Chevrolet Colorado review: a genuinely capable desert pickup fighting an uphill sales battle against the Hilux
3.8/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The Colorado Z71 or Trail Boss is a genuinely strong pickup on its own merits: more power than a diesel Hilux, a modern eight-speed automatic, and off-road hardware that will keep pace on any dune run to the Saudi border. What holds it back in Bahrain is entirely about ecosystem, not capability — Toyota's resale certainty and universal parts availability are a real, rational reason many buyers still default to the Hilux. If strong on-road performance and desert capability matter more to you than maximum resale value, the Colorado deserves a serious look; if resale is the priority, the market's habits still favour the competition.
Pros
- TurboMax 2.7L turbo-four out-powers a diesel Hilux with strong low-end torque
- Z71/Trail Boss hardware — locking rear diff, real approach angles — matches Bahrain's desert use
- Modern 8-speed automatic and noticeably better cabin materials than segment norm
- Backed by Chevrolet's official GCC distributor with a standard warranty
Cons
- Resale value and dealer trust still lag well behind the Toyota Hilux in this market
- Same-day parts availability at independent garages is not yet as universal as for the Hilux
- No diesel option for buyers who specifically want that drivetrain
- Crew-cab-only lineup limits configuration choice compared with some rivals
Chevrolet's third-generation Colorado made a deliberate choice with the outgoing generation's replacement: drop the diesel, standardise on a turbocharged 2.7-litre four, and offer it in a genuinely potent 310 hp state of tune on the Z71 and Trail Boss grades that make up the bulk of GCC sales. On paper that beats a diesel Hilux's power figures outright, and on the road the turbo-four's low-down torque makes the Colorado feel noticeably stronger from a standstill, both loaded and empty.
How it handles Bahrain and beyond
The Z71 and Trail Boss grades come with the off-road hardware this market actually uses: locking rear differentials, meaningful approach and departure angles, and a selectable four-wheel-drive system that copes well with the sand crossings and desert tracks Bahraini and Saudi weekend drivers favour on causeway trips. On tarmac, the eight-speed automatic shifts more smoothly than the ageing transmissions in some rivals, and the cabin is a genuine step up in material quality from the pickup norm.
The ecosystem problem
None of that changes the reality of Bahrain's used pickup market: Toyota's Hilux dominates resale value and dealer trust built over decades, and every workshop in the country can source Hilux parts same-day in a way that is simply not yet true for the Colorado. That gap will narrow as more Colorados enter the used market and independent garages build up experience with the platform, but today it remains the honest reason many fleet buyers and private owners choose the safer, more familiar option even when the Chevrolet is arguably the more capable truck for the money.
For a private buyer who values the driving experience and desert capability over resale certainty, the Colorado is a legitimately compelling alternative — just go in aware that the used-market safety net is thinner than the segment leader's.