LIKES
- Trail Boss package
- Numerous configurations
- Bed step and sizes
- Powertrain options
- Simple infotainment
DISLIKES
- No standard driver-assist features
- Poor safety ratings
- Extended cab’s stiff rear seats
- Outdated interior
- Underpowered base engine
BUYING TIP
The 2021 Chevy Colorado skimps on standard features but makes up for it with configurations.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Chevy Colorado? What does it compare to?
The 2022 Chevrolet Colorado mid-size pickup truck carries over mostly unchanged in a growing segment of small trucks. New smaller trucks such as the Ford Maverick join updated iterations of the Honda Ridgeline and Nissan Frontier.
Is the 2022 Chevy Colorado a good truck?
The aging design and lack of standard safety and convenience features dampen the appeal of the Colorado. It maintains a flat TCC Rating of 5.0 out of 10.
What's new for the 2022 Chevy Colorado?
Refreshed for 2021, the only update to the 2022 Colorado is an off-road leaning Trail Boss package on LT and Z71 trims. The base Work Truck and off-road ZR2 remain the same before the expected redesign for 2023.
The same could be said for the base 200-hp 2.5-liter inline-4, which we’d skip in favor of the 308-hp 3.6-liter V-6 that makes 275 lb-ft of torque and can tow up to 7,000 lb with rear-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive is available, as is a turbodiesel inline-4 with 181 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque; it uses a 6-speed automatic, and can tow up to 7,700 lb or get up to 30 mpg on the highway. The classic truck vibe continues through the leaf springs in back.
Also in back of the extended cab are rear seats for two passengers but the space is best used for cargo. The crew cab seats five, or the rear seats can fold forward to give dogs a better view or cargo more room. A 6-foot-2 long box or a 5-foot-2 short box offered only on the crew cab offer plenty of cargo space and flexibility, with helpful corner steps and 13 tie-downs.
Chevrolet skimps on the safety features, limiting the availability of automatic emergency braking to certain packages sold on only a couple trims. An 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto comes standard on all but the base Work Truck (WT), which has power features, USB ports, and air conditioning.
How much does the 2022 Chevy Colorado cost?
Sold in WT, LT, Z71, and ZR2 trims, the Colorado ranges in price from about $27,000 to more than double that when going full buffalo with the Bison package on the ZR2.
Where is the 2022 Chevy Colorado made?
In Wentzville, Missouri, alongside the GMC Canyon.
Styling
The 2022 Chevy Colorado looks traditional to the point of being stale.
Is the 2022 Chevy Colorado a good-looking truck?
The classic Colorado holds its place like a black sport jacket, but it pales to the boxier Canyon. The competition beyond the General has updated their wardrobes to more compelling effect. The redesigned Nissan Frontier has classic pickup truck looks and feels fresher, and even the SUV-based Honda Ridgeline dons a crisper coat. Still, the square wheel arches, muscular fender flares, and barbell badge spanning the grille to connect the headlights hits in the classical sense for a 6 here.
The ZR2’s broad mesh grille channels the Silverado, and all four trims stamp the tailgates with bold “Chevrolet” lettering instead of the bowtie. If you want the off-road look without paying the off-road price, try the Trail Boss package on LT and Z71 models with a 1.0-inch lift, front and mid skid plates, 17-inch black wheels, and red tow hooks.
Performance
The 2022 Colorado’s three engine choices broadcast its desire to please every shopper.
From a basic work truck to a boulder-bashing ZR2 Bison, the 2022 Colorado culls capability without the bulk of a full-size truck. It earns a point to a 6 for its all-around capability on a work site, beyond the trailhead, and during DIY weekends.
Is the Chevrolet Colorado 4WD?
Rear-wheel drive comes standard on the Colorado, though four-wheel drive can be added for about $3,500. It’s standard on the ZR2.
Built for capability more than speed, the Colorado is at its best with all but the base 2.5-liter inline-4. Making 200 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque, it puts the basic in base models and responds like a teenager to a chore list when it comes accelerating or hauling. Paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission, the rear-wheel drive inline-4 can tow up to 3,500 lb, but so can most crossover SUVs with a lot more grunt. We’d upgrade, like most Colorado buyers do.
The 3.6-liter V-6 makes 308 hp and 275 lb-ft to double towing capacity to 7,000 lb. That and the bed are the biggest arguments over a mid-size SUV. The V-6 comes with a smoother and more efficient 8-speed automatic, and the engine is more responsive off the line and while passing.
With a 6-speed automatic, the turbodiesel 2.8-liter inline-4 churns out 181 hp and 369 lb-ft, good enough for a tow rating of 7,700 lb. The only diesel in the class aside from the related GMC Canyon nets 30 mpg highway, but runs louder and rougher around town.
It feels more at home off-road on the ZR2 trim, with its 2.0-inch lift, 3.5-inch wider track, adaptive spool valve dampers, and front and rear lockers. The Bison package pits it against the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon and Tacoma TRD Pro for the best in open-bed off-roading.
Comfort & Quality
Function precedes form with the flat 2022 Chevy Colorado
Sold with either a 5-foot-2 short bed and a crew cab, or a 6-foot-2 long bed in crew cab or extended cab styles, the 2022 Colorado’s big beds give it a competitive advantage. Unfortunately, the advantages end at the beds and its corner steps. Eight years into this generation, the aging Colorado’s stiff and thin rear seats neutralize the point earned for its cargo volume for a 5 here.
With seating for four, the extended cab’s rear-hinged rear doors swing out for easy access to two small rear seats that are unforgiving. Storage cubbies below the seats are the best thing about them.
The crew cab seats five and can be optioned with 60/40-split rear seats that flip forward, which is how we and our dogs prefer them because they comfort backsides like a church pew.
Safety
The 2022 Colorado lacks the standard and available safety features offered by rivals.
How safe is the Chevy Colorado?
The safest element of the Colorado mid-size pickup truck is physics, but it doesn’t withstand or mitigate crashes well. The 2021 Colorado earned four stars from the NHTSA, based mostly on frontal crash tests, and the IIHS also cited the Colorado for “Marginal” efficacy in front passenger side crash tests. That docks it a point on our scale, and the lack of automatic emergency braking—which safety regulators deem to be critical—throughout the lineup costs it two more points for a 2 here. One of the lowest safety ratings for passenger vehicles prompts us to recommend the competition.
The 2022 Nissan Frontier, Honda Ridgeline, Ford Ranger, and Toyota Tacoma all come with standard automatic emergency braking. GM only offers it on the LT trim as part of a package. But a rear-view mirror that doubles as a camera comes standard. Figure it out, GM.
Features
The mid-size Colorado comes in full-sized configurations.
Four trim levels, three engines, three body styles, and a truckload of options, the 2022 Colorado casts almost as wide a net as the full-size Silverado. The base Work Truck earns a point for value and another point for a simple 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
For about $27,000, the Work Truck comes with a long 6-foot-2 bed, four doors, 17-inch steel wheels, a 4-way power driver’s seat covered in vinyl, air conditioning, power features, and two USB ports.
Which Colorado should I buy?
The Trail Boss package on LT and Z71 is like a ZR2-lite, with a 1.0-inch lift, 17-inch black wheels, red tow hooks, and a front skid plate that replaces the air dam. It costs up to $2,995.
How much is a fully loaded 2022 Chevy Colorado?
The new ZR2 with the turbodiesel climbs the trim hill for the 2022 Colorado at just under $50,000. Sold in either the crew cab and short box, or extended cab and long box, the ZR2 is designed for off-roading. It has front and rear locking differentials, a 2.0-inch higher suspension, a 3.5-inch wider track, adaptive spool valve dampers, and distinct styling. If that doesn’t meet the need, tack on another $5,750 for the Bison package with more skid plates, 17-inch black wheels, fender flares, AEV front and rear bumpers with winch and recovery points, and all the badging.
Fuel Economy
The 2022 Colorado’s three engine choices are relatively efficient.
Is the 2022 Chevy Colorado good on gas?
The turbodiesel returns great highway mileage with an EPA-rated 20 mpg city, 30 highway, 23 combined, but the base inline-4 serves as the basis for our ranking of a 4. That volume engine gets 19/25/22 mpg, though four-wheel drive costs 1 mpg.
That’s the same as the Honda Ridgeline’s V-6. The Colorado’s V-6 gets 18/25/21 mpg, but the ZR2 and its off-road gear and standard four-wheel drive drops down to 18/22/19 mpg with the turbodiesel or 16/18/17 mpg with the V-6.
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