The Chevy Colorado has been around for 20 years, but it just entered its third generation. It was a much-needed successor to the S-10 in 2003. The Colorado continues to be the smallest Chevy pickup available, but today it faces some stiff competition from midsize rivals like the Honda Ridgeline and Jeep Gladiator.
The Colorado is offered as a four-door cab with a five-foot-two-inch box no matter how far above the $30,695 starting price you dare to climb. The new Chevy replaces the outgoing 308-hp V-6 and Duramax Diesel powertrain options with a turbocharged 2.7-liter inline-four mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The five trims offered vary from work truck to rock crawler. We’ve driven four of them (in a few months Chevy will give us the keys to the ZR2 due out later this year). Naturally, we spent our lunch break perusing the online configurator for the new Colorado, doing a little shopping before we had to head back. Here’s how some of our staff would rate the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado.
$32,600 Rear Wheel Drive Ezra Dyer Colorado WT
For my Colorado 2023, I envisioned a basic starting point for a truck that would be built into a monster—that is, a prerunner. With the new Colorado’s sharper approach and takeoff angles and strong turbo power, it would make a great candidate for the off-road Mint 400 variety, albeit in two-wheel drive form. So I started with a WT two-wheel drive and added an upgraded engine with 310 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque ($1050). Well, give me the front center console ($135) so I have a place to rest my right elbow during the blast across the Warp Zone lake bed. And I’ll take the automatic locking differential ($325)—or, as I call it, “poor man’s four-wheel drive.” My only frivolous expense, if you can call it that, was for Glacier Blue Metallic paint ($395), because the other WT colors are boring. That puts me at $32,600 total, giving me plenty of imaginary budget for long-travel suspension, fiberglass bodywork, and bed-mounted parts. —Ezra Dyer
Drew Dorian $33,110 Rear Wheel Drive Colorado WT
Ezra is right. There’s something appealing about basic Work Truck trim. Of course, the Colorado is offered in a more off-road-focused luxury trim as well, but the WT has an attractive blue-collar look, straight from the fleet. I especially like it in Sand Dune Metallic which, combined with the 17-inch steel wheels, gives it a handsome look.
I’ll stick with rear-wheel drive because, honestly, I’m putting this thing to work, not taking it to the trail, so why bother? The 237-hp version of the turbo four is also good. Where I would spend the money, though, is on some option packages, because believe it or not Chevy will let you add some very non-WT options to the WT.
First, I’ll start with the WT Convenience and WT Convenience II packages ($415 and $545, respectively), the former of which adds a remote locking rear door, manual sliding rear window and rear window defogger. The latter adds an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar and a rear door with an integrated storage cubby. I’ll then add the Safety package ($505), which includes heated and power-adjustable exterior mirrors with black-painted covers, rear parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert with automatic emergency braking and blind spot monitoring. Finally, the Technology package ($950) adds adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, and a 360-degree exterior camera system.
Since the Colorado comes standard with a large 11.3-inch touchscreen and digital gauge display, you’re getting a very non-basic base truck here, and it’s only $33,110. Jumping up to one of the more expensive Colorado trims puts it in Silverado 1500 price territory, so if you’re smart, you’ll stick with the WT, too. —Drew Dorian
Colorado Trail Boss $41,200 Austin Irwin
I don’t like being the boss. I want to be the one calling the shots. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t be brainstorming about Zoom all afternoon I’d be in the kitchen building a grilled cheese triptych. True genius takes time and, in some cases, many slices of cheese.
That’s why I chose the Colorado Trail Boss. It’s Chevy’s own perfect sandwich. It has the same off-road attitude as the more expensive ZR2 but costs less than the Z71. You don’t get LED headlights, which is a big deal, but you do get 1.5 inches of extra suspension travel up front with an extra 1.0 inches in the rear. Plus it has four-wheel drive and a limited-slip differential from the Z71. I’m going to paint mine in Nitro Yellow Metallic ($395), which is pretty close to the color of the Kraft Singles. The standard gloss black 18-inch wheels are fine, but wrap them in 32-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires ($495).
The Trail Boss also gets a 310-hp engine and 7700 pounds of towing, which makes the addition of the Trailering package’s integrated trailer brake controller ($620) a must-have. It’s kind of silly that cruise control and a manual sliding rear window are optional on a $41,200 midsize pickup, but sometimes you have to pay the price to be the boss. Another addition is Chevy’s chemically bonded spray bed liner ($475). The only redundant option (a new word I learned from a recent Zoom meeting) I’ll get is the dark nameplate and badging ($195). I can hear the salesman now, “Sir, at $8 a letter, you should get this for your truck.” Hey man, don’t tell me what to do! —Austin Irwin
$42,545 Colorado LT Four Wheel Drive Andrew Krok
In an effort to keep things relatively affordable, I chose the LT, which is the next step up above the basic trim work truck. I did opt for the bigger engine tune ($1050), which puts out 310 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, for a little more moxie around town. I wanted to add all the bells and whistles in the LT III Convenience Package, but instead, I opted for the LT Convenience II, which forgoes stuff like a heated steering wheel in favor of 17-inch wheels with thicker sidewalls, because Michigan Roads are trash. I topped it off with a Tech package for a 360-degree camera, a Safety package for some peace of mind, a spray-on bed liner and a Bose seven-speaker audio upgrade. Harvest Bronze Metallic paint is a freebie and is a class above the boring free paint options. —Andrew Kroc
Colorado Desert Boss ZR2 Katherine Keeler
Normally, I would spec trucks practically and prudently. But just like a mid-sized Colorado living in a full-sized world, I also suffer from a Napoleon complex. With a little help from a bench and some grab bars, I’m going to jump into the boss of all bosses, the ZR2 Colorado Desert Boss. It’s not available today, but Chevy won’t ignore you if you throw a backpack full of Benjamin Franklin at them.
To make the ZR2 (and myself) feel extra special, I’ll spend extra on Radiant Red Tintcoat paint ($495). The Desert Boss package is the fastest way to cover a ZR2 with accessories, without crashing it into an O’Reilly Parts store. Unfortunately, Chevy’s configurators don’t reveal how much they charge to add a heavy-duty front bumper, winch, LED roof lights, and underbody camera. It’s also the only way to get the best tires on offer, these 17-inch beadlock-capable units with Tech Bronze surfaces.
That equipment, plus 430 pound-feet of torque from the ZR2’s high-output engine, is enough to pull Mom’s car out of the ditch, should she ever end up there, again. Dear mother! Like the others, I added the Safety package ($445), to keep myself safe from the bigger trucks. Yellow seatbelts ($50) are too good to pass up, and to save the most important for last, I opted for the off-road step ($495) rather than enter Colorado with a quick start. Crap, did I mention I’m a little afraid of heights? mother? —Katherine Keeler