While standing at the rear end of a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 crew cab with four-wheel drive and the long truck bed, it becomes obvious. This is not a "small" truck by traditional terms.
With the box measuring 74 inches long (61.7 on the crew cab's standard bed) by 55.5 inches wide at the tailgate by 20.9 inches tall, General Motors is leaving lots of cubic footage at the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon driver's disposal without the footprint of a full-size truck. Those beds will be hauling fallen leaves, empty water bottles, and all the free air they can handle the majority of the time, but knowing there's space available can be mighty reassuring.
All the basic, desirable truck traits manifested. Feedback from the Mando rack-assist electric power steering is surprisingly good, and the Chevrolet Colorado's standard four-way powered driver's seat (seat back recline is manually adjusted by lever) means humans of all heights and appendage lengths can find their perfect sitting distance from the steering wheel. Outward visibility is excellent, even from my low-to-the-floor seating position. At nearly six inches narrower than a Silverado 1500, the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado feels comfortable navigating tight city streets where cyclist lanes aren't far from the passenger side mirror.
The 3.6-liter V-6 packing a stout 305 hp (44 over Frontier, 69 over Tacoma) and 269 lb-ft of torque (3 over Tacoma, 12 less than Frontier) likes to rev, and the engine calibration is unlike the Japanese competition. Mated to four-wheel drive and a six-speed auto in a crew cab, the V-6 is quite docile in the initial accelerator pedal travel -- "car-like" was how I mentally catalogued it. Getting deeper into the Chevrolet Colorado's gas pedal spurs it to life, where you'll spin it to 6,800 rpm for peak power. The Frontier hits max power at 5,600 rpm, whereas the Taco needs 5,200 rpm. The six-speed auto is eager to get into higher gears in relaxed driving conditions, so it's promising to see the transmission can rapidly shift down when the right foot heads for the floor.