2015 Chevrolet Colorado

[lkc001]

[p]I'm thinking about the 2015 Chevy Colorado for a 16' or 21' LL Camper.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Some specs (V6 4x4) :[/p][p]
[/p][p]305 hp[/p][p]
[/p][p]269 ft lb[/p][p]
[/p][p]24 mpg highway, 17 city[/p][p]
[/p][p]Towing limit: 7000[/p][p]
[/p][p]The reviews are tremendous.[/p][p]
[/p][p]So my question is this: I know it would be fine for the 16, but how do you think this would work on the 21?  [/p][p]I'm out west with trips in the mountains in my future  [/p][p]
[/p][p]Cheers all![/p]

[djsamuel]

I tow my 21BHS with a Ram 1500, 4.7L V8.  We just came back from a trip from Florida to the Grand Canyon and Utah.  The trailer towed great, and the biggest strain on the truck was on a 10% grade in Utah.  

That said, I had the feeling that I would not want a smaller tow vehicle, especially when we were driving in heavy cross winds.

The Colorado is a nice looking truck, in fact I was looking at one over the weekend (out of curiosity).  But your MPG will be MUCH lower when towing. My Ram dropped from 22 MPG to 11 on our last trip, and reports from people with the Ford Ecoboost V-6 show large drops in MPG as well, as you would see from all vehicles.

I think I would stick with a half ton (Ram 1500, Silverado 1500, or F-150).  Nothing against the Colorado, it does look like a very nice truck.  My next truck would be the Ram 1500 with the 3.0L diesel.

[drdave]

Current Nissan Frontier owner.   My nissan has similar, slightly less specs in the ballpark of the new colorado.   I think it would do fine towing a 21 in general, but mountains might be slower towing than with a full size PU with a V8.     I get 12-13 towing my 16DB in hilly, but not "rocky mountain" terrain of PA.   I actually don't think I'd get much less MPG towing a 21 as the aerodynamics would be the same, just a bit more weight would be be biggest difference.  I just got my Popular Mechanics which had a pretty mediocre review of the new colorado.   Personally I'm no GM fan so perhaps I've got a tainted but I'd be reluctant to buy a unproven GM model.    That being said the silverado gets great reviews if you can swing the larger vehicle with a more proven record.   

[david]

With a loaded towing weight of 4,000 to 4,500 lbs the 21' LL is at 64% of the Colorado's rated towing weight of 7,000 lbs. You should be fine. The 3.6 liter engine has enough displacement to pull that trailer as long as you don't push it to 75. Keep it in the low 60s and downshift on the upgrades to keep the stress on the engine reasonable. The body on frame truck chassis can handle the towing forces fine.

Think about a WDH if the tongue weight gets too high and the back end sags more than about an inch or two.

David

[geo92128]

Guyofthewest,

I have the 2015 Chevy Colorado and use it to pull a 21BHS. it is a crew cab V6 two wheel drive. I have been very happy with the truck and the reviews are right on target, not a single issue and I have had it for 6k miles. I pull the 21 BHS using an Anderson WDH. I drive 60 90% of the time and have been getting from 15 mpg to 12.4 depending on terrain and number of stops, this is according to the on board computer which is constantly analyzing gas mileage. The truck does have the tow package but quite honestly I switch it off most of the time as it increases my gas mileage to the 15 mpg level in fairly level towing. I would not hesitate to purchase this truck again as it is not a giant truck and is to maneuvre in parking lots!

[geo92128]

Point of clarification, the mileage stated above is when towing the 21BHS; mileage not towing is an average of 22 mpg. I have achieved a 30.6 mpg  level for 50 miles but have not been on any very long trips not pulling the trailer. Again this is a v6 twd truck.

[swbc150]

Since you have future plans of towing in Mountains then be looking at a half-ton pickup, w/towing pkg, at least a 3:55 axle, Towing Mirrors, Transmission Temp gauge, tow/haul mode and a factory installed Trailer Brake Controller. The half-tons have higher towing ratings and a better selection for motor options.
Nothing worse than regretting you didn't get the right motor for the duties you want it to do when it comes to towing, having that extra HP/Torque is a big plus.
I have the 5.0L V8 and mpg is around 11.8 towing through the mountains and under 13 out on the open highway.
My LL comes in at under 5800 Lbs loaded, under my tow rating for my F150 and having the 365 ponnies under the hood is welcomed. I can drive through any Mountain terrain w/o the motor straining.
If you have the Tow/haul transmission then you should use it at all times when towing. What it does is it assist the transmission to shift correctly, with mine in my F150 I still have all 6 gears available with the T/H engage but I stay in the gears longer with added rpm's, this keeps the transmission in the proper gear, less hunting between the gears keeps the transmission heat temp lower. MPG does not change with my F150 with the T/H engage and the additional engine braking is nice on declines as the transmission downshifts into the lower gears as you apply brakes, allowing you not to ride your brakes.

Price wise, a Colorado vs a half-ton will be close and today's half-tons Gas Motors can get that 22mpg on the highway w/o towing.

Good Luck with your decision.

[bobbie56]

I second the mountains thing!

One other thing to watch for is your range while towing.

Our original vehicle (2003 Chev Trailblazer) was well up to the challenge, but only had a 300 km range which meant you would have to carry some extra jerry cans of fuel. Our new F150 has 600 KM range (or better). I suspect the Colorado has a smaller tank.

Just something to consider, do some math and determine if you will have the range you will need for some of your favorite destinations. Nothing worst than running out of gas (like we just about did).

[billmoore]

I would be very leery of pulling a 21 ft travel trailer anywhere other than level ground at sea level with anything smaller than a V8 half ton truck...

[ammobob]

We live in Nevada and owned a 16DBS which we towed with a Honda Pilot. Got 8-10 MPG while towing in the Sierra Nevada mountains but we kept the TT light since the Pilot was only rated at 3500 lbs towing capacity. still struggled in the mountains. I purchased a 2014 RAM 1500 knowing we were selling our 16 DBS to upgrade to a 21BHS. Have not got the 21 yet (pick it up June 15th) but agree with the other in this link consider going with a half ton if you want to get the bigger camper. You will have no problems with the 16 and the Colarado. 

[bobbie56]

[quote source="/post/10671/thread" timestamp="1431404530" author="@billmoore"]
So I would be very leery of pulling a 21 ft travel trailer anywhere other than level ground at sea level with anything smaller than a V8 half ton truck...[/quote]Our F150 (Ecoboost) is only a V6, I know, a V6, but...

10,500 tow capacity, 136 litre (36 Gal), range, not sure as I have not towed for a trip yet, but not towing it is over 900 km (560 miles).

V6 economy better than the V8 for performance (365 hp, 420 lbs torque). Guess twin turbo chargers make a big difference.

With the trailer behind it, no problems. Makes all the difference having more than enough tow vehicle as you do not know when you will need it.

[leslie]

I have to speak up for my Jeep Grand Cherokee towing CL 21-BHS. My husband and I just returned from our first trip together with our camper. Two weeks in the Appalachian Mountains, Shenandoah Valley and Skyline Drive in Virginia, with a stay in the mountains in West Virginia on the way home was a great experience. 1,100 miles round trip on the trailer, 4,200 lbs loaded.

One 9% incline, several 7% inclines and declines and no problems towing or swaying with the JGC. We did have to switch from automatic transmission to manual transmission going up and down the mountains. I kept the RPMs to no more than 4,000, running mostly at 3,500 RPMs on the uphill and downhill, going 55 mph for the most part. We use the Equalizer WDH which also has anti-sway.

[billmoore]

[quote source="/post/10691/thread" timestamp="1431441703" author="@gibby"][quote source="/post/10671/thread" timestamp="1431404530" author="@billmoore"]So I would be very leery of pulling a 21 ft travel trailer anywhere other than level ground at sea level with anything smaller than a V8 half ton truck...[/quote]Our F150 (Ecoboost) is only a V6, I know, a V6, but...

10,500 tow capacity, 136 litre (36 Gal), range, not sure as I have not towed for a trip yet, but not towing it is over 900 km (560 miles).

V6 economy better than the V8 for performance (365 hp, 420 lbs torque). Guess twin turbo chargers make a big difference.

With the trailer behind it, no problems. Makes all the difference having more than enough tow vehicle as you do not know when you will need it.

[/quote]Yeah but that particular V6 is > a V8.  :-)

The V6 in the Colorado only has 269 ft-lbs of torque, which is even less than the 281 ft-lbs of the Frontier we used to have, which I was comparing it to. Way different from the 420 lbs the Ecoboost puts out...

[billmoore]

Just for comparison, the F150 in either motor (Ecoboost V6 or 5.0L V8) produce more torque at just off idle (1500 rpms) than the Colorado or Frontier peak torque (at 4000+ rpms).

[swbc150]

I test drove the ecoboost 3.5L V6 F150 but still bought the 5.0L V8, mpg empty is better w/the ecoboost but no V6 compares to the sound of a V8 and with a Cat Back BANKS Monster Power Exhaust!!