Got to check out two new Colorados

[steelerdude15]

I got to see and sit in two pre-production Colorados at the Philly auto show a couple of weekends ago. One was a Trail Boss and the other was an LT. This is my personal opinion and I think it was a bag of mixed results.

 

I really liked the layout of the dashboard and the rest of the interior, but I wasn’t impressed with the materials used. The materials used were pretty cheap plastics and it was a little better in the LT with some soft touch materials, but I think the plastics could have been of better quality. Of course, what main manufacturer has not cheaped out on interior materials over the last several years.

 

I’m 5’7 and found it hard to get in and out of the back. It’s a tight fit due to the size of the doors, but I found I had good head room and leg room once seated in the back. Seat material and quality was fine.

 

One thing that really impressed me was the box size. I remember looking at the previous gen crew cab Colorados and thinking to myself how tiny the beds were. This bed or box, whatever you want to call it, is much bigger and a huge improvement over the previous gen crew cab. Another cool thing is that there is a storage compartment on the inside of the tailgate. I don’t remember if there was a way to lock it with a key, but there were two small levers that kept it closed. This feature is called the Stowflex Tailgate per Chevy’s website.

 

Exterior looks wise it’s fine. What I found interesting about the LT was that it was a black truck, had a black front bumper, but had a dark gray grille. I think it would have looked much better if the grille was black too.

 

The hood was open on the Trail Boss and everything fluid wise is easy to find and reach.

 

GMC did not have any Canyons there which was disappointing.

 

Overall, there were some positives and negatives. I think there are areas that could be improved, but other aspects that have improved compared to the last gen. Hopefully these trucks turn out to be dependable and sell well.

Edited February 15, 2023 by steelerdude15

[newdude]

Just drove up to Toronto to check out the Canadian Interational Auto Show and saw 3 twins there.  A Z71, a Trail Boss and a Denali.  Wish I had some more shots of the Canyon but it had a crowd for a while. 

 

I think my biggest gripe is no physical headlight switch.  This is IMO the biggest offense of the twins.  2nd biggest gripe is power passenger seat is exclusive to GMC AT4, AT4X and Denali.  My 2016 Colorado LT with the LT lux package had a power passenger seat.  3rd biggest gripe is no availability of a factory LED headlight option on the Trail Boss.  Even if it was $895 or something, it would be a worthy option.  As for minor gripes, all the GMCs have that ZR2 style high clearance front bumper, which doesn't look good on the Denali.  

 

As for materials, I would agree with you steelerdude.  My current 2022 refresh Silverado LT, the door panels up front have a more premium feel than the Z71 Colorado I saw, especially the top of the panel (arm resting area).  

 

Gauge cluster was a bit odd as it doesn't function like the refresh Silverado one does (nor does it graphically look as good IMO).  It cycles through 4 main pages of info (gauges, radio, off road and I forgot the last one).  And if you want to alter what they show its controlled via the radio.  What I found nice in the radio that I played with in the TB was there was a LOT of data that was viewable.  G meter, off road angles, elevation, vehicle data, etc.  

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by newdude

[mayfieldjeff]

any idea when these are hitting the dealerships? or when one can be ordered?

[newdude]

9 minutes ago, mayfieldjeff said:

any idea when these are hitting the dealerships? or when one can be ordered?

 

 

If your dealer has allocation they can order.  Ordering opened some time in January?  We've got a couple Trail Boss in the order system, one I think is being built this month or April.  

 

Our guy that does ordering checked the national inventory, some have been built already but not sure if any have shipped to dealers.  

Edited March 3, 2023 by newdude

[JimCost2014]

By the looks of the GMC, they are saving time and putting in LED lighting that is already failing, heading towards the "purple" hue

[Tacito]

On 3/3/2023 at 3:14 PM, JimCost2014 said:

By the looks of the GMC, they are saving time and putting in LED lighting that is already failing, heading towards the "purple" hue

 

On the new Canyons they're already failing? Gonna have to keep a lookout for mine. 

[newdude]

1 hour ago, Tacito said:

 

On the new Canyons they're already failing? Gonna have to keep a lookout for mine. 

 

 

I don't think any have yet.  He was just making a smart/funny remark is all about the LED perimeter lighting in the headlight.