Big on Base Models? The 2021 Chevrolet Colorado Is Not the Truck for You

The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon gain visual refreshes for 2021, but the updates foisted upon General Motors’ midsize twins won’t win over those who enjoy keeping their pickup expenditures to a bare minimum.

For the vast majority of the buying public, however, the revamped trucks might be viewed as an improvement over what came before.

Appearing for the 2015 model year, the current-gen Colorado and Canyon have grown long in the tooth. They also gained a new challenger in the form of the Ford Ranger. For 2021, the GM twins gain brawnier-looking front fascias and grilles, with the Colorado mimicking an honest-to-God bumper (a feature Ford made a big deal about during the Ranger’s debut).

The entry-level Base model disappears, though, meaning the Colorado range starts at a higher price point than before. $4,000 higher, as the cheapest WT configuration stickers for $26,395 after destination.

As Christopher Bonelli, GM’s head of design, product, and brand communications, told TTAC, “The penetration of the 2WD Extended Bed Base model was quite low.”

While the entry-level Colorado does jump four grand, Bonelli said “the additional standard and available features offered on the Work Truck make for a compelling package.”

That trim retails for $500 more than the 2020 model. Of course, now you don’t have the option of picking up a bare-bones Nissan Frontier, so that works somewhat in GM’s favor. Slightly more attractive silver-painted 17-inch steelies adorn each wheel well in WT guise, and the previous model’s intrusive front air dam swaps for a less ungainly unit that can be unbolted and removed with ease — something GM Authority found particularly appealing. The dam finds its way to loftier trims, too. Elsewhere, tow hook appear up front.

For all 2021 Colorados, the brand name comes stamped into the tailgate.

Moving up the ladder, the LT trim (seen in header image) starts $100 higher than 2020’s $28,895 entry price. Like the WT, it carries a standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder and six-speed automatic. The Z71, with its standard 3.6-liter V6 and eight-speed auto, holds the line on entry pricing.

The top-flight ZR2, with its cutaway fenders, off-road legs, and a face only a mother could love, has already seen the internet limelight. That brush buster adds $200 to its window sticker, now starting at $42,995.

Production of the 2021 models begins late this month.

[Image: General Motors]