Yahoo Autos 2023 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss Road Test: Everyday adventures
Having already driven the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss extensively off-road in the course of our first drive review, it was time to get it back home and see how it deals with the mundanity of family life.
Of course, full-size pickups are in most cases the truck of choice for families given their crew cabs’ colossal backseat space and abundant available features. But midsize pickups aren’t exactly small, and with crew cabs of their own, it’s not like your kiddos will be riding in those frightful flip-down jump seats of old or, even more frightfully, just out in the bed with the German Shepherd.
If any midsize pickup is going to make the cut, it’s the all-new Colorado. Only the crossover Honda Ridgeline clearly surpasses its cabin space, while the Chevy's clean-sheet redesign results in a thoroughly modern cabin that stands in sharp contrast to the aged Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger. Even the recently updated Nissan Frontier makes do with the same compact dimensions as its ancient predecessor. Besides space, the Colorado also has the latest technology, including an 11.3-inch width-oriented touchscreen running the General’s Android Automotive-sourced interface, despite otherwise being outfitted like the base trim level. This, plus a compelling design, makes the cabin look, feel and function less like a bare-bones truck and more like a daily driver despite ample hard plastic.
In this road test, I’ll be breaking down how the Colorado performed in three specific daily driver chores: kid transport, weekend family outing and Lowe’s run. OK, so I did technically off-road for the above photo shoot, but as you can see, it didn't exactly get dirty.
The child seat test!
This is admittedly the first pickup I’ve installed my son’s Britax Boulevard into forward-facing, and therefore needed to secure the rear LATCH anchor. I do not know if the Colorado’s rear anchor setup is unique, but I know I’ve never seen it before in a full-size truck, and after some research can see that the Ford Ranger, Jeep Gladiator and Nissan Frontier have tethers accessed by flipping the seatback forward. The Colorado’s seatback is fixed. Instead, there is a hefty metal bracket on top of the seatback behind the middle head restraint. Should you choose to place the seat in one of the outboard positions (as is totally normal), you must do the following.
Remove head restraint.
Snake tether through a cloth loop attached to another hefty metal bracket.
Bring tether over to middle metal bracket and snap it onto the bracket hole (there are two) closest to the seat.
Tighten tether.
This last step was not easy. The window is so close that it was very difficult to pull the tether strap back to tighten it. My seat’s tether design is also shaped like a V with the tether clasp at the tip, making it even harder to tighten when pulling it over to the right instead of straight back. It took a lot of effort to make sure it was truly tight.
Definitely consult the owner’s manual and test to make sure there is no movement in the seat once you’ve secured it. Taking it to a certified child seat fitment specialist (fire departments are a good bet) is highly recommended.
Once finally secured, however, the seat fit just fine. I had to scoot the front seat forward so my son couldn’t kick my wife up front, but even then, she had sufficient room. This should not be an issue with better-behaved children / not toddlers. The door opening, cabin height and seat position also made it exceptionally easy to lift and secure my son into his seat – easier in fact than most compact family crossovers.
Another element worth noting is that the Colorado’s back seat bottom is split 60/40. With it, you can still take advantage of the under-seat storage (I used it to stash my laptop) or the extra space for luggage without needing to remove the child seat. You can’t do that in the Ford Ranger, which has a one-piece seat bottom.
