While the half-ton Chevy Silverado 1500 offers a family-sized back seat and higher towing capacity, mid-size 2022 Chevrolet Colorado is easier to maneuver and still boasts a notable maximum tow rating of 7700 pounds.
Despite its uncouth base engine, the available 308-hp V-6 is responsive and speedy, and the diesel option is thrifty and torquey, producing a sizable 369 pound-feet. The Chevy’s oil-burning mill is no match for the diesel Jeep Gladiator, but the bow tie is better to drive and matches the Jeep’s ruggedness with the hugely capable ZR2 model.
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
The 2022 Chevrolet Colorado offers a powertrain for just about everyone: a base four-cylinder with a six-speed automatic transmission, a speedy 308-hp 3.6-liter V-6 with an eight-speed automatic, and a 2.8-liter diesel 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.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
The 2022 Chevrolet Colorado ‘s forgettable four-cylinder earns EPA ratings of up to 19 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. The V-6 is rated at up to 18 mpg city and 25 highway. When subjected to our 75-mph highway fuel-economy route, the six-cylinder Colorado crew cab returned 23 mpg.
The rear-drive diesel is the segment’s most efficient powertrain, with estimates of 20 mpg city and 30 highway. For more information about the Colorado’s fuel economy, visit the EPA’s website.
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
Those familiar with the front seats of full-size trucks will feel right at home in Colorado, which boasts a spacious cockpit. Stuffing more than two people in the available crew cab’s back seat will be tight, however, 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 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.
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
2022 Chevrolet Colorado mid-size pickup lacks many choices when it comes to driver-assistance technology. For more information about 2022 Chevrolet Colorado ‘s crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features include:
