The 2015 Chevrolet Colorado has already, single-handedly, brought the smallish-sized pickup truck segment back from the dead. The Tacoma and Frontier have been the sole holdouts in the segment for years, and they are creaking and groaning under the weight of carrying water for the entire US medium truck market.
And then, Chevy shows off a segment-busting diesel-powered concept. The Colorado ZR2 Concept pairs a storied offroad trim package with the new-to-the-US 2.8-liter four cylinder diesel, branded as a Duramax. Other tweaks are a 4-inch wider stance front and rear, a 2-inch lift, a revised front fascia that eliminates some overhang, and integral skid plates. The combination is good for increased approach and departure angles (30.7 and 22.7 degrees respectively), and upgraded offroading capabilities thanks in part to monotube King coilovers with remote fluid reservoirs and electronic-locking differentials front and rear.
Those are pretty much all the goodies you'd want to bolt onto a stock Colorado to hit the dirt anyhow. And it looks a lot more aggressive than the handsome stock truck. That revised front end, the fender flares, the bead-lock wheels, the front tow-hook … it all looks great.
And that Duramax is what makes it all work. In case you don't recall, the 2.8-liter four puts out 181 hp at 3400 RPM and 369-lb-ft of torque at 2000 RPM, thanks in part to a variable-geometry turbocharger. All of that rock-crawling torque is pushed through a 6-speed auto in this concept.
If Chevy actually builds the Duramax-powered Colorado ZR2 Concept, it'll be completely unique in the segment, and it should have diesel-heads and offroad enthusiasts foaming at the mouth.
