Prospective buyers looking at a full-size, body-on-frame vehicle from Chevy have the choice of two two distinct body styles – pickup truck and SUV. But for those interested in a mid-sizer, the only body-on-frame option is the Chevy Colorado. Well, just for fun, GM Authority has remedied this issue and has rendered a Chevy Colorado SUV.
Basing this rendering on the Trail Boss trim level of the 2023 Chevy Colorado, from which a hypothetical Colorado SUV would logically be derived, we enclosed the Colorado’s box/bed. Doing so would likely result in a third-row seat configuration, as well as a decent amount of cargo space with all three rows upright. That larger cargo area would certainly grow even further when the third row is folded.
It’s worth noting that GM currently manufactures an SUV based on the same general architecture as the Chevy Colorado, known as the S10 in international markets. Sold primarily in South America, this mid-size, body-on-frame SUV is marketed as the Chevy TrailBlazer. Not to be confused with the body-on-frame TrailBlazer sold in the U.S. in the early to mid 2000s, this TrailBlazer SUV model was based on the first-generation Colorado.
Following this train of thought, what about a body-on-frame Trailblazer model derived from the 2023 Colorado? Well, we covered a third party rendering of that hypothetical vehicle last year. Drawing up a TrailBlazer, as opposed to a Colorado SUV seen here, results in the Trailblazer rendering getting smaller rear-doors and associated windows, along with a shorter rear overhang. This would likely result in less interior room, sacrificing a third row, cargo space, or both.
As for motivation, our Colorado SUV would likely feature the same powertrain as the upcoming 2023 Colorado. This includes a single engine option offered in three states of tuning, with power ranging from 237 horsepower up to 310 horsepower. As for transmission choice, our renderings would utilize the updated GM eight-speed automatic transmission.
Alas, we know of no plans for GM to bring a Colorado SUV to market. The closest thing would have been a midsize off-road SUV from GMC that GM was planning on bringing to market based on the same GMT 31XX-2 architecture as the 2023 GMC Canyon. Alas, GM Authority sources tell us that the automaker scrapped plans for such a vehicle, instead electing to focus on electric and autonomous vehicles and technologies.
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Comments
I have said they should have done this since the return of the 2nd gen. But nothing.
At this point I just don’t see this coming unless they do it on the coming EV platform.
I am tired of nothing but smaller FWD based CUV stuff.
They should make a Colorado SUV and call it maybe K5 Blazer or maybe Blazer Offroad to distinguuah it from the CUV Blazer. What is preventing them from doing this? It might stop the constant criticism of the CUV Blazer!
The only people complaining about the CUV Blazer are people here or those in so called truck magazines…where was the complaint of the Blazer when it was just a S10 with the added SUV look. Its was nothing like the original Blazer. Most people buying the current blazer knows nothing about the original. Just like the charger, most don’t realize it use to be a 2 door. The current blazer is sharp and a nice vehicle.
The current is another meh who really cares about it. It’s not good looking, it has average performance and is overpriced with a cheap interior. I don’t care about it not being off-road because I see it as more of an ugly successor to the s-10 blazer.
Many at GM want a real off road vehicle not a pretend vehicle.
Wranglers are a big market and there is still money there to be made.
At least the S10 Blazer was rear wheel drive.
Whether you are talking about the S-10 Blazer or the current Blazer. Neither were or are anything like the original in capability. I myself have never really cared for CUV’s, because they are more sedan, with a tall swoopy cabin , without much capability. The smallest ones being the worst , because of poor ride and only slightly more cargo room than the platforms there built from.
I would just call it K5 as Blazer is on too many things today.
What is stopping them is we are in the last gen of this platform and most investment on new product is going to EV that is going to be required by law.
Hard to approve Billions for a vehicle that may not be used more tha 5-6 years.
Also it will hurt the companies CAFE average.
You just can’t say this is a good idea. It has to make money and make more return on investment than other projects. It is a business case.
According to Brazilians, GM is developing a new generation for the Trailblazer SUV, which is currently only sold in Latin America, since the model was discontinued in Asia and Oceania with the departure of Chevrolet and Holden. Chevrolet doesn’t want to lose market share to the Toyota SW4 and possibly the Ford Everest, which is being quoted to be produced in Argentina.
S10 Blazer, not K5.
My S-10 Blaser was a 2 door with a second row bench seat.
Rear hatchback window opened and tailgate opened with a spare tire rack attached.
4×4 on the fly and 2 tone black and white exterior with 32″ all terrain tires.
It did the job in all seasons.
I think a 4 door option would be nice.
Mine is a 1998 ZR2 Blazer with a 5 speed manual……..I bought it new and had it Ziebart protected before I ever drove it……..125,000 miles and many Minnesota winters and it still looks and runs great. It is now relegated to more of a collector status…..however it’s been out playing in the snow a couple times this winter.
I hear that VW is bringing back a retro Scout as they own the name under Navistar……had a number of them in the day…..would be hard to buy VW……….would probably be pretty competitive…….
I remember thinking the same thing when the brought back to Colorado/Canyon. I believe it was the Trailblazer built under the Holden brand (Australia) that gave some hope to the thought but, unfortunately it looks like that avenue is gone now too.
I think the Canyon and Colorado brand have lost their catchy name popularity. I know it’s difficult to rename a brand but just like the blazer has brought new meaning to the Blazer name they can do the same with the midsize trucks. K5 would make a great addition with extra seats for the dogs and available in two or four wheel drive. It would also make the small bed look less silly. There really would be no competitor at the moment. Take that back just saw an Toyota sr5 go by. Well that idea is dead.
Just ordered a 2023 Canyon, but I definitely would have gotten this if it were a thing.
Another SUV is the last thing GM needs now!
GM (gm), please make this as a hybrid. Seem to remember Holden built one some time ago.
I like it !!! I think they should build it and call “K5 Colorado”
I would buy that. An SUV/Pick-up is just what I have been looking for.
In Brazil, they say that Chevrolet is developing a new generation for the Trailblazer, an SUV derived from the S10/Colorado. According to the media, the sum of US$1 billion will be used for the production of the new generation of pickup and SUV.
K5 Blazer was a Full Size 2-door only vehicle, I can’t see taking that name for a midsized 4-door. The real K5 had a removable top (like a keep) and you could also add a roll bar! I say, if the want to resurrect the K5 name, they should re-introduce the “2-door Tahoe” and bring the real K5 back to life! Call the possible Colorado based version a K3 or something like that. Bronco went retro, to their original look, not the later large size of the “O.J. Simpson” versions. I can’t see a Dodge Ramcharger or Chevy K5 being a smaller version than the originals.
K5 Blazer was a Full Size 2-door only vehicle, I can’t see taking that name for a midsized 4-door. The real K5 had a removable top (like a keep) and you could also add a roll bar! I say, if the want to resurrect the K5 name, they should re-introduce the “2-door Tahoe” and bring the real K5 back to life! Call the possible Colorado based version a K3 or something like that. Bronco went retro, to their original look, not the later large size of the “O.J. Simpson” versions. I can’t see a Dodge Ramcharger or Chevy K5 being a smaller version than the originals. GM ruined the name of the Nova … don’t do it now to the K5 Blazer please
While this is great looking I would like to see Chevy/GMC sell one… BUT remember most of the Broncos I see out there are the Escape/Bronco sport, I have only seen a couple of true 4WD Bronco’s. Even Jeep to me gave in to the curreent market… Yes the wrangler is still 4wd the four door is hideous looking and not Jeep builds more CUVs then real off road 4wd Jeep’s. Again while I would love to see this built does GM really need another SUV? How about a sedan for Buick instead.
Yeah except the “big” Bronco is outselling the Bronco Sport. 117k vs 99k in 2022.
Also the Grand Cheorkee and Wrangler are Jeep’s best sellers, two of their best off-roaders.
GM keeps surrendering segments of market share in almost every category, Minivans, sedans, sports cars and economy cars. GM abandoned the midsize body on frame in the US market after 2008 when the body Trailblazer and Envoy were canceled. Leaving the market to the 4 Runner, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Explorer. It’s hard to believe neglected Pontiac had as much market share as BMW before GM chose to bury it with Saturn, Saab and Hummer. Oldsmobile had already been put out to pasture. Buick is hanging on by a thread. Cadillac is struggling. With fewer divisions to divert resources, GM should be able to manufacture a diverse variety of categories to compete with all competitors. I hope the transition to EV’s payoff, government regulations are going to force businesses to divert funds to products that consumers can’t afford or don’t want. This transition damage the profitability of many manufacturers. Who’s going to bail them out? Incredible amounts of money is required to make such a massive switch to battery technology without market demand. Politicians should leave business decisions to businesses and consumers.
There was a 2013-present Trailblazer in Latin American and Middle East Markets too. Always wanted to see it here and still do. The original TrailBlazer was made from the 2002-09 model years, with a 3-row, long-wheelbase TrailBlazer EXT from 2002.5-06.
Think about all those 4Runners Toyota sells. This is what a Blazer should be.
Actually the Highlander out sells the 4runnner and honestly the 4runner is not that big and uses a lot gas plus they have some reliability issues… In fact I have not even seen a future 4runner update or new model. I would instead want an S10 blazer size SUV with a turbo 4 avs V6 as an option.
The 4Runner outsells Traverse and Colorado. For as old as it is, it sells extremely well.
GM is leaving money on the table, any way you look at it.
I’m in my early 60’s and have loved my Suburban. However, each year it gets more and more cumbersome. I’m really getting tired of parking it. I would love something the size of the old Trailblazer with rear wheel drive and a V8. Not really interested in a Jeep yet but who knows. I definitely don’t want an EV.
While this would be a very nice SUV to fill a hole in GM’s lineup if they did launch it the price would be outrageous. Just look at the prices for the 23 Colorado and Canyons. That’s a lot of cash for a mid-size truck and then you can probably add another $10k on top to make it an SUV. I am actually a very big fan of the redesign of the trucks and would like an SUV even more but that just seems like too much money for a mid-size.
It also seems very obvious to me that GM has got to be cooking up an off road SUV to compete with the Bronco. Although it may seem like it sometimes the people over at GM aren’t complete morons. Ford lit a fire under them with the Bronco and they see how many sells they are loosing and will be in a hurry to get something to market. We just have to hope they don’t screw it up.
Since everyone is so concerned with the name I would recommend they only make it in a GMC and call it a Jimmy. They already pissed a bunch of people off with the new Blazer name, maybe they could save some face and use the Jimmy name properly.
I never really cared what a vehicle was called. I actually just bought a 23 Blazer in October and I love it. I don’t mind that it is a CUV. It fits my needs and looks great. The string of letters on the lift gate does not determine if I buy a vehicle or not.
Clay nothing is cheap anymore and if it is often it is not worth owing.
The days of the $9999 S10 are gone.
I agree it would be difficult to price this and still make a profit while staying below Tahoe prices but it could be done.
Many do not realize the RWD based Trailblazer overseas is not up to the level we expect here as the interior is more simple and it only had one Diesel engine. The trucks were the same and that is why they were redone to come there.
But basing all this on a Colorado platform and offering a ZR2 like model I think they could pull it off more easily than the trucks. The Wranglers are now going for up to $60K today fully loaded and I think GM could get a ZR to under cut that.
Clay your comment is great and its also very true…my friend test drove a newer jeep Wrangler and even though it’s been updated it’s still great for commuting on the highway with and it rides rough. I would love to see an off road SUV from GM… BUT… Can they make it affordable enough for people to buy? Using the GMC name would raise the price better off calling a Chevy Cheyenne use the old full size truck name! And congratulations on your purchase of a new Blazer I also like the look of these. As far as names more then half of the younger generation doesn’t know or care what heritage name is used… Just build it.
The Hummer GMC name would be nice but it is limited to EV now.
The problem with the hummer is it’s to expensive they need something equinox priced if jeep can sell a bare bones wrangler then why not GM? Then again I love my 2010 equinox we with V6 it’s not an off roader but it handles snow very well.
Very nice rendering, I would proudly drive it with the right power train, 6 or 8 cylinders as I can’t seem to buy into the 4 cylinder turbos.
imo, ditch the 3rd row and push the rear seats back so that way it is a spacious 5 seater and not another one of the 300 3rd row vehicles gm already has on the market. then move the rear door handle down back to its traditional position
Certainly the Biggest issues I had with the little S10 Blazer and Ford Bronco 2 back in the day was the lack of a removable roof section. if they Brought this in a say a Current Bronco or even 4 door Wrangler competitor it would fail because of the lack of this.
I suppose this would compete with Toyota’s 4 runner though. it would however cut into the craptacular “not a Blazer” CUV sales though, and it is only now getting some sales with the delete of most midsize and/or large sedans by GM.
Yes !
Make the real off-road body on frame 4×4 Bronco and Wrangler competitor that the New Blazer should have been.👍
The Ford explorer reverted back to its RWD heritage, and GM needs to bring back a competitor to that size in the market. I would love to see a Colorado/Canyon based SUV with an RWD/4WD configuration. GM won’t build it because they’ve fallen into the EV only trap the current administration has set forth. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind having an EV for shorter trips that I wouldn’t have to recharge multiple times on, but I feel they’ll be forcing themselves out of the industry if they truly are trying to go all electric and abandon the ICE completely. Where GM went wrong with introducing their EVs to the market is by putting their most expensive versions out first. The majority of Americans can’t afford a $70k base price that only grows quickly with options, so they’re left with the Bolt as their only GM option for “affordability” and I think the Bolt is seen as ugly by many, like the Prius is (until the new generation came out now). Some people say that EVs are simply a bridge to Hydrogen powered vehicles, and I would argue that’s true too.
Build a RWD Colorado Based SUV, because believe it or not GM, some people DO still like rear wheels propelling their vehicle, yet don’t want it to be Tahoe or Suburban sized. You already killed the only engine I wanted in the Colorado (2.8 Duramax) so make it interesting and desirable again with an off-roadable option that is smaller than a Tahoe.
Pauline while I mostly agree with your comment…. There are new batteries coming out in the future that will probably extend the EV range even further then ICE vehicles. Like everything else this takes time… I am more then sure GM is watching the Broncos and wranglers and working on cooking up am RWD based SUV. The one area I disagree with is not everyone can afford $70,000 dollar vehicles… Hmmm that’s why the Silverado and Full size SUVs gained market share? The Bronco and wranglers are not cheap either your looking at 50,000 to 60,000 if not more with dealer markup. While I agree they need an RWD based SUV only if they can make it Equinox Terrain priced for everyone.
The photo-chop of this theoretical SUV is pretty rough…….but the concept should definitely happen.