A powerful engine is no guarantee of a modest appetite. The 2026 Chevrolet Colorado just proved it: among midsize pickups it lands as a solid mid-packer on fuel economy, nothing more. The thriftiest, rear-wheel-drive version returns 19 mpg in the city, 24 on the highway and 21 combined — roughly 12.4, 9.8 and 11.2 l/100 km.
So who is on top? The hybrid Toyota Tacoma. In the combined cycle it delivers 23 mpg — about 10.2 l/100 km — and climbs to 24 on the highway (roughly 9.8 l/100 km). And it is not alone: some rear-wheel-drive Tacoma and Ford Ranger models with gasoline turbo engines also stay near 10.2 l/100 km combined — and still beat the Colorado.
The all-wheel-drive Colorado gets noticeably thirstier: 17 mpg in the city, 22 on the highway and 19 combined — around 13.8, 10.7 and 12.4 l/100 km. That is already GMC Canyon and Jeep Gladiator territory. Versions on off-road tires lose even more, with combined consumption creeping toward 13.1 l/100 km.
But the thirstiest of all are the off-road Colorado ZR2 and ZR2 Bison. The regular ZR2 shows 17 mpg in every mode, about 13.8 l/100 km. The ZR2 Bison drops to 16 mpg — nearly 14.7 l/100 km — and closes out the list alongside the GMC Canyon AT4X AEV Edition.
Under the hood, every 2026 Colorado carries the same 2.7-liter TurboMax gasoline turbo with 310 hp and an eight-speed automatic. The takeaway is simple but important: the engine is strong, yet fuel use depends entirely on the drivetrain, the tires and the off-road hardware. Counting every liter? Then the base rear-wheel-drive Colorado looks far smarter than the ZR2 Bison.
It was reported earlier that the Chevrolet Corvette was named the best luxury sports car in Australia.
