Recently, we got to experience the 2017 Chevrolet Colorado for our father’s day weekend. What was a weekend suppose to be a retreat in Tagaytay, became a weekend for productivity and even quick road trips.
This is our 2nd pickup truck to review for the blog and we are definitely smiling everytime we drive any new vehicle. So how did the Chevrolet Colorado fair our experience? Here is our quick review.
Design
Chevrolet’s front grill is composed of two major areas that are similar to the Camaro, but this strong and agile look is present to their Trailblazer, Trax, and even their Sail. The iconic Chevrolet logo is a sign of its strength and attitude of a formidable vehicle.
Even at the back, strong soft curves follow through the vehicle. Only a selected fancy details are to be noteworthy, but overall the look of the Colorado is more of a minimalist pickup as compared to the kinds of Ford and Isuzu.
The color we got is their famous “Pull Me Over Red” signature color, we love it to be honest as the color isn’t really common in the road.
18-inch wheels are up in the 4×4 AT model we reviewed, it gives the confident size you should have on a pickup. Plus, the rims are really nice without bordering the look into an industrial image.
Once inside, you will be greeted with the standard vertical type front dashboard setup which is ideal for pickup trucks. Inside is a dark matte black combination with very few chrome finishes to add to touch.
The interior is overall pleasing with a combination of faux leather top and plastic finishes. But we like the vertical aircon vents that add flavor to the flat design. It’s like we’re in an airplane style cockpit or maybe we’re just overthinking it.
The gear controls are pretty straight forward, you can still have a Tiptronic-style transmission for those unique occasions you want to punch more RPM.
Same with the Chevrolet Sail, there are center console controls for the hazard and other essentials such as the lane assist and parking sensors. You even have two car power outlets for up to 150W of power each.
Drive Experience
Upon receiving the Colorado, we immediately transferred our refrigerator from our old house to my mother’s soon-to-be sari-sari store. Silly as it may sounds, but a refrigerator is very delicate and shouldn’t lay on its side cause of the chemicals in the radiator.
With some rope, we easily carried a medium sized refrigerator to our house. All stable thanks to the easy-to-located hooks for the rope to latch on. Driving with a refrigerator at the back was alright, we were running around 50-60kph with ease.
Just a weird experience that the truck bed’s door can be opened regardless if it’s locked or not. There isn’t a key hole either so we were puzzled in how we can lock the back door…and we were unsuccessful.
In other occasions, we drove the Colorado in Antipolo for a quick spin. The 2.8L diesel engine produces 200 powers of torque, we can simply accelerate to 80kph and above with ease. The engine is quiet and hums instead of roars, something we still need to get used to as we’re more used to non-direct injection diesel engines.
Using the default automatic transmission will play around 2,000-3,500rpm before shifting to the next gear. It varies depending on stepping on the gas, but in most cases, it takes around 3,500rpm before shifting. To translate that to experience, your head will definitely shift back when pressing on the pedal hard, but not enough of a “oomph” to say it’s fast.
That’s why using the manual shift gives you more power to even roar the engine in 3rd or 4th gear to 5,500rpm and achieve 100kph easily. Speed isn’t an issue with the Colorado, to be honest and we’re happy with the silent but speedy approach.
The suspension is also really great, our experience with the famous 2nd lane of C5 is definitely the test for the Colorado. Despite the very bumpy road, the suspension holds smoothly enough for a car-like experience. Plus, small potholes were no problem with the Colorado…something we miss as Metro Manila is plagued with so many potholes.
We even took the Colorado from Marikina to San Mateo’s bumpy and near mountain villages. All is good as we didn’t had any major bumpy roads worth complaining. We really like the revs going uphill as the Colorado handled it flawlessly.
Dashboard
The dashboard is straightforward with an added touch of a black and white display panel for the mileage, economy run and even tire gauge. Wike the simple approach of the Chevrolet Colorado, it gives more attention to the road without any distraction of a LED panel in the dash area.
Air Conditioning
The cooling system can be adjusted using two knobs at the center console. You can either adjust the cooling system using the head unit or manually via the knobs. Overall, the cooling system is nice and fast to cool down a vehicle with the help of the medium tint installed as well.
You can start the vehicle remotely where it can cool down the car while waiting, it’s pretty nifty as you don’t have to storm your vehicle and start it up on a hot day. Just remember to stick the key into the ignition to fully enable the vehicle.
Entertainment System
The center console is Chevrolet’s Mylink system, it’s a 7-inch tablet that combines all controls in the vehicle. Including vehicle controls such as the door lock, reverse camera and more.
It’s nice that Chevrolet adapted this new central control system, but we just can’t avoid the “Generic” feel with all the usual fonts and interface style you see in OEM tablets. We wished Chevrolet could have designed their UI to incorporate a more premium looking interface.
The audio system is normal, nothing extravagant. Loudness is great but with hopes of more on the bass as it almost sounds flat. Fortunately, audio quality improves when using the Apple Car Play mode, so if you have an iPhone…you’re saved.
Safety
The Colorado is definitely big, but its one of the easiest vehicles I tried to park, maneuver and even conquer into tight spaces. It has sensors in the front, rear and even cameras for parking.
It event has a front-anti-collision LED alert in the dashboard, it activates when it detects a car in-front suddently deacellerate or you accelerating too fast.
The sensors at the side when driving might be annoying when motorcycles pass by, each and every motorcycle will let the sensors beem and can pose annoying to you. We suggest to turn in off when in rush our traffic and simply activating it on long drives.
Folding side mirrors are also nice with no option to fold out when the engine is off. Definitely a much-needed factor to avoid side mirror stealers.
The headlight adjustment is available in three different vertical levels, we suggest level 2 to go higher without distracting other drivers. We also liked the daytime running lights as its becoming a standard today to any new vehicle.
Conclusion
The Chevrolet Colorado we reviewed is the 4×4 AT LTZ version which retails for Php 1,689,888.00. It goes head to head with vehicles like the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, and even other brands. But with the Colorado, it has its own special place in our car dictionary which we like. Overall, the Colorado stands out with its all-in package especially the complete safety sensors and features.
Thanks to the Colorado, we got to finish some errands impossible with our current set of vehicles. There are just some tasks a pickup can do better and fortunately, the Colorado is one of those vehicles that can do it with style and power.
To check out more about the Chevrolet Colorado, simply visit chevrolet.com.ph/colorado
Here is the complete price breakdown of Chevrolet Colorado 2017 units
| 2.5 Liter 6-Speed Manual Transmission (4×2 LT) | Php 1,167,888.00 |
| 2.8 Liter 6-Speed Automatic Transmission (4×2 LT) | Php 1,267,888.00 |
| 2.8 Liter 6-Speed Automatic Transmission (4×2 LTX) | Php 1,387,888.00 |
| 2.8 Liter 6-Speed Manual Transmission (4×4 LTZ) | Php 1,613,888.00 |
| 2.8 Liter 6-Speed Automatic Transmission (4×4 LTZ) | Php 1,689,888.00 |
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