With the Ford Ranger going away and the Mazda B series already off the Mazda web page, I began to wonder what other small trucks were available to fill the void. There are the standards like the Nissan and Toyota offerings, and then there’s mid-size like the Colorado. However, last week one of these (pictured above) pulled up next to me at a light and I had to find out more. For those not familiar with it, it’s called the Chevy Tornado.
Ridiculous name, of course. I picture something called a tornado to look more like a Vette or GT40 — this looks like an updated Subaru Brat, but what’s strange is I kinda like it.
The Tornado’s been out for a while in Mexico and they’re just starting to find their way across the border here in Texas. Here’s why: Nestled in under the hood lives a 1.8-liter hamster with 104 horsepower at its command. The five-speed tranny pushes the MPG to a respectable 23 in town — all of which lands it perfectly in the “awesome small truck” category.
Some won’t like the looks of the Tornado or its lack of bone-crushing power. But for me it looks great, reminds me of an El Camino (which I always wanted), and doesn’t require a lot of gas to run. Not sure why the hell we can’t have this here in the states; thanks GM.
Chevy Tornado [Website]
Subaru Brat [Google Images]
