upcruiser
Perpetual Transient
Finally getting around to starting a thread on our 2016 Chevy Colorado with the 2.8 Duramax. We purchased it from our local dealer new. It is an LT longbed so has the 140" wheelbase and is pretty well loaded in addition to the goodies that come standard with the DMax (towing package, exhaust brake). It does have the G80 in the rear.
We were looking for a new rig to replace my wife's Subie Outback and that would serve as her daily driver and also a rig that could be a good platform for traveling and serving a multitude of other purposes. Initially we had a wide array of vehicles we considered but eliminated... a newer Outback but she has wanted a truck forever. Raptor/Power Wagon/other full size half tons but she wanted something that was easier to daily drive and park plus we have a 3/4 ton Suburban already which serves as our big tow rig, etc, plus the price of the Raptor and Power Wagon were more than we wanted to spend. Our dream travel/adventure rig would be a Sprinter 4wd crew but that wouldn't fit in our garage with the taller roof and it too is pretty spendy. The Sprinter lacks big towing capability too. So we narrowed it down to the mid size truck category.
We are a family of 4 with a 1 and 3 year old so we need a crew cab and rear seat space is pretty key. My wife has loved Tacoma's forever and I have been a long time Toyota guy. We have an 80 series that I have had for years that is a bit built up for offroad adventures and I have used for long term travel in the past. So the Tacoma was an obvious stand out. We were considering a 2017 TRD Offroad in the desert sand or whatever that color is called they had locally. The intriguing unknown newcomer was the Colorado Duramax which I had been hearing great things about. I have been one of the people saying they wanted a smart sized diesel powered rig here in the states for decades. The fact that Chevy brought this to market here was huge to me and I was curious to try it. We test drive it and instantly fell in love. Effortless torque provided great thrust and the refinement was impressive. Additionally the payload and towing capacities exceeded the Tacoma and we kind of wanted a truck that could do some work. We have a 23' camper that we use for family trips where we base camp and mountain bike. It's a great way to be mobile for periods of time with little kids and keep everyone happy and comfortable. The Suburban is the primary tow rig for the camper but the Colorado should be able to do so as well with no issue and likely much better economy.
So even though it's a bit more of an unknown compared to the Tacoma's reliability I think the build quality on this truck seems excellent and time will tell. My intent of this thread is to document our experiences with the truck since I could find virtually no first hand accounts in regards to how we use vehicles.
Outside of removing the chin spoiler it is bone stick at the moment as we get a feel for what the truck needs. We want to keep it flexible for everything from hauling firewood to bikes, to maybe a FWC down the road, etc etc. The aftermarket is nowhere near as developed as it is for the Tacoma but there seems to be some good stuff out there already.
So far we have only about 1,000 miles on the clock and one 350 mile excursion in it that yielded 32mpg on two lane roads despite a good portion of it being slushy snow covered road. Will keep this thread updated with thoughts, experiences goidvand bad and hopefully shed some useful first hand experiences. Here are some pics...
With the obnoxious chin spoiler.
The boys give it their stamp of approval
Chin spoiler off
We were looking for a new rig to replace my wife's Subie Outback and that would serve as her daily driver and also a rig that could be a good platform for traveling and serving a multitude of other purposes. Initially we had a wide array of vehicles we considered but eliminated... a newer Outback but she has wanted a truck forever. Raptor/Power Wagon/other full size half tons but she wanted something that was easier to daily drive and park plus we have a 3/4 ton Suburban already which serves as our big tow rig, etc, plus the price of the Raptor and Power Wagon were more than we wanted to spend. Our dream travel/adventure rig would be a Sprinter 4wd crew but that wouldn't fit in our garage with the taller roof and it too is pretty spendy. The Sprinter lacks big towing capability too. So we narrowed it down to the mid size truck category.
We are a family of 4 with a 1 and 3 year old so we need a crew cab and rear seat space is pretty key. My wife has loved Tacoma's forever and I have been a long time Toyota guy. We have an 80 series that I have had for years that is a bit built up for offroad adventures and I have used for long term travel in the past. So the Tacoma was an obvious stand out. We were considering a 2017 TRD Offroad in the desert sand or whatever that color is called they had locally. The intriguing unknown newcomer was the Colorado Duramax which I had been hearing great things about. I have been one of the people saying they wanted a smart sized diesel powered rig here in the states for decades. The fact that Chevy brought this to market here was huge to me and I was curious to try it. We test drive it and instantly fell in love. Effortless torque provided great thrust and the refinement was impressive. Additionally the payload and towing capacities exceeded the Tacoma and we kind of wanted a truck that could do some work. We have a 23' camper that we use for family trips where we base camp and mountain bike. It's a great way to be mobile for periods of time with little kids and keep everyone happy and comfortable. The Suburban is the primary tow rig for the camper but the Colorado should be able to do so as well with no issue and likely much better economy.
So even though it's a bit more of an unknown compared to the Tacoma's reliability I think the build quality on this truck seems excellent and time will tell. My intent of this thread is to document our experiences with the truck since I could find virtually no first hand accounts in regards to how we use vehicles.
Outside of removing the chin spoiler it is bone stick at the moment as we get a feel for what the truck needs. We want to keep it flexible for everything from hauling firewood to bikes, to maybe a FWC down the road, etc etc. The aftermarket is nowhere near as developed as it is for the Tacoma but there seems to be some good stuff out there already.
So far we have only about 1,000 miles on the clock and one 350 mile excursion in it that yielded 32mpg on two lane roads despite a good portion of it being slushy snow covered road. Will keep this thread updated with thoughts, experiences goidvand bad and hopefully shed some useful first hand experiences. Here are some pics...
With the obnoxious chin spoiler.
The boys give it their stamp of approval
Chin spoiler off
at the thought of a "Compact" or "mid sized" truck with a wheelbase 10" longer than your 3/4 ton Suburban? 
