Chevrolet Colorado

The Chevrolet Colorado is a series of compact pickup trucks and mid-size pickup trucks marketed by American automaker General Motors. They were introduced in 2004 to replace the Chevrolet S-10 and GMC S-15/Sonoma compact pickups. The Colorado is named after the U.S. state of Colorado, while the Canyon took its name from the deep chasm between cliffs.

First generation (2004)

The Chevrolet Colorado and its twin, the GMC Canyon, were jointly designed by GM's North American operations, GM's Brazil operations, and Isuzu, which began selling its own version worldwide in 2002. Production began in October 2003. In late 2005, Isuzu offered a version in North America called the Isuzu i-series. This North American model Isuzu shared North American powertrains, styling, and equipment with the Colorado/Canyon twins and differed from Isuzu's worldwide offering. All Chevrolet, GMC, and Isuzu versions worldwide are based on the GMT355, itself the basis for the GMT 345-based Hummer H3. Most vehicles for markets outside North America are manufactured at a GM plant in Rayong, Thailand. All North American-market vehicles were manufactured by Shreveport Operations.
The cooperation between GM and Isuzu to build a light-duty truck and offer it in North America returns to an original arrangement the two companies had in the 1970s with the Chevrolet LUV, a rebadged Isuzu Faster.

Markets

North America

The Colorado/Canyon trucks in the North American market offer both manual and automatic transmissions. GM also offers either a rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive drivetrain with standard, extended, and four-door crew-cab body styles. Most models come with the LK5 I4 engine as standard, but a more powerful 3.5 L I5 comes with the Z71 package on four-door versions and is optional on all others. The 4-door Z71s also get the four-speed automatic transmission standard. This package was later dropped in favor of LT2 and LT3.
The Colorado was offered in three basic trim levels: Base, LS, and LT, while the Canyon was also offered in three trim levels, but with different names: Canyon, SLE, and SLT.
Three different cab configurations were offered on Colorado and Canyon: a two-door regular-cab model with a box and seating for either two or three passengers, a four-door extended-cab model with a box and seating for either four or five passengers, and a four-door crew-cab model with a shorter box and seating for either five or six passengers. Top trim levels in crew-cab configuration offered upscale features such as leather-trimmed seating surfaces, dual power-adjustable front bucket seats with lumbar support and heat, a six-disc, in-dash CD changer, XM satellite radio, and rear side-impact airbags.
Three different suspension options were offered on the Colorado and Canyon: The base Z85 suspension, which offered a comfortable ride quality; the Z71 Off-Road suspension, which added a locking rear differential axle, heavier-duty shock absorbers for improved performance off-road, and an increased ride height for better clearance;the ZQ8 Sport suspension, which offered a lower ride height than the standard Z85 suspension, as well as firmer suspension for improved handling. All suspension packages were offered on 4x2 or 4x4 models in all cab configurations, except for the ZQ8 Sport suspension, which was only offered on 4x2 models.
A ZQ8 edition is available with a lower and more road-tuned "sport" suspension than the standard Z85 and comes with 17 inch wheels, color-matched bumper and grille, and low profile fender flares. There is also a Xtreme edition of the ZQ8 which has a different front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, fender flares, grille, headlights, and 18-inch wheels. The Xtreme edition is basically a continuation of a trim package from its predecessor, the Chevrolet S-10.
For 2007, Colorado/Canyon was facelifted and offered new engines, which include the LLV I4 and LLR I5 which were both introduced due to numerous head problems, new colors — Deep Ruby, Pace Blue, and Imperial Blue, and new tires and wheels. Minor changes to the grille and interior for the LT models; the LS models kept the same pre-facelift look, similar to the facelift of the TrailBlazer in 2005. In addition, the "Colorado" and "Canyon" badges were phased out from the doors in favor of GM's corporate logo. For model year 2009, the Colorado was facelifted again and a new LH8 V8 engine was added, producing and. For the 2010 model year, the GM badges were phased out, although a few 2010 models had the GM logo on the doors.
In 2009, both trucks, as with most 2009 GM vehicles, received a Bluetooth hands-free phone system for the first time as optional equipment. The six-disc in-dash CD changer was discontinued as well, leaving the single-disc CD/MP3 player, and a standard A/M-F/M only radio, with two-, four-, or six-speaker audio systems. Most later trucks received alloy wheels as standard equipment, with optional polished and chrome-plated wheels, in 16, 17, or 18-inch diameters. Only later base-model trucks received 16-inch steel wheels, which were a new wheel design. In addition, most newer trucks also featured standard SiriusXM satellite radio, when equipped with a CD/MP3 player.
Colorado/Canyon U.S. sales peaked in 2005 at 163,204 units, surpassing the perennial segment leader, the Ford Ranger, by almost 35% and just 3.3% behind the new best-seller, the Toyota Tacoma. In 2006, however, while still leading the Ranger by 27.5%, the Colorado/Canyon's sales lagged their Toyota competitor's by almost 34%. One 2005 Canyon owned by successful U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown became famous as it was widely featured in his TV advertisements.

Safety

In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's frontal offset test, the Colorado is given a "Good" overall score, however the crew cab is rated "Acceptable". In the side impact test, the Colorado crew cab is rated "Poor" with or without side curtain airbags. Side curtain airbags were made standard on all 2010 models; side torso airbags are not offered.

Isuzu i-series

The Isuzu i-series midsized pickup truck line was manufactured from 2005 to 2008. Launched at the 2005 New York International Auto Show, for the 2006 model year, the i-series replaced the Hombre, which had been out of production since 2000. Like the Hombre, which was based on the compact Chevrolet S-10/GMC Sonoma, the i-series was based on the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon. Two models were offered at launch: the i-280, powered by the 2.8 L I4 engine, and the i-350, powered by the 3.5 L I5 engine. The i-280 was available only with an extended cab, while the i-350 could be had with either an extended cab or crew cab. The i-280 and i-350 were replaced by the i-290 and i-370 respectively for 2007, with the introduction of the 2.9L and 3.7L engines.
The sales for the i-series were poor, with just 1,377 sold from the start of production through February 2006 according to Automotive News. As part of Isuzu's withdrawal from the United States market after the 2008 model year, the i-series was discontinued.

Thailand

manufactured the Colorado from March 2004 with a mildly altered styling compared to the North American version. In late January 2006, Chevrolet introduced a G-80 differential lock system as optional for most Colorado trim levels. This feature is not available on the D-Max. Thai-market Colorados received a minor redesign in late 2007, with the front fascia being altered by toning down the American influence. The facelifted model was exported to Australia as the Holden Colorado from 2008.
In 2008, GM also introduced the Colorado 4x2 2.5 with diesel dual fuel system via CNG tank. It is switchable between diesel fuel and compressed natural gas with the ratio of 65:35. It is also compatible with pure diesel and biodiesel B5 fuel. Location of the tank is on the bed behind the cab. It was available for two cab styles.

Australia and New Zealand

The Colorado was released in Australia and New Zealand in 2008 as the Holden Colorado. It replaced the D-Max-based Holden Rodeo due to the split between General Motors and Isuzu. Imported from Thailand, it is essentially a rebadged version of the facelifted Thai-specification Colorado, retaining its front styling. As with the Rodeo, the Colorado is available as either 4x2 or 4x4 and in a range of body styles, including single-cab, space-cab, and crew-cab. Power is provided by a range of gasoline and diesel engines. Of the gasoline engines, Holden offers a 2.4-liter four-cylinder and the Australian-made 3.6-liter Alloytec engine. The diesel powerplant is a four-cylinder Isuzu 4JJ1 unit displacing 3.0 liters. It was replaced by the second-generation Holden Colorado in 2012.

Engines

Years	Engine	Power	Torque
2004–2012	4JK1-TC Turbo I4	@ 3,600 rpm	@ 1,800–2,200 rpm
2004–2012	4JJ1-TC Turbo I4	@ 3,600 rpm	@ 1,400–3,400 rpm
2006–2012	4JJ1-TCX VGS Turbo I4	@ 3,600 rpm	@ 1,400–3,400 rpm
2004–2006	LK5 I4	@ 5,600 rpm	@ 2,800 rpm
2007–2012	LLV I4	@ 5,600 rpm	@ 2,800 rpm
2004–2006	L52 I5	@ 5,600 rpm	@ 2,800 rpm
2007–2008	LLR I5	@ 5,600 rpm	@ 2,800 rpm
2009–2012	LLR I5	@ 5,600 rpm	@ 4,600 rpm
2009	LH8 V8	@ 5,200 rpm	@ 4,000 rpm
2010–2012	LH9 V8	@ 5,200 rpm	@ 4,000 rpm

Second generation (RG; 2011)

Global version

In March 2011, Chevrolet revealed the prototype version of the all-new Colorado at Bangkok International Motor Show. It was shown as an extended cab with a rear access system, and some of the high-tech equipment. In June 2011, Chevrolet revealed its crew cab in adventure concept at Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in July 2011, a Holden version of crew-cab version concept got its premiere at Australian International Motor Show.
The production model is available in three different cab styles: regular cab, extended cab, and crew cab, and either 4x2 or 4x4 drivetrain.
On 9 September 2011, General Motors opened the diesel engine manufacturing plant, to make the Duramax engine used by the Colorado. The engine is a rebranded VM Motori turbodiesel engine with 2.5- or 2.8-liter, paired with a manual or automatic transmission.