GM announced the fuel economy numbers for both the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and its fraternal twin GMC Canyon today, and those numbers are about what we expected — good, but not great. In fact, the 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder's ratings are only a little bit better than the Colorado and Canyon's V-6 EPA ratings.
Two-wheel-drive, four-cylinder Colorado/Canyons with a six-speed automatic transmission get an EPA-estimated 20 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway, with a combined rating of 22 mpg. Trucks with a manual transmission, because it’s slightly heavier, will get an EPA-estimated 19/26/22.
Although these numbers don't make the new midsize trucks leaders in their pickup segment (both the Ram 1500 and Toyota Tacoma have configurations that get better city and highway mpgs), they do offer the highest highway fuel economy in the midsize segment (now a class of five). Examining only combined ratings, the GM pickups (depending on their configuration) are rated at 21 or 22 mpg, which is matched or beaten by the half-ton Ram EcoDiesel, any four-cylinder Tacoma, the manual inline-four Frontier and Ram 1500 V-6 HFE with its 3.6-liter Pentastar engine.
The entry-level 2.5-liter (direct injection with continuously variable timing) engine for the Colorado and Canyon is rated at 200 horsepower with 191 pounds-feet of torque (this is the strongest four-cylinder engine in the segment by a wide margin — Toyota hits 159/180 and Nissan 152/171). The GM 2.5-liter will be offered in both extended cab and crew cab models, with both 4×4 and 4×2 drivetrains. The V-6 4×4 gets EPA ratings of 17/ 23, and 4×2 models are 18/26, offering 305 hp and 269 pounds-feet of torque.
Interestingly, the six-speed automatic transmission will offer better fuel economy than the six-speed manual because of its more precise computer-controlled shift points and smarter software. Although the manual gets the same combined rating, it drops 1 mpg in both city and highway ratings.
To read the full press release, .
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