2023 Chevrolet Colorado

The 2023 Chevrolet Colorado pickup introduces the first-ever Trail Boss trim, that delivers enhanced off-road performance in addition to offering customers greater performance, capability, and customization in addition to a refreshed exterior and interior design.

Trail Boss joins WT, LT, and Z71 Colorado trims, with price points from under $30k to over $40k. The lineup features three distinctive chassis stances to optimize each model’s capabilities. Together, they compose a more diverse range of choices tailored to the distinctive ways customers use their trucks for work and recreational activities, including off-roading.

My tester, the 4WD Trail Boss Crew Cab, lived up to that versatility despite traversing only pavement and gravel. Trail Boss was easy to maneuver around town, handled golf clubs and gear in the crew cab, and transported a bookcase to my daughter’s classroom and a coat rack (I mean Nordic Trek treadmill) to a storage unit with its short box, fully-lined bed.

Powered by a 2.7-liter, Turbo Plus engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, the Colorado yields 310 horsepower, 390 lb-ft of torque, and 7,700 pound trailer capacity. The mid-size pickup seats up to five adults and managed 21 miles per gallon down the highway. That dips to around 17 miles per gallon around town.

“The all-new Colorado is enhanced in every way,” said Scott Bell, global vice president of Chevrolet. “With its rugged and sporty styling, enhanced capability, new technology and customization options, it’s designed to do more for discerning customers and still offer them great value.”

To support the new Colorado’s increased off-road and trailering capabilities, up to five selectable drive modes, depending on the model, are offered. Each is tailored for different driving conditions, and they are accessible using a knob located on the center console, to the left of the gear selector. The five drive modes include:

Normal: A balanced mode for everyday on-road driving

Tow/Haul: Transmission shift points, throttle response and additional calibrations optimized for trailering and hauling.

Off-Road: Specific tractive and other dynamic performance features designed for general off-pavement driving.

Terrain: Designed for low-speed rock crawling, with specific throttle control, brake performance and other calibrations, with three settings.

Baja: Developed for high-speed desert running, with specific throttle control, transmission shifting and other body/drivetrain control calibrations.

Trail Boss features a two-inch lifted suspension and wide chassis that produce more ground clearance and a 3-inch wider front track than WT and LT for enhanced off-road driving capability. ZR2 is the most capable of them all, with a high-performance three-inch lifted suspension and upgraded Multi-matic DSSV dampers.

The increased clearances enable customers to tackle more challenging terrain. With the increased approach angle, for example, the Colorado can climb more vertical terrain than before, without suspension or bodywork interference.

Colorado’s technologies also include an enhanced roster of safety and driver awareness features. The standard Chevy Safety Assist package includes forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, following distance indicator and IntelliBeam automatic high-beam assist.

Available features for all models include blind zone steering assist, rear cross-traffic braking, adaptive cruise control, HD surround vision and rear pedestrian alert.

Base Price: $38,495

Price As Driven: $41,155

Destination charge is included in base price. Vehicles are provided by the manufacturer. List price may vary at local dealerships.