The Colorado Diesel is the Best Colorado
To say that the 2.8L Duramax diesel powering the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado (and sister midsize GMC Canyon) is good would be an understatement. The diesel-powered Colorado is easily the best Colorado you can buy, even if it’s the most expensive. If you’re in the market for a Colorado and are torn between the V6 and the diesel, save yourself the headache and get the diesel.
Let’s just get the shocking news out of the way first, the window sticker for the 2016 Colorado with the diesel says the diesel is a $3,905 option. But you still have to add additional items to make it all work, so according to Chevrolet’s own Build and Price tool, adding the diesel on a Z71 really adds $4,930 to the truck. That’s… a lot of money.
The Colorado Z71 diesel that I was in for a week recently has a window sticker of $42,205, including the $895 delivery charge. That’s a lot of money for a midsize truck, but there are tons of benefits by going with the diesel. It should be noted that the review truck in question was a 4-wheel drive, Z71 model with the 6-foot long bed.
So why is it the best Colorado?
First, the diesel Colorado is the most capable Colorado. By opting for the diesel engine, you improve the 4-wheel drive’s towing numbers by 700 lbs to 7,600 lbs. If we’re all really honest with ourselves, most of us don’t need to be able to tow more than that. That’s a reasonable camper. That’s a boat. It’s also close to a full-size truck in towing.
Additionally, the diesel Colorado is the only way to get the Colorado with an integrated trailer brake controller. If you do pull a trailer a lot, the trailer brake controller is a useful tool to have in your arsenal.
Perhaps even more important than the increased capability of the truck is the increased fuel economy. The EPA rating on the review truck I had was 20 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway, or 23 mpg combined. During my week of driving, the truck got 28.2 mpg. That’s not too bad for many cars, let alone a pickup truck that can tow over 7,000 lbs.
Right now in my part of the country diesel prices are similar to that of gasoline. With the prices so low on diesel, the payback for going with a diesel comes much sooner. You’ll also occasionally have to add diesel exhaust fluid (DEF or AdBlue) to the truck to stay compliant with emissions.
But really that’s a small price to pay for the economy. If you are one of those people who likes to keep their trucks until they die, or at the very least, a very long time, you’ll be able to get the full benefits of diesel. It’s cleaner that it ever has been, it’s fuel efficient, and the 369 lb-ft of torque is icing on the cake.
If I were buying a new Colorado, I’d definitely opt for the diesel.
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