A good midsize pickup with a variant of the old 4.3 V6 would be tough to beat. I had that engine in my 1996 S10 and it is a solid performer. Great torque.
The spy photo doesn't show much, but the Asian version looks like the bastard child of a Colorado and a Dakota.
Sorry, but the reliabilty...or should I say un-reliability...of the last Chevy I had has pretty much turned me off of Chevy's for good. I had a '98 S-10 with the 4.3 liter V6 and...to be politically correct...it was more trouble than it was worth. It left me stranded more times than I like to talk about. If it wasn't rattles that would come back shortly after repair, it was something in the instrument cluster, the fuel pump, gas gauge, alternator, something with the 4WD system, door handles, heater/AC system, etc. A $1000 to fix a failed fuel pump was the last straw...and I sold it just to get rid of it...and the poor SOB who bought it from me ended up having to put a new tranny in it after a year of ownership (and, yes, I kept up on the maintenance).
Chevy would have to do something pretty darned special for me to come back to the fold.
Ehhh... I'm a big Chevy person. I had A 2005 cobaltss supercharged. I loved the looks and the performance was astounding with full exhaust intake, staged upgrades from GM performance. Fast little car!! TERRIBLE quality of interior materials on every aspect of the car. Every button, every surface, quality of the material of the seats.... Any item relating to fit and finish seemed like it was meant to break over and over again and/or Fade, crack, etc.!!! I babied this car and took care of it immaculately especially working as an auto detailed for years while I owned it. But it was the main reason why I bought a Honda! So it hurts me to say bad things about Chevy but they deserve it!
What does anyone think of the 2013? S-10? Is that a concept or is it in production yet? I'm not sure what to make of it. It seems strange to me but I could see it growing on me. If only all the materials used to manufacture almost the entire truck excluding the engine and transmission weren't meant to last for 1 year at the most or 15000 miles!
Im with you 100% on fit, finish, and interior quality on a lot of GM's. I have found you have to go up in class to get any kind of quality. I have been very pleased with finish on trucks and SUV's. My 03 Yukon that is pushing 200K is still way "tighter" and way less rattly than my Ridge was at 100K. But....with that being said, the Yukon and Ridgeline are not even in the same classs. Comparing a Colorado and a Ridge is a different story. Much like the Civic and the Cobalt. You had to go up into the Malibu or Impala in order to get similar quality interior to the civic.
I'd have to give it about five years to see if reliability wasn't still an issue with GM, but right now a majority of GM owners I know have had some sort of issue with their new(isn) autos and trucks. No thanks.
I'd give it ten years. Five years would just be the tip of the iceberg in terms of consumer complaints.
I've heard the song and dance that sounds like "sure, we sold you garbage for the last few decades, but we've miraculously fixed it with the new generation of our products" too many times to believe it without evidence. I'm talking about long-time owner reports in aggregate, such as from Consumer Reports or from fleet data.
The 2008 recession is just the kind of trauma that it takes to push for major institutional change, for those reluctant to adapt. I am prepared to entertain the thought that Ford has made major strides, mainly because it appeared to already be underway before the recession. I do not extend even tepid credit to GM or Chrysler in this regard.
If my daughters 2010 Equinox is any example of Chevy quality I wouldn't think twice about buying one. At 36,000 miles not one problem. Doesn't rattle at all and is a pleasure to drive. I'm convinced at this point that Honda is living on its reputation. Not ONE significant improvement in the RL in 8 model years. Pathetic.
I think GM along with the other US automakers have REALLY stepped it up in the last 3 or 4 years. IMO, the Equinox, Malibu, Cruze, Impala, and the entire full size linup are at the top in their respective classes.
The present Colorado is a much simpler vehicle. No IRS, no AWD, etc. Nothing very special about it, and yet has a dismal record of reliability.
They need to do more than just throw new engines, etc. at it. That's just putting lipstick on the pig.