The Chevrolet Colorado vs Ford Ranger
The Chevrolet Colorado is one of the best trucks on the market today. Following in the footsteps of the Silverado, a truck that's consistently been among the top 3 best-sold vehicles in the United States for the past three years, the Colorado is looking like a smaller version of GM's greatest success.
We’ll compare it today with a past favorite, the Ford Ranger, so we can see how things evolved in the pick-up truck class, and how good former champions fare against new, hungry-for-glory contenders.
One of Colorado’s undeniable strong points is its exceptionally good-looking exterior. Somehow the people at Chevrolet managed to keep the car looking imposing and menacing, but with a subdued and gentle overall look. This makes the Colorado picture-perfect for off-road timber hauling, all the while it wouldn’t look out of place in the parking lot of a high-end restaurant. Urban flair with off-road muscle, not an easy mix to pull off, but it’s been executed flawlessly in this year’s rendition of the Colorado.
By comparison, the Ranger looks unbearably dull and uni-dimensional. The front is promising, but the sides and the back are a throwback to when The Spice Girls were topping the charts. Better times? Maybe... but not for pick-up truck design.
The interiors are comparable, with both cars allowing for plenty of comforts. There isn't a lot of luxury to be found though, but the Colorado har a more welcoming interior look and feel. It's also on account of the better list of standard options you get with the Chevrolet. Options that you'll have to pay heavy money for with Ford come even on base Colorado models.
Where the gap between the two cars widens tremendously though is when we talk about what’s under the hood. Somehow the people over at Ford thought it was a good idea to make only one engine available for the Ranger, and “better” yet, one that’s not poised to satisfy any particular need.
Sure, it makes shopping easy, not having to weigh in options, but at what cost? All Rangers come equipped with the same "not powerful, and not fuel efficient either" powertrain, a 2.3-liter turbo four that will put out a respectable 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque.
The Colorado, on the other hand, has three available engine choices, one of which is a diesel. The base engine is a tame 2.5-liter inline-4 that is capable of producing 200 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque. It’s a great choice for those who’ll lean more towards urban driving and won’t have super demanding haul-jobs.
The "powerful beyond your expectations" option comes in the form of a V-6 that will produce 308 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. This bad boy is ready for any construction job and will purr as you demand more and more power from it.
The turbodiesel is a 2.8-liter inline-4 that has only 181 horsepower but a whopping 369 pound-feet of torque. As you know, torque is vital when you’re towing things or driving on steep roads, so having 369 lb-ft in your corner is something to look forward to.
From anywhere you look at these two cars the Chevrolet comes out on top. From exterior looks to interior feel, engine choices, and tech options, there isn't a single segment where the Ranger takes the lead. I can't imagine why anyone would go for the Ford when the Chevrolet is considerably better, and almost identically priced.
