Chevrolet Colorado Overview

Chevrolet's compact-midsize pickup truck is now in its 8th model year, receiving minor refreshes over the years but virtually unchanged for 2011. It shares a platform and powertrains with the GMC Canyon. The Colorado is available in 3 cab configurations: Regular and Extended with a 6-foot bed, and the Crew Cabs with its 5-foot bed. The base engine is a 2.9-liter inline 4-cylinder making 185 hp and 190 lb-ft. of torque. An optional 3.7-liter inline 5-cylinder is good for 242 hp and 242 lb-ft., while the top-of-the-line flex-fuel 5.3-liter V8 outputs 300 hp and 320 lb-ft. 4-cylinder cars come with 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions, while other engines are limited to the 4-speed automatic.

The Colorado is a solid choice for truck buyers not in need of huge towing and payload capabilities, though competing models offer newer technology.