If you’re looking to purchase a new pickup truck, the 2021 Chevy Silverado offers something that the smaller midsize Colorado doesn’t: better fuel economy. According to U.S. News, the 2021 Chevy Silverado gets better fuel economy than the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado when it’s equipped with the a diesel engine. 

Does the Chevy Silverado really get better gas mileage than the Colorado?

When both trucks are equipped with a diesel engine, the answer is yes. According to U.S. News, when equipped with the diesel engine, the Silverado gets an estimated 23 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. The Colorado on the other hand gets an estimated 20 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

Being paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission is a huge help to the Silverado because the extra gears provide better acceleration. High gear is often an overdrive ratio to slow engine speed and, thus, improving fuel economy.

The only negative of having more gears is the loss of torque. Either way, going by miles-per-gallon, the larger Silverado is actually the more fuel-efficient of the two, when both are equipped with a diesel engine.

When equipped with gas engines, the Colorado has the edge in fuel economy.

The 2022 Chevy Colorado is no longer offered with a diesel engine

In April 2020, General Motors (GM) announced that both the 2022 Colorado and 2022 GMC Canyon will no longer have the option of a diesel engine.

For midsize truck buyers in the U.S., both the Canyon and Colorado were the only trucks in that class to offer a diesel engine. Even though Chevy’s Duramax four-cylinder engine only produces 181 hp, it still has an astounding 369 lb-ft of torque — amazing for such low horsepower and high gearing.

However, the 2021 Jeep Gladiator will offer an optional 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel with 260 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque (only available with Sport, Overland, and Rubicon models). Other trucks like the Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma, and Ford Ranger don’t offer diesel engines.

Given the popularity of diesel engines in full-size pickups, it makes one wonder why more midsize pickups don’t offer them as well.

The 2021 Chevy Silverado is also safer than the 2021 Colorado

In U.S. News’s comparison of these trucks, they claimed the Silverado was the safer choice. Overall, Chevy doesn’t include a lot of standard driver-assist features. Both the 2021 Silverado and 2021 Colorado do include the Teen Driver system and a rearview camera standard. For owners who have a teenage driver, Teen Drive allows them to preset maximum speed and audio limits. 

Both trucks also offer a few basic driver-assist features such as parking sensors, lane departure warning, blind-spot warning, and forward collision avoidance. U.S. News points out that the Silverado offers a head-up display, adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, and automatic emergency braking, which is something the Colorado can’t say.

But is the Chevy Silverado finally shaping up against its rival the Ford F-150?

For decades the Ford F-150 and the Chevy Silverado have been more than contenders — these trucks been bitter rivals. Despite how hard Chevy tried to outdo Ford, the F-150 remained king of the full-size pickup segment.

The 2021 Chevy Silverado’s diesel engine offers you more torque while the 2021 Ford F-150 carries more weight. That about sums up the most significant differences between the two.

As for other differences, it basically boils down to what you prefer. When it comes to Chevy and Ford fans, it wouldn’t matter if one offered more than the other, buyers will most likely stick with their brand.