Chevrolet Colorado Generation 1 (2004–2006)

Chevrolet Colorado Generation 1 (2004–2006) — production years, market prices by model year, NHTSA recalls and owner complaints, and live listings for sale on VehiSales.

Chevrolet Colorado — body generations

Generation Produced Facelift
Generation 1 2004–2006 —
Generation 2 2007–2010 —
Generation 3 2011–2022 —
Generation 4 2023–present —

Vehicles within one generation share the same platform and body style.

Engines used in the Colorado

Engine families this model shipped with, by NHTSA VIN build data — each links to every model that shares it.

Engine Years in this model Also used in VIN builds ⓘ
GM 3.6L V6 (High Feature) 2015–2022 36 models 111
Chevrolet 2.5L 4-cylinder 2015–2022 19 models 83
GM 7.4L (454) Big-Block V8 2017–2019 28 models 40
Chevrolet 2.7L 4-cylinder 2023–2026 3 models 38
GM 5.7L V8 (350 / Vortec 5700) 2012–2026 53 models 38
GM 5.3L Vortec / EcoTec3 V8 2009–2012 32 models 28

About this generation

The Chevrolet Colorado and its twin, the GMC Canyon, were jointly designed by GM's North American operations, GM's Brazil operations, and Isuzu, which began selling its own version worldwide in 2002. Production began in October 2003. In late 2005, Isuzu offered a version in North America called the Isuzu i-series. This North American model Isuzu shared North American powertrains, styling, and equipment with the Colorado/Canyon twins and differed from Isuzu's worldwide offering.

All Chevrolet, GMC, and Isuzu versions worldwide are based on the GMT355, itself the basis for the GMT 345-based Hummer H3. Most vehicles for markets outside North America are manufactured at a GM plant in Rayong, Thailand. All North American-market vehicles were manufactured by Shreveport Operations. The cooperation between GM and Isuzu to build a light-duty truck and offer it in North America returns to an original arrangement the two companies had in the 1970s with the Chevrolet LUV, a rebadged Isuzu Faster.

The Colorado/Canyon trucks in the North American market offer both manual and automatic transmissions. GM also offers either a rear-wheel drive (4x2) or four-wheel drive (4x4) drivetrain with standard, extended, and four-door crew-cab body styles. Most models come with the LK5 I4 engine as standard, but a more powerful 3.5 L I5 comes with the Z71 package on four-door versions and is optional on all others. The 4-door Z71s also get the four-speed automatic transmission standard.

This package was later dropped in favor of LT2 and LT3. The Colorado was offered in three basic trim levels: Base, LS, and LT, while the Canyon was also offered in three trim levels, but with different names: Canyon, SLE, and SLT. Three different cab configurations were offered on Colorado and Canyon: a two-door regular-cab model with a box and seating for either two or three passengers, a four-door extended-cab model with a box and seating for either four or five passengers, and a four-door crew-cab model with a shorter box and seating for either five or six passengers.

Top trim levels in crew-cab configuration offered upscale features such as leather-trimmed seating surfaces, dual power-adjustable front bucket seats with lumbar support and heat, a six-disc, in-dash CD changer, XM satellite radio, and rear side-impact airbags. Three different suspension options were offered on the Colorado and Canyon: The base Z85 suspension, which offered a comfortable ride quality; the Z71 Off-Road suspension, which added a locking rear differential axle (RPO code G80), heavier-duty shock absorbers for improved performance off-road, and an increased ride height for better clearance;the ZQ8 Sport suspension (see below), which offered a lower ride height than the standard Z85 suspension, as well as firmer suspension for improved handling.

All suspension packages were offered on 4x2 or 4x4 models in all cab configurations, except for the ZQ8 Sport suspension, which was only offered on 4x2 models. A ZQ8 edition is available with a lower and more road-tuned "sport" suspension than the standard Z85 and comes with 17 inch wheels, color-matched bumper and grille, and low profile fender flares. There is also a Xtreme edition of the ZQ8 which has a different front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, fender flares, grille, headlights, and 18-inch wheels.

The Xtreme edition is basically a continuation of a trim package from its predecessor, the Chevrolet S-10. For 2007, Colorado/Canyon was facelifted and offered new engines, which include the LLV I4 and LLR I5 which were both introduced due to numerous head problems, new colors — Deep Ruby (Sonoma Red for the Canyon), Pace Blue (Sport Blue for the Canyon), and Imperial Blue (Midnight Blue for the Canyon), and new tires and wheels.

Minor changes to the grille and interior for the LT models; the LS models kept the same pre-facelift look, similar to the facelift of the TrailBlazer in 2005.

Source: Wikipedia — Chevrolet Colorado — First generation (2004), CC BY-SA.

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