GM's Colorado/Canyon Pickups' Lackluster Sales: Down 7% as Tacoma is up 7%

[steinravnik]

Originally Posted by PeterPuck

The Colorado/Canyon is a FAR better vehicle than the S-10, and the 5-cylinder engine is just fine for this vehicle. Far better than the 4.3 dog they were using.

The problem with the truck is that it unfriendly to sit in and unpleasant to to look at.

The S-10 was more inviting, interior and exterior-wise. If GM was going to develop the Colorado but neglect what makes a vehicle appealing to the average buyer, they should have just refreshed the S-10 again. At least it was cheap...

That's just it. Delivering an inferior product that is less inferior than your previous generation just doesn't cut it. GM has to compete with the best out there instead of just trying to improve upon a horribly uncompetitive product.

[Ultimate1]

Originally Posted by steinravnik

That's just it. Delivering an inferior product that is less inferior than your previous generation just doesn't cut it. GM has to compete with the best out there instead of just trying to improve upon a horribly uncompetitive product.

Great post! Nailed it right on the head imo.

[maxaccel]

Originally Posted by Ming

GM’s light pickups don’t excite buyers

Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon sales totaled a mere 52,511 units in the first half, according to figures tracked by Automotive News, down 7 percent from a year ago.

GM’s small truck edges out Ford’s Ranger, but is perennially behind Toyota’s compact Tacoma, Hossack said. The Toyota sold 92,000 units in the first half, up 7 percent.

I wonder why

The Colorado/Canyon gets a tepid reception from reviewers as well as buyers. Its seats and interior trim are frequent targets.

oh thats why,
now that you know,are you going to FIX it?
also would it kill them to put a LOCK on the right side door too??

“They have the wrong powertrain and the wrong package,” Hossack said. Truck buyers want a six- or eight-cylinder engine option, he said, not the five-banger available as an alternative to the Tonawanda made four.

and GM didnt know this when they designed these trucks??
who exactly runs that place...George Dubya???

“Certainly the volume potential of some of the products Tonawanda has on the horizon — such as the high output diesel — are much more viable than the Colorado/ Canyon,” GM Powertrain spokeswoman Sharon Basel said. The full-size pickup that the diesel will go into as an option is GM’s biggest seller.

now youre talking, diesel should be available in EVERY truck,after all trucks are for work,and working people need to have economical transportation.
GM sells small diesels in other parts of the world so why not here?

[SwampFoxZ71]

Comparing base 2wd 2007 extended cabs goes as follows, for mediocrity sake:
Row 1: Chevy Colorado
Row 2: Nissan Frontier
Row 3: Ford Ranger
Row 4: Toyota Tacoma

Colorado has most horsepower at highest rev limit and also has the highest torque at lowest rpms:



Chevy 4-Cyl, 2.9 Liter 185@5600RPM 190@2800RPM
Nissan 4-Cyl, 2.5 Liter 152@5200RPM 171@4400RPM
Ford 4-Cyl, 2.3 Liter 143@5250RPM 154@3750RPM
Toyo 4-Cyl, 2.7 Liter 159@5200RPM 180@3800RPM


Competitive on mpg even though it has the most power and largest engine:

Gas Mileage
Chevy 20 mpg City / 26 mpg Hwy
Nissan 22 mpg City / 25 mpg Hwy
Ford -
Toyo 23 mpg City / 28 mpg Hwy


Towing capacity is better than Nissan and Toyota. It’s not better than the Ford but that is the oldest chassis of the group. While the others have upgraded and moved for better ride and handling dynamics, leaves the oldest chassis the truest for towing, but still not bad given the competition:

Maximum Towing
Chevy 4000
Nissan 3500
Ford 6000
Toyo 3500


Payload is best in class at 1532lbs, which I think is more important than towing. I would think more people use the bed more often hauling stuff than they do towing. Isn’t 1500lbs close to a base full-size Silverado?

Payload Base Capacity
Chevy 1532
Nissan 1001
Ford 1260
Toyo 1425


More truck bed volume than the Nissan and Ford:

Truck Bed Volume
Chevy 44 cu.ft.
Nissan 34 cu.ft.
Ford 37 cu.ft.
Toyo -


And even tho the Colorado is several inches shorter in length than the Tacoma and almost 6 inches less wide, the Colorado stacks up very favorably in interior volume:


Overall Length
Chevy 207.1 inches
Nissan 205.5 inches
Ford 202.9 inches
Toyo 208.1 inches
Width
Chevy 67.6 inches
Nissan 72.8 inches
Ford 69.4 inches
Toyo 72.2 inches

Head Room: Front
Chevy 39.6 inches
Nissan 39.7 inches
Ford 39.3 inches
Toyo 39.9 inches
Head Room: Rear
Chevy 37.9 inches
Nissan 38.3 inches
Ford 33.3 inches
Toyo 35.2 inches
Leg Room: Front
Chevy 42.2 inches
Nissan 42.4 inches
Ford 42.4 inches
Toyo 41.7 inches
Leg Room: Rear
Chevy 23.1 inches
Nissan 25.4 inches
Ford 40.1 inches
Toyo 28.2 inches
Shoulder Rm: Front
Chevy 57.1 inches
Nissan 58.3 inches
Ford 53.8 inches
Toyo 57.7 inches


And on price, it’s not way out of line w/ the competition:

New Car MSRP1
Chevy $16,995.00
Nissan $16,755.00
Ford $16,135.00
Toyo $18,265.00


So, as you can see, the Colorado is not necessarily mediocre. In fact, from a base model perspective, it stacks up quite well w/ the competition. Now, I will agree that there’s really nothing wrong w/ the interior from a durability and/or utilitarian perspective, but a little nicer interior in the LT trims as opposed to the work and LS trims would’ve been nice.

The pass door lock was brought up. Is it really that necessary in this day and age of pdl and rke? The 08’s are to get the door lock. But, the 08’s will then have to delete what the others don’t offer: the tailgate lock. I personally would prefer the tailgate lock to the pass door. This combined w/ the innovative cables on the GMT355’s, allowing the tailgate to be set at diff’t heights was a big plus.

Power? How is 240hp and 240 torque not powerful enough in a compact truck? That’s more horsepower than the old 4.3L and about the same torque. But, even tho the old 4.3L only got 14/17mpg, very comparable numbers off the I5 don’t mean squat given it gets 16/21mpg. But, never fear, the 5.3L IS coming for the extended and crew cabs in ’08. Put that in your Toyota and smoke it…

And comparing to the old S10? Well, since the blazer platform had the highest fatality rates of any vehicle on the road last year (and it’s the kissin’ cousin of the S10), I’m guessing this is one area the GMT355’s have the S10’s beat, hands down (so more to like about the GMT355’s). 4 star crash ratings all around, including rollover.

The GMT355’s mediocre? At least off the base model, I’ve shown they stack up fairly well. Something’s wrong, and it’s not just all the truck, because it DOES compete. If I get the time I’ll do the same for the I5 4x4 as well.

Thanks for playing…

[Tiger]

Splitting hairs aside, the Colorado has some advantages from 2004, 2005, 2006, etc... that GM has NEVER mentioned in its advertising. That was the simple point of my post. The Isuzu based truck is an import design that competes quite well for what it is.

I was strongly looking at a 2005+ Tacoma (despite its looks) until I researched the vehicle packages available in my area. Lame. Made in Mexico as well. Every plastic bed (some have failed) is made there. Tailgates are failing under normal use. Toyota has been sleeping since the trucks introduction. You'd think they'd at least try and compete with the Nissan Frontier options. Nope. And after visiting the Tacoma owners websites...the owners aren't happy. Not only that they feel like the truck has gone backwards in refinement, customer service, durability, etc...but they feel like Toyota USA is notlistening to them. Sound familiar??? Then again sales are steady, so maybe Toyota feels they don't have to?

Wrong. In either way, Nissan's Frontier is steadily updated (long bed!) for 2008, Dodge's 2008 Dakota has leapfrogged ahead dramatically (new engine, suspension, standard remote start, improved styling/pricing, etc... In addition the Colorado is getting a V8, Hummer is releasing a midsize crew cab truck, Jeep Wrangler based (leaf springs!) crew cab mules are spotted just this week! The light duty midsize truck market is brutally competitive.

Hang on for the ride!

[2003SCT]

I think that the mechanicals and underpinnings in the Colorado are fantastic and since its a truck I would be willing to not gripe that much about the interior HOWEVER it needs to look beefier on the offroad models. Remember the ZR2....SICK as hell looking at the time. A new 4 wheel drive Taco looks much bigger.

Thats my major gripe...make it look like a badazz and beefy 4WD truck and people will flock. I have an 01' S10 Flareside and it looks tiny compared to most other compact trucks. I think comming out with a desert off road package would be a cool thing and out here in Las vegas...that would help sales.


CHRIS

[jzchev28]

these trucks just need an update, gm get on the ball please

[sa_seahawker]

The problem with the Colorado/Canyon is that it still feels like those old plasticky S-10s of yore! The materials and overall feel of these trucks just doesn't match the feel of the Toyotas. If you're shopping a truck, you don't want to feel like the plastic door panels are gonna fall off. Like when I got all excited to go out and buy me a brand new Chevy S-10 ZR2 pickup (with that wide-stance...looked tough). Til I drove it. The squeaks from the plastic drove me nuts.

My advice: Polish the fit and finish and throw in a bigger motor.

[99highrider]

My current ride is a 1999 Sonoma ZR2 with 143,000 miles that I bought new with 5 miles on it. I want to buy another compact/midsize, but there is no way I’m paying $40,000 Canadian MSRP for a midsize crewcab 4x4 with an I5. Yeah maybe I can talk them down some, but for 3-4 grand more MSRP, I can get a fullsize ext. cab 4x4 similarly equipped with a 5.3 V8.

I’ve leased an I5 Colorado, and I will not pay what they’re asking, for what I would get in return. My truck still runs like the day I drove it off the lot. I would rather keep my “squeaking” “Outdated Engine” “Dog” of a truck that will likely “roll over” at the next corner, right after my “plastic door panels fall off”.

[bigtime]

The only thing worse than trying to defend the colorado against the obviously superior tacoma would be listening to a ford guy praise the decades onld ranger! Although at least the ranger's name has been around awhile and so has the tacoma. Fact is nobody knows about the colorado/canyon, its interior is cheap, the outside looks cheap - great job isuzu, and it lacks the power and tough image the tacoma has. I don't like the tacomas styling, but park the two next to each other and it dwarfs the colorado. Add a supercharger - v8's ok, but let's go the modern route and maybe add mpg!, restyle it a bit and give it a proper interior. Oh yeah, 5 speed with any engine please! Sorry guys I am a GM guy, but the colorado was weak from the start. It looked promising, but was never "right." Interestly if you check consumer's opinons on the two, the canyon scores way better than the colorado. Do people not realize there basically the same? Badge engineering does indeed work.

[wpageabc]

Add Ovedrive or a 5 or 6 speed tranny and its a instant winner. Do now!

[SwampFoxZ71]

Originally Posted by bigtime

The only thing worse than trying to defend the colorado against the obviously superior tacoma would be listening to a ford guy praise the decades onld ranger! Although at least the ranger's name has been around awhile and so has the tacoma. Fact is nobody knows about the colorado/canyon, its interior is cheap, the outside looks cheap - great job isuzu, and it lacks the power and tough image the tacoma has. I don't like the tacomas styling, but park the two next to each other and it dwarfs the colorado. Add a supercharger - v8's ok, but let's go the modern route and maybe add mpg!, restyle it a bit and give it a proper interior. Oh yeah, 5 speed with any engine please! Sorry guys I am a GM guy, but the colorado was weak from the start. It looked promising, but was never "right." Interestly if you check consumer's opinons on the two, the canyon scores way better than the colorado. Do people not realize there basically the same? Badge engineering does indeed work.

Okay...hmmm...yeah...from my prev post, I pointed out that a base model Tacoma is not 'obviously' superior to a Colorado. Despite it's size disadvantage, the Rado has more interior space, hauls more and tows more, has more power and only gets slightly less mpg, all for less money.

So, the only 'obvious' answer is the Rado was blasted from the get-go and it's simply a matter of kool-aid perception as to the Tacoma being quite so superior. And have you ever been in a Tacoma? The interiors are not all that. The only compact/mid-size interior that's likely truly nicer is the Nissan.

I personally like how nobody disputed the facts I posted except for a snide comment on it being ridiculous to defend what is actually a good truck. So, when the 08's come out w/ a V8 providing more power, and the I5/V8's have the available trailering pkg allowing up to 5500lbs towing, what will be the excuse then? The interior???

And then, when they upgrade the interior, it will be the 4spd autos even though the Chevy full-size doesn't have them yet in the half tons? When will the insanity end.

I admit there are things the GMT355's could be better at, but to say it doesn't compete w/ the other offerings, especially w/ the upgrades coming for '08, is ridiculous. Especially when the base underpinnings of the truck will be the same, but a trailering pkg (which u can get aftermarket ne ways) and a V8 will put it closer on par.

Oh yeah, I forgot, the 08's get the pass lock. Guess the Tacoma can be skeared now...

[TexZR2]

Some of the other problems with the Colorado that no one has mentioned are these:

First it was built to outperform the Tacoma.... of 2003 and older. Little more horsepower, little more torque than Tacoma's old V6. When Toyota came out with a redesign in 2005 it just K.O.'d any hope of GM taking the lead in sales in this segment. Why? Because Toyota built a truck, and GM built a car that has truck tendencies.

Second it was raped by the bean counters.. When the Colorado's first came out the tires were so cheap that they would flatspot after an hour of driving. Their is no full size spare for the 4x4 models.. instead it is a small spare. Although GM advertised the trucks as coming with one. Gm also originally advertised the Colorado as coming with aluminum skid plates for the Z71 model. Sadly these trucks come with no underbody protection.

The brakes.. suck. S10 4x4's from '98 - '04 came with 4 wheel disc brakes. Nissan Frontiers come with 4 wheel disc brakes. Yet GM goes back to disc/drums. A 4000# truck should not have drum brakes.

When Toyota came out with their redesign in '05 they improved their platform in nearly every area.. while also introducing new features.. 110 outlet in truck bed for example.

When the Colorado replaced the S10 it was a series of tradeoffs versus the platform it replaced.

Yes it gets better gas mileage, (especially the I4's) but max tow rating goes down from 5500# to 4000#.
Yes it has a better crash rating, but the interior is so bland.
Yes the front suspension is much improved,(a major weakness of the S10 4x4) but the 4x4's no longer come with the better brakes which they need.
Yes the Colorado benefits from automation which cuts down the build time by over 5 hours from the old S10, uses a simple cheap engine, and inexpensive building materials,(note this refers to many Colorado owners complaints of thin sheet metal) yet it costs more than the S10 it replaced.

You guys nailed it on the head about cost.. and while I agree cost is the #1 factor it is by no mean the only issue with this truck.

I have bought Chevy's all my life. I dont want to buy a full size truck, because I don't need one.. I just want something that has some pep, with a manual transmission, that is reliable and durable, has some good quality features and strength. And the Colorado in its present form does not meet that definition for me.
Even though GM has the Colorado with the V8 coming out in the next 6 months,(a significant step in the right direction, and also a measure of how desperate this platform has become) it is not enough for me unless GM addresses some of these other areas of concern.

My 2 cents..


Oh and Swampfox, anytime you want to compare a i5 4x4 to a 4.3L S10 ZR2 4x4 I will be happy to take you up in that challenge.

[sa_seahawker]

Originally Posted by bigtime

The only thing worse than trying to defend the colorado against the obviously superior tacoma would be listening to a ford guy praise the decades onld ranger!

It wasn't me.

Originally Posted by SwampFoxZ71

Okay...hmmm...yeah...from my prev post, I pointed out that a base model Tacoma is not 'obviously' superior to a Colorado. Despite it's size disadvantage, the Rado has more interior space, hauls more and tows more, has more power and only gets slightly less mpg, all for less money.

So, the only 'obvious' answer is the Rado was blasted from the get-go and it's simply a matter of kool-aid perception as to the Tacoma being quite so superior. And have you ever been in a Tacoma? The interiors are not all that. The only compact/mid-size interior that's likely truly nicer is the Nissan.

...and what's a Rado?

[paul8488]

Originally Posted by TexZR2

You guys nailed it on the head about cost.. and while I agree cost is the #1 factor it is by no mean the only issue with this truck.

You're right. Many people could stomach (heck even like) the truck if it was more affordable. I'd have gladly bought one a few years back, but the base model was a little too base and the uplevel model added like 10 grand to the price. I remember seeing dozens of 4-door 4x4 versions with stickers over $40,000 Canadian. WAY too much for a little truck.