Autoblog West Coast Editor Michael Harley discusses the new 2015 Chevrolet Colorado with Chevrolet’s Chief Engineer for Trucks and SUVs, Jeff Luke at the 2013 LA Auto Show. The truck has been completely redesigned for 2015 and is expected to hit showrooms this fall.
TranscriptMICHAEL HARLEY: Hi Mike Harley, west coast editor for Autoblog. And I'm here at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show. Standing to my left is Jeff Luke. He is a chief engineer of midsize and fullsize trucks for Chevrolet. And right behind me is the all-new 2015 Chevy Colorado.
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It's an all-new midsize pickup truck that's going to compete in a segment that's seen well, quite fondly, a bunch of really old stuff.
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JEFF LUKE: The powertrain lineup, at launch, will be a 2.5 liter four-cylinder. It will also have the availability of a manual transmission to go along with the automatic six-speed. For more capability you can get a V6 that has a little over 300 horsepower and 270 pound feet of torque for excellent performance.
You know, one of the very important elements of the truck is obviously the work end, or the box. And so we wanted to make sure that the same capability, functionality, versatility that's in the Silverado is added to the Colorado.
And it starts with the EZ Lift and Lower tailgate, that one-handed release, so you can back away and the tailgate drops in a very lower manner. And of course, putting it back up is half the effort. Then once you've got the tailgate down, getting in, you've got the Cornerstep bumper with the handhold. One foot in, right up, and you're in the box. Once you're in the box you got up to 13 tie down locations. So you could put straps to tie down your materials.
And of course, our accessory lineup. We've really focused on making sure, for lifestyle customers, that we have a great way of systemizing how people can load their stuff, both on a two-tiered level. An extended cab comes with a six foot box. And then on a crew cab truck, like shown behind me here, you can get either a five-foot box or a six-foot box. And those two boxes are the longest in their segment.
Aerodynamics is very important for fuel economy. And that all starts from the way the front is styled. We have active Aero Shutters in this truck. But if the vehicle is towing, for example, those shutters are wide open to make sure that the engine is cooled properly.
Just forward of the rear wheel there's a deflector there that you see on the Silverado. That adds to aero reduction. When you look at the mirrors on the side of the truck, these have been optimized for the best aerodynamic drag but also wind noise reduction.
Doors are inlaid into the bodyside. The quietness and refineness of this truck will, we expect, to be best in the segment.
MICHAEL HARLEY: As you can see, Chevrolet put a lot of resources into finally making the Colorado a little sibling, a worthy little sibling, to the big Silverado fullsize pickup truck. Talking to the executives, it seems the Colorado is going to do the auto show round throughout the winter. In the spring hopefully we'll get a first ride. And then you guys can check it out in your local showroom in the fall of 2014.
I'm Mike Harley for Autoblog.
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