Review Car

2011 Chevy Colorado

The 2011 Chevy Colorado is based on a welded ladder-frame that is torsionally 250-percent stiffer that the S-10, which improves ride and handling, and leads to reduction in road noise transmitted into the interior. It also allows for finer tuning of the suspension. For example, the 4×4 Crew Cab rides on a welded ladder-style H-frame chassis fitted with either the standard “heavy duty” Z85 torsion bar suspension or the Z71 “off-road” package.

The Z85 4×4 suspension, which raises ride height by more than two inches over the standard 2wd Colorado, features twin-tube shocks and a 28mm stabilizer bar in the front to reduce body roll. Standard tires are Continental P235/75R15s mounted on 15×6-inch steel wheels. Taller, wider tires in the form of P265/75R15s mounted on seven-inch rims accompany the Z71 suspension package, giving it a ride height is three inches taller than the stock 2wd Colorado. The Z71 suspension also includes Arvin Meritor/APA monotubes controlling the heavy duty suspension.

The combination is tuned very well, giving the 4×4 Crew Cab a pleasant on/off-road ride quality that makes it feel like a much larger pickup.

Grey fender flares and an aluminum skid plate that protects the transmission and oil pan also accompany the Z71 upgrade. Rack-and-pinion steering ads to the new pickup’s handling. There’s no road wander, and steering input is instantly rewarded. Braking is also superb.

The 2011 2011 Chevy Colorado comes with four-wheel-anti-lock brakes-11.2-inch discs in front, 11.6-inch drums in the back. Brake pedal feel is excellent and progressive. Where the new Colorado 4×4 Crew Cab really shines is passenger and cargo room. Compared to the “old” S-10, the new model is unmistakable wider, longer and taller. In fact, the Colorado cabs are the largest in the compact/mid-size market-and have a feel of being more akin to that of a mid-size sedan than a pickup. The interior starts with a new dash that is moved about two inches father forward to provide more passenger/driver room. The dash is also cleaner and straighter, adding to the feeling of openness. Instrumentation and placement of the switches and controls are very intuitive so you feel comfortable driving right away.

GM designers did a nice job of not cheapening up the interior with bland, hard plastic that has been so common in the GM cars. Instead, the thermoplastic used in The 2011 Chevy Colorado has a feel and texture that exudes a little bit of richness to the interior. The seats are buckets in front, with a full-size split-bench for the rear passengers. Front legroom is near that of a full-size, while the rear seat passengers are comfortable as long as there’s not a six-foot-plus driver with ape arms maximizing the seat rail adjustment. Access to the Crew Cab’s rear seat is through full-size doors. Getting in is easy. Getting out is a bit tougher.

The “B”-pillar that separates the front and rear doors has been mover rearward to make front seat egress easier. Moving the door pillar aft tends to block rear passenger’s feet when they try to step or swivel out of the back seat. padding; the seat backs border on being uncomfortable for adults on a long drive