2012 Chevrolet Colorado Truck Reviews & Ratings

Those looking for the capacity of a pickup at a reasonable price will love the 2012 Chevrolet Colorado Truck. A bargain, starting at $16,699, gives the basic power of a 2.9 liter I-4 engine. This truck offers 185 horsepower coupled with a five-speed manual overdrive transmission, resulting in solid gas mileage of 18mpg city and 25mpg highway. A four-speed automatic is also available. Three passengers can squeeze in, but only two can fit comfortably. The 5-foot bed supports basic loads, though... click here for the full review

Those looking for the capacity of a pickup at a reasonable price will love the 2012 Chevrolet Colorado Truck. A bargain, starting at $16,699, gives the basic power of a 2.9 liter I-4 engine. This truck offers 185 horsepower coupled with a five-speed manual overdrive transmission, resulting in solid gas mileage of 18mpg city and 25mpg highway. A four-speed automatic is also available. Three passengers can squeeze in, but only two can fit comfortably. The 5-foot bed supports basic loads, though this model is not meant for frequent or constant heavy towing.

Both two wheel drive and four wheel drive are available, and the Colorado is designed in a choice of regular cab, crew cab, and extended cab, and the larger have a six foot bed. The extended and crew cab models can be purchased with a 5.3 liter V8 flexible fuel engine, offering a total of 300 horsepower. These stronger engines are vastly preferred to the smaller 4-cylinder versions, as they deliver the power promised by the tough looking design.

The Chevrolet Colorado Truck is offered in both two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, and suspension choices can be tailored to the expected use. A heavy duty package and an off road package have heavy-duty shocks, as well as a torsion-bar front suspension. Alternatively, for more street use, there is a lower performance-tuned suspension, that comes with 18-inch wheels and performance tires.

There are good safety features standard in every Chevrolet Colorado Truck, such as side curtain airbags, daytime running lights, ignition disable, and four-wheel anti-lock brakes. OnStar is included with a six-month free trial of Directions and Connections service, and there is stability control and traction control.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested the Colorado, and the extended-cab model fared well in frontal offset collisions with a top-ranking "good" score. The smaller version only earned an "acceptable" for frontal offset, and "poor" for side-impacts. The 2012 Chevrolet Colorado Truck scored four stars on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rollover crash tests (1 = lowest, 5 = highest).