Hurricane Ike: An Argument for Small Trucks, and Shreveport

[Ming]

Dirt cheap and with a 2.2L OHV I4 that got 28 or 29 MPG (by the standards then, I think?)

No doubt the S-10 would have filled a niche well.

[t-rex]

Wow that Colorado ad was alone to run off any potential hetero buyer. Way to go, GM, shoot yourself in the foot again. Funny ad, but detrimental.

Two factors will bring buyers back to compact trucks: fuel prices (even if they stabilise, gas ain't coming back down to $2) and affordability. The days of living beyond our means are over, and many families will have to forego that new Silverado LTZ simply because they can't afford it. But such a customer will still want a truck, and if GM has a right-sized, right-priced, attractive model to offer them, they can do like they did years ago with the S-10 and wipe the floor with the competition.

Everyone's aware of the Colorado's many flaws: strange engines, absurdly cheap (even for a truck) interior, mediocre MPG, questionable styling, and price tags set by accountants living in the next decade.

I believe if GM "S10-ized" the Colorado, they'd have a winner. And much improvement can be made just from digging into GM's (and perhaps Isuzu's) parts bins! The Canyon twin would have to be ditched.

First, get rid of that awful styling. Keep the cab intact, but endow it with stylish new front sheetmetal and redesign the bed. Maybe even tie the styling in with new Chevy cars like the Malibu or Cruze.

Secondly, fix the cheap interior. Fit the new D-Max dashboard; hell buy them from Isuzu to save tooling costs to a supplier.

Thirdly, drop those terrible, rough "Atlas" lumps and drop the Malibu's 2.4 as base engine, with the 3.5/3.9 as a "value priced" V6 option, and the 3.6 optional or the more expensive models. Make Diesels available. Who knows, Diesels may catch on soon...

Lastly, offer a comprehensive model palette to appeal to any and every buyer, from Napa parts runnermobile to junior Sierra SLT. Here's a possible lineup:

Workmate: Black bumpers and trim. Rubber floors/vinyl bench seat. Optional upgrade pack featuring a/c, rugged cloth seat, carpeting, fully trimmed interior.
- 2.2 Regular Cab
- 2.4 Regular Cab

Workmax: Workmate but optional 3.9 for customers needing to haul or tow. Same trim as Workmate.
- 2.4 Regular Cab LWB
- 3.9 Regular Cab LWB
- Diesel Regular Cab LWB

Club: More car-like suspension. Color-keyed bumpers and fully-trimmed interior. Option packages to add things like cruise, power windows, remote start, alloys, etc. that today's customers are accustomed to.
- 2.2 Extended Cab
- 2.4 Extended Cab
- 2.4 Crew Cab
- 3.9 Extended Cab
- 3.9 Crew Cab

Canyon: Rugged "outdoorsy" model. Lots of rugged black trim. Beefy steel wheels with optional sporty alloy units. Club interior level and option packages.
- 2.4 Regular Cab 2WD raised suspension
- 2.4 Extended Cab 2WD raised suspension
- 2.4 Crew Cab 2WD raised suspension
- 3.9 Regular Cab 4WD
- 3.9 Regular Cab 2WD raised suspension
- 3.9 Regular Cab 4WD
- 3.9 Crew Cab 2WD raised suspension
- 3.9 Crew Cab 4WD
- Diesel Regular Cab 2WD raised suspension
- Diesel Regular Cab 4WD
- Diesel Extended Cab 2WD raised suspension
- Diesel Extended Cab 4WD
- Diesel Crew Cab 2WD raised suspension
- Diesel Crew Cab 4WD

Supreme: Luxury model. Chrome exterior accents and luxury interior. Junior Silverado LTZ!
- 3.6 Extended Cab 2WD
- 3.6 Extended Cab 2WD raised suspension
- 3.6 Extended Cab 4WD
- 3.6 Crew Cab 2WD
- 3.6 Crew Cab 2WD raised suspension
- 3.6 Crew Cab 4WD
- 5.3 Crew Cab 2WD
- 5.3 Crew Cab 2WD raised suspension
- 5.3 Crew Cab 4WD
- Diesel Crew Cab 2WD
- Diesel Crew Cab 2WD raised suspension
- Diesel Crew Cab 4WD

RS: Lowered suspension. Color-keyed everything. Sports bumper with extra lights. Basic, but attractive interior. Club option packages. Essentially a "Workman" with "SS" appearance package.
-2.2 Regular Cab
-2.4 Regular Cab
-2.4 Extended Cab
-3.9 Regular Cab
-3.9 Extended Cab

SS: Sports model. All body styles. Lowered suspension. RS bumper/color-coded everything. Premium sports interior.
-2.4 Turbo Regular Cab
-2.4 Turbo Extended Cab
-2.4 Turbo Crew Cab
-5.3 Regular Cab
-5.3 Extended Cab
-5.3 Crew Cab

[Pinnacle]

So it took Ike for you to see that these little trucks are great little things?

I always thought that the I4s and a small 2.8L Diesel in these trucks is the way to go. Gas is $1.41L here and the new Colorado sells for $25000.

[GMCSonoma]

Originally Posted by Ming

Dirt cheap and with a 2.2L OHV I4 that got 28 or 29 MPG (by the standards then, I think?)

No doubt the S-10 would have filled a niche well.

The ONLY way a S truck would get that mileage would be shut the engine off coasting down every hill, & even then!!!!!!!



I've owned 6 different S/T trucks....NONE ever went above 20MPG...

Since Dec31 of 2004 one of my parts trucks is a '05 Canyon, 2wd reg cab, 2800 with automatic...
It gets 22MPG in mixed driving...and today it has 131K miles on it!

The Atlas engine has held up great...some had head issues where as the exhaust valves wouldn't seat...despite that they are good runners, something other mills from GM can't compare to...

Despite the plastics, the interior has held up quite well!!!! It still drives like new, however we have to rotate the tires just about every oil change to keep the front tires from chewing up...


But then, what do I know...I only see these EVERY day!!!

[tama z71]

THERE IS NO VALUE IN TURNING THE NEXT GENERATION OF COLORADO BACK INTO THE S10.

I may be the only person using the internet today who has driven both the S10 and the Colorado (okay, Canyon) with regularity (it seems like it anyway), and I can say on no uncertain terms that the S10's I have driven were GARBAGE.

Apply the new-GM quality treatment to the next iteration of the Colorado and we'll have a winner on our hands. Think for a moment that the S10 is the answer to GM's small truck woes and we'll concretely be a decade behind the competition.

[jeffdursty]

I had a ZR2 S-10 Extended Cab and loved it. I now have a 4WD Colorado Crew Cab Z71and I have to barter my wife to get to drive it. I had this vehicle in the Midwestern Floods in the June in a disaster area. The performance, Road Clearence, tight turning radius, fuel effiecency and overal size of the vehicle worked extremly well in these conditions. It climbs manuevours and clears many opsticles other larger trucks simply can not perform. My Colorado has done it!

Quality excellent, Gas milage Ok (for a truck), Interior mehhh, Useablity outstanding.

Fix the interior, keep the truck nimble and small and Shreveport will be back to full shift employment.

[Code Red]

I love my colorado its done good for me as a daily driver. I've dropped it and it still does well in the Snow

I did change the styling a bit on mine

as far as the interior only thing I wish I had were the factory leather seats but that can always be rectified

a couple recent pics of mine





for winter I switch from my 20s to 18s

[detltu]

Originally Posted by tama z71

THERE IS NO VALUE IN TURNING THE NEXT GENERATION OF COLORADO BACK INTO THE S10.

I may be the only person using the internet today who has driven both the S10 and the Colorado (okay, Canyon) with regularity (it seems like it anyway), and I can say on no uncertain terms that the S10's I have driven were GARBAGE.

Apply the new-GM quality treatment to the next iteration of the Colorado and we'll have a winner on our hands. Think for a moment that the S10 is the answer to GM's small truck woes and we'll concretely be a decade behind the competition.

The argument is more about size than anything else. The Colorado is more of a midsize truck to the S-10s small truck. Anything that comes out should have the "new-GM quality treatment."

[detltu]

Originally Posted by GMCSonoma

I've owned 6 different S/T trucks....NONE ever went above 20MPG...

I've gotten as high as 22.5 out of mine and as low as 19.5. It's typically in the 20-21 range though.

[Ming]

Originally Posted by t-rex

Wow that Colorado ad was alone to run off any potential buyer. Way to go, GM, shoot yourself in the foot again. Funny ad, but detrimental.

If you watch the TV show "Bones", you'll recognize the singer as one of the "squints".

[armycam68]

I owned ten S-10 4X4 pick-ups. They were all great little trucks. They were dependable, with a great ride, easy to enter and exit. The mileage on the window sticker was right on.....16-20.
I then bought a Colorado Z-71 4X4 in 2004. This was the worst truck I have ever owned. The ride was marginal, it had the turning radius of the Queen Mary, the mileage was 17-22, my wife refused to drive it, I was ashamed of it's looks, the interior rivaled a school bus, the front end ate tires like a monster, it had no power, sounded like a UPS truck, required a step ladder to enter, and other than that it hauled the boat with a strain.
I was so happy to get rid of that piece of crap!
Bring back an S-10 size truck with a good motor...........then I will buy Chevrolet again.

[TKR]

Hi Ming,

Check out the TVC for the Holden Colorado. More to your liking?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8EaTaj8hig

[mr_bots]

I learned to drive in a 96 S10 2.2 with a stick. Reliable little workhorse, 130k miles on it when it was totaled by a hail storm in 05. Only things that ever broke were the A/C compressor and a fuel injector, which I think sounds like nothing for a 9 year old truck. The doors rattled like crazy from the flexible frame, and didn't tow worth a ****. But overall a great little truck. The Colorado/Canyon lost something when they came out. No longer the small, nimble, fun to drive little trucks that they replaced. Drove one before I got my Sierra. It was a decent little truck, but couldn't justify the less comfy interior or marginally better gas mileage with the sticker on it within a grand of the Sierra, plus the deal on the Sierra was too good to pass up, with the payments between the two being within $10 a month. Naturally I went for the larger, more comfortable truck as it was going to be my only vehicle.

[member12]

I've been saying this for a long time.

I think that the Colorado/Canyon are under-rated, but it's mostly held back by high prices and dumb trim levels and option packages.



I don't care what GM says, they build this truck but don't advertise or care about it. Dealers don't even bother stocking more than one or two of them.

I think with smarter trim levels and option packages, it could be a hot seller. That little four banger is pretty powerful- Please don't build a 2.2L S10 again...too slow and too small.



And after Andrew, Katrina, Gustav, Rita, and Ike...I can say with certainty that there is nothing better than a sturdy four wheel drive truck or SUV with low range. If you have a house in the storms' path, you will be driving through high water, over logs, and probably pulling debris out of your yard with your truck. No way I'd even try some of those things with a lame crossover like the Ridgeline.

I'd like to see an Chevrolet SUV based on the new T370 chassis. Hopefully, it won't get any larger or heavier.

[t-rex]

Originally Posted by Ming

If you watch the TV show "Bones", you'll recognize the singer as one of the "squints".

Oh yeahhhh!

I recognized him as the squirt PG&E lawyer in Erin Brockovich...