2011 Chevrolet Colorado

[MoonRiverOasis]

It appears the upcoming 2011 Chev Colorado (GMI-700) hasn't been getting much attention on this board, so I thought I'd start this topic to see why

IMHO, it's a nice looking thing - here's some pics of the "Show Truck" that was unveiled back in March:

And some renders of the "Rally Concept" released earlier this month:

According to rumors, there will be 3 different engines available upon launch:

• 2.2L diesel - 163HP, 350Nm
• 2.8L diesel - 200HP, 430Nm
• 2.4L E85 gasoline

Both diesels are apparently brand-new VM Motori designs, so should represent a decent step up in NVH and economy over the current crop of competitor offerings.

The 2.2L is going to also be used for the Captiva and Cruze minor change later this year as well - both cars that need high levels of refinement/NVH in order to compete against their gasoline powered rivals, in a market of buyers that normally don't go for diesel power.

So based on pre-release concepts and the rumormill, it would appear it should be well positioned to be a challenger.

So why don't you guys like it?

Ford have definitely mastered the use of Youtube and the social media for generating buzz and excitement on the upcomign T6 Ranger - perhaps Chev are just too old-school when it comes to marketing, and have simply played their cards to close to their chest?

[stefan2519]

It looks great on paper, but as stated there's been very little info on it. That's the first time I've seen those engine specs. The one at the last Bangkok motor show was just a concept, I think. When is their expected release date, has it started production?

[MoonRiverOasis]

It looks great on paper, but as stated there's been very little info on it. That's the first time I've seen those engine specs. The one at the last Bangkok motor show was just a concept, I think. When is their expected release date, has it started production?

Release date is still scheduled for November 2011 - and a few test mules have been spotted on the roads over the last couple of months, so first production cannot be far away..

From what's been revealed by the mules, it would appear that most of the show truck's styling has made it through - the most notable changes (deletes) to the production model are the wheels, the tray cover, the integrated side steps and and fancy alloy rear bumper - all of which look much more conventional on the test versions we've been seeing.

Interestingly. it appears that the funky LED tailights might make it through to production though - on one mule it was possible to see 6 or 8 LED's through the masking tape

The engine specs have been floating around for a few months now - of course they're all just rumor, but a number of different sources have been saying the same thing so I'm inclined to beleive they're close to the mark

If the new 2.4L E85 gasoline donk turns out to be the same unit going into the Captiva minor change (likely), it'll make 168HP and 229Nm - which compares favorably with Ford upcoming 2.5L gasoline engine (166HP/226Nm), and the existing options such as Toyota's bigger 2.7L (160HP/241Nm) and Mitsu's 2.4L (128HP/194Nm). The option of a "Super FFV" running CNG and E85 is pretty promising for those looking at TCO more than outight performance...

[wandrinstar]

I just cant help myself.This is like a California Swimming Pool Maintenance Forum.Where to Guys compare Trucks.

[MoonRiverOasis]

I just cant help myself.This is like a California Swimming Pool Maintenance Forum.Where to Guys compare Trucks.

So I'm guessing where you come from, it's the women that compare trucks instead? hehe

Fact is, trucks are the most important and highest selling vehicles on the road here - regardless of what you, or me, or anyone else would like the situtaion to be ..

This couldn't be a "motoring forum" without them.

And it could be worse - we could be comparing 3-series BMW's to E-class Benz's - now there'd be a snooze fest

[wandrinstar]

So true, i only jest, but hells bells some of the Canadian and American trucks are a dream.Even the Yank Toyotas not bad.The Tax Folks here hate us to have a CHOISE. The Chevy Cascade was the last Truck i drove here., im fairly sure it was, a LHD Import.:jap: P.S. so its raining where you are is it,im not getting mine out today. .

[Spoonman]

Not seeing any trucks in this thread, a few pics of a pretty ute though.

[MoonRiverOasis]

Not seeing any trucks in this thread, a few pics of a pretty ute though.

Apologies, here's the Colorado Show Truck Ute then

If the next Z71 looks like this, I might just have to buy a new Songkran playing machine

Edited June 25, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[stefan2519]

Not seeing any trucks in this thread, a few pics of a pretty ute though.

Apologies, here's the Colorado Show Truck Ute then

If the next Z71 looks like this, I might just have to buy a new Songkran playing machine

If I'm right that particular truck/ute had to be pushed on and off stage at the Bangkok motor show, due to the fact of not having an engine.

[transam]

Not seeing any trucks in this thread, a few pics of a pretty ute though.

Apologies, here's the Colorado Show Truck Ute then

If the next Z71 looks like this, I might just have to buy a new Songkran playing machine

If I'm right that particular truck/ute had to be pushed on and off stage at the Bangkok motor show, due to the fact of not having an engine.

OR chucks out to much exhaust crap. (Only joking)

[WarpSpeed]

In regards to Ford versus Chevy in marketing it's one reason they've been the only manufacturer just prior to and during the crash that was in the black as they recognized their shortcomings earlier and already had changes in the offing while everyone else was drowning in mediocrity, as I predicted many years prior they would.

Edited June 25, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[HDRIDER]

Years ago i had a Z71 (for 6 months) what a Piece of <deleted>, bad gear chance and real tractor sound from the engine, well, its a Isuzu after all, hope they are better now

[wandrinstar]

Years ago i had a Z71 (for 6 months) what a Piece of <deleted>, bad gear chance and real tractor sound from the engine, well, its a Isuzu after all, hope they are better now

So True. Remember the Honda Travelmaster, they had an" Isuzu Clacker", just the same crap.

[MoonRiverOasis]

If I'm right that particular truck/ute had to be pushed on and off stage at the Bangkok motor show, due to the fact of not having an engine.

Nothing unusual about that - health and safety regs normally won't allow engines to be started at indoor venues

Years ago i had a Z71 (for 6 months) what a Piece of <deleted>, bad gear chance and real tractor sound from the engine, well, its a Isuzu after all, hope they are better now

New model has little to do with anything Isuzu, other than Isuzu will be borrowing some of it. According to sources, the new deisels are developed in conjuction with VM-Motori, and the new transmission is rumored to be the GM 6-speeder..

So True. Remember the Honda Travelmaster, they had an" Isuzu Clacker", just the same crap.

Bah - there's yet to be anything you'd call "a refined engine" or "a silky gearbox" in a diesel pickup ute... Toyota so far have got the closest with their 1KD-FTV 3.0L TD, but it's still light years away from current-gen European diesels. Most next-gen are finally getting away from those cheap, utilitarian Aisin 4-speeders though, so there's some hope on the horizon there.

This time around I think that GM has the most chance of coming out with the best engine (from a pure NVH standpoint), and Ford the most chance of the best gearbox in the 6R80.. Unless GM have sorted out the lazy downshifts in their 6-speed (which is otherwise a nice shifter), or it turns out GM use some new gearbox..

Edited June 26, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[phutoie2]

Just getting used to our new Toyota HiLux 3L auto 4 speed.

My first auto since I owned a Stuggart taxi in 01, back in blighty.

What a difference too from the Nissan Nav. I',m starting to like driving again.

Those who know me, "could not wait for the new Ford Ranger"

[MoonRiverOasis]

Those who know me, "could not wait for the new Ford Ranger"

So close hey - latest word is, bookings open for the T6 in a few days time, with first customer deliveries in late August..

[katabeachbum]

Those who know me, "could not wait for the new Ford Ranger"

So close hey - latest word is, bookings open for the T6 in a few days time, with first customer deliveries in late August..

I have a 5.000 baht T6 booking

dealer booking, and I dont want it before December

as for Chevy, any chance of 4 sensor ABS :lol:

Chevy has for decades been selling lower invisible spec trucks and vans, only Suburban and Tahoe was close to competition

The Colorado they presently are selling here, was dated before launch. Crash safety, brakes, engines, auto cooling, cabin space, list goes on.

Ad terrible sales organisation and non existing after sales, and my rant is over

New pu/ute looks good, so does Cruze. Will take a while with good products to change my Chev/Daewo/Izu attitude tho

Edit. Sorry, wasnt fair. Chevrolet Corvette is fantastic value for money, was at launch on 1998? and still is

[MoonRiverOasis]

The Colorado they presently are selling here, was dated before launch. Crash safety, brakes, engines, auto cooling, cabin space, list goes on.

Ad terrible sales organisation and non existing after sales, and my rant is over

New pu/ute looks good, so does Cruze. Will take a while with good products to change my Chev/Daewo/Izu attitude tho

Well, you know as well as anyone else that the current model Colorado is a throw-back to the old Isuzu model sharing - and is absolutely a product built to a price. Seeing as Chev had only been in the kingdom just 4 years when it first released, they knew they had to be a price leader to get sales - so simply couldn't afford to invest much into re-designing the donor D-Max design, and had to undercut it's own donor Isuzu D-Max to get sales. The real fact is, there's never been an actual Chev pickup truck to buy in TH, until later this year.

Chev are clearly following a similar path to the "One Ford" policy these days - while they're not as far down the path of globalization as Ford, the new Colorado, Cruze, and the coming-soon new Aveo are the first products of their revised global strategy, and in the case of the Cruze and Aveo it's clear that combining their global talent pool shows through in a better quality product. Previous to this change in strategy, non-US market products like the Colorado were almost something you could call 2nd class citizens in the GM universe. That's not to say that the North American products were all that and a bag of chips - before their meltdown in the GFC, it was hard to imagine a more disjointed car company

However, IMHO the re-invention of GM is proving successful. Go back 3 years ago, and who would have imagined that a 4 cylinder Cruze would become a market leader in the USA passenger car segment? Or that GM would be able to design a global car that sells in North America, Europe, Gulf states, Asia and Oceana? Well, not me Moving forward, the Volt/Ampere (hopefully still coming soon to TH within the next couple of years) is arguably the best of breed when it comes to mid-end hybrids, and the new Colorado is clearly GM's most serious attempt at a small pickup ever.

As for after sales service - are you speaking from first-hand experience? If so, it's at odds with my own experience. It's no secret I harbor a fair amount of resentment towards Chev TH Sales & Marketing (long story), but I've always found their service departments effeciently run, and competitively priced. Their dealer network in Thailand is on par with Ford's, and in many cases (esp. upcountry) more well established than the nearby Ford dealership (exprience is a huge factor when it comes to after sales service).

Edited June 26, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[katabeachbum]

The Colorado they presently are selling here, was dated before launch. Crash safety, brakes, engines, auto cooling, cabin space, list goes on.

Ad terrible sales organisation and non existing after sales, and my rant is over

New pu/ute looks good, so does Cruze. Will take a while with good products to change my Chev/Daewo/Izu attitude tho

Well, you know as well as anyone else that the current model Colorado is a throw-back to the old Isuzu model sharing - and is absolutely a product built to a price. Seeing as Chev had only been in the kingdom just 4 years when it first released, they knew they had to be a price leader to get sales - so simply couldn't afford to invest much into re-designing the donor D-Max design, and had to undercut it's own donor Isuzu D-Max to get sales. The real fact is, there's never been an actual Chev pickup truck to buy in TH, until later this year.

Chev are clearly following a similar path to the "One Ford" policy these days - while they're not as far down the path of globalization as Ford, the new Colorado, Cruze, and the coming-soon new Aveo are the first products of their revised global strategy, and in the case of the Cruze and Aveo it's clear that combining their global talent pool shows through in a better quality product. Previous to this change in strategy, non-US market products like the Colorado were almost something you could call 2nd class citizens in the GM universe. That's not to say that the North American products were all that and a bag of chips - before their meltdown in the GFC, it was hard to imagine a more disjointed car company

However, IMHO the re-invention of GM is proving successful. Go back 3 years ago, and who would have imagined that a 1.6L ecoboost Cruze would become a market leader in the USA passenger car segment? Or that GM would be able to design a global car that sells in North America, Europe, Gulf states, Asia and Oceana? Well, not me Moving forward, the Volt/Ampere (hopefully still coming soon to TH within the next couple of years) is arguably the best of breed when it comes to mid-end hybrids, and the new Colorado is clearly GM's most serious attempt at a small pickup ever.

As for after sales service - are you speaking from first-hand experience? If so, it's at odds with my own experience. It's no secret I harbor a fair amount of resentment towards Chev TH Sales & Marketing (long story), but I've always found their service departments effeciently run, and competitively priced. Their dealer network in Thailand is on par with Ford's, and in many cases (esp. upcountry) more well established than the nearby Ford dealership (exprience is a huge factor when it comes to after sales service).

I agee GM is coming up with some good vehicles, and their financial problems have made them stronger. They seem to focus more on products.

Experience with Chev Thailand, my own and friends. I actually tried to purchase a 4 door cheap Colorado from 2 different (Phuket and Hua HIn) dealers in 2006. All I wanted was a cash purchase with all the freebies as advertised, but none would sell me as I am farang. and not to my GF as she is mia farang. Gave up and got one more Vigo 4x4 auto 4 door G, financed, bought from K Motors BKK. One farang friend managed to buy one, and later when had problems they admitted odo had been disconnected while it was a demo car. ECU and odo had different readings

Aftermarket, long wait for common parts, many end up servicing at Izu garages

My old memory failes me, also tryed to buy a Opel/Chev Saphira in 2003. Sport, in red. Gave up, to much hazzle from Phuket dealer, and got a CRV

Wishing Chev TH all the best, everyone deserves a second chance

[wandrinstar]

The American Pie Man.He drove his Chevrolet Pick Up Truck to the dry stream, as i recall, Not a Utility Vehicle,as Australians refer to them. Steve Austin the WWF American Wrestler,drove his Ford Truck as he called it. Now if he says its a Truck,so be it, you tell him hes wrong.!! .Brits call Trucks a Lorry, i call Trucks a Nissan Cart here,just for the HELL of IT.

[MoonRiverOasis]

I agee GM is coming up with some good vehicles, and their financial problems have made them stronger. They seem to focus more on products.

Experience with Chev Thailand, my own and friends. I actually tried to purchase a 4 door cheap Colorado from 2 different (Phuket and Hua HIn) dealers in 2006. All I wanted was a cash purchase with all the freebies as advertised, but none would sell me as I am farang. and not to my GF as she is mia farang. Gave up and got one more Vigo 4x4 auto 4 door G, financed, bought from K Motors BKK. One farang friend managed to buy one, and later when had problems they admitted odo had been disconnected while it was a demo car. ECU and odo had different readings

Aftermarket, long wait for common parts, many end up servicing at Izu garages

My old memory failes me, also tryed to buy a Opel/Chev Saphira in 2003. Sport, in red. Gave up, to much hazzle from Phuket dealer, and got a CRV

Wishing Chev TH all the best, everyone deserves a second chance

Yep - Chev Sales & Marketing has had some pretty serious problems in TH - last time I was in a dealership was to test drive a Cruze earlier this year, and they did actually seem interested in selling me a car this time around, and even pointed out the current campaigns.

My past exprience with Chev sales is similar to yours though - even going so far as to vehemently deny there's a campaign on, until you demonstrate you can not only speak Thai, but read it fluently as well..

The American Pie Man.He drove his Chevrolet Pick Up Truck to the dry stream, as i recall, Not a Utility Vehicle,as Australians refer to them. Steve Austin the WWF American Wrestler,drove his Ford Truck as he called it. Now if he says its a Truck,so be it, you tell him hes wrong.!! .Brits call Trucks a Lorry, i call Trucks a Nissan Cart here,just for the HELL of IT.

Hehe

The reason I posted that second video is because the opening sequence has a pan-shot of the podium with the words "Colorado Show Truck World Premiere" in 1 foot high letters - perhaps it was too subtle

Edited June 26, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[MoonRiverOasis]

Some new videos from the 2011 Australian Internation Motor Show launch..

[MoonRiverOasis]

[MoonRiverOasis]

What I beleive to be the first pics of a production model extra cab GMI-700 Colorado have now surfaced on autospinn.com:

More pics from the source here: http://www.autospinn...B9%82%E0%B8%94/

There's been quite a few changes from the "Show Truck" prototype, but thankfully most of the design language has made it through intact. Pity the funky rear bumper and integrated side steps have been lost though - but that was expected I guess

The Fortuner next to it offers some scale - on it's own the truck doesn't appear that big, but here we can see just how much it's grown. The SUV variant (late 2012/early 2013) will be another interesting option for the segment too..

[transam]

What I beleive to be the first pics of a production model extra cab GMI-700 Colorado have now surfaced on autospinn.com:

More pics from the source here: http://www.autospinn...B9%82%E0%B8%94/

There's been quite a few changes from the "Show Truck" prototype, but thankfully most of the design language has made it through intact. Pity the funky rear bumper and integrated side steps have been lost though - but that was expected I guess

The Fortuner next to it offers some scale - on it's own the truck doesn't appear that big, but here we can see just how much it's grown. The SUV variant (late 2012/early 2013) will be another interesting option for the segment too..

It's a Tatatoyo.

[wandrinstar]

What I beleive to be the first pics of a production model extra cab GMI-700 Colorado have now surfaced on autospinn.com:

We are a bit scared to comment on any Chevy products just lately.

More pics from the source here: http://www.autospinn...B9%82%E0%B8%94/

There's been quite a few changes from the "Show Truck" prototype, but thankfully most of the design language has made it through intact. Pity the funky rear bumper and integrated side steps have been lost though - but that was expected I guess

The Fortuner next to it offers some scale - on it's own the truck doesn't appear that big, but here we can see just how much it's grown. The SUV variant (late 2012/early 2013) will be another interesting option for the segment too..

It's a Tatatoyo.

[wandrinstar]

What I beleive to be the first pics of a production model extra cab GMI-700 Colorado have now surfaced on autospinn.com:

We are a bit scared to comment on any Chevy products just lately.

More pics from the source here: http://www.autospinn...B9%82%E0%B8%94/

There's been quite a few changes from the "Show Truck" prototype, but thankfully most of the design language has made it through intact. Pity the funky rear bumper and integrated side steps have been lost though - but that was expected I guess

The Fortuner next to it offers some scale - on it's own the truck doesn't appear that big, but here we can see just how much it's grown. The SUV variant (late 2012/early 2013) will be another interesting option for the segment too..

It's a Tatatoyo.

My comment went into the wrong box., sorry MRO, looks like you said it. Have you noticed its like debating the best Ice Cream . Its now just a BHP and Grip Race realy to show much difference between any of them..

[phutoie2]

Good show, perhaps someone with the call sign 'thaicolorado' will be the first to buy one and then we can all look forward to another 19 page topic.

I know - "its a forum!"

[stefan2519]

Interior pic.

[MoonRiverOasis]

My comment went into the wrong box., sorry MRO, looks like you said it. Have you noticed its like debating the best Ice Cream . Its now just a BHP and Grip Race realy to show much difference between any of them..

Yeah np Wanrinstar. I'm not known to be much of a Chev fan, and recent events here haven't helped the cause much...

The Colorado will probably be a nice truck, but the RT-50 Isuzu D-Max (I'll post some pics soon) that's based off it will outsell it hand-over-fist, followed by T6 Ranger challenging Mitsu for 3rd spot.

Chev won't care much though - they've been making the D-Max for 8 years now anyway. It will be big in South America (where it was designed and will be sold as the Chevy S10) and Oztralia though - where Holden will tell them it was Australian designed (sigh) and it'll sell like hotcakes...

Edited August 25, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis