Some of you might know that I’ve ordered a new truck. My 2011 Silverado is doing well, but it lacks some of the modern conveniences. At my age, I feel like I’ve earned a little bit of comfort as I go back and forth to the building supply warehouse. Also, in the city where I live, parking is at a premium. I don’t really need a full-sized truck, so I decided I’d step down to a mid-sized.**
After doing a bunch of research, I decided to place an order for the new Chevrolet Colorado. The 2023 model is a complete redesign, and it has all of the bells and whistles- two LCD displays, keyless entry & engine start, Apple Carplay, etc. On Feb 9th, I placed my order with my local Chevy Dealer (shout out to Tom Priano at Colussy Chevrolet for a completely transparent, honest ordering process!). They let me know that some features were in short supply, but promised to keep me apprised of my progress. Last week, Chevy issued the VIN and actually built my truck at the factory in Wentzville, MO. Only hitch- it doesn’t have a ship date yet.
In Search Of A New Porsche
Back in 2014, I was in Phoenix, AZ to visit a client. That morning, I peeked out my hotel window and spotted about 8 brand new Porsche 911’s in the parking lot. At the time, I thought it was some sort of “come test them out” event for pro athletes or other high net worth individuals. No mind, I was off to meetings, etc.
That weekend, though, I was in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California for a cycling event (The Death Ride, a 129-mi bike ride with 15,000′ of climbing!) On a training ride before the event, i stumbled upon… a bunch of brand new Porsche 911’s, parked in front of a local store. I wandered over and chatted with the drivers. Turns out, they were the same guys from Arizona! They have the world’s toughest job- they have to drive these new 911’s all over for EPA certification. Apparently the EPA makes manufacturers do real-world testing with each vehicle, each engine trim, etc. to show that the rated numbers aren’t totally fabricated. These poor guys had to drive all over in these lovely new machines. (Of course, driving a new 911 to maximize fuel economy really *IS* torture, but hey, someone has to do it, right?)
So What Does This Have To Do With Your Truck?
It’s a fair question. Apparently the folks at Chevy haven’t finished certifying the engine in my new truck. A quick review of the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov website shows just two entries for the new Colorado- both for the base-level engine (239hp) WT trim. They don’t have the upgraded engines for the LT, the Z71, or the ZR2 yet. I ordered the 4WD Z71 (308 hp engine). So at the moment, it appears that we’re waiting on Chevy and the EPA to finish up the process of certifying the MPG of my truck, before they can ship it.
I would imagine there’ll be a slight backlog even once the figures are posted. They started building these trucks on Jan 24th, and my build date is approx March 16, so there’s about 2 months of backlog that they’ll need to ship before I get my truck. But nevertheless, I’m anxious to get my new toy.
** We could have a whole discussion about how “inflation” affects truck sizes, not just the pricetag. The current “midsize” Colorado is only about 4″ narrower than my full-size Silverado, and only 10″ shorter. And it’s way bigger than the full-sized truck my folks bought in 1978. I’m not sure it’s going to create as much space on the driveway as my wife is hoping, but that’s OK. I still get a new truck out of the deal š
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