The 2022 Chevrolet Colorado is available in three distinct trim options which are the base LT, mid-level Z71 that is more rugged, and the most off-road-oriented top-end ZR2 trim. The base LT trim itself is pretty well-packed with features as it is actually the trim place above the actual base WT trim that is not available with the diesel powertrain. The Z71 trim further adds an automatic rear locking differential along with an off-road suspension setup and some other features that enhance the overall ruggedness of the machine. The ZR2 trim comes with driver-selectable, front and rear full locking differential and an Off-Road Appearance Package consisting of front, and rear-wheel flares, unique hood and fascia, and Chevrolet lettered grille with flow tie emblem along with other features. 

All models are powered by the same powertrain under the hood. The available packages for the LT trim include the Chrome Appearance Package that adds some chrome elements, the LT Convenience Package, and the Safety Package. The Z71 trim also gets the Safety Package which adds Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning while also includes Rear Park Assist on the LT trim along with the Z71 Midnight Edition Package specific for the trim that comes with the black exterior color, 17-inch gloss Black-painted aluminum wheels, Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires, and some other minor exterior bits. The ZR2 trim is offered with a ZR2 Bison Edition, ZR2 Dusk Special Edition, and ZR2 Midnight Special Edition Packages. The detailed list of features in each trim is provided in the table below- 

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The Z71 trim offers a nice blend between functionality and off-road abilities while being priced in terrain compared to the lower-end and high-end models. It comes with a 4WD drivetrain as standard with the same 2,8 L diesel engine under the hood. It comes with a more capable suspension setup hence implying that it is more capable than the lower trim while also providing more comfort and luxury features on the inside. This one is the apt choice if you plan to get the new 2022 Colorado. 

2022 Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab Diesel Release Date

We haven’t received any official information regarding the official release date of the 2022 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab Diesel but we expect it to debut by the beginning of 2022.

The powertrain under the hood of the 2022 Chevy Colorado models is a 2.8 L Duramax turbo-diesel DOHC 4-cylinder engine with common rail direct injection. This engine comes mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission and puts out 181 hp and 369 lb-ft. of maximum power and torque. The higher amount of torque also boasts a maximum payload capacity of 1,550 lbs and a maximum towing capacity of 7,700 lbs. The diesel engine is adequately powerful and the impressive amount of low-end torque makes it immensely capable. 

The diesel-powered Colorado takes 9.1 seconds to achieve a speed of 60mph and is limited to a top speed of 120 mph. The handling is very good considering the fact that it is a truck and provides a composed driving experience. The base LT trim is a bit more capable on the road while the Z71 and ZR2 trims are more off-road-oriented and lack the flexibility of the LT trim. This LT model could also opt with larger 18-inch wheels that are not available with the higher trims. Overall the 2022 Chevy Colorado is a capable machine that has a high amount of low-end torque available at disposal, right from the very lower RPMs. 

The 2022 Jeep Gladiator clearly dominates the performance game with a stronger V6 engine outputting a superior amount of power and torque compared to the Chevy and GMC twins. The gladiator also offered an impressive performance off the beaten path while the Chevy and GMC are easier to handle on the road while also being good off-roaders. Overall the Jeep Gladiator takes the cake in terms of performance.

Being a diesel-powered truck, this Chevy is expected to deliver impressive fuel economy figures and it does that pretty well. The Colorado Crew Cab diesel puts out a respectable fuel economy of 19 mpg in the city, 28 on the highway, and a combined efficiency of 22 mpg. Combined with a 21.0-gallon fuel capacity this results in a range of around 399 miles in the city, 588 on the highway, and a bit above 450 miles in the combined road and driving conditions. Overall it can be considered a fuel-efficient machine. 

The Jeep Gladiator even while being much more powerful and faster than the Colorado and Canyon, still happens to also be the most efficient machine here. The GM twins, however, come with a larger tank, which results in a higher range compared to the Gladiator. But still, the Gladiator overall is the best in terms of fuel economy.

The Chevy Colorado has a good-looking interior that has a simple design. Ingress and egress and are not the easiest due to the increased height and the fact that the steps are optional. The lower LT model comes with a much more barebones interior but with a power driver seat and leather-wrapped steering wheel while the Z71 gets leatherette upholstery and heated steering wheel and front seats with lumbar support along with automatic climate control. The top-end ZR2 trim doesn’t add much on the inside other than lumbar support for the front passenger seat. Leather-appointed seating surfaces are optional and available for all three trims which would add a bit more luxury inside the cabin.

The dashboard is laid out nicely and the materials inside as well as the construction of the cabin is of high quality. The seats are comfortable, but the front seats might be a little too small for larger adults while the rear row has just enough legroom. But still, overall the cabin is spacious and you could spend a long time inside this one. However, the interior could have been a little more luxurious as this one is a bit too simple. There is an overall lack of polishing inside the cabin which might be off-putting at least for some people. But other than that Colorado gets a clean and neatly designed interior. 

The Jeep Gladiator offers a much more spacious interior compared to the GM-twins while the GMC offers a slightly more luxurious interior compared to the Chevy. The Gladiator comes with a much more spacious second row and the front row seats compared to the others are not confined. The Gladiator wins in the interior segment also toppling the Chevy as well as GMC. The cargo capacity is around the same for all three models while the GMC and Chevy are available with a longer bed length option which might come in handy for some who need extra space. The following are the main interior features of the 2022 Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab-

• Automatic, single-zone air conditioning
• Heated driver and front passenger seats 
• 6-way adjustable driver seats
• Heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel with mounted audio, cruise, and phone controls
• Driver and front passenger power lumbar control
• Sliding rear window with defogger

How intuitive is the truck’s infotainment unit?

All models of the 2022 Chevy Crew Cab diesel come with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment unit while the mid and higher-end variants get HD Radio and built-in Alexa. The infotainment unit is a good one that is easy to use and Android Auto, as well as Apple CarPlay, are standard features. An audio system is a 6-speaker unit that is upgradable to a 7-speaker Bose unit. The truck also comes with a Chevrolet Connected Access suite of features with 10-year standard connectivity. The following are the prominent infotainment features of the 2022 Chevy Colorado diesel Crew Cab-

• Driver Information Center with enhanced with a multi-color display
• Chevrolet Infotainment Plus system with 8-inch diagonal HD color touch-screen
• AM/FM stereo 
• HD Radio
• Bluetooth audio streaming
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility
• Available Alexa Built-In
• Voice recognition and In-Vehicle App

The Chevy Colorado is a beautiful and rugged-looking machine in the higher trim choices while the base LT trim is simple-looking but still is not at all bad either. But if opted for the Redline Edition, the base trim looks much better with larger, black-painted aluminum wheels with a red accent and some serious black and red exterior treatment. The Z71 trim looks much more rugged and stronger with a little more sophistication added to the design and opting for the Z71 Midnight Edition Package would make it look more stealthy and overall better-looking. The top-end ZR2 trim looks extremely off-road-capable exactly as it actually is with the Off-Road Appearance Package equipped as standard. It also gets some appearance packages which are the Midnight Edition, Bison Edition, ZR2 Dusk Special Edition, and the Midnight Special Edition all of which add to the customizability of the truck and you could go for the look you find interesting or one that suits you well.

For 2022 there is also the new Trail Boss Off-Road Package available for the LT and Z71 models that comes with a lifted suspension, skid plates, and some other minor tweaks that make the base and mid-level trims more off-road capable. The wheels in the base trim are 17" bright machined aluminum wheels as standard while 18-inch Dark Argent colored wheels are optional. The Z71 however, comes with the same standard wheels while it doesn’t get a larger wheel choice whereas the top-end ZR2 trim comes with 17-inch Graphite and Oxide Gold alloy wheels, again the optional wheels are all of the 17-inches in size for these higher-end trim as they are wrapped around with larger, more capable all-terrain tires.

The 2022 Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon obviously look a lot similar while the Jeep Gladiator looks like a Wrangler. So the Chevy and GMC are better looking compared to the Jeep. The Chevy has a sleeker design language while the GMC has a bolder design. The Jeep Wrangler is only available in a single wheelbase option which is longer than the base short-wheelbase models of the Colorado and Canyon while they come with a longer wheelbase option that makes them longer than the Gladiator. The Jeep is heavier and comes with a higher ground clearance while the Chevy and GMC are a bit on the lower side. The following are the main exterior features of the 2022 Chevy Colorado Diesel-

• Black spray-on bed liner with Chevrolet logo
• Heated, power-adjustable, manual-folding mirrors
• Recovery hooks
• 17" Graphite and Oxide Gold Aluminum Wheels 
• Off-road rocker protection (ZR2)
• Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac all-terrain tires (ZR2)

The 2022 Chevrolet Colorado has not been crash-tested by any of the main agencies yet, but let’s take the scores of the 2021 version of the truck into consideration. NHTSA tested the 2021 COlorado and gave it an overall safety score of 4-stars further consisting of 4-star ratings for front safety and all 5-star ratings for side safety. The lowest rating it got was for rollover protection. IIHS awarded the Colorado mostly with a score of ‘Good’ under different parameters. All of this means that the Colorado is a safe and secure machine. There are also a lot of driver-assistance techs incorporated into the truck which includes the following-

• Forward Collision Alert
• Lane Departure Warning
• Rear Park Assist
• Rear Vision Camera
• HD Rear Vision Camera
• Teen Driver technology 
• Theft-deterrent system

2022 Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab Diesel vs 2022 GMC Canyon Diesel

These are basically the same trucks underneath as they have the same underpinnings and the exact same powertrain. The GMC Canyon however gets a more premium-looking cabin and a bolder exterior design while the Chevy is simple inside and sleeker outside. Other attributes of the Chevy and GMC are pretty much similar including the performance figures and capabilities. The GMC just offers a slightly more premium and a bit more expensive price which is not actually worth considering the fact that the Colorado is not that much different from it while being offered at a lower price. 

2022 Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab Diesel vs 2022 Jeep Gladiator Crew Cab Diesel

The Jeep Gladiator Crew Cab is a superb option as it comes with most of the capabilities and positives of a Wrangler. The Gladiator is also offered in a lot of trim options while the Colorado diesel is limited to just three trim options. The Gladiator also gets a more powerful engine and performs much better than the Chevy. It also has a more spacious interior and the rear row legroom is significantly more than what is provided inside the Colorado. We all know that the Jeep badge offers nothing shorter than impressive off-road capabilities and the Gladiator is also a super-rugged machine. All of this makes the Jeep Gladiator a much better option compared to the Chevy Colorado. 

The 2022 Chevrolet Colorado is one among the very rare choices offered with a diesel powertrain in the small truck segment. The Colorado gets a capable powertrain coupled with a good quality interior with adequate amounts of space. The infotainment unit is intuitive and the optional Bose speaker system is also very much impressive. However, the Colorado Diesel does come with some cons which include confining front seats that are a bit less wide to accommodate larger adults and an overall lack of space on the inside. The Jeep Gladiator offers a stronger powertrain and much better space on the inside while there are also a lot more trims on offer. All of this makes the Jeep Gladiator the better option in the segment and you could opt for the Chevy only if you need a longer cargo bed.