The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon have encountered a new competitor in the midsize pickup trucks space – the Ford Ranger. So, we’ve decided to stack up their specs side-by-side to see how they compare in terms of exterior dimensions.
Platform
Before we dive headfirst into the numbers, let’s begin with a quick look at the underlying platforms involved.
Both the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon are based on the GMT 31XX platform, which was introduced by the second-generation 2011 Chevrolet Colorado in international markets and the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and 2015 GMC Canyon in the U.S. Utilizing a steel, body-on-frame construction, the platform is capable of cradling both four- and six-cylinder engines in both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive drivetrains. In addition to the Colorado and Canyon and their international counterparts – the Chevrolet Colorado (Southeast Asia), Chevrolet S-10 (South America), and Holden Colorado (Australia), GMT 31XX also underpins the Chevrolet Trailblazer (Southeast Asia, Middle East), and Holden Trailblazer/Colorado 7 (Australia), as well as the Isuzu D-Max (Africa and various other international markets).
Meanwhile, the Ford Ranger is based on the Ford T6 Platform, which launched in 2011 with the Ranger. Like GMT 31XX, T6 also utilizes a body-on-frame construction, and supports both rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive configurations. Additional applications include Ranger derivatives like the Ford Ranger Raptor, the Ford Everest, and – in modified form – the upcoming 2021 Ford Bronco.
Crew Cab, Short Box
For the sake of comparison, we’ll lump the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon into the same entry, as they offer identical exterior dimensions.
Let’s kick things off with the four-door, five-foot box configuration. Chevrolet refers to this cab as the Crew Cab, Short Box configuration, while Ford calls it a SuperCrew.
Looking over the specs, we find the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon are a both longer and wider than the Ford Ranger, offering an extra 1.5 inches in the wheelbase, 1.9 inches in overall length, and an extra inch for overall width.
Meanwhile, the Ranger is slightly taller than its GM competition, standing half an inch above the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.
| Dimension | Chevrolet Colorado | GMC Canyon | Ford Ranger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase (in): | 128.3 | 128.3 | 126.8 |
| Length (in): | 212.7 | 212.7 | 210.8 |
| Width (in): | 74.3 | 74.3 | 73.3 |
| Height (in): | 70.6 | 70.6 | 71.1 |
| Segment: | Midsize Pickup Truck | Midsize Pickup Truck | Midsize Pickup Truck |
| Platform: | GMT 31XX | GMT 31XX | Ford T6 |
| Cab name: | Crew Cab, Short Box | Crew Cab, Short Box | SuperCrew, 5-Foot Box |
| Dimension | Chevrolet Colorado | GMC Canyon | Ford Ranger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase (mm): | 3258.8 | 3258.8 | 3220.7 |
| Length (mm): | 5402.6 | 5402.6 | 5354.3 |
| Width (mm): | 1887.2 | 1887.2 | 1861.8 |
| Height (mm): | 1793.2 | 1793.2 | 1805.9 |
| Segment: | Midsize Pickup Truck | Midsize Pickup Truck | Midsize Pickup Truck |
| Platform: | GMT 31XX | GMT 31XX | Ford T6 |
| Cab name: | Crew Cab, Short Box | Crew Cab, Short Box | SuperCrew, 5-Foot Box |
GM Extended Cab, Long Box
Up next, we’re comparing the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon in Extended Cab and Long Box form against the Ford Ranger in SuperCab, 6-foot box form. All three models offer a smaller set of rear-hinged rear doors behind the front doors and a six-foot box.
The overall exterior dimensions for both the GM trucks and the Ford Ranger are identical to their respective counterparts in the Crew Cab, Short Box configuration, with the space gained by a smaller cab made up by a longer bed. As such, the size differences carry over, with the GM products offering an extra 1.5 inches for the wheelbase, 1.9 inches for overall length, and an extra inch for overall width.
There is one exception here, and that’s overall height. The Extended Cab is actually 0.2 inches squatter than the Crew Cab. Even so, the Extended Cab GM models are once again half an inch squatter than the Ranger SuperCab configuration.
| Dimension | Chevrolet Colorado | GMC Canyon | Ford Ranger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase (in): | 128.3 | 128.3 | 126.8 |
| Length (in): | 212.7 | 212.7 | 210.8 |
| Width (in): | 74.3 | 74.3 | 73.3 |
| Height (in): | 70.4 | 70.4 | 70.9 |
| Segment: | Midsize Pickup Truck | Midsize Pickup Truck | Midsize Pickup Truck |
| Platform: | GMT 31XX | GMT 31XX | Ford T6 |
| Cab name: | Extended Cab, Long Box | Extended Cab, Long Box | SuperCab, 6-Foot Box |
| Dimension | Chevrolet Colorado | GMC Canyon | Ford Ranger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase (mm): | 3258.8 | 3258.8 | 3220.7 |
| Length (mm): | 5402.6 | 5402.6 | 5354.3 |
| Width (mm): | 1633.2 | 1633.2 | 1861.8 |
| Height (mm): | 1788.2 | 1788.2 | 1800.9 |
| Segment: | Midsize Pickup Truck | Midsize Pickup Truck | Midsize Pickup Truck |
| Platform: | GMT 31XX | GMT 31XX | Ford T6 |
| Cab name: | Extended Cab, Long Box | Extended Cab, Long Box | SuperCab, 6-Foot Box |
Wanna learn other nitty gritty details like these? Then subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Colorado news, GMC Canyon news, Chevrolet news, GMC news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
What about Crew Cab long box? Wait, Ford doesn’t offer that, stupid.
Price metric is what still kills the Ford.
Would like to see the back seat of the extended cab Colorado 2019
It might be a little more interesting if interior dimensions as well as other dimensions such as Curb weight, GVWR, GCWR, and fuel capacity were included in this comparison.
No problem with the Chevy, is this kind of ugly
It seems you left out a classic, durable, and dependable mid size truck in the Nissan Frontier SV. I bought a 2019 Crew cab and absolutely pove this truck. We slso bought a camper to pull behind and the V6 has performed perfectly.
I completely agree! I traded in my 2018 Colorado and got a 2019 Frontier and the biggest reason was that the Colorado is also MASSIVE compared to the previous generation (I had a 2007 Colorado previously that was almost identical to the dimensions of the Nissan Frontier).
Parking was a big issue with the Colorado and the lift height for the tailgate is absolutely ridiculous! I am 6′ 3” and I could barely reach into the bed at all on the Colorado. Now with the Nissan Frontier I can reach every part of the bed standing and don’t have to climb up into it to drag out bags of bark mulch from the front of the bed.
The sad part is the Nissan Frontier is being redone in 2020 or 2021 and you can bet it is going to be massive just like all the other trucks in the segment now.
I am glad I bought a Frontier when I did as it truly is the last of the “small” trucks.