Chevrolet Colorado

For the vehicle of the same name sold in Thailand, see Isuzu D-Max.

Chevrolet Colorado / GMC Canyon
Overview
Manufacturer	General Motors
Production	2004–present (U.S.) 2004–present (Thailand) 2012–present (Brazil)
Assembly	Shreveport, Louisiana, United States Rayong, Thailand São José dos Campos, Brazil
Body and chassis
Class	Mid-size pickup truck
Body style	2-door regular cab 4-door extended cab 4-door crew cab
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel drive/four-wheel drive
Chronology
Predecessor	Chevrolet S-10 / GMC Sonoma

The Chevrolet Colorado and its counterpart, the GMC Canyon, are mid-size pickup trucks by American carmaker General Motors. It was introduced in 2004 to replace the Chevrolet S-10 and GMC Sonoma compact pickups.

First generation (2004-2012)

First generation
Overview
Production	2004–2012
Assembly	Shreveport, Louisiana, United States Rayong, Thailand
Body and chassis
Platform	GMT355
Related	Isuzu i-Series Holden Rodeo Isuzu D-Max Hummer H3 Hummer H3T Isuzu MU-7
Powertrain
Engine	2.8 L (171 cu in) LK5 I4 2.9 L (177 cu in) LLV I4 3.5 L (214 cu in) L52 220hp I5 3.7 L (226 cu in) LLR I5 5.3 L (323 cu in) LH8 V8
Transmission	5-speed manual 4-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	Regular cab 111.2 in (2,824 mm) Extended cab 126 in (3,200 mm)
Length	Regular cab 192 in (4,877 mm) Extended cab 207.1 in (5,260 mm)
Width	68 in (1,727 mm)
Height	65 in (1,651 mm)

Isuzu, which participated in the design of the truck, began selling its own version in late 2005, named the "i-Series". The Chevrolet Colorado was jointly designed by GM's North American operations, GM's Brazil operations, and Isuzu, based on the GMT355, itself the basis for the GMT 345-based Hummer H3. The vehicles are manufactured at a GM plant in Rayong, Thailand, and in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Chevrolet Colorado Xtreme extended cab

GMC Canyon crew cab

The Colorado/Canyon offer both manual and automatic transmissions. GM also offers either a rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive drivetrain with standard, extended, and four-door crew cab body styles. Most models come with the 2.8 L (171 cu in) LK5 I4 engine as standard, but a more powerful 3.5 I5 comes with the Z71 package on 4-door versions and is optional on all others. The 4-door Z71s also get the 4-speed automatic transmission standard. This package was later dropped in favor of LT2 and LT3.

A ZQ8 edition is available with a lower and more road-tuned "sport" suspension than the standard Z85 and comes with 17 inch wheels, color-matched bumper and grille, and low profile fender flares. There is also a Xtreme edition of the ZQ8 which has a different front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, fender flares, grille, headlights, and 18 inch wheels. The Xtreme edition is basically a continuation of a trim package from its predecessor, the Chevrolet S-10.

For 2007, Colorado/Canyon was facelifted and offered new engines, which include the 2.9 L (177 cu in) LLV I4 and 3.7 L (226 cu in) LLR I5 which were both introduced due to numerous head problems, new colors — Deep Ruby (Sonoma Red for the Canyon), Pace Blue (Sport Blue for the Canyon) and Imperial Blue (Midnight Blue for the Canyon), and new tires and wheels. Minor changes to the grille and interior for the LT and LTZ models; the LS models kept the same pre-facelift look, similar to the facelift of the TrailBlazer in 2005 & 2006. In addition, the "Colorado" & "Canyon" badges were phased out from the doors in favour of GM's corporate logo. For model year 2009, the Colorado was facelifted again and a 5.3 L (323 cu in) LH8 V8 is offered, producing 300 hp (224 kW) and 320 lb⋅ft (434 N⋅m). For the 2010 model year, the GM badges were phased out from those trucks, although fewer 2010 models had the GM logo on the doors.

Colorado/Canyon U.S. sales peaked in 2005 at 163,204 units, surpassing the perennial segment leader, the Ford Ranger, by almost 35% and just 3.3% behind the new best-seller, the Toyota Tacoma. In 2006, however, while still leading the Ford pickup by 27.5%, Colorado/Canyon's sales lagged their Toyota competitor's by almost 34%. One 2005 Canyon owned by successful U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown became famous as it was widely featured in his TV advertisements.

Despite crew cabs being limited to LT trims which most other Chevrolet vehicles only offer front bucket seating with the trim; the LT crew cabs are the only trims of the Colorado to have 6-passenger seating (i.e. with front bench seating).

Engines

Years	Engine	Power	Torque
2004–2006	2.8 L (173 cu in) LK5 I4	175 hp (130 kW)	185 lb⋅ft (251 N⋅m)
2007–present	2.9 L (178 cu in) LLV I4	185 hp (138 kW)	190 lb⋅ft (258 N⋅m)
2004–2006	3.5 L (214 cu in) L52 I5	220 hp (164 kW)	225 lb⋅ft (305 N⋅m)
2007–present	3.7 L (223 cu in) LLR I5	242 hp (180 kW)	242 lb⋅ft (328 N⋅m)
2009–present	5.3 L (325 cu in) LH8 V8	300 hp (224 kW)	320 lb⋅ft (434 N⋅m)

Chevrolet Colorado being used by Police in Olympia, Washington

Safety

In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's frontal offset test the Colorado (extended version) is given a "Good" overall score, however the crew cab is rated "Acceptable". In the side impact test, the Colorado crew cab is rated "Poor" with or without side curtain airbags. Side curtain airbags were made standard on all 2010 models; side torso airbags are not offered.For crew cabs the rating is 3 stars. For other the rating is 5 stars.

Yearly American sales

Calendar Year	Colorado	Canyon	Total U.S. sales
2004	117,475	27,193	144,668
2005	128,359	34,845	163,204
2006	93,876	23,979	117,855
2007	75,716	20,888	96,604
2008	54,346	14,974	69,320
2009	32,413	10,107	42,520
2010	24,642	7,992	32,634
2011	31,026	9,590	40,616

Second generation (2013-)

Second generation
Overview
Also called	Chevrolet S10 (Brazil) Holden Colorado (Australia)
Production	2012–present
Assembly	Rayong, Thailand São José dos Campos, Brazil Wentzville, Missouri
Body and chassis
Related	Isuzu D-Max Chevrolet TrailBlazer
Powertrain
Engine	2.4 L (146 cu in) Flex I4 2.8 L (171 cu in) CTDI (TD) I4
Transmission	5-speed manual 6-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	3,096 mm (121.9 in)
Length	5,367 mm (211.3 in)
Width	2,132 mm (83.9 in)
Height	1,785 mm (70.3 in)

The second-generation Colorado was shown at the 2011 Bangkok Motor Show, and will also be sold in United States. Both the Thai version and American version will be largely same, except some styling changes and engine range. The next generation of Colorado trucks may be the first diesel mid sized trucks to be sold in the United States. Production of the U.S. spec model will move to General Motors' assembly plant in Wentzville, MO, where a $380 million expansion of 500,000 square feet will be constructed to support the new Colorado's assembly.</ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/gm-starts-million-expansion-in-wentzville/article_76e66ee0-a372-11e1-a8da-001a4bcf6878.html |title=GM starts $380 million expansion in Wentzville |publisher=stltoday.com |date=May 21, 2012 |accessdate=2012-06-04

However, the Canyon will not return as a second generation.

External links

• Chevy Official site
• GMC Official site