Price
Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Colorado
As you might imagine, the smaller truck has a smaller starting price. The 2019 Chevrolet Colorado starts at $21,300. That’s nearly $11,000 less than the starting price of the Silverado, ($32,200).
If you are shopping on base price, the Colorado is the winner. However, start optioning up and things can get pretty expensive with both vehicles. The Silverado’s top-end trim, the High Country, is $56,600 before options, versus the top-level Colorado ZR2, at $42,900.
Seat Comfort
Winner: Tie
The extended cab Colorado (pictured right) only has fold-out rear seats that are incredibly tight on space. The front seats of the Colorado are also a bit on the firm side. Meanwhile, the rear seats in the extended cab Silverado (pictured left) can easily accommodate adults.
There are some tradeoffs between these two trucks, and the devil is in the details. With the Colorado, you get a standard power-adjustable driver’s seat, while the Silverado comes standard with a front bench seat. Great for work crews, but not for comfort.
Cargo Space
Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Nearly by default, the Silverado is the runaway winner when it comes to cargo space. The Silverado has one of the more impressive beds among full-size trucks. Chevrolet has extracted more space out of the redesigned truck’s bed and packed it with features. Chevrolet even gave it a new name: “Durabed.” The short box has 63 cubic feet, the standard bed has 72 cubic feet, and the long bed has a best-in-class 89 cubic feet of cargo space. This dwarfs the Colorado and bests full-size competition like the F-150 and Ram 1500.
Interior Quality
Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
The full-size Silverado has plenty of interior space for passengers to stretch out. The cabin uses high-quality materials, and while not on the same comfort level as the F-150 or Ram 1500, makes strong gains for 2019.
The Colorado has a quality interior compared to its compact truck competition, but the redesigned Silverado is just better.
Interior Features
Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
The redesigned Silverado has plenty of user-friendly features, such as the new Chevrolet Infotainment 3 system with a 7-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The bed of the Silverado has plenty of tie-owns and is available with LED bed lighting and a 110/120-volt power outlet.
The Colorado has GM’s tech features from the last Silverado, including Chevy MyLink, which is similar to the Silverado’s infotainment system but features updated graphics.
Though they offer similar features, the Silverado’s newer setup gives it the win.
Acceleration
Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
The Silverado comes standard with a V6 engine making 285 horsepower and is available with a turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 310 horsepower. For real work, you’ll want either the 355-horsepower 5.3-liter V8 or the 6.2-liter V8, which makes 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque.
The most powerful engine option for the Colorado is the gas V6 making 308 horsepower. One highlight of the Colorado’s engine lineup is the optional 2.8-liter Duramax diesel four-cylinder that makes 369 pound-feet of torque, which actually outperforms all but the 6.2-liter engine in the Silverado.
Fuel Economy
Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Colorado
That capable Duramax diesel in the Colorado is also the most fuel-efficient truck/drivetrain combination between the two vehicles. With rear-wheel drive and the automatic transmission, it returns 20 mpg city and 30 mpg highway.
The most efficient version of the 2019 Silverado 1500 is the 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with rear-wheel drive, but it still only returns 20 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.
Ride and Handling
Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Colorado
The new Silverado has improved its ride quality over the 2018 model. However, there are full-size trucks with better rides. The Ram 1500, for example, provides a smoother ride and more agile handling.
If you were to select the Colorado, you would not be disappointed. It feels composed around town and is one of the best compact trucks when it comes to ride and handling.
Because the Colorado is better in its segment, we’ll give it the win.
Off-Road Ride and Handling
Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Colorado
Both trucks have a number of ways to take you off-road. The Silverado is available with the Z71 off-road package, which has off-road shocks, an automatically locking rear differential, skid plates, and all-terrain tires. The available Trail Boss package adds a 2-inch lift and off-road tires.
However, the Colorado makes a real commitment to the trail with the ZR2. It features Multimatic shocks, front and rear locking differentials, skid plates, and a completely reworked front bumper. Above that, there’s the ZR2 Bison trim, which features Boron-steel skid plates, off-road tires, and a unique steel bumper that can receive a winch.
Towing
Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
The Silverado 1500 can tow up to 12,500 pounds, which is one of the best tow ratings in the class. It is well ahead of its smaller sibling.
The Colorado has a max tow rating of 7,000 pounds – respectable for the class but not good enough to compete with the full-size trucks. Even the small turbocharged four-cylinder on the Silverado can tow more than that, at 7,200 pounds with the Max Tow package.
No matter how you cut it, the Silverado will almost always be able to tow more.
Safety
Winner: TBD
In National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash testing, the Silverado earns an impressive five-star overall rating, with five stars in frontal and side crash testing and four stars in the rollover test.
The Colorado earns a four-star overall crash test rating, with a five-star result in only the side crash test. It earned four stars in the head-on and just three stars in the rollover test.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the Colorado crew cab its highest rating of Good in all five of its crash tests. The IIHS has yet to test the Silverado, so we’re going to call this one a “TBD.”
Both vehicles are available with forward collision alert and lane departure warning, while the Silverado is available with blind spot monitoring, low-speed forward automatic braking, and front pedestrian braking.
The Winner Is …
Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
In a battle of trucks, the scales will often tilt in favor of the full-size. The redesigned 2019 Silverado further benefits from the latest technology and features. Plus, the Silverado takes the edge where it counts in the pickup world: in cargo space and towing/hauling.
As small trucks go, the Colorado is one of the best. It offers many of the creature comforts of its larger brethren, including heated and cooled seats, leather, navigation, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.
If you prefer a compact/midsize pickup, give the Colorado a serious look. But in terms of power and capability, the full-size Silverado is our winner.
More Shopping Tools From U.S. News & World Report
To learn more about the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Chevrolet Colorado, check out their reviews. Then, see how they stack up to the competition by exploring our full-size truck and compact truck rankings. And when it comes time to buy, use our Best Price Program to get the best deal on your new car purchase.
Check out interest rates from multiple lenders by visiting our partner, myAutoloan. You can get up to four offers in just a few minutes.
2019 Chevrolet Silverado vs. 2019 Chevrolet Colorado: Head to Head
- Price - Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Colorado
- Seat Comfort - Winner: Tie
- Cargo Space - Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- Interior Quality - Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- Interior Features - Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- Acceleration - Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- Fuel Economy - Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Colorado
- Ride and Handling - Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Colorado
- Off-Road Ride and Handling - Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Colorado
- Towing - Winner: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- Safety - Winner: TBD
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Which Chevy Pickup Is Right for You?
When it comes to buying a new pickup, bigger isn’t always better. Witness the recent trend of well-equipped compact and midsize trucks that bridge the gap to full-size pickups. The price of a fully loaded compact truck like the Chevrolet Colorado is well over the entry-level price of the full-size 2019 Chevrolet Silverado (which is redesigned for this year).
With that kind of broad overlap, choosing between the Silverado and Colorado is tougher than you might imagine. So we’re going to help your decision-making process. We’ve stacked up these two trucks in a number of categories, from price to towing power.
Read on to see which Chevrolet pickup comes out on top.
(Keep in mind that our scores and rankings change as we receive new expert reviews and industry data. Be sure to take a look at each truck’s review for the most up-to-date information.)