Yahoo Autos 2023 Chevy Colorado First Drive Review: Little truck gets a big overhaul
JULIAN, Calif. – The all-new, 2023 Chevrolet Colorado might seem like it’s following on the heels of its big brother, the Silverado, but don’t be so sure. You see, while it’s true that the current-generation Silverado was the first Chevy truck to get GM’s 2.7-liter turbo engine three years ago, the big four was actually developed with the next-generation Colorado in mind. It was also the Colorado’s new interior that influenced the design direction of the Silverado’s quasi-emergency redo a year ago – not the other way around. Basically, we’ve been getting a slow preview of this midsize pickup without even knowing it.
This is important because it illustrates that Chevy intended for the Colorado to be a more distinctive, less Mini Me type of midsize truck. At least the Silverado didn’t steal its exterior styling cues, which are more youthful, athletic and tougher without going over the top with machismo (see Silverado HD). You can see the influence of the Toyota Tacoma here, or at least the influence of how much more successful it is despite not being particularly good. People who buy those do so in part because it is smaller than a full-sizer, appreciating the superior maneuverability and off-road capability. They also dig the accompanying look that definitely isn’t just a miniaturized Tundra.
This new Colorado is far more Tacoma-like in that regard, while being a lot better at the sort of basic things Toyota’s wildly popular little pickup isn’t. The driving position isn’t glued to the floor like the Tacoma's, the backseat legroom is sufficient, interior technology is state-of-the-art courtesy of Google, the ride is smoother, and the engine is quieter and more efficient. Its hill-descent control also doesn’t sound like small weapons fire is emanating from under the front bumper when in operation. Which is all to say that the Colorado is trying to steal some of the Tacoma’s lunch money, and if there’s any justice in the world, it absolutely should. It’s a better truck.
With that obvious comparison out of the way, though, let’s dig deeper into this all-new Colorado’s particulars. That 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four is now the only engine available, replacing the old truck’s naturally aspirated inline-four and V6, and turbodiesel. “Only engine” isn’t exactly accurate, though, as there are three states of tune. The base version, standard on the Work Truck and LT trim levels, produces 237 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque. While obviously superior to the old sad sack NA four banger (200 hp, 191 lb-ft), it nevertheless feels on the gutless side and suffers from extreme throttle delay accompanied by an awfully mushy pedal. Maybe it was just our particular test truck, but this version of the engine may need some tweaking.
The mid-level version or “2.7 Turbo Plus” isn’t just a software flash – there are indeed extra parts involved, including a piston-cooling squirter that’s not needed in the lower output version, and several noise-quelling bits of foam. There are nevertheless different 1s and 0s involved, too, and it all amounts to an engine that produces 310 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. That would be more power than the outgoing V6 and more torque than the old turbodiesel. That sure sounds like mission accomplished, at least on paper.
Out on the road, this 2.7 responds much better to throttle inputs and is suitably gutsy for a truck. Chevy estimates that most trim levels and drivetrain combos should hit 60 mph in less than 7 seconds. The eight-speed automatic does tend to upshift too quickly when momentarily lifting off the throttle while traveling on a grade (a sport mode would be nice, though there is a Tow/Haul mode that should in theory address that while towing and/or hauling).
Chevy says Silverado customers complained that the 2.7-liter didn’t sound enough like a truck engine, so engineers tried to address that in the Colorado (by 2024, the 2.7-liter will be identical in both trucks). If you think a truck engine should sound like a diesel, well, mission accomplished there too, since you get a very turbodiesel-like wastegate whistle followed by the growl of the engine kicking it. All that premature upshifting can make this noise a bit annoying in certain steady-state cruising situations as every throttle tip-in is accompanied by the whistle-growl. With a heavier foot, though, the 2.7 still totally sounds like a direct-injected four-cylinder engine. A duck is a duck is a duck. At least it’s a really powerful duck.
And it can get even more powerful with the 2.7 Turbo High Output, this time 100% the result of a software flash that you can actually get from a dealer after your initial purchase. It produces the same 310 hp, but torque gets kicked up to 430 lb-ft. This is the setup that will come standard on the range-topping, desert-storming ZR2, which we did not get to drive this go-around, but all other trims can be optioned with it. Yes, even the Work Truck.
