2021 Chevrolet Colorado

Overview

The mid-size 2021 Chevy Colorado pickup and its corporate sibling, the GMC Canyon, provide everyday practicality and broad capabilities, with considerable towing and payload ratings. Plus, they are much easier to maneuver than their full-size offspring. The Colorado boasts three different engines, including a surprisingly quick V-6 and a stump-pulling diesel four-cylinder. While the interior is overrun with cheap plastics, and even the biggest cab size has a small back seat, the truck maintains a pleasant driving position and athletic handling. Chevy ensures every model has a modern infotainment system, but it leaves many contemporary driver-assistance features off the roster. The 2021 Colorado has a good enough resume to suit many pickup shoppers, but it lacks the qualifications to interest a wider audience.

What's New for 2021?

The Colorado lineup is getting a new look for 2021. The most drastic changes include an aggressively styled face for the already distinct ZR2 model; the 2021 looks more like Bane from the Dark Knight trilogy than it does a pickup truck. Along with red tow hooks, the ZR2 and Z71 gain a Sand Dune metallic paint color. Likewise, lesser trim levels will receive revised front ends and different badging than before. Chevy hasn't said how much the newest Colorados will cost; we'll know more about that closer to the on-sale date, slated for next year.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

While the Colorado is a popular truck, its lack of modern driver assists and its subpar interior quality diminish its desirability. For that reason, we'd recommend the model that makes the Chevy unique among mid-size pickups. That's the jacked-up wide-bodied ZR2. Sure, it's the most expensive trim level, but it has a host of exclusive equipment that includes exotic spool-valve shocks, electronic locking diffs on both axles, and one of the wilder front ends we've seen on a modern truck. We'd choose the crew cab for its bigger back seat and stick with the standard V-6 versus the pricier diesel option. We'd also select the Kinetic Blue paint and bed-mounted spare-tire carrier because we like the look. The performance air intake and cat-back exhaust of the Power package would make our final list, too.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

The Colorado offers a powertrain for just about everyone: a base four-cylinder with a six-speed automatic transmission (the six-speed manual is no longer available), a speedy 308-hp V-6 with an eight-speed automatic, and the segment's only diesel—a 2.8-liter four-cylinder that makes an impressive 369 pound-feet of torque. While the V-6 and diesel are excellent dance partners for Colorado, the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder is weak and grumpy. We've tested the diesel and the gasoline V-6, and although vastly different in character, either will serve its owner well. At 9.1 seconds to 60 mph, the diesel-powered ZR2 crew cab can't keep up with the V-6-powered LT model, which hit that metric in 6.1 seconds. (Oddly, the crew-cab ZR2 with the V-6 was significantly slower than its standard V-6-powered counterpart.) The diesel's true forte is its maximum towing capability, backcountry trekking, and fuel economy.

Towing and Payload Capacity

Unlocking the Colorado's maximum towing capabilities (7000 pounds with the V-6 and 7700 with the diesel) requires the Trailering Equipment package. The base Colorado with the four-cylinder can tug 3500 pounds. Trailer-sway control—which applies the brakes of both the truck and the trailer if the system senses the latter is swaying excessively—comes standard on all Colorados.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

The Colorado's forgettable four-cylinder earns EPA ratings of up to 19 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. The ratings for the all-wheel-drive V-6 model remain unchanged, at 17 mpg city and 24 highway. When subjected to our 200-mile 75-mph regimen, the six-cylinder Colorado crew-cab returned 23 mpg, just 1 mpg shy of its 24-mpg EPA highway rating. The rear-drive diesel is the segment's most efficient powertrain, with estimates of 20 mpg city and 30 highway.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

Those familiar with the front seats of full-size trucks will feel right at home in the Colorado, which boasts a spacious cockpit. Stuffing more than two people in the available crew cab’s back seat will be tight, though, and interior materials seem as though they came straight out of a ’94 Chevy S-10 pickup—that is to say, they look cheap. A deep center-console bin and a massive compartment under the crew cab's rear seat provide a fair amount of cabin storage. Based on our testing, the interior of the Colorado doesn't hold as many carry-on suitcases as the Honda Ridgeline (11 versus 18), but it will carry more stuff in either of its two voluminous cargo beds. Both the Colorado's 41-cubic-foot short box and the 50-cubic-foot long box dwarf the Ridgeline's maximum of 34 cubes. The Toyota Tacoma does slightly better than the Honda, offering 38 cubic feet in its short-bed model and 47 in the long, but the cargo-bed crown belongs to the Colorado.

Infotainment and Connectivity

Featuring a Wi-Fi hotspot, two intuitive touchscreens, and the Chevrolet Infotainment 3 Premium system, the Colorado remains near the top of the segment in terms of infotainment features. The base truck now offers a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth audio streaming for two devices and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability; all other models have an 8.0-inch display, featuring attractive menus and responsive touch functions. The only way Chevy could improve the MyLink interaction experience would be by incorporating telepathy.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The 2021 Colorado earned a four-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but it wasn't named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). We'll update you when they have. Chevy's mid-size pickup lacks many choices when it comes to driver-assistance technology. Key safety features include:

• Available forward-collision warning
• Available lane-departure warning
• Available rear parking sensor

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

Chevy provides a competitive limited and powertrain warranty for the Colorado. While Toyota has better complimentary maintenance, GM at least covers the first visit for free.

• Limited warranty covers three years or 36,000 miles
• Powertrain warranty covers five years or 60,000 miles
• Complimentary maintenance is covered for the first visit

More Features and Specs