Compare the2024 Ford RangerVS 2024 Chevrolet Colorado

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 XLT/Lariat has a standard 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 Ranger’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Colorado’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

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.

The Ranger’s standard 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 33 more horsepower (270 vs. 237) and 50 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 260) than the Colorado’s standard 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder. The Ranger’s optional 2.7 turbo V6 produces 5 more horsepower (315 vs. 310) than the Colorado’s optional 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Ranger turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Chevrolet Colorado (310 HP engine):

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

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.

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 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.

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 XLT 4x4 handles at .72 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.

The Ranger has .7 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear hip room and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Colorado.

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

A standard locking glovebox and optional locking center console (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.

The Ranger’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Colorado’s (7500 vs. 3500 pounds).

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

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

The Ranger’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 Colorado’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.