2022 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 diesel Extended Cab

The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 is available in a Crew cab and an extended cab as well as petrol and diesel motors. The petrol motor is a 3.6L V6 and is quite powerful, but it is the diesel that provides all the torque for commercial towing activities. We will only be talking about the Extended cab diesel ZR2 in this review. As such, there is only one trim. The extended cab has negligible seating at the back fit only for small kids, but you always have the option to opt for a crew cab that can house three adults comfortably. However, opting for the Crewcab means compromising on the extended box which has greater cargo capacity.

Which trim should you buy?

Since there is only one trim on offer, there is not much which can be discussed out here. The ZR2 trim is the perfect balance of functionality and fun-filled driving. There are also other lower trims available which provide a two-wheel drive if your needs aren’t that much. The ZR2 trim of the Chevrolet Colorado is only available in four-wheel drive and the diesel variant is the priciest of the lot. If you want the best and don’t care about confusing yourself with the numerous other options on offer, then this is the trim you should go for.

Expected release date of the 2022 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Diesel

The 2022 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Diesel sees no changes from the 2021 model year and the same models are being rolled on and released as the 2022 models. As such, you can immediately go and book one for yourself.

The 2022 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Diesel gets the GM Exclusive 2.8L Duramax Turbo-Diesel 4-cylinder engine. This engine sets you back by another $4,500 more than the petrol V6. This is a turbocharged inline 4 motor with dual overhead camshafts. The Duramax engine generates a modest 181 horsepower and a meaty 369 lb-ft of torque. With that great torque figures comes the capability of towing cargo of almost 7,700 pounds. Compare this to the V6 engine option and you’ll find out that although the V6 packs in 300 horsepower, it only produces 275 lb-ft of torque which means that you can only tow about 7,000 pounds. 

The diesel engine definitely lacks punch and that’s what puts the Chevrolet Colorado on the downside. It compensates for the same by promising a towing capacity of 5000 lbs, which is however a capped limit for the ZR2 trim and is 2000 lbs less than the lower trims as the ZR2 is a more off-road performance-oriented pickup. The 2.4L Duramax engine of the GMC Canyon is mated to an 8-speed automatic which livens up the driving dynamics. The ZR2 also gets the DSSV Multimatic Suspension dampers which means you can be driving your colorado on the craters of the moon and still be having the smoothest ride quality. The front gets an independent suspension setup while the rear has a semi-elliptic 2 stages Multileaf suspension setup.

The competition in the midsize pickup sector is rather haywire as each one has something different to offer. The HondaRidgeline here is a petrol-only pickup, hence the lower torque figures and the below-average towing capacity of 3,500 lbs. The Ridgeline was Honda’s attempt at making pickup trucks a comfortable daily driver for commute and weekend leisure. The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon will definitely display rather similar numbers throughout as they come from the same parent brand, GM, and are siblings in the literal sense. 

The Chevrolet Colorado differs from the GMC by being a more capable driver and the GMC has a greater presence. The Jeep Gladiator is way powerful and is fast too but misses out on some towing capacity despite all that torque. The Chevrolet Colorado is supposed to match the towing capacity of the Canyon, which it does but only in the other trims as in the ZR2 trim, the capacity has been capped to 5,000 lbs.

With the 2022 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Diesel having a rather small 2.8L four-cylinder diesel engine, it should definitely be fuel-efficient. Still, what we would say is that the mileage numbers are decent. The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 with its diesel motor provides a mileage of 19 miles to the gallon on city roads and 29 miles to the gallon on highways. Together, that is a combined range of 22 mpg. A 21-liter fuel tank saves the day by providing a good range with those mileage numbers.

The Jeep Gladiator is really the Marathon runner here and it is a surprise since it is also the sprinter amongst the competition. With a bigger fuel tank too, the Jeep really looks like the perfect pickup to have. The Honda Ridgeline with its gasoline motor isn’t even allowed into the conversation. However, the Ridgeline has a city road mileage of 18 mpg which raises some questions on the fuel efficiency of the Duramax Diesel engine.

The Chevrolet Colorado hasn’t seen a redesign since 2015 and honestly, the interiors are rather outdated. Apart from being outdated, they were already a tad bit boring since it has all been about functionality and no intricate styling or design language is involved. Since the ZR2 is the top-of-the-line trim it gets all of the top-of-the-line interiors in the Colorado lineup. The upholstery of the seats is done in leather and even the steering wheel comes leather wrapped which is a supremely nice touch. You get bucket seats up front with six-way power-adjustability and also adjustable lumbar support. Both the seats get a heating function. The seats in the rear are hardly usable. 

Apart from this, you get a dome interior lighting setup along with illumination near the footwell and around the cupholders. If that wasn’t enough lighting, then luckily the sun-visors too have lights on the inside for the vanity mirror. There is an overhead console for extra storage and chrome interior door handles for a plush feel. There isn’t much more to talk about the interiors which go for a rather rectangular setup and everything is upright and right in front of your eyes.

In the above comparison, one should take note that the Honda Ridgeline and Jeep Gladiator are only available as crew cabs. For this review, the AT4 trim of the GMC Canyon has been considered as its features match up to the Colorado ZR2. Even the AT4 trim is available as a crew cab although lower trims of the Canyon like the Elevation are available as an extended cab too. Hence there really is no comparison since the crew cabs surely have a usable second row. However, the first row of the ZR2 is at par with the others. Some of the key interior features include:

• Heated leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Dual rear seats with under-seat storage
• Automatic single-zone climate control
• All-weather floor mats
• Inside rearview auto-dimming mirror
• Power door locks
• Rear USB ports, charging-only
• Wireless Charging
• Front USB ports with AUX jack

How intuitive is the infotainment system on the 2022 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Diesel

The infotainment system on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 is the only small thing in this big pickup. It’s an 8” color touchscreen when measured diagonally and you really have to bend forward to see what you’re doing on it. Despite being a low-resolution screen, the touch response is a bit slow and laggy. Luckily, it supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and there is an inbuilt portable hotspot system in the truck which needs to be activated with a subscription plan. The infotainment system also features voice recognition and command and there is Chevrolet Connected Access compatibility. You get a 6 speaker audio system that puts around enough sound, provided it is just an extended cab. 

Anyways, you have the option to upgrade to a premium Bose 7 speaker Surround Sound system. The infotainment system houses an HD radio and an HD rear vision camera. With a 3month all-access trial to SiriusXM, you can have the best of entertainment on your system and upgrade your subscription to match your needs. There’s also a 4.2” diagonal digital driver information screen in the analog instrument cluster. This system can be personalized by the driver and provides ample vehicle information and warnings. Some of the key features of the Infotainment system are:

• 8" diagonal HD color touchscreen
• Bluetooth audio streaming for two active devices for compatible phones
• Voice recognition
• In-vehicle apps capable
• Cloud-connected personalization for select infotainment and vehicle settings
• Voice command pass-through to phone for compatible phones
• Apple CarPlay 
• Android Auto 
• Use, control, and manage select smartphone apps through the Infotainment system

The Chevrolet Colorado has been around for a while and is very popular. As such, you yourself would have seen many of them and now that a redesign is long overdue, these exteriors too have become rather boring. But if you’re getting yourself the ZR2 trim, then there’s a lot of customization packages to choose from. In its original self, the Colorado is a very basic truck, which looks rather a stance as it has small wheels and a very shy face, unlike the GMC Canyon which looks beefed up and has an aggressive appearance. 

The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 gets 17" Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires which provide amazing traction. The rims are done in an exclusive Graphite and Oxide Gold color combination which looks utterly beautiful. The front headlamp has a Projector-beam setup with daytime running lamps. The Headlamps extend from the understated front grille and have an eagle wing-like appearance which can be because eagles are found in abundance in the hills of Colorado. Coming back to the packages, the standard ZR2 off-road package provides Off-road front fascia, rear bumper, and fender flares and a taller and wider stance than regular models. 

The logo upfront is replaced with a "CHEVROLET" lettered grille. Then for the optional ZR2 Midnight Special Edition package, you get only a Black exterior paint job with 17" gloss Black aluminum wheels, an Off-Road sport bar with a ZR2 logo, and Off-Road lights. There’s also a ZR2 Dusk special edition which has the same features as the Midnight but is available in all the standard paint jobs. The Colorado comes in many basic colors like Black, White, Sand Dune, Orange, Bright Blue, and Cherry Red.

The Colorado’s standard dimensions are almost the same as the GMC Canyon. However, the ZR2 has a wider stance and is also taller by a considerable amount. It even has a ground clearance that matches up to the standards of the Jeep, and that is how you tell that it is a very capable offroader. The surprising fact is that the Colorado ZR2 is an extended cab truck but still weighs out all the crew cabs in terms of its dimensions. Some of the key exterior features are:

• EZ-Lift and Lower tailgate
• Cab-mounted cargo area lamps
• Body-color heated power outside mirrors
• Body Colored Bumpers
• Manual sliding rear window
• 17” wheels

The Colorado ZR2 gets all the required safety features like ABS, ESP and a good set of Airbags. There is also Cruise Control on offer which makes driving hassle free. The Rear Vision camera of the Infotainment system comes with a Rear park assist and there is a tire pressure monitoring system on board as well. The system also gets a Tire Fill ALert which provides visual and audible alerts outside the vehicle when inflating an under inflated tire to the recommended tire pressure. Some of the key safety features include:

• Lane Departure Warning
• Forward Collision alert with Automatic Emergency Braking
• StabiliTrak, electronic stability control system with traction control
• 6 airbags
• Teen Driver mode
• Hill descent control

2022 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Diesel vs the GMC Canyon AT4

The two siblings hardly belt out any points for a comparison. The concept is very simple, if you need an off road monster and don't care about commercial towing activities, then go with the Colorado ZR2. It’s fun to drive and is made to bash sand dunes. If you need a potential workhorse with great towing capacity but also need a car which turns heads when you arrive, then the GMC Canyon AT4 is what you need. It has a better exterior, although the interiors are just as functional and equipped as the Colorado, but just a bit more luxurious.

2022 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Diesel vs the Jeep Gladiator EcoDiesel

Now these two are the most capable offroaders and are extremely fun to drive. The Jeep is really more capable with towing, but in the end the competition boils down entirely to the looks. The Gladiator is like having a Wrangler as a pickup, complete with the boxy corners and a square appearance. The Colorado ZR2 on the other hand has some curves and beautiful wheels to complement it. If you have always loved the Jeep's styling, then the Gladiator definitely makes for a good buy.

2022 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Diesel vs the Honda Ridgeline

At a price tag of almost $7,000 cheaper than the Colorado ZR2 , the Honda Ridgeline definitely looks like a lucrative buy. The only thing that matters is that it is a petrol-only that tows just 3,500 lbs. The ridgeline never was meant for towing. It is a pickup to do mediocre towing activities and take your family for nice road trips in its comfortable cabin. If that is what you need as opposed to the adrenaline generating experience of the Colorado ZR2, then the Ridgeline is the better choice between the two.

The Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 sits at a premium of almost $16,000 from the base Colorado trim and is purely a performance machine. If you need a performance pickup, then still further you need to decide whether you need it for on-road performance or off-road performance. If on-road performance is the requirement then you need the Petrol V6 ZR2 and if you are on the lookout for off road capabilities, then you stick to the ZR2 Diesel. The Colorado ZR2 diesel is a good buy if you need an eye candy pickup that performs well off the road and ensures a smooth ride on tarmac. If you prefer practicality, you can opt for the other trims which are more functional.