2023 Chevy Colorado | First Drive

For the latest Chevrolet Colorado pricing and information:

The biggest thing to talk about in my opinion, is what’s under the hood, ladies and gentlemen. Because there is no longer a V6 or Duramax diesel option. Chevy moves to a 2.7-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder. It’s the same engine in the Silverado and even the Cadillac CT4 and CT4-V.

The base model Work Truck and next highest LT trim get an engine tuned to make 237 horsepower and 259 lb-ft of torque. If you opt higher than that you’ll get the 2.7L Turbo Plus (310 hp/390 lb-ft torque, optional on WT & LT) that gets 310 and 390 when it comes to those numbers. That max horsepower number matches a class best from the Nissan Frontier.

The 2.7L Turbo High-Output makes that same 310 hp number but ups the ante when it comes to torques at 430. But this is a proven and very durable engine given its performance in the Silverado and that’s some great peace of mind.

As for towing capacities, that base engine isn’t super mind-blowing at 3500 pounds but the higher-powered variants both get max capacities of 7,700 pounds.

Will it all be enough for old school truck purists who prefer more cylinders over turbos? Tell me what you think in the comments, I’d love to know.

The option of short cab and long bed is also a thing of history – this truck only comes as a crew cab with the short bed. But there are different chassis setups depending on which truck you buy. The base WT and LT trucks all get 7.9-inches of ground clearance. That’s less than a Subaru Outback, but if you opt for the off-road equipped Z71 that increases to 8.9. The new Trail Boss trim gets 9.5-inches and the ZR2 off-road juggernaut gets 10.7-inches of air space underneath it.

There are also selectable drive modes, up to five of them, depending on which model you opt for. Normal, Tow/Haul, Off-Road – this is more for gravel and dirt road driving, Terrain, which is for more serious rock crawling and Baja which is a desert running mode.

The best part of the Chevy Colorado ZR2 remains for me the suspension and the Multimatic shocks it uses – again, more on this bad boy later when I get to drive it.

Other trims get coil over twin-tube shocks up front and two-stage leaf springs in the rear. I like how it rides, it absorbs bumps in the road nicely but isn’t so bouncy and floaty like it’s waiting for load to settle it down. When it comes to extra traction both the Trail Boss and Z71 get a limited slip differential and the ZR2 gets a power locking front and rear diff.

A quick word about that Trail Boss – the newest trim level and a bit of a deal. It’s the work truck but with some off-road extras including standard 4WD, the 310 hp engine, that 2-inch lift I mentioned earlier, four of those optional drive modes including off-road and terrain, an off-road performance display, an automatic rear locker and electronic transfer case and all-terrain tires and it starts at around $38,500.

The Colorado also gets some standard enhanced driver safety systems that its long needed with the Chevy Safety Assist package including collision alerts, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warnings, front pedestrian braking and lane-keeping assist.

An equally important part of the truck driving experience is the cabin. Comfort and utility both count big time. The Colorado’s all new interior is a massive upgrade and includes an 11.3-inch standard infotainment touchscreen and an 8-incy digital instrument panel which are both customizable and you get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Since you’ve only got the option of four doors and now an extended wheelbase, I was curious to see if the interior space is better, especially in the second row. Since the cabin didn’t get much bigger it still feels a bit cramped back here if there’s a tall person up front.

Okay, so let’s talk about the truck bed, because there’s good stuff back here, too like 8 fixed tie downs, the option for up to nine more that are moveable, bed pockets so you can create your own storage systems. You can adjust the tailgate to a mid-position in case you’re hauling long items, there are motorcycle groves at the front of the bed wall for two bikes and you can opt for the in-tailgate locking storage to hide tools. There’s a lot going on back here because it’s a truck and a lot needs to happen back here. Oh, it gets a step in the bumper, too.

Pricing on the 2WD WT starts around $30,700. For the LT you’re going to pay $33,100. It’s not til you get into the Z71 and the ZR2 where those numbers go up by quite a bit. (Z71 ~$41,400, ZR2 ~$48,300)

00:00 2023 Chevrolet Colorado
0:40 Engine
1:49 Driving Impressions
3:42 Towing Capacity
6:40 Trail Boss Trim
7:14 Exterior
8:18 Interior
10:35 Truck bed features
11:29 Competitors

[papanga]

I hated the previous generation Colorado interior. This one is a massive step up.

[Steven-xjrf]

Great review - Finally a honest review not focused on off-roading.

[ers]

Anyone else catch the Lynasaurus-Rex? ( 8:36 ).
Glad to see GM putting the work into their interiors across the board. Looks like some amazing scenery during this event too!

[jhagen]

Did General Motors pay the press NOT to talk about MPG? I have seen videos where the dash has said 17MPG on the work truck and 14.5MPG on the Z71. This is truly horrific fuel economy. You can literally buy a V6 Frontier and get better numbers.

[blackericdenice]

GM went with a 2.7 4 cylinder because it only need one turbo.
2:54 not everyone need 310 hp/390 lbs.-ft torque. Some people want mpg in a pickup.

[nookbandit]

The 430ft torque is available in the TrailBoss and Z71 at the dealer as a software flash

[steveknight]

Thanks for commenting on the shifting of the 8 speed you are the only journalist who has gone there that is my main concern re the 8 speed. I’m hoping this updated version will be fine …. Time will tell

[jonesmat]

Man, I'm watching all the Kelley Blue Book videos for the new mid sizes, and these videos are just surprisingly good, great info, great presenters

[jhagen]

Unofficial MPG (from various videos with trip odometer showing hundreds of miles): Z71 - 14.5MPG. W/T - 17MPG. Expect this to translate to hwy MPG of maybe 22, which classes it alongside V6 Frontier Pro 4X. Pass.

[rickhunter]

Is this a Chinese truck? Or made in the states?

[gothops]

These are great trucks until you see the price tag and realize there is 0 value for money to be had at every trim level. You wanna make a work truck? Fine but price it accordingly. Here we have $40k trucks which are poorly equipped and have nothing but plastics for all the touch points. At $20k, sure I’m game. But for $40k, consumers have to stop letting companies do this to them.

[desimo]

This truck looks really good and they will sell as many as they can build is my prediction.

[Yosoypadilla]

Now if they made an suv this size this look 🤩🤩🤩

[dalepellerin]

All I care about is offroading. I don't care about towing or how fast it can go on the highway. I offroad, that's it. This is a winner due to that torque. Now if it can have reliability like my 4Runner, I'd buy one and maybe it does, I don't know. Seems the Tacoma has been falling off in reliability the last model so hopefully a new model will be better but I'm hearing good things about this. I'm not a fanboy of brands, I buy what works and lasts.

[damilolaakanni]

I'm waiting to see how this will hold up to the US version of the new Ranger. Also, would have loved to see the 10 speed from other 2.7t applications in this instead of the 8 speed. To many potential buyers that 8 speed is a deal breaker.

[ohrandyrandy]

The engine is the same in all models. It's either up-tuned or de-tuned with a software tweak.

[gerry]

Was hoping for a long(er) bed for my freight delivery business. It'd be nice too if these mid-size trucks could fit a full size 4x4 pallet and 1, 500+ payload. Don't want or need a full-size truck either.

[nittanyburg]

The base power figures are not nearly enough for all that air that 99% of pickup owners haul around every day

[HawkSea]

I'd love that 310hp variant. It has some good looks to it.

[grtelli]

Need more info on the bed. Width? Can you fit plywood between the wheel wells? On top?…..