Story & photos by Patrick Tulfo
CHEVROLET Colorado owners in this country have something to brag about to their American counterparts: they were able to take first dibs on this fine truck because General Motors (GM) only reintroduced the Colorado model to the US market last year.
The all-new Colorado being sold in the US now bears a new design and is available in three engine variants: two gasoline and a diesel. The diesel variant is also the same engine that powers the Colorado pickup being sold here in the Philippines. Called the Duramax, it was sourced from Italian engine maker VM Motori. This is the same company that provided the diesel engine that powers the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon also being sold in the country. The latest iteration of the Colorado is called the Tracker edition. It comes equipped with a factory-installed snorkel, an electronic power winch upfront that can tow up to 12,000 pounds, a 6,000-pound tow hitch in the rear and new 17-inch gun metal gray wheels shod with all terrain tires that go well with the Colorado’s styling.
Spending a few days with the new Colorado Tracker Pro equipped with a six-speed manual transmission made this scribe come up with seven reasons pickup buyers should strongly consider the Chevrolet Colorado Tracker Pro Series.
Engine
As mentioned earlier, the VM Motori-sourced engine is called the Duramax. To date, it is the most powerful in the market in terms of torque. It boasts an earthmoving 500 Nm of torque (for the automatic variant. The manual tranny which I drove ekes out a more sedated 440 Nm of torque—still powerful nonetheless). The 2.8-liter is already Euro 4 compliant and perfectly matched to the vehicle’s gross weight. Even with the additional kilos brought on by the latest equipment like the winch, it still has more than enough power to spare.
Styling
Pundits will be quick to point out that there is already an all-new Colorado being sold in the US and other markets. But nobody can say that the current styling is already outdated. Chevy designers paid special attention to the front end from the bulging power dome hood down to the grille with the famous bowtie displayed prominently in the middle. There is nothing quite like it on the road and even without the bowtie it cannot be mistaken for anything else but a Chevy.
Size
It remains one of the biggest pickups in the market today in terms of length and width. Now, it’s also the tallest, thanks to an additional 2-inch lift that effectively increased the vehicle’s ground clearance and, more important, its water wading capability to 880 mm. Combine that with the standard snorkel, owners can now literally go anywhere straight out of the showroom.
New features
The additional features, which come standard on this model, are reason enough for serious off-roaders to buy it. The snorkel, the 12,000-pound winch with recovery equipment package, the 6,000-pound rear tow hitch and the 17-inch wheels with all-terrain tires will cost a bundle if bought and installed outside the dealer.
Cabin
Chevy’s robustness also translates into a very roomy interior for all the passengers. No one will complain about the shoulder room and legroom except maybe if they stand 6’10” or above. There are 30 storage bins scattered all over the cabin, plus cup holders for all the passengers. But the biggest addition to the Tracker Pro series is the chromatic rearview mirror with 4.3 LCD backup monitor with overview sensing monitor—a very important feature since this is a big pickup. A dash camera, a common feature in American cars nowadays, with a 32-gigabyte memory card to record everything the camera sees when the vehicle is moving and, more important, a tire pressure monitor system, which is a must for off-roaders.
Rock solid
The Colorado can haul anything up to 1 ton (for as long it can fit the cavernous bed) and tow up to 3.5 tons. The powerful engine and the eight-cross member ladder-type chassis are built to take the abuse, after all, one of Chevy’s more popular slogans is “built like a rock”.
Longest warranty in its segment
The Colorado is the only pickup in its segment that has a five-year or 100,000-km warranty, whichever comes first, three years for the entire vehicle and an additional two years for the powertrain that covers the engine and the transmission. A long warranty is equivalent to peace of mind to its owners. Aside from the warranty, Chevy also provides new owners with a free three-year 24/7 roadside assistance. Owners can dial 328-CHEV if they have any problems with their vehicles and an operator will assist them on the following: vehicle support, personal assistance and information service.
The Chevrolet Colorado Tracker Series is available at Chevrolet dealers all over the country prices on the corresponding models are as follows; Tracker Edition 2.8-liter 4×4 with six-speed manual transmission (P1,468,888); 2.8-liter 4×4 with six-speed automatic transmission (P1,538,888); while the prices for the Tracker Pro series start at P1,528,888 for the 4×4 with six-speed manual transmission and P1,598,888.00 for the 4×4 with a six-speed automatic transmission.