THE COLORADO COMEBACK

The 2023 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 & Trail Boss Showcase All-New Appeal With Tip-to-Tail Makeovers

- MERCEDES LILIENTHAL

After nearly nine years on the market, the midsize Chevrolet Colorado pickup gets a revamp — and it’s a major one. The 2023 Colorado lineup boasts an exterior redesign, a more powerful engine, new technology, and significant updates throughout its new crew cab/ short box body style. We took Chevy’s new Colorado Z71 and the first-ever Colorado Trail Boss out for a day of soggy, cold on- and off-road testing near La Jolla, California, to see if they’re setting the bar high for other manufacturers.

Basic Statistics 

The all-new 2023 Colorado features five models: the WT (Work Truck) and LT for on-road use, and three off-roaders, the affordable Trail Boss, the fully loaded Z71, and their flagship ZR2. The Colorados include three different chassis: the standard chassis for WT, LT, and Z71 trim levels, a two-inch factory-lifted, ultra-wide stance for the Trail Boss, and a high-performance three-inch OEM lift kit and a wide stance for the ZR2.

The new third-gen Chevy Colorado offers an enhanced 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine that powers the lineup with three turbo-output variants. It’s the same engine already proven in the full-size Silverado; all three available outputs surpass the current Colorado’s horsepower and torque to make the refined pickup powerful for its size and responsive to throttle changes.

Additionally, four different interior trim levels are offered. They include more camera angles than class competitors, with up to 10 camera views via its infotainment screen. This includes a segment-first available underbody camera, found only on Z71 and ZR2 models — especially helpful when navigating through rocky or washed-out terrain.

An Updated Design