My son has a 2008 Colorado, extended cab, locking axle and eclectronic traction control, modern design 3.7 liter, 5 cyl., dohc, 4 valves per cylinder, 242 hp, plus the same amount in torque, Z-71 off road package. Rides nice, good room, looks good with the off road suspension package.

He likes it, I like it. He bought it new, has over 50,000 miles on it....starts up unplugged in -35 and colder weather.

We have winter 5 + months here, very cold, tough conditions...so far no real problems, no complaints.

 

Overall GM does a better job of managing global recources today than Ford. Not only the Colorado, but Camaro, Caprice (Holden,) Cruize, Sonic, Spark (Daewoo) and at least one Buick (Opel) are based on platforms designed outside of North America.

Dearborn is slow to accept the fact that Ford operations in other countries have much to contribute, or Ford just isnt as good at it. Past Mystiques, oops, mistakes, have them a little scared as well. The recent Fiesta launch didnt go particularly well either.

Alan has decided in order to save Ford in its home market to simplify, and that means less customer choice, at least for the time being. A new Lincoln is probably higher on the priority list than a compact truck. Margin instead of volume is where the profits are.