Colorado Wins MotorTrend Truck Of the Year

Chevrolet of Spring Valley proudly announces that the 2024 MotorTrend Truck Of The Year award went to the Chevrolet Colorado. This is the third time Colorado has taken the Golden Calipers trophy after back-to-back wins in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, it returned to the marketplace with a new design. The addition of the Duramax diesel was what brought the 2016 win.

The Colorado was redesigned for the 2023 model year, but its debut came just after the cut-off for the 2023 competition. That made the Colorado eligible for the 2024 award, where it benefited from the subsequent launch of the ZR2 and ZR2 Bison off-road focused models to the lineup. 

“The Colorado lineup’s performance on- and off-road, particularly the ZR2’s prowess, is nothing short of exceptional, rivaling even some of the most revered off-road vehicles available,” said Ed Loh, MotorTrend Group Head of Editorial. “Earning MotorTrend’s Truck of the Year award is a testament to the Colorado’s all-encompassing excellence across various terrains and utility needs.”

The Competition was Good Company

Much of the Colorado’s competition came from within the GM family, with four of the six other contenders for the title including the mechanically similar GMC Canyon, Chevrolet Silverado HD, GMC Sierra HD, and the GMC Hummer EV 3X.

The award goes to the entire model line from the Work Truck up through five grades to the ZR2. MotorTrend made note of the loss of the long bed in the new design. Still, it felt the model made up for it with valuable features such as two tie-downs in each corner, mounting points for various accessory rails or cleats, the soft-open tailgate, a 400-watt, 120-volt power outlet, and an available 45-inch-wide, 4-inch-deep StowFlex stowage box in the tailgate. Of the latter, they stated: “It’s a perfect place to store ratchet straps, tie-down ropes, work gloves, and the like, and there’s a drain in case they go in wet.”

Design

The exterior was deemed suitably tough looking for an American truck, while the interior was praised for its modern appearance and display graphics on the big screen. MotorTrend did mention that they would have made some changes to the distribution of physical vs screen-located controls. 

Engineering

In terms of engineering, MotorTrend points out how the Colorado “can do almost anything their half-ton forebears did 20 years ago” and goes on to say “remains comfortable enough for daily use—even when burdened with a half-ton of payload or up to 7,700 pounds of trailer.”

“We are absolutely thrilled to see Colorado take home the MotorTrend Truck of the Year award,” said Scott Bell, Vice President of Chevrolet. “The all-new Colorado boasts elevated performance, capability and refinement in every respect, across every trim offered. This award is a testament to Colorado’s mantra: it’s made for more.”

The magazine also praised the Colorado’s safety features, the efficiency of its turbocharged 2.7-liter engine lineup, and its value, particularly in how they kept the less expensive models of the line from looking like it. They conclude by simply stating that the Colorado outclasses its midsize rivals and that “Its strong value proposition, impressive off-road capability across the range—while remaining eminently livable day to day—tough good looks, strong feature content, and broad range of offerings spanning from sensible work truck to junior Baja 1000 star impressed us sufficiently to earn this Chevy fresh set of Calipers.”

You may be in the market for a solid, class-leading pickup with a smaller footprint.  If so, please visit Chevrolet of Spring Valley and take your Colorado fact-finding tour.