Colorado has five-cylinder engine

Chevrolet transforms its S-10 pickup into the larger, bolder, more sophisticated Colorado.

Colorado! The name evokes a feeling of adventure, freedom and wide-open spaces. Chevy has wisely adopted the name for its new mid-size pickup truck and dumped the old S-10 moniker, which didn't really tell you anything about the old product. Larger, more powerful and more polished than the S-10, the Colorado is also bolder and more sophisticated. It's built on a tough ladder frame chassis, and offers three body styles, two- and four-wheel drive and a choice of two new inline engines. The S-10 had an astounding 22-year model run. Will the Colorado still be around in 22 years?

Judging from the way it looks, drives and sips gas (18-mpg city/23-mpg highway), it could. The 2005 LS Crew Cab Z71 that I test drove recently was painted Dark Cherry Red Metallic and powered by an unusual five-cylinder inline gasoline engine that proved to be unusually smooth and torque-y. The exhaust note wasn't particularly exciting, but the way it delivered power was impressive. It had lots of torque just above idle, and could leave a black streak on the pavement when the electronic throttle was applied too agressively. It is rated at 220 horsepower and 225 foot-pounds of torque.

The Colorado boasts an all-new design that isn't a scaled-down version of the full-size Silverado. It is the result of a combined design effort between General Motors North America, Isuzu Motors of Japan and General Motors of Brazil. The Colorado is designed from the ground up to appeal to customers who are looking for a truck that's an everyday driver, not just an everyday work truck. It competes against the Dodge Dakota, Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma, and distinguishes itself with an aggressive grille, stacked headlamps and flared wheel wells.

My test vehicle had the Z71 Off-Road Package, which includes an independent front suspension, front stabilizer bar, independent front torsion bars and urethane jounce bumpers. It is offered on two or four-wheel drive models, and features an automatic locking rear differential. It further improves the Colorado's appearance with tubular running boards, special wheels and tires and a raised ride height. The total effect is to create a fine-looking truck, and I received more than one compliment during my 100-mile test drive.

That test drive took me down interstates, rural and gravel roads. The ride was good except on certain concrete expansion joints, which made things jouncy. The Z71 option substitutes a torsion-bar front suspension for the standard coil springs, and heavier-duty shocks, which provide a firmer ride than the standard suspension. The 3.5-liter engine is built of lightweight aluminum and features dual-overhead cams, four valves per cylinder and electronic throttle control. Coupled to a four-speed automatic transmission, it provided ample acceleration, a very smooth idle and reasonable fuel mileage. Also available is a 2.8-liter inline four-cylinder engine rated at 175 horsepower and 220 lb-ft of torque. Four-wheel-drive models feature a dual-range transfer case with push-button controls, including a "neutral" position which enables the truck to be dingy-towed behind a motorhome--a great feature!

The Colorado comes in regular, extended and crew cab body styles, and all are offered in both two- and four-wheel drive. Regular and extended cab models have a six-foot bed, while the crew cab, which I tested, gets a five-foot bed. It had surprisingly good rear-seat room, and I particularly liked the rear passenger windows, which roll all the way down. Front passengers enjoy roomy accommodations with a class-leading 44 inches of front legroom -- two inches more than any competitor.

There are two trim levels: base and LS. Base models come with air conditioning, a 60/40-split cloth bench seat and an AM/FM stereo. Upgraded LS models add titanium-colored trim, tilt steering, cruise control and a CD stereo. My test vehicle had the optional XM satellite radio, which provides advertising-free programming and over 100 channels of digital-quality music, plus instant traffic and weather information.

My vehicle had the heavy-duty trailering package, and a 3.42-ratio rear axle, which gives it the capacity to tow 4,000 pounds.

Safety

The Colorado is the first compact truck to offer roof-mounted side-curtain airbags. Dual-stage driver and front-passenger airbags are standard along with four-wheel antilock brakes. My vehicle also had traction control, which is optional on 2WD trucks. In government crash tests, the Colorado earned four stars out of five for both the driver and front passenger in frontal impact testing, and four out of five stars in side-impact testing for front passengers, and a perfect five stars for rear passengers.

My test vehicle carried a suggested list price of $27,105 and various cash rebates and financing incentives which will help get you to your own wide-open spaces.

Steve Robertson of Robertson's Creative Photography is a car enthusiast and former staff writer/photographer for the Southeast Missourian. Contact him at sjr1@robertsonsphotography.com.