Art of Gears
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Chevrolet Colorado Wins 2016 Motor Trend Truck Of The Year

By Paulo Acoba

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Motor Trend was proud to announce that the Chevrolet Colorado took the prize as 2016 Motor Trend Truck of the Year.

For 2016, Motor Trend went ahead and revised the Truck of the Year award test to make it a bit more relevant to the consumer. After all testing and evaluation was taken cared for, the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado was the truck that stood above all else even amongst its full-size counterparts. Also vying for top honors during testing and evaluation was the Chevrolet Silverado HD, Ford F-450 Super Duty Platinum, GMC Sierra Denali HD, GMC Canyon, Ford F-150 and Ford Transit.

Click here to read the full press release with announcement for yourself here.

And just like the Car of the Year and SUV of the Year, six criteria were chosen to make sure that all competitors had an even playing field.

"ADVANCEMENT IN DESIGN- Quality execution of exterior and interior styling; innovation in vehicle packaging; good selection and use of materials.ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE- Integrity of total vehicle concept and execution, clever solutions to packaging, manufacturing, and dynamics issues; use of cost-effective technologies that benefit the consumer.EFFICIENCY- Low energy consumption and carbon footprint relative to the vehicle’s competitive set.SAFETY- Primary safety — the vehicle’s ability to help the driver avoid a crash — as well as secondary safety measures that protect its occupantsfrom harm during a crash.VALUE- Price and equipment levels measuredagainst those of vehicles in the same market segment.PERFORMANCE OF INTENDED FUNCTION- How well the vehicle does the job its designers and product planners intended."

Last year it was the 2014 Ram 1500 HD with its revolutionary and first for the segment diesel engine, air suspension and eight-speed automatic that got the Ram 1500 HD’s foot in the door. From there, the Diesel’s superior fuel efficiency, and the 1500 HD’s overall fit, finish and superior functionality was what won over judges last year.

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This year a diesel once again takes top honors but for different reasons. The Colorado’s introduction into the mid-size truck market marked the end to a midsize truck drought that only saw the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier as keeper of the keys to a once dwindling market. Enter the Chevrolet Colorado and its twin in a different suit, the GMC Canyon with not only a great choice of powertrains, but all the capability of many full-size trucks with plenty of value to boot. It was a winner waiting to happen.

GM provided two Colorados to MT staff for testing, a somewhat barebones edition Colorado priced at $23,300 and a ZL1 Crewcab pickup priced at $36,210. And even though there was such a large price gap between the two, the cheaper Colorado didn’t feel as cheap as the price hinted to.

With a turbo-diesel coming next year joining a 2.5 four-cylinder and 3.6 liter V6, there are enough powertrain options to suit anyone in the market for a midsize truck. Paired to your choice of engine is a six-speed automatic that did the job as far as this test was concerned.

2016 Chevrolet Colorado 2.8L Duramax Turbo Diesel
2016 Chevrolet Colorado 2.8L Duramax Turbo Diesel /

Both tested engines returned similar fuel efficiency ratings as quoted by the EPA all while having the capability to tow between 3500-7000 pounds depending on engine size.The Colorado proved to be just as efficient as it was capable.

Wrapped in an attractive exterior package that set itself apart from its big brother, the Silverado HD, inspiring was a word thrown around MT’s journalists.

And with plenty of safety and standard tech to not feel like you’re being cheated out of a better-equipped truck, there was plenty of value to go around as already mentioned.

When they do finally release that diesel, this truck will only get better.

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