2004 CHEVY COLORADO: REDEFINING MID-SIZE PICKUPS

Surf, snow, hike or bike. It's all about choices. And Chevrolet has designed its all-new 2004 Colorado to give mid-size pickup buyers an array of models and functional features to meet their individual needs.

From powertrains to sound systems, wheels to seals, this truck is completely redesigned. Colorado will redefine the standard for the mid-size pickup truck segment by offering an unexpected combination of features that provide increased functionality and capability.

Colorado is more than just a tough truck. It was crafted with a healthy dose of distinctive style and refinement. Colorado is not a smaller version of its full-size Silverado pickup kin, nor a revised design of the TrailBlazer SUV. It sits on its own distinct body-on-frame platform, and from its inception was conceived to be the best mid-size truck on the road.

"One thing that absolutely stands out in my mind," said Colorado Vehicle Line Executive Tom Wallace, "is that when you get into a Colorado you can feel the difference - see that it has been absolutely redesigned. And when you add in the exceptional ride and handling and the new inline engines, a customer's going to walk away with exceptional value."

Ready, willing and able
While Colorado is bigger than the vehicles it replaces in Chevy's lineup, it is by no means intended to steal from the full-size segment. These are different trucks, meeting different needs, and targeted at a different buyer.

That buyer is a younger, more diverse customer. Colorado was not designed to appeal to the full-size pickup intender, but to the customer who needs a mid-size pickup. It is ready, willing and able to meet the specific needs of an entirely different type of truck buyer, the buyer who doesn't need the higher payloads, towing capacities and expenses of owning a full-size pickup.

The focus is on customers who are looking for vehicle packaging efficiency, driving and parking ease, and efficient costs of ownership in a vehicle that meets their specific work and recreational needs.

"This is a personal-use truck for singles, couples or families who want more out of their mid-size pickups, but who still share one thing in common: Any truck they drive had better be 'a real truck.' As soon as buyers see and drive Colorado, they'll discover that this truck delivers on that promise," said Janet Eckhoff, Colorado marketing director.

Colorado is a true pickup truck, with body-on-frame design; Crew, Extended and Regular Cab models; manual and automatic transmissions; 2WD and 4WD; and ample power from two completely new engines, the Vortec 2800 inline four-cylinder and the Vortec 3500 inline five-cylinder engines.

These engines are both derived from the highly acclaimed Vortec 4200 4.2L inline six-cylinder powerplant. In addition, these trucks offer the performance, towing, and payload capacity that meet and exceed what these customers demand.

Inside, Colorado looks and feels more like a spacious, well-appointed full-size pickup than a typical mid-size truck. It brings a new level of comfort and capability to the segment, with craftsmanship and attention to detail evident throughout.

Colorado also positions Chevrolet to compete more effectively in the mid-size truck segment, where 80 percent of all models are either extended or crew cab models. Crew cabs, alone, comprise one-third of the segment.

Colorado's Crew Cab offers a 60/40-split folding rear seat capable of accommodating three adults. The Extended Cab model comes standard with four doors. And the Regular Cab features 60/40 bench seats, in cloth or vinyl, with bucket seats available.

From its superb torsional rigidity to its aerodynamically efficient exterior, Colorado was designed to be the smoothest, quietest pickup in its class.

Rugged, rigid and versatile
With its ladder-type frame, Colorado's chassis offers superb torsional stiffness and durability. Independent front suspension and a live rear axle are standard on rear-drive models, as is torsion-bar suspension on four-wheel-drive models.

Colorado's standard anti-lock braking system (ABS) was designed for heavy-duty service, with tandem power boosters, dual-piston disc front brakes with audible wear sensors, and 295-mm diameter rear drums. Fifteen-inch wheels and tires are standard, with step-up optional aluminum wheels available. Rack-and-pinion steering is standard.

Colorado offers several traction-assistance options. The shift-on-the-fly 4WD system is activated with a dash-mounted switch. A segment-exclusive automatic locking differential is available on both 2WD and 4WD models with either the inline four-cylinder or inline five-cylinder engine, along with a segment-first traction-control option on rear-wheel-drive models.

Colorado is ahead of its class with optional roof-rail side air bags. Dual-stage front air bags are standard; on the Regular Cab model and Extended Cab without rear seats the passenger-side air bag can be disabled. A battery saver system is standard on Colorado as well. Options include a remote locking system, heated leather seats, the OnStar safety and security system, XM Satellite Radio (continental U.S. only) and a driver information system including an oil life monitoring system.

OnStar is the leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and information services in the U.S. and Canada. Using the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite network and wireless technology, OnStar services include automatic notification of air-bag deployment, stolen vehicle location, remote door unlock, emergency services dispatch, roadside assistance, remote diagnostics, route support, convenience services and OnStar Concierge. OnStar Personal Calling allows drivers to make and receive hands-free, voice-activated phone calls through a nationwide network in cooperation with Verizon Wireless. Virtual Advisor (U.S. only) gives subscribers access to personalized information in a hands-free, voice-activated manner with no screens or displays.

XM Satellite Radio provides 100 coast-to-coast, digital-quality channels of original music, news, sports and talk. Consumers can subscribe to the basic service for $9.99 a month - less than the cost of a single CD. In addition, GM customers with GMAC financing can choose to include the XM subscription in their car payments.

Advanced powertrain choices
The 2004 Chevrolet Colorado will feature new inline five-cylinder and four-cylinder engines that provide outstanding combinations of power and efficiency. The Vortec 3500 inline five-cylinder and Vortec 2800 inline four-cylinder are derivatives of the award-winning Vortec 4200 inline six-cylinder engine featured in the Chevy TrailBlazer and TrailBlazer EXT.

"The American public discovered the inherent advantages of inline engine technology with the introduction of the TrailBlazer, and this year they're going to realize the same thing in the Colorado," said Bruce Mader, Colorado product manager. "Both of these all-new inline engines are among the most advanced engines in the world. These powertrains are indicative of just what a 'true Chevy truck' Colorado really is."

With their common design, the new inline-five cylinder and inline four-cylinder engines feature the same all-aluminum construction, dual overhead camshafts and four-valves-per-cylinder technology as the Vortec 4200. The new engines also share the I-6's high 10:1 compression ratio, electronic throttle control, exhaust cam phasing, coil-on-plug ignition, direct-mount accessories and easy maintenance features.

The cast aluminum four- and five-cylinder engine blocks and aluminum cylinder heads are produced using the same lost foam casting process as the Vortec 4200. This process allows more exact dimensional control while reducing machining efforts in oil galleries, coolant and other internal passages.

Overall, the new engines share 75 percent of their components with the Vortec 4200 and 89 percent of their components with each other. This provides customers with highly proven design features and enables GM to develop and introduce them more quickly and at a lower cost.

The Vortec 3500 I-5 produces 220 horsepower (164 kw) and 225 lb.-ft. (305 Nm) of torque. The Vortec 2800 I-4 delivers 175 horsepower (130 kw) and 185 lb.-ft. (251 Nm) of torque. A key advantage of the inline engine is that 90 percent of peak torque is available across a much wider range of the driving cycle: from 1400 to 5200 rpm for the Vortec 3500 and from 1200 through 5600 rpm for the Vortec 2800. Both engines, inline-five and inline-four, are powerful enough for a 4x4.

"The real key to these engines is that they're part of a carefully planned and developed inline family," said Ron Kociba, Vortec inline engine chief engineer. "The Vortec 4200 I-6 was the first and the I-5 and I-4 take advantage of much of the same technology to provide the same benefits for Colorado customers as the I-6 provides in the TrailBlazer."

Smooth-shifting transmissions
Available with both the Vortec 3500 and 2800 engines is the precisely controlled, smooth shifting Hydra-Matic 4L60-E four-speed automatic transmission. Used in all of GM's light-duty truck applications, it has a long history of customer-pleasing performance and dependability.

Both the Vortec 3500 and 2800 also link to a standard new high-torque capacity Aisin five-speed manual transmission. Used by GM for the first time, it provides smoother, higher quality shifts; better launch; improved durability and a higher degree of fuel efficiency.