Compare the2025 Ford RangerVS 2025 Chevrolet Colorado

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Ranger have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Chevrolet Colorado doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Ranger has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Colorado doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Ranger offers an optional Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Colorado doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Ranger XLT/Lariat’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Colorado doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Ranger and the Colorado have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available four-wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Ranger is safer than the Chevrolet Colorado:

	Ranger	Colorado
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	110	194
Neck Stress	281 lbs.	330 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	157	293
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	34.9%	34.9%
Neck Stress	152 lbs.	178 lbs.
Neck Compression	75 lbs.	92 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Ranger is safer than the Chevrolet Colorado:

	Ranger	Colorado
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	43	129
Chest Movement	1.2 inches	1.6 inches
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	47	64
Spine Acceleration	25 G’s	30 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	32 G’s
Hip Force	473 lbs.	586 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Ranger’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Colorado’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

The Ranger has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Colorado doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

Engine

The Ranger’s optional 2.7 turbo V6 produces 5 more horsepower (315 vs. 310) than the Colorado’s 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Ranger is faster than the Chevrolet Colorado:

	Ranger turbo 4 cyl.	Ranger turbo V6	Colorado
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	6.3 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15 sec	14.8 sec	15.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92.7 MPH	94.7 MPH	85.8 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Ranger gets better mileage than the Colorado:

			MPG
Ranger
	RWD	2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/25 hwy
	AWD	2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy
Colorado
	RWD	2.7 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/23 hwy
	AWD	2.7 turbo 4-cyl.	17 city/21 hwy
		ZR2 2.7 turbo 4-cyl.	17 city/17 hwy

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Ranger, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Colorado.

Brakes and Stopping

The Ranger’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Colorado are solid, not vented.

The Ranger stops shorter than the Colorado:

	Ranger	Colorado
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Ranger has a standard full size spare so a flat doesn’t interrupt your work or a trip. A full size spare costs extra on the Colorado. Without the option you must depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Ranger has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Colorado doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Ranger Lariat 4x4 handles at .73 G’s, while the Colorado ZR2 Bison pulls only .70 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Ranger XLT 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Colorado ZR2 (28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s vs. 29.2 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Ranger has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Colorado (9.3 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Ranger to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Ranger has .7 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 1 inch more rear hip room and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Colorado.

Cargo Capacity

The Ranger has a much larger cargo box than the Colorado shortbed (43.5 vs. 41.9 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox, optional locking center console and standard locking underseat storage drawer (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Ranger. The Colorado doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Ford Ranger has a standard tailgate assist feature, which prevents the heavy tailgate from falling with a crash and causing injury. It allows adults and children to easily open and close the tailgate with one hand to better facilitate loading and unloading. Tailgate assist costs extra on the Chevrolet Colorado.

Payload and Towing

While the Colorado 4x4 ZR2 can only tow 6000, any Ranger can tow a minimum of 7500 pounds.

The Ranger has a higher standard payload capacity than the Colorado:

	Ranger	Colorado
Crew Cab	1805 lbs.	1710 lbs.
Crew Cab 4x4	1711 lbs.	1700 lbs.

The Ranger has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Colorado (1805 vs. 1710 lbs.).

Ergonomics

The Ranger’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Colorado’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. The Colorado’s optional front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Ranger the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Colorado can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Ranger Lariat’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Colorado’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Ranger’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Colorado’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Both the Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Ranger offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Colorado’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The Ranger has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Colorado WT/Trail Boss doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Compared to the Chevrolet Colorado, the Ford Ranger Lariat eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the driver’s visor.

The Ranger (except XL)’s optional Enhanced Active Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling the transmission and speed with the brake pedal. With its available fully controlled system, the driver just activates it and it parks autonomously, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Colorado doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its April 2024 issue and the Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 won out over the Chevrolet Colorado LT 4x4.

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