Nice Drives – 2023 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss

The midsize workhorse keeps pace with peers

By Isaac Bouchard

The Chevrolet Colorado is all new for this year; good timing as its arch-rivals the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma are also freshly reengineered.

It comes in only one configuration: four door crew cab and 5-foot bed. There’s only one engine this time around, too: a 2.7-liter, four-cylinder turbo. Basic trucks have lower horsepower and torque; upper trims have 310 horsepower. Output flows through a smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission. The Trail Boss sits in the middle of the model range; it is 3 inches wider than WT, LT and Z71 models and has a 2-inch lift. Its 32-inch all-terrain tires and chiseled fender flares give it proper visual attitude. The Trail Boss has 1.5- and 1-inch more suspension travel front and rear, respectively and a locking rear differential. There’s also various electronically-governed off-road modes and the ability to drive with one pedal, with crawl speed set by the manual shift buttons.

The Colorado’s powertrain brings back vibes of the punchy turbodiesel of the old model and other tough trucks; there is little turbo lag and lots of low-end torque, peaking at 391lb-ft. It’s neither as smooth nor as sonorous as the outgoing V6, but certainly is more potent at altitude, hitting 60mph in just over 6 seconds.

The Trail Boss is rated to tow 7,700 pounds, which is enough for many real loads. Unfortunately it doesn’t get the kind of fuel economy that would make someone choose a midsize rig like this over a half-ton truck. It is also almost as long as Chevrolet’s own Silverado 1500 — whose frame the Colorado’s was based on, along with its 6-lug wheel hubs.

Unfortunately, the Colorado doesn’t have anywhere near the room inside of its big brother; it’s a tight fit on entry and the back bench is quite cramped. Of course, this is something that can be said of its competitors as well. The style is modern but materials (being based on the most basic WT model) on the Trail Boss are low rent: hard, shiny and easily scratched. A big, bright 11.3-inch infotainment screen handles most duties. Like many modern vehicles running a big screen in the middle of the dash, HVAC output is reduced. Autonomous emergency braking and lane assist are standard; adaptive cruise in an option. Also available are a power driver’s seat, but no Colorado offers power assist for the passenger’s.

The Trail Boss has excellent steering precision, easy to modulate brakes and is fairly quiet, rejecting road and wind noise well for such a basic machine. Its ride quality isn’t as good as off-road trucks with more sophisticated damping; the Trail Boss doesn’t have fancy shocks like the ZR2 model or competitors’ top offerings. That said, it is not as bothered by rough roads as older Tacomas or Nissan Frontiers, and has much better body control than the outgoing Ford Ranger.

The Trail Boss has a specific mission: offer much of the off-road ability of the expensive ZR2 variants, which can approach $60k fully kitted-out, while remaining reasonably priced. In that respect it succeeds; not everyone needs leather nor soft-touch dash moldings. And its beefy underpinnings can easily be enhanced with aftermarket damping that would make it ride better on pavement and handle big hits in the dirt even better. The Colorado’s torque-rich engine and outstanding towing capacity make it capable of matching the capacities of a fullsize pickup as well, in a smaller footprint. It fits well in Chevrolet’s lineup and seems excellent value for those whose who value its mission profile.

• EPA Ratings: 17/21/19mpg
• 0-60mph: 6.1sec
• Price as tested: $41,095
• Rating: 3.5 Stars
• Here is what Chevrolet has to say.

 

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Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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