2018 Chevrolet Colorado

The volume LT's standard gasoline powertrain is the 3.6-liter V6. The 2018 engine range also included a 200-hp 2.5-liter gas four and an optional 181-hp diesel.

The representative LT V6 makes 275 lb-ft; the optional diesel is the range torque leader but is not the scored gasoline volume configuration.

Car and Driver's instrumented LT V6 4x4 crew-cab test matches the representative powertrain and configuration carried into 2018; Edmunds recorded 6.7 seconds in a separate LT V6 test.

The V6 is responsive, lively, and smooth at tip-in, but it needs revs for peak output and can sound coarse under load. This is solid rather than class-leading refinement.

The eight-speed is generally smooth and well matched to the V6, but reviewers also found economy-biased early upshifts and occasional hesitant downshifts or lurches. Those inconsistencies keep it in the middle band.

The range maximum is achieved by a properly equipped 2WD Duramax; the scored gas V6 can tow up to 7,000 lb. The ZR2 is limited to 5,000 lb.

Chevrolet's published range maximum is 1,574 lb with the V6; actual payload declines with passengers, options, and accessories.

It provides Tow/Haul mode, a factory hitch and seven-pin package, an available integrated brake controller, and 2018's Active Tow hitch-alignment camera. It lacks modern trailer steering assist, surround trailer cameras, and onboard scales.

Four-wheel drive was broadly optional across the main trims and used a proper two-speed transfer case; LT and Z71 offered automatic Autotrac operation, while ZR2 added selectable lockers.

The ZR2 supplies genuine halo-grade capability with a 2-inch lift, wider track, DSSV dampers, skid plates, rock sliders, off-road tires, and independently selectable front and rear lockers. Z71 also offers a useful lighter-duty off-road package.

Three distinct engines cover budget, performance, and high-torque towing needs, including a class-distinctive diesel. There was no hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or EV choice.

This scores the second-generation 2018 Colorado LT with its volume gas V6 and rear-wheel drive. The exact EPA record identifies the 3.6L V6, eight-speed automatic, and rear-wheel-drive configuration.

The EPA city rating for the representative 2WD LT V6 configuration is 18 MPG.

The EPA highway rating for the representative 2WD LT V6 configuration is 25 MPG.

The EPA API does not publish a populated total-range field for this gasoline record, so full-tank range is calculated from its 20 MPG combined rating and the Colorado's 21-gallon tank.

The exact EPA vehicle record supplies the annual fuel-cost estimate for this V6 2WD configuration under EPA standard assumptions.

The representative 3.6L V6 runs on regular unleaded, imposing no premium-fuel cost penalty or special fueling complication.

The 2018 Colorado received a four-star overall federal rating, with five stars for side impact and three stars for rollover.

Crew-cab crashworthiness was Good in most tests, but the passenger-side small-overlap result was Marginal and the Colorado earned no 2018 Top Safety Pick award.

The volume LT did not include any of the five core systems as standard; even its optional Safety Package supplied warning-only forward-collision and lane-departure functions.

Automatic braking was unavailable, so the optional system could warn but could not intervene; pedestrian and nighttime AEB capability were absent as well.

The 2018 Colorado offered neither blind-spot monitoring nor rear cross-traffic alert, and therefore had no active intervention, safe-exit, or trailer-aware coverage.

Lane Departure Warning was optional only on LT and provided an alert rather than steering assistance; lane keeping and lane centering were unavailable.

Only conventional cruise control was available; there was no adaptive cruise or integrated highway-assist function.

No hands-free driving system was offered for the 2018 Colorado.

Both headlight variants were Poor, including the volume LT's standard reflector lamps and its available Luxury-package projector low beams; neither offered curve adaptation nor high-beam assist.

Forward sightlines and properly sized mirrors are useful, but very wide door pillars create meaningful oblique blind zones; the standard rear camera helps only when reversing.

The crew cab supplies two complete rear LATCH positions, but anchor usability is Marginal, tether access is difficult, and large rear-facing seats reduce front-seat travel.

The representative LT Crew Cab has front bucket seats and a three-place rear bench. The Extended Cab's smaller rear jump seats reduce capacity to four.

The LT Crew Cab provides generous front headroom for a midsize pickup.

Front legroom reaches the top of the truck normalization band and helps give the Colorado a particularly spacious cockpit.

Crew Cab rear headroom sits only slightly above the bottom of the truck normalization band.

The Crew Cab is usable for two adults but tight for three, while the Extended Cab is substantially more cramped.

The representative LT Crew Cab uses the popular short box, while Chevrolet also offered a 74-inch long box on the Crew Cab.

The short box offers useful midsize-truck capacity, though it remains modest on the all-truck normalization scale; the optional long box adds 8.6 cubic feet.

A deep center-console bin, large under-rear-seat compartment, door pockets, overhead storage and four USB ports make the LT practical every day. It lacks a standout solution such as the Ridgeline's in-bed trunk or onboard power.

The supportive, well-shaped front seats and upright driving position work well over distance, but limited adjustment and firm cushions divide opinion. The harder, upright rear bench is less comfortable and space is tight for three adults.

The LT is compliant and controlled on highways and isolates many large bumps, but its unladen body-on-frame ride can become firm, choppy and jostling on rough pavement.

The gas V6 remains subdued enough for easy conversation and the eight-speed limits engine noise, though wind, tire and road noise become noticeable at freeway speeds. Conflicting tests keep it below the segment's quietest cabins.

The LT could be optioned with heated front seats, power lumbar, single-zone automatic climate control, heated mirrors and remote start; Z71 included most of these. No ventilated seats, heated rear seats or rear climate system was offered.

The entry 2018 Colorado was the Base 2WD Extended Cab with the 2.5-liter gasoline four-cylinder and manual transmission. Its published starting MSRP was $20,200.

The common gasoline configuration is the mid-level LT Crew Cab short-box 4WD with the 308-hp 3.6-liter V6 and eight-speed automatic. The 2018 configuration table prices that exact model at $34,000.

This is a current model-line projection rather than an archived trim-specific estimate, but it directly combines maintenance and repairs over the requested five-year period. RepairPal's 2018-specific $492 annual average provides a useful reasonableness check.

The best retrieved five-year model-line estimate projects 37.9% depreciation, equivalent to 62.1% retention. It is not an archived 2018-LT-at-age-five residual, so confidence is medium.

The 2018 Colorado carried Chevrolet's standard three-year/36,000-mile new-vehicle limited warranty, the floor of the truck normalization band.

The gasoline Colorado's powertrain coverage was five years/60,000 miles, the floor of the truck normalization band.

Two included maintenance visits within two years/24,000 miles were a meaningful short-term benefit, supplemented by five-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance and Chevrolet connected-service trials. The maintenance term was useful but not long enough for the top band.

$34,000 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (62.1% retained, or about $21,114) leaves about $12,886 in depreciation. Add the projected $3,348 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $16,234 in total.

Long-term owner data places the 2018 Colorado around the middle of the market rather than among the segment's dependability leaders. J.D. Power and Consumer Reports agree on an average overall result, although owner reports identify the transmission as a recurring weakness.

Chevrolet's period record was mixed: it performed strongly in J.D. Power dependability but fell sharply in Consumer Reports' 2018 brand reliability survey. That supports a mid-pack score rather than either a top-tier or bottom-tier rating.

Only one NHTSA safety recall is favorable numerically, but it concerned a possible fuel leak and the generation has a significant transmission-shudder bulletin pattern. The repeated 8L45 guidance makes the service history worse than the recall count alone suggests.

The volume LT gas configuration uses the 3.6-liter V6 and eight-speed automatic, and the transmission has a documented shudder/torque-converter pattern. The engine itself is not the primary concern, but the known 8L45 issue materially weakens the durability outlook for this exact powertrain.

The LT cabin is functional and modern for its era, but reviewers consistently criticize its extensive hard, cheap-feeling plastics. It trails the more carlike Honda Ridgeline and does not deliver above-class material richness.

Assembly quality is appreciably better than the material choices: period evaluations describe the cabin as solidly or well put together. The average J.D. Power quality result and scattered owner complaints prevent a top-tier rating.

Chevrolet provides one of the broadest mainstream-brand dealer and service footprints in the United States, including extensive coverage outside major cities. Service quality varies by franchise, so network accessibility is stronger than the ownership-experience evidence.

A mass-market Chevrolet truck with a GMC Canyon mechanical twin has abundant OEM and aftermarket support, and routine repair costs are favorable. Transmission work can still be expensive, but the broad parts ecosystem and low reported annual maintenance cost merit a strong score.

The volume LT trim uses the larger 8-inch MyLink touchscreen; lower trims use a 7-inch unit.

MyLink was unusually intuitive and responsive for a 2018 midsize pickup, with clear menus and useful physical controls.

Both projection platforms are standard on LT, but connection is USB-wired; wireless projection was not offered.

Voice control is functional but phrase-driven, while integrated GPS navigation is optional; most users can instead use phone-projected maps.

The standard six-speaker setup is adequate, and an optional seven-speaker Bose system provides a modest branded upgrade.

LT has a useful 4.2-inch color driver-information display, but the primary speedometer and tachometer remain analog rather than fully digital.

The infotainment system supports downloading software updates over the built-in LTE or another Wi-Fi hotspot, but this is not a modern whole-vehicle feature-delivery platform.

The myChevrolet/OnStar app offered core lock, unlock, locate and equipped-vehicle remote-start functions, but they depend on equipment and service-plan eligibility and there is no digital key.

LT provides three legacy USB-A ports and 12-volt power, but lacks USB-C, factory wireless charging, and useful household-style onboard power.

LT has remote keyless entry and available remote start, but still uses a traditional key and offers neither passive proximity entry nor phone-as-key.

A rearview camera is standard, but no surround-view system or automated parking was offered and rear parking sensors were not standard on LT.

No factory head-up display was offered on any 2018 Colorado trim.

The volume LT Crew Cab has four full-size doors, a folding rear bench and useful under-seat storage, but its compact rear cabin and awkward tether-anchor access make rear-facing seats less convenient than in a Ridgeline or full-size truck.

Crashworthiness is respectable, but the affordable LT did not include meaningful active safety as standard: forward-collision and lane-departure warnings required the Safety Package, and there was no automatic emergency braking or rear-occupant alert.

Front occupants get good space and the LT's 8-inch infotainment system, while the open bed carries abundant luggage. The upright, relatively tight rear bench and sparse rear amenities limit comfort for four adults over long trips.

The 308-hp V6, eight-speed automatic, manageable midsize footprint and standard rear camera make ordinary driving easy enough. Trucklike ride and seating plus the eight-speed's documented occasional shudder or harsh behavior keep it from feeling effortless.

Regular gasoline and smaller dimensions help relative to a full-size pickup, but roughly 19-20 mpg combined for the volume V6 configuration is only average for a 2018 midsize truck and leaves commuting costs well above a crossover or sedan.

The Crew Cab short-box is appreciably easier to place than a full-size pickup, and a rearview camera was standard. At about 213 inches long it remains a long, wide vehicle for urban garages, without the surround-view or automated parking aids now common elsewhere.

A properly equipped gasoline V6 can tow 7,000 pounds, and the representative LT configuration carries roughly 1,472 pounds in a six-foot-class bed. That is serious midsize-truck capability, though payload and stability still trail a full-size work truck.

The fully boxed frame, long-running fleet-oriented WT derivative and simple truck bed suit hard use. However, the 2018 V6 model's 8L45 shudder history materially weakens confidence in durability under repeated loaded operation.

Four standard bed tie-downs, 13 available tie-down locations, CornerStep bumper pockets, an EZ Lift-and-Lower tailgate and abundant Chevrolet accessories make it a useful jobsite platform. It lacks integrated high-output bed power and the deeper commercial ecosystem of a full-size pickup.

Strong V6 passing power, cruise control, supportive front accommodations and a 21-gallon tank make the LT a competent highway traveler. Modest fuel economy, imperfect seat comfort, an upright rear bench and warning-only driver assists cap its long-haul appeal.

Available 4WD, an automatic-locking rear differential, tow hardware and abundant accessories make even an LT a strong camping and trail-access vehicle; the same model year also offered the highly capable Z71 and ZR2. The volume LT lacks their factory off-road tires, protection and specialized suspension.

A 5-foot-2 or 6-foot-2 bed, folding Crew Cab rear seat with hidden storage, available hitch and rack/cargo-management accessories handle bulky recreational gear exceptionally well. The exposed bed needs a tonneau or cap for secure, weatherproof luggage.

The volume LT is composed and relatively agile for a body-on-frame pickup, with firm suspension tuning that controls roll and keeps the truck manageable when the unloaded rear tires lose grip. It remains top-heavy and less nimble than the lower, wider Honda Ridgeline.

The steering is accurate, appropriately weighted, and stable on-center, but artificial assistance and almost no road feedback keep it firmly in the competent-but-numb band.

Stopping performance is good for the class and the firm pedal is easy to modulate in ordinary driving. A numb feel under harder braking, visible nosedive, and fade in repeated panic stops prevent a higher rating.

The LT's 3.6L V6 and eight-speed automatic provide smooth tip-in, strong acceleration, and predictable shifts without persistent gear hunting. Modest low-rpm torque and occasional reluctance to downshift blunt otherwise good response.

The naturally aspirated V6 is generally unobtrusive in routine use and the eight-speed contains highway engine noise, but it becomes plainly audible and less polished when worked hard.

The representative LT crew-cab short-box configuration has a comparatively tidy 41.3-ft curb-to-curb turning diameter; choosing the long box expands it by 3.3 ft.

LT equipment includes a power-adjustable driver's seat and a tilt-and-telescoping leather-wrapped wheel, while the conventional controls and midsize footprint are easy to manage. The wheel's limited telescoping reach compromises the position for some drivers.

Strong V6 acceleration, tidy dimensions, and better-than-full-size handling give the LT more personality than a basic work truck. Its numb steering and top-heavy cornering keep the on-road experience pleasant rather than genuinely enthusiast-grade; the specialized ZR2 is notably more playful off-road.

The volume LT included a 308-hp V6, eight-speed automatic, 17-inch alloys, an 8-inch MyLink touchscreen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, keyless entry, cruise control and a power driver's seat at a competitive price. However, desirable driver-assistance features were limited and several comfort upgrades remained optional.

An LT delivered strong 308-hp V6 performance, useful technology and serious truck capability for roughly $28,095 in extended-cab 2WD form, while the range offered up to 7,000 pounds of gas-engine towing. It was a strong value, though options and crew-cab 4WD pushed an LT into the mid-$30,000s.

The lineup stretched from Base and WT through LT, Z71 and ZR2, with extended- and crew-cab bodies, short- and long-box choices, 2WD or 4WD, and multiple transmissions. Even within the scored gas class buyers could choose a 2.5-liter four-cylinder or 3.6-liter V6, making this one of the segment's most configurable trucks.

Colorado was the clear No. 2 midsize pickup in the United States in 2018 and gained substantial volume, demonstrating strong acceptance even though Tacoma remained far ahead. Its 19.3% year-over-year growth also outpaced the expanding segment overall.

Chevrolet had deep credibility and loyalty among U.S. truck buyers, while the ZR2 gave Colorado a distinctive off-road halo. The mainstream bowtie badge was respected rather than aspirational, and Colorado lacked Tacoma's exceptional resale and enthusiast following.

Buyers could find meaningful factory and dealer discounts without the model appearing distressed. Contemporary programs included several hundred dollars in lease cash, while advertised examples combined rebates and dealer discounts for several thousand dollars off sticker.

The 2018 North American Colorado was in the fourth model year of the second-generation design, so it was current but no longer new. It was largely a carry-over after the meaningful 2017 V6/eight-speed and ZR2 additions, with 2018 changes limited mainly to Active Tow, colors and a Centennial Edition.

Reviewers consistently treated the Colorado as a leading traditional midsize truck, praising its powertrain range, capability and livability, while the ZR2 earned a major off-road award. It was not an unqualified class winner because the Ridgeline was more refined and the Tacoma retained stronger market pull.