping and see the same tired Tacoma and Frontier in the showrooms. Hopefully this puts some life in the segment but I see a tough road to turning a profit not to mention that each sale is a potential lost sale of a more profitable Chevy or GMC fullsize. I think that last fact is why the Japanese makers have less of a problem selling the midsize trucks…They sell way fewer fullsize trucks to begin with.