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Allow me to paint a picture for you. You have an extended holiday weekend and you can take the family for an outing for up to a week without eating into too much of your vacation time. Money is tight and you only have a week or two to plan AND you don’t want to board the family pet.

Ah, the trusty pop-up trailer sits at the ready in your garage/backyard/storage yard/friend’s back yard and you just bought a frugal pickup truck. No, that’s not an oxymoron; you can still find a small, 4-cylinder pickup truck with an extra cab (2 additional seats). In fact, only two automakers in the United States offer trucks in these configurations – General Motors (Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon) and Toyota (Tacoma). All other competitive automakers offer either only thirsty V6s, V8s or a standard cab with a 4 cylinder.

If you take the Colorado’s 2.9 liter, DOHC 4-cylinder engine along with an extended cab, tow package and a 4 speed automatic transmission, you get a nice little truck around $20,000. With 185 horsepower and 190 lb-ft of torque, the General Motor’s fairly sophisticated engine provides excellent response, decent power and great economy. The EPA estimate for gas mileage is about 18 in the city and 24 on the highway. With the automatic transmission, the tow rating (with trailer brakes) is a respectable 3100 lbs.

For about $1,000 more, you can get a 3.7 liter, DOHC 5-cylinder, 242 horsepower, 242 lb-ft of torque (yes, five cylinders). The tow rating for the 5 cylinder is 5500 lbs and the EPA estimate for gas mileage is about 14 in the city and 18 on the highway. The payoff for the lower mileage is a power plant that is powerful and responsive. Passing on the highway only requires a heavy right foot and cruising at 80 is effortless. The 4-cylinder uses higher RPM and more prodding to get the Colorado moving.

Being that I live in snow country, I would opt for the 4X4 and the beefier suspension package. When you move to four-wheel-drive, the tow rating of your truck tends to go down 10% - 20%; the rate increases if you opt for a manual transmission. The added weight and drag of the four-wheel-drive system means that the truck has to work harder to move the vehicle. The manual transmission’s clutch (depending on the driver) is more prone to uneven wear when over-worked. The tow rating is decreased to allow enough cooling and proper engagement of the clutch.

So, back to camping! After you load your kid’s bikes, the fishing gear, your spouse’s camera gear and your portable dog kennel in the bed of the pickup truck (please do NOT plop your dog into the back of the truck without a kennel or proper harness), you raid the cupboards for good camping food and stash the trusty bag of marshmallows. In no time flat, you are on the highway singing John Denver tunes and shutting of your cell phones as you head out to visit Mother Nature.

It’s amazing how affordable a fairly new tent trailer can be. Online, I found a few nice models that weigh less than 2500 lbs for $900 - $5000. A good rule of thumb is to keep the weight of what you tow at least 1000 lbs under your vehicle’s maximum towing capacity. After you load up with your goods (you would be amazed by the amount of crap people take on a trip), make sure you are still well under both your maximum tow rating, your truck’s hauling capacity and the trailer’s hauling capacity. Try to make your truck as aerodynamic as possible by keeping bulky items off the roof, if possible. Remember: you will not be getting the same mileage with all that drag and every little bit of wind-cheating surface helps.

The Chevrolet Colorado is a very comfortable ride up front. In fact, I would wager it is better than most of its competition on the highway. The back seats are really for children or small people as they are small and somewhat cramped. If you need greater seating capacity, opt for the more expensive crew cab with larger, more comfortable seats.

My driving experience in the Colorado was pleasant and I consider the ease of operation, superb sightlines, just-right sized bed and great mileage the highlights of the little pickup. The looks are subjective and I found myself calling it “handsome industrial styling” given its sharp lines and unique headlights. I was fairly surprised at the handling as it was very easy to navigate in traffic and in the city.

Compared to the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Dodge Dakota (and its twin Mitsubishi brother, the Raider) and the Nissan Frontier, the day to day driving of the Colorado was best. There is something to be said about its dimensions, comfort and handling, both were better than the past reviews I have read.

My main gripe is that the plastics used inside feel cheap. It’s not too bad for a truck built in the 80s or 90s, but the quality is quite poor today; especially when measured against much of its competition. My other concern is the price. No, it is not the most expensive truck on the market, and you do get comprehensive packages for the money, but when you load one up, it’s hard to ignore how close your price is to other well equipped full size trucks.

I wish General Motors would up the ante for the transmissions too. A six speed manual and a five speed automatic are popular options in other trucks – why not the Colorado? Despite the lack of another gear, I observed about 22 miles per gallon in mostly city driving – that’s WAY better than the Nissan Frontier I tested a year back with a similar list of options. The Nissan got about 16 combined – which is way too close to what a full size gets.

Still, if you are careful with the options and look for good rebates, the Colorado is a great choice. I think some of its negative press had to do with direct comparisons with larger displacement trucks that have already established excellent reputations. The Chevrolet Colorado is less than five years old and has improved since its inception. When you look at the Colorado as unique among its peers and evaluate its economy, utility, performance, and user friendly character, you might see this truck as something special.

When camping, this frugal little truck can still achieve about 20 miles per gallon while towing and holding your family – that’s damn impressive. When you finish your camping trip and it’s time to go back to the grind, you will be hard pressed to find an easier truck to drive day to day.

This is a rugged truck as well. I know this because General Motors opted to use much of the Colorado’s mechanicals when they built the Hummer H3 – one of the most capable off road trucks built. If you get the fully equipped, 4X4 Colorado with the Z71 package and all the bells and whistles, you will be in the low 30’s, thousands less than the H3 pickup that’s about to come out.

So, what am I ranting about when it comes to pop-up (tent) trailers and the Chevrolet Colorado? In a word: economy. Gas will continue to increase in price, airfares will grow to pay for that expensive gas, and big motor-homes suck too much gas. Looking at big trucks and SUVs which can tow large trailers is also a gas-guzzling option, which leaves us with few affordable alternatives for family vacations. Low, light and cheap tent trailers are an inexpensive way to vacation when coupled with a frugal truck.

If you have never towed or used a trailer, I might suggest renting one for a weekend. You can find several companies on the internet that have reasonable rates and include instruction (and in many cases, installation of tow-hitches if you need one). This is a great way to see if the lifestyle suits you before laying out bigger bucks.

The greatest things about these family camping outings are the little things. Having time to talk – just for the sake of talking, or enjoying a group activity (like setting up the tent trailer once parked) or discovering that there is life without the internet, television or MP3 is priceless. You can make your own determination as to what is important for your family outings, and budget accordingly. In these lean times, a budget oriented solution like a cheap Chevy pickup and trailer may be more fun than a horrifically expensive holiday.

Tags: Cars News //