The 2023 Chevy Colorado Is the Best Mid-Size Truck, for Now

The mid-size truck segment is weird. Despite balooning sales volumes and increased competition, the average truck in the segment is old, visibly outdated, unsophisticated, and marred by compromise. The 2023 Chevy Colorado is a different story. With an all-new engine, a massively improved cabin, class-leading capability, and a value-oriented trim structure, it's the new king of the mid-size segment.

Holding on to that title may not be easy. Both the Toyota Tacoma and the Ford Ranger—Chevy's two biggest competitors in the segment—will be redesigned this year, with the former likely to include a new hybrid version and the latter a new 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine. But after a day and a half driving the LT, Trail Boss, and Z71 versions of the new Colorado, I'm convinced that it's got every other mid-sizer beat.

At its core the truck is fundamentally the same. The platform is the same, the styling is evolved but familiar, and the maximum tow rating is unchanged. What's different are the engine and cabin, primarily. There's a new-for-the-Colorado 2.7-liter four-cylinder as the only engine and an all-new electrical architecture underpinning a transformed cabin. That 2.7 debuted in the Silverado (with a side appearance in the Cadillac CT4-V), but it's a much better fit for this application.

There are three versions available, two of which share the same engine code. The standard and high-output versions of the "L38" make 310 hp each. Torque figures are momentous: 390 lb-ft for the mid-range model and 430 lb-ft for the HO, which comes standard in the off-road-oriented ZR2. It's well-fit for truck service, too, with all of that torque available at 3000 rpm. Chevy proudly notes that the best version of the L38 is 80 lbs lighter than the outgoing V-6, makes torque like the diesel, and should be nearly as efficient as the 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-banger from the 2022 truck. If you don't need those kind of bragging rights, you can get the 237-hp base engine. It's largely the same as the L38, but ditches a few parts for cost reasons. There's no sound insulation on the fuel rail and fuel pump, and the piston squirter that cools the cylinder walls is removed due to the much lower combustion temperatures in the "L2R."

The L38 needs those squirters because its engine is under serious pressure. Chevy is feeding 27 lbs of boost into this four-cylinder at times. Kevin Luchansky, the architect of the engine, told Road & Track that the team designed this motor with a lot of expertise from the diesel team, and with similarly strong materials. A fully forged bottom end and tri-metal rod bearings are two examples, he said. The truck also gets an electronic—rather than mechanical—water pump, to keep coolant flowing when temps are high but revs are low. Altogether, Luchansky says the focus on durability is paying out: Silverados with the 2.7 are reporting low warranty and maintenance claims, and the truck's successive durability improvements (including a new block) should make it even better.

Perhaps more importantly, it's an incredibly strong engine for mid-size truck duty, even if we only sample the mid-grade motor. Power comes on early and tapers late, with only a whiff of turbo lag and some lovely boost noises. The eight-speed automatic is not as unflappable as the best in the business—with some light bucking when caught off guard—but it works. Max towing remains at 7700 lbs, tied with the Gladiator for best-in-class, but that rating is now applied to more of the truck's trims and configurations.