Chevy unveils 2015 Colorado

Chevrolet put the Toyota Tacoma squarely in its crosshairs Wednesday with the unveiling of the 2015 Chevy Colorado. 

The Colorado will be available in extended cab body style and six-foot bed, or a crew cab with a five or six foot bed configurations.

Two and four-wheel-drive models will be offered across three trim levels (WT, LT and Z71), including an off-road Z71.

The interior and exterior has been revamped and shares similar scaled-down features with its bigger brother, the Silverado. 

“The all-new Colorado benefits from the solid foundation established by the Silverado, and it reinvents the midsize truck while reinvigorating the segment at the same time,” said Mark Reuss, General Motors executive vice president and president of GM North America.

It’s like the younger, more eager brother of the Silverado – a Chevy truck through and through, with great zeal and a spirit of adventure,” Ken Parkinson, executive director of Chevrolet Design, says. 

A 193 hp 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder will be standard, with a 302 hp 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine option. Both will be matched with six-speed automatic transmissions.

The truck will also offer a class-exclusive diesel option will be added in the truck’s second year.

A Duramax 2.8L I-4 turbodiesel is already offered in global markets

The Colorado is expected to offer class leading payload capacity and trailering capacity of more than 6,700 pounds. 

The Colorado expected to be joined in the small pickup truck market by the not-yet-released GMC Canyon, which will share a platform but have design and feature differences. 

Colorado goes on sale in fall 2014 as a 2015 model.

Some of the truck’s biggest advancements come from behind the cabin. The truck features a standard CornerStep rear bumper design pioneered on the 2014 Silverado; available EZ Lift-and-Lower tailgate that uses an internal torsion bar to make raising the tailgate easier with one hand, and a damper for more-controlled lowering; standard two-tier loading that allows a platform to effectively split the bed into upper and lower sections, making it easier to haul, store and conceal items such as tools; thirteen standard tie-down locations throughout the bed for use with available, movable cargo tie-down rings; standard bed rail and tailgate protectors; and available factory-installed spray-in bed liner.

Interior details include a sculpted door panels that make it easier to enter/exit the vehicle; upper-instrument panel storage bin (when not equipped with the uplevel audio system) and large glove box; standard center console with room to store a tablet; and rear under-seat storage.