Manual-gearbox pickup-truck enthusiasts—we know you exist—can rally around the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado. General Motors confirmed that a six-speed manual transmission will be on the order sheet when the new mid-size truck enters production early next year.
"I'm making a bet on this," GM North America president Mark Reuss told Automotive News. "If you look at the past data, it's probably not a financially sound decision. But we're creating something here that hasn't been created before. So we're going to take some risks." Interestingly, GM already has a stick-shift tranny in the global version of the Colorado it sells in Brazil, Thailand, and elsewhere around the mid-size-truck-loving world, so tooling costs are zero. The "risks" are really taking on the extra financial burden of certifying another powertrain combination, increasing build complexity at the assembly plant, and stocking the replacement parts for another gearbox.
During the last-generation Colorado's final model year in 2012, the base model offered a five-speed manual (an Aisin-sourced gearbox it incidentally shared with the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky) in both two- and four-wheel-drive trim, and the base two-wheel-drive GMC Canyon did the same. The 2014 Toyota Tacoma offers five- and six-speed manuals with its four- and six-cylinder engines, with two- and four-wheel drive, and on all cab sizes. Nissan follows a similar stick-shift formula on the Frontier. If anything, GM is risking more by restricting the manual to the base, two-wheel-drive, extended-cab Work Truck model and not offering it across the lineup, especially in the mid-level trims buyers are most likely to shop.
- Photos and Info: 2015 Chevrolet Colorado
- First Drive Review: Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon
- Comparison Test: 2005 Colorado vs. 2005 Dakota, 2006 Ridgeline, 2005 Frontier, 2005 Tacoma
We're not certain yet if the 2015 Canyon, likely to debut at Detroit in January, will receive a similar configuration. And it's also unclear if the Colorado's six-speed manual will find its way onto the order sheet along with the upcoming optional diesel engine (fingers crossed!). The only other pickups besides the Tacoma and Frontier that are available with a stick are the full-size Ram 2500 and 3500 equipped with the Cummins diesel.
from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com
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