Cars.com's Best Pickup Truck of 2015 Winner
And the Best Pickup Truck of 2015 is … the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado.
When PickupTrucks.com's sister site Cars.com chooses a Best Of award like this, especially when in a class of competitors that offers so much diversity, it can be difficult comparing brand-new vehicles with significantly improved ones or heavy-duty models with midsizers. But that's what we do here each year — make the hard calls and choose a winner. We review the entire lineup of pickup trucks in every segment, looking at each change and modification made by the truckmakers. We examine the impact those changes will have on the segment, and eventually we narrow our top choice to the one that most deserves to be called the Cars.com's Best Pickup of the Year.
This year the choices were exceptional, with vehicles in each of the three categories — midsize, half-ton and heavy-duty — represented, each offering a strong argument for why they should win the top honor. In the end, though, we selected the Chevy Colorado as the pickup that resets the bar not only in its segment, but possibly in the entire pickup truck arena when it comes to efficiency, quality and bang-for-your-buck value.
By re-entering the struggling midsize pickup truck segment with the 2015 Colorado, GM engineers accepted the challenge of aiming to be the segment leader — which they knew they had to do — along with needing to lure back buyers who had migrated to other segments like crossovers, sedans and full-size pickups. To call this an expensive risk would be an understatement — after all, GM had to rebuild an entire production plant that shares little with any other GM vehicle. If this truck is anything less than a home run, it could be one of the costliest experiments GM has ever conducted.
It's one thing to create a new and improved pickup that outperforms the vehicle it's replacing — just doing that is no small feat. It's quite another to birth a vehicle into a blank space that is required to reset the bar and send shockwaves as deep into the marketplace as possible. We have no doubt the Chevy Colorado — and sibling GMC Canyon — will send other truckmakers scrambling to the drawing boards as more people are lured back to midsize pickups, especially if the coming small turbo-diesel is a hit. We think this new truck will do that, forcing Nissan, Toyota and others to do more and do it better. It's for those reasons that we selected the Colorado as the truck that stands above the competition this year.
This award acknowledges the GM engineers who have made a solid product with a boatload of value for those who love traditional truck traits as well as for those just looking for functional transportation. Congrats to all involved.
Other eligible pickups for 2015 award were:
- 2015 Ford F-150
- 2015 Ford Super Duty F-250/350
- GMC Sierra 2500/3500
- Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro
- Toyota Tundra TRD Pro
Cars.com photos by Mark Williams
Comments
Would anyone like to be a fly on the wall at the board room of Ford or Toyota?
I have yet to drive one of the new GM midsize but did sit in a crew cab with all the options and it was very, very nice. And cost the same as my 2003 Silverado LT with a heavy load of options. These are not the small pickups of the early 2000's. But that is a good thing.
This just in yesterday:
Ford F-150 wins truck of the year.....
http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/12/autos/car-of-the-year-truck-of-the-year/index.html?iid=HP_Highlight
This just in.. silverado wins truck of the year as picked by me....lol who cares about a cnn money truck of the year poll?
can you tell me when the 2016 ford super will debut at
can you tell me what auto show they will debut the 2016 ford superduty at please
@Wendell ash, don't be surprised if you see the debut of the upcoming Ford Super Duty at this years Texas State Fair, that is usually how it goes when it comes to the introduction of a new Heavy Duty or Super Duty Pick Up either Ford, GM or RAM.
Notice the "Motor Trend truck of the year" in the background.
Good looking truck. Job we'll done GM
Gas at $4 a gal this truck does ok long term. At $2 a gal it's a bit player. In a year GM will be begging people to buy these, the diesel may help short term.
Regardless where gas prices are, there will always be a need for these trucks, there are plenty of people who use them for what they are actually built for; so GM, Ford or RAM won't have issues in the long run with today's fuel prices, it's the Housing market that may tell the story within a year or so as to how well the demand for Pick Up trucks will be.
what kind of trucks will they debut in the chiciogia autoshow next month
Much better looking than the new Tacoma. The legroom in the front seats of the Extended Cab model is outstanding.
Plus Motor Trend Truck Trend Mag. picked the F150 as Truck of the Year as well.
GM had their back against the wall so they had to come up with a winner to survive.
So here is their winner, The Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon !
( Not everyone can afford a Corvette)
Anybody notice how Consumer Reports IGNORES the Colorado?
Not a word about it in their magazine!
That tells me they are worried that the Colorado might be better and more popular than their cherished Honda Ridgeline.
In Consumer Reports the Ridgeline body can be made out of cardboard using a lawnmower engine and it would STILL be # 1 highest rated truck!
Tacoma looks better, much better.
Titan was not an eligible participant?
The new F150 gets as good or better mileage than the colorado. Why would anyone want a small truck if a full size cost about the same and has more power, tows more, hauls more, more amenities and the list goes on. Just because they have a new truck for the midsize market who cares. It is not dominant in the truck world and still doesnt answer the real small truck question.
I'm curious why the F150 winning TruckTrend's ToTY wasn't covered (or did I just miss it?). TruckTrend, in their article, seemed to disagree with MT's call and decided to go their own direction. The F150 has won more awards that actually count on merit, not advertising dollars. It will win the sales race too.
The Colorado/Canyon are no doubt good trucks, but they're really not that revolutionary. They're not doing anything that much differently than anyone else. They're certainly better looking than the new Tacoma, but the Tacoma's so entrenched they're going to have an uphill battle getting any conquests from the Tacoma.
Personally, I want to see the 'technology and stuff' guy present the Super Bowl MVP's vehicle.
when will the 2016 ram 1500&ramHD trucks be out or debut some let me know today please
You can sure tell those folks at cars.com know very little about pickups! Or maybe it's just that they're nodding to all those advertising dollars. The Colorado as the best? Seriously folks? What a hoot.
For all of the naysayers, this is why it won...
"...we selected the Chevrolet Colorado; it stands above the rest as the pickup that resets the bar not only in its segment but possibly in the entire pickup truck arena. To create a brand-new entry in the struggling midsize pickup segment, GM engineers accepted the challenge of building an instant segment leader and luring back buyers who had migrated to crossovers, sedans and full-size pickups. To call this an expensive risk -- GM had to tool an entire plant that shares little with any other GM vehicle -- would be an understatement, especially if this truck is anything less than a home run. It's one thing to create a new and improved pickup that outperforms the truck it's replacing (no small feat), but we think it's quite another to birth a pickup where literally nothing existed before -- and then not only reset the bar but also send shockwaves through the industry."
Lets not be to quick to forget that the redesigned 2014 Chevy and GM 1/2 tons did not when truck of the year last year.
I have already priced a 2 wheel Crewcab long bed Colorado Work model with a move up class 2 option ,with option 17'' mag wheel ,Trailer Tow package, Locking Rear axle V6 auto, power windows ,power door locks for $27,600 drive out.
"but we think it's quite another to birth a pickup where literally nothing existed before"
What? The Colorado existed before. First gen was sold from 2004 to 2012 MY and 2013 CY. Then there was a gap between the build-out of the current Colorado and the introduction of the new 2014 Colorado built at Wentzville which debuted in November 2013. Plus a version of this new Colorado was already sold overseas from 2012 to present. Nothing was not existing before. If the Raptor takes more time off from production than the Coloado will you say a truck was birthed that never existed before?
What a GM leghump article. It overlooks that the Colorado already existed and failed miserably. GM only left the sement for what? A year? Retooling a plant? Of course they retooled the plant. It is a fully new model. Ford retooled the F150 plants as well, perhaps to an even more extreme extent. There hasen't been enough sales data to show any buyers being lured anywhere. The main people they are regaining are fleets and previous Colorado owners. Until they show Tacoma and Frontier sales dropping significantly. How exactly did the Colorado create it's own segment? Last I looked the Tacoma and Frontier were still there and outsell it currently. GM did not have a very high bar to jump to be better than the last generation Colorado. Lets be honest.
when will ford debut the new super duty let me know soon
will the 2016 ram 1500 truck look different then the 2015 ram 1500
Todd, you ask why "Why would anyone want a small truck if a full size cost about the same" I just drove a Colorado Z71 LT crew cab, decked out with leather etc.. $36K, a Ford decked out like this is $52K, Chevy 48K, I am not talking about the Platiunum either..
My 2011 Colorado hauls elk and deer just fine let alone my bass boat or all my tree stands and gear, I do not need a "full size" truck.
People confuse candor and frankness with bias.
I'd like to know how this site is biased to Ford when PUTC picked Colorado as truck of the year (a PUTC logo is on the bottom of the trophy), PUTC picked both GM trucks over the F-150 in the V8 shootout, PUTC picked Ram in the King of Beasts, PUTC picked GM in the 1 ton shootout, PUTC picked Ram in 3/4 ton shootout, etc.
If PUTC likes the Colorado more then that should be no surprise because California loves mid size trucks.
If PUTC does not endorse the Colorado as truck of the year then PUTC that is their right but they should state so and come out with their own PUTC Truck of the Year Award.
A few weeks ago everyone said MT did a tremendous diservice to their award and picked the Colorado picked the Colorado as truck of the year. Everyone thought everyone at MT was behind this. Wrong. Then a few weeks later Truck Trend the truck site picked the F-150 as truck of year. The same thing may happen here. Cars.com is the parent site and PUTC is the truck site.
Where is the PUTC Truck of the Year Award? If you are picking the Colorado, too, just say so. If not, do not endorse the Cars.com award. We want to know where PUTC stands. We don't care about Cars.com
Correction: If PUTC DOES endorse the Colorado as truck of the year then PUTC that is their right but they should state so and come out with their own PUTC Truck of the Year Award.
Where does PUTC stand? Silvrado, Colorado or F-150 for PUTC TOTY?
@Wendell ash,
From a business perspective why would you change the current Ram?
It's sales are improving markedly in comparison to it's competitors. This highlights your shallow business acumen.
Ford now has to prove itself and convert it's new F-150 into numbers sold.
Ram has proven it can achieve this. It would be far more interesting to see what Ram has in development as was the case with the new F-150.
Also, use google as it will easily find answers to some of your questions and remarks.
@Wendell ash,
From a business perspective why would you change the current Ram?
It's sales are improving markedly in comparison to it's competitors. This highlights your shallow business acumen.
Ford now has to prove itself and convert it's new F-150 into numbers sold.
Ram has proven it can achieve this. It would be far more interesting to see what Ram has in development as was the case with the new F-150.
Also, use google as it will easily find answers to some of your questions and remarks.
There was little in the explanation of giving this award that made logical sense to me. This truck is destined to become a rebate queen in a year. My WAG is the Toyota V-6 will get 2 mpg better overall than this truck. Will be interesting to see it head to head soon.
@CT
The Raptor is exciting, but it's mostly a flashy toy. The GM midsize twins are trucks.
Not sure where someone got a 15 F150 was 52K. I just priced a Lariat CC 4x4 FX4 and it came in around 48k. Keep in mind that a supercab probably has the same interior room as a Colorado CC and the price drops to around $44k for a Lariat 4x4 and those are MSRPs. As part of that extra money, you get more power, more cargo capacity, more cargo room, and more towing capacity all for about the same mpg. You can probably load up an XLT to come even closer to the Colorado if not match it.
$36k for a mid sized truck is nuts IMHO. Less truck in all areas for 3/4 of the price.
I'd rather hear from the truck expert Mark W. and the truck experts at PUTC on which truck is the truck of the year. Much like Cars.com, the car guys at Car Trend unanimously picked Colorado. Then its sister site Truck Trend unanimously picked the F-150.
How can this happen other than advertising or car guys like midsize trucks and truck experts like F-150? The truck experts at PUTC need to pick a side and make its own selection for PUTC TOTY. If PUTC wants to pick the Colorado too that's fine, but I want to hear what THEY think is THE BEST, not other sites like Car Trend and Cars.com
This truck sit the bar in a segment where there was no upgrades for like 7 years.
The last generation GM midiszers set the bar for what NOT to do with a mid-sized truck.
This truck is a great city slickers truck, you know that neighbor that only needs a truck to haul off his tree limbs or trash. Which fits the trucks presence great, because it has that 3.6 V6 straight from the GM car parts bin.
The GM trucks have zero off-road presence, the Z71 looks great to that city slicker that needs to go down to the mulch site and doesn’t want to get stuck in dry dirt. True mid-size truck owners that go off-road will still continue to purchase the Tacoma and Frontier.
Lots of ant-GM hate on this article. Fact is Ford is a failure when it comes to the Powertrain offerings on the F150 and since that's a big part of a vehicle, I think Ford lovers need to remember this, short warranty and your gonna have Turbo problems, its not if, its when.
Back to the Colorado/Canyon, great trucks, lets see the diesel and how that shakes out, 2 years from now 8 Speeds/Diesel, winning combo.
Back to ripping on Ford, isn't it embarrassing they had to scrap their 6.2, even with an Alum body it would have still sucked the gas, now compared to GM superior engine, a corvette based 6.2, more power/torque and WAY better fuel economy, if you need a reminder.
The new 6.2/8 speed gets the same Fuel Economy as the previous gen truck 5.3/6 speed.
Over 100HP and 130TQ more, same Fuel Economy,
Now the last F150 with the 6.2 got 12 MPG in the city 16 on the highway.
Versus Superior GM 6.2, 15 city, 21 highway, the ford 6.2 was such a failure that GM's city mileage almost matched Ford's highway mileage.
What does all this mean? Ford Powertrains are a joke, they have to use turbos to try to cheat the system, while 60 years of GM Small Block blow them away.
Ford changes engine designs more than anyone, that because they don't know what they are doing, GM releases an engine and it foes for years, the 6.0 is still going strong, remember the 5.4, what a POS.
THE BEST NEVER REST!!!!
Ford loses and GM wins again!
@ Detroit Bobby & obvious one... sounds like sore losers to me. Not Ford losing!! After all isn't any companies success measure by reported sales/profits??? Think so. And for how many years has Ford trucks led that???????????????? Hmmm And if Ford truck product line sooooo bad, yet year after year after year, whether truck of the year OR NOT, they still lead in sold vehicles any way you slice it. That means ALL your friends, relatives & others just keep buying them. Guess the majority of buying masses all stupid. hmmm. NOT!
It's pretty obvious why Chevy keeps winning, It's because they're not Fords.
@Mr Obvious GM releases and engine and it has a long service life because GM was going BANKRUPT and had no money to invest in developing a new engine. Then thanks to Obama, now we have the 6.2/8 speed combo. You better write a letter to Obama thanking him for allowing your beloved GM to live on.
Congratulations on the Colorado/canyon win.
With that being said there are several things said that are PR hyperbole.
1. The Colorado is a reskinned homologated for USA version of the GLOBAL Colorado. - GM was wise to do this since cost and R&D is amortized globally.
2. Reset's the bar? Wasn't that GM's PR mantra when they released the full sized Sierra/Silverado?
Yes this truck resets the bar in the midsized market but definitely not the full sized market. The full sized market has stellar offerings appealing to everyone coupled with several trucks that beat the Colorado's mpg.
3. Will this truck gain traction in the market place?
Unfortunately GM has to contend with 2 dollar a gallon (USA) gasoline. Experts feel that price will be here for up to 2 years.
Unfortunately GM has to deal with extremely loyal Toyota fans and the "new" Tacoma will keep the faithful happy.
The Colorado does reset the bar for the small truck segment and I do hope that it does well. I do think that it is premature to call it a "homerun" just yet. Sales will determine that fact.
If one uses the baseball metaphor, it does look like it could be a homerun but I'm thinking more of an infield homerun as opposed to out of the park.
@Lou
All good remarks and thank you. However, lately I cannot fathom how many people I meet who are still talking about buying a particular vehicle because of its fuel economy. It's like a broken record.
As you point out, there's a real likelihood that we're going to see a couple of years of 2.00 gasoline.
This is true in part because 2013's economic growth stalled somewhere on the way to Christmas in 2014.
It's not getting a lot of press yet, but the recent holiday season was a big let-down for retailers and that points to a softer economy in the coming year.
Just today the news reports that jobless claims were up sharply in the latest report.
As I've been panned for saying several times, buy the truck you want. Get a truck that is versatile and does a lot of things. Don't get hung up on FE. Gas will be cheap for a while.
@LouBC,
What you wrote is partially correct regarding the Colorado. It isn't better than a full size.
But, the point you are missing is, can the Colorado provide enough for a full size buyer to invest in one?
I think so. I do believe the Colorado will entice many people to them. I'm not stating it will displace full size pickups by any measure. But, they offer the refinement of a full size.
The "traditional" train of thought in the US pickup market is changing. There will people who will only want a full size. But there are plenty of people who will want a smaller pickup.
This has occurred previously in the US. People just don't change. People will always be people.
@ Detroit Bobby & obvious one... sounds like sore losers to me. Not Ford losing!! After all isn't any companies success measure by reported sales/profits??? Think so. And for how many years has Ford trucks led that???????????????? Hmmm And if Ford truck product line sooooo bad, yet year after year after year, whether truck of the year OR NOT, they still lead in sold vehicles any way you slice it. That means ALL your friends, relatives & others just keep buying them. Guess the majority of buying masses all stupid. hmmm. NOT!
Posted by: supercrew02 | Jan 14, 2015 6:06:35 PM
/QUOTE
could the reason people are buying trucks so often be bc they don't last as long??have problems etc??
My 08 Silverado had no issues whatsoever after all these years,,so have no need for a new one,,
Colorado will be a success mark my words,,I'd get one only if it had regular cab though..
Talking about profits, I'm pretty sure Toyota, as a brand, puts up my yearly profits than GM and Ford combined.
BAFO, Then please explain why as a rule fullsize truck sales have dominated compact/mid sized truck sales. If plenty want a smaller truck, the Ranger would still be here and the GM twins would haven't gone on hiatus. If your view is correct the Ridgeline and Subaru Baja should have been successes. We keep reading people clamoring for small trucks yet when they arrive they flop.
@papa jim - a few mpg up or down aren't going to sway my purchase decisions. I look at durability ratings first and then filter my choices through my own purchase criteria.
I did consider small trucks when I was in the market last time and I will consider them again next time around. The Colorado looks like a decent truck and has the cargo and tow ratings that are in line with my current needs.
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