While shopping around for a used truck dealer, you’ll likely come across a handful of different options from a plethora of manufacturers. With this many choices, you may be understandably pondering to yourself where you should spend your hard-earned money. Amongst the best of the best, Chevy has been in the industry for well over one-hundred years and continues to innovate and expand with a significant range of vehicle models. However, while the latest and greatest automobiles continue to make headlines all around the globe, we can’t help but to take a step back and appreciate the vehicles that have gotten us to where we are today. We aren’t talking about the dawn of the automobile, mind you, but rather vehicles that were recently in said headlines but can now be found at a fraction of their original asking price.
Vehicles such as the Chevy Colorado have been a staple of modern-day pickup trucks for over a decade. While the Chevy Colorado is positioned under the venerable Silverado in regards to general performance and cargo capacities, the Colorado caters to a different type of truck driver, one who seeks excellent performance at a greater value. Shopping for a pre-owned Colorado essentially means you’ll have plenty of options as various model years can be found at fantastic prices and will still give you the full experience. Our recommendation is the 2019 Colorado, which comes in a variety of different trim levels. Additionally, you’ll have a duo of bed-sizes to select from, along with three cab sizes, with the largest of the bunch sporting five passengers. There are plenty more reasons to invest in a pre-owned Colorado, so let’s take a closer look as to why that is.
A Performant Trio
One of the most noteworthy advantages to buying a pre-owned truck such as the 2019 Colorado is a deeper level of customizability. Manufacturers such as Chevy understand that a truck must appeal to a wide range of use-cases for customers to consider it over the competition, and various powertrain configurations are a guaranteed way of achieving this. For the 2019 Colorado, three powertrain configurations include several performance levels, all of which also sport superb fuel efficiency ratings for its class.
Starting at the engine that will come standard on models such as the base Colorado is a straightforward 2.5L I-4 that comes paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. Fortunately, drivers who aren’t comfortable with driving a manual transmission can opt to replace this with an available 6-speed automatic transmission. This engine is capable of producing 200 hp and 191 lb-ft of torque and a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 lbs. The best fuel-efficiency out of this engine is seen when equipped with 2WD with EPA-estimated ratings of 20 MPG city and 26 MPG highway. 4WD models will lower this to 19 MPG city and 24 MPG highway, although these ratings are still respectable for its class.
If you’d like your 2019 Colorado to become more performant, you’ll have two more available powertrain configurations to select from. The first of which is a 3.6L V6 that comes paired with 8-speed automatic transmission. This engine provides significant performance increases over the stock engine and manages to produce 54% more horsepower than the base engine along with 43.97% greater torque output, with performance metrics of 308 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque. With this increase in power came two things, double the towing capacity of the base engine at a maximum capacity of 7,000 lbs, yet slightly worse EPA ratings. We suspect many drivers will likely appreciate the benefit of this added power rather than the reduction in fuel-efficiency, which still doesn’t falter too far behind with 18 MPG city and 25 MPG highway with 2WD.
Lastly, for those that require the utmost towing performance out of their pickup truck, whether it’s for work or hobby, we recommend you opt for the available turbo diesel 2.8L I-4 that comes paired to the same 6-speed automatic transmission that can be added to the base engine. Ultimately, horsepower falls behind the other available engines with only 186 hp; however, its 369 lb-ft of torque makes up for this greatly. With such a vast increase in torque output, this also means this turbodiesel offering can tow the most weight out of the bunch. That’s right; this engine can help the 2019 Colorado achieve a maximum towing capacity of 7,700 lbs. Not only this, but this turbocharged engine is the most fuel-efficient offering as well, with EPA-estimated 2WD ratings of 20 MPG city and 30 MPG highway.
Interior & Cargo Space
At its largest form, the cabin inside of the 2019 Colorado can seat five passengers if you opt for the Crew Cab. At its smallest, you can fit two people inside of the Extended Cab, which can then be upgraded to support four passengers, so you’ll have plenty of customizability in this regard. Regardless of which configuration that you choose, the head and legroom in the front row won’t change and will remain a consistent 41.4-inches of headroom and 45-inches of for your legs. Behind the front row, you’ll have 36.7-inches of headroom at its smallest form and 38.3-inches at its largest, along with 28.6-inches of legroom at the minimum and 35.8-inches at the most.
The available cargo bed capacity of your Colorado is dependent on your choice of bed size, of which there are two. On the smaller end, Colorado is available with a 5’1” bed, which also translates to 61.7-inches. For the average driver, this bed will likely offer plenty of space for an array of uses, but for those who require a Colorado for anything work-related, then we recommend stepping up to the larger 6’2” bed. At 74-inches long, this is nearly a 20% increase in bed length, which is a considerably noticeable advantage when it’s required. Whether you’re lugging along large cargo in the bed or by trailering, the 2019 Colorado is built to handle a hefty workload for any scenario.
Nowadays, vehicles are more connected than ever before, and this is all thanks to infotainment centers along with accompanying tech-centric features. Inside of the 2019 Colorado, even the base model will come equipped with an infotainment center that includes a 7-inch screen, and most notably, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Vehicles in the modern era are akin to these features, and you’ll find it on select older models of the Chevy Colorado. The 2019 Colorado allows for a plethora of upgrades to this infotainment center, but perhaps the most notable enhancements are a larger 8-inch screen and an optional 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. Finding yourself a used Colorado with all or even most of these upgrades will ensure that your used vehicle remains relevant for years to come.
Owning the Road
Although the 2019 Colorado is no longer the talk of the town, it’s easily considered one of the pinnacles of pre-owned performance at an excellent value. Models such as the 2019 Chevy Colorado were feature-rich, containing a host of quality-of-life improvements and various other amenities that weren’t only recent contributions to the modern automobile but are still relevant today and heavily utilized throughout the industry. With all of this in mind, it’s easy to understand why Colorado may just be your next vehicle. To get started, you’ll want to visit your local used truck dealer and see all the options you have to choose from.
