Chevy trucks have been around for over 100 years, with the very first one debuting in 1918 with a whopping 36 horsepower engine. It’s safe to say that Chevy trucks have had plenty of time to grow and further develop engine strength, technology, and aesthetic appeal to something that drivers are excited to own today. What we can see from the current Chevy Colorado and the Chevy Silverado is that style and strength can go hand-in-hand. So, the next time you head to any of the Chevy dealers in your area, you are going to want to take a look at their amazing truck options.
The Midsize Champion: The Chevy Colorado
The 2021 Colorado comes in 4 different trims, including the base WT, the LT, the Z71, and the highest ZR2. There is also a special ZR2 Bison option, which offers a sportier, off-roading-specific vibe. The Colorado comes in 7 different colors, including Sand Dune, Summit White, Crush, Satin Steel, Black, Bright Blue, and Cherry Red. It can carry up to 1,550 pounds of payload in its bed, and it has a max towing capacity of 7,000 pounds with its V6 engine and up to 7,700 with the diesel engine option. Overall, the Colorado is a diverse mid-sized truck option. But there’s a lot more customization going on here, so let’s look a closer look at its package options.
Spruce Up Your Colorado With Package Options
Let’s look at the base WT trim first. You can get the Power Package for an additional $1,850, and it includes a performance air intake system and a cat-back performance exhaust system. The intake system can help improve gas mileage. The Performance Skid Plate Package comes with a front and mid skid plate addition, and the Work Truck Convenience Package includes a remote locking tailgate with E-Z lift, cruise control, and remote keyless entry. Every other available WT package focuses more on aesthetic appeal, such as the Tonneau and Step Package, the Custom Special Edition package, the Sports Appearance Package, the Interior Protection Package, and the Bed Guard Package.
The LT trim offers several of the same aforementioned packages, with additional packages as well. First, the Redline Special Edition package is an aesthetic package based on the Chevy Redline aesthetic. It offers a spray-on bedliner, black off-road assist steps, and 18-inch tires with black wheels. It also includes the Luxury and Safety packages, which include convenience and driver assist upgrades like heated seating and forward collision alert. Lastly, the LT Convenience Package includes a manual sliding rear window, remote start, a rear window defogger, and body-colored heated and powered exterior mirrors.
The Z71’s only unique package is its Midnight Edition option. This is a purely aesthetic package, including a spray-on bedliner, black paint, 17-inch black wheels, and all-weather floor liners. Meanwhile, the ZR2 also has some unique exterior packages. With these packages, you can build the Colorado ZR2 Bison, the Dusk Special Edition, the Midnight Special Edition, or add on the Sport Appearance Package. If you want an out-of-the-box look, the ZR2 is the truck to build it on.
The Benefits of Owning a Colorado
If you’re looking for light towing, off-roading capability, and a more compact truck experience, the Chevy Colorado is for you. While it can’t tow larger items like loaded cattle trailers or fifth-wheel campers, it can manage ATVs and similar lighter loads with ease. Plus, it’s a sporty looking truck, and it gets manageable mileage. The Colorado is Chevy’s casual truck driver option, and it’s also great for off-roaders. If you like four-wheeling, mudding, and tent camping, the Colorado can get you where you need to go. It’s a great truck if you’re heading out into the wilderness, you just want a daily truck as a commuter, or you do need the capability of a truck but not necessarily the heavy-duty power you can get with bigger models.
The Full-Size Champion: The Chevy Silverado 1500
The 2021 Silverado 1500 comes in 8 different trims, with 5 different engine options. These include everything from a 2.7-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder or a 4.3-liter V6 to 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V8 engines, and finally, a 3.0-liter Duramax Turbo-Diesel engine. Surprisingly, despite its larger size and power, the Silverado’s diesel engine gets better mileage than any of the Colorado’s engine options, landing at a maximum of 33 miles per gallon highway. It also comes in 10 different exterior colors, such as Red Hot, Northsky Blue, Oxford Brown, and the same colors as the Colorado. It can haul up to 2,280 pounds in its bed and tow up to 13,300 when properly equipped. With so many trims, there are a lot of available packages for this model, but we’ll just focus on the most important ones.
Spice Up You Silverado With a Package
There are multiple available work truck packages for the Silverado 1500. These include benefits like hitch guidance, heated power mirrors, skid plates, and driver assist features such as rear cross traffic alert and lane change alert. There are also several performance packages, like the max trailering package, the off-road package, safety packages, and convenience packages, which include additions such as wireless charging and projection.
There are also multiple aesthetic packages, such as the Dark Essentials Package that includes black decals and nameplates, the Chrome Package, and the Rally Edition with 22-inch black wheels and black round assist steps. Each trim offers its own special upgrade package as well, all the way up to the High Country trim. Essentially, you can buy the Silverado for as little as $28,900 or as high as $61,000 or more, depending on how much you want to add to it.
The Benefits of Owning a Silverado 1500
The main benefit to the Silverado is the increased towing capability. If towing is your main concern, you’ll want to choose the Silverado without a doubt. This is especially true for farmers and fishermen. When it comes to hauling large boats, loaded livestock trailers, and heavy farm equipment such as tractors, hay balers, and other attachments, you’ll need something stronger than a midsize truck. It’s not safe to weigh down smaller trucks by overpowering their towing capabilities. The Silverado 1500 is definitely worth the investment for towers. However, even if you’re a casual truck driver and you don’t need the power or extra space, the Silverado 1500 will still make a good commuter vehicle, especially when paired with the fuel-efficient diesel engine.
Why Choose Chevy Over Ford?
The great battle between two reliable, American brands is ongoing. For those who remain unbiased, it may be hard to tell which brand is worth exploring. While Ford and Chevy definitely have some similar levels of power and capability, we have to say that the Chevy variants outperform the competition. When you put the Chevy Colorado against the Ford Ranger, you’ll see that it has better towing capability and is more fuel-efficient. You’ll also see better performance and fuel economy when you compare the Silverado 1500 to the F-150. While some may prefer Ford because they’re accustomed to the brand, we believe that Chevrolet outperforms the competitor by a landslide.
The choice is easy; Chevy takes the lead over Ford with all of their trucks. The only difficult decision is which Chevy truck you need. Are you good with the performance and size of the rugged Colorado, or do you need the towing prowess of the Silverado 1500? Whichever truck you choose, you’ll be happy when you visit your Chevy dealer and see all of the available options and packages you have to customize your truck to your liking. Don’t wait; get behind the wheel of a Chevy truck today.
