Compare the2022 Chevrolet ColoradoVS 2022 Jeep Gladiator

Both the Colorado and Gladiator have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Colorado has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Gladiator’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Colorado are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Gladiator doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Colorado has standard head airbag curtains for front and rear seats which act as a forgiving barrier between the driver and outboard passenger's upper bodies and the window and pillars. Combined with high-strength steel door beams and lower side airbags this system increases head protection in broadside collisions. The Gladiator doesn't offer side airbag protection for the head and are only available for the front seats.

The Colorado LT/Z71’s optional lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. The Gladiator doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

Both the Colorado and the Gladiator have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, collision warning systems and rear parking sensors.

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

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Colorado is 4.7% to 5.5% less likely to roll over than the Gladiator.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Colorado the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2016, a rating granted to only 207 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Gladiator has not been tested, yet.

The Colorado’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Gladiator’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 21 percent more Chevrolet dealers than there are Jeep dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Colorado’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Jeep is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Chevrolet 2 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

The Colorado’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 23 more horsepower (308 vs. 285) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (275 vs. 260) than the Gladiator’s 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Colorado V6 is faster than the Jeep Gladiator (automatics tested):

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

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Colorado V6’s fuel efficiency. The Gladiator doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Colorado has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Gladiator doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Chevrolet Colorado comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Gladiator.

The Colorado stops much shorter than the Gladiator:

For better traction, the Colorado has larger standard tires than the Gladiator (255/65R17 vs. 245/75R17).

The Colorado’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Gladiator Sport’s standard 75 series tires. The Colorado’s optional tires have a lower 60 series profile than the Gladiator Overland’s 70 series tires.

The Chevrolet Colorado’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Jeep Gladiator only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Chevrolet Colorado’s independent front suspension is much lighter than the Jeep Gladiator’s solid front axle, which allows the Colorado’s wheels to react more quickly and accurately to the road’s surface, improving both ride and handling.

For much better steering response and tighter handling the Colorado has rack and pinion steering, like Formula racecars, instead of the recirculating-ball type steering of the Gladiator.

The Colorado Short Box Z71 Crew Cab 4x4 handles at .78 G’s, while the Gladiator Sport pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Colorado Short Box Z71 Crew Cab 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Gladiator Rubicon (27.6 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 29.4 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Colorado Short Box Crew Cab’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Gladiator 4x4’s (41.3 feet vs. 44.5 feet).

The Chevrolet Colorado may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 700 pounds less than the Jeep Gladiator.

The Colorado Short Box Crew Cab is 5.3 inches shorter than the Gladiator, making the Colorado easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Colorado has standard flush composite headlights. The Gladiator has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

The front grille of the Colorado uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Gladiator doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Colorado Short Box Z71 Crew Cab 4x4 is quieter than the Gladiator Overland:

The Colorado Crew Cab shortbed has a much larger cargo box than the Gladiator shortbed (41.3 vs. 35.5 cubic feet).

The Colorado’s cargo box is larger than the Gladiator’s in almost every dimension:

The Chevrolet Colorado offers an optional EZ-Lift and Lower, 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. The Jeep Gladiator doesn’t offer a tailgate assist.

The Chevrolet Colorado has a standard CornerStep (not available ZR2), which allows for much easier access to the cargo area. The Jeep Gladiator doesn’t offer a rear cargo step.

The Colorado has stake post holes, to allow the containment of tall, light loads. The Gladiator doesn’t offer stake post holes.

The Colorado uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Gladiator uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Colorado’s standard power windows allow the driver or passenger to lower and raise the windows without leaning over or being distracted. Power windows cost extra on the Gladiator.

The Colorado’s driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Gladiator’s optional driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

The Colorado’s standard power window controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Gladiator’s optional power window controls are down in the center of the dashboard, away from the windows and mixed with controls for unrelated features.

The Colorado’s standard power locks allow the driver or passenger to lock or unlock all the doors at a touch without leaning over, or reaching to the back seat. Power locks cost extra on the Gladiator.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Colorado’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Gladiator doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its extra cost SOS Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Colorado has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Gladiator only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Chevrolet Colorado Z71/ZR2 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Gladiator doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Chevrolet Colorado comes in extended cab and crew cab bodystyles; the Jeep Gladiator isn’t available as an extended cab.

The Colorado is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Gladiator doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Colorado owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Colorado will cost $260 to $3065 less than the Gladiator over a five-year period.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its November 2019 issue and the Chevrolet Colorado Short Box ZR2 Bison Crew Cab won out over the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.

Motor Trend selected the Colorado as their 2016 Truck of the Year. The Gladiator has never been chosen.

The Chevrolet Colorado outsold the Jeep Gladiator by 24% during 2020.