2023 Chevrolet Colorado Performance

The typical truck owner won't be so much interested in the Chevrolet Colorado 0-60 sprint time, but will rather focus on its high torque delivery, a sorted transmission, and specs such as towing ability. Chevy doesn't quote sprint times, but the mid-range 310-hp/390-lb-ft engine with AWD should be good for around 6.5 seconds for the benchmark sprint, so it's plenty fast, and the old V6 won't be missed. Top speed is limited to 100 mph, not that it matters in a truck. Trailering matters, though, and the Colorado puts in a strong showing, being able to tow 3,500 lbs with the 237-hp engine and up to a maximum of 7,700 lbs with the 310-hp engines and the factory towing package.

There's no lack of off-road performance either, with the Trail Boss probably more than sufficient for most people; the hardcore ZR2, with its trick suspension, is surely the next best thing on the mid-size market after the much-vaunted Ranger Raptor.

Unlike last year's three-engine lineup, there is a single engine in the new Chevrolet Colorado - a turbocharged 2.7L inline four-cylinder in three different states of tune. In the WT and LT, it develops 237 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque by default. Optional on these two trims and standard on the Trail Boss and Z71 is a Turbo Plus version of this engine with 310 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. The Turbo High-Output derivative in the ZR2 develops the same 310 hp, but ups the ante with a torque figure of 430 lb-ft. Your Chevy dealership can peform an ECU flash for $395 to bring the spec of your Turbo Plus engine up to Turbo High-Output spec, but this option isn't offered on the WT.

Rear-wheel drive is standard on the WT and LT, with four-wheel drive optional, while Trail Boss, Z71, and ZR2 are 4WD by default. The 4WD system in the Trail Boss and Z71 has a two-speed Autotrac transfer case with low-range gearing and an electronic locking rear differential, while the system in the ZR2 comes with manually lockable front and rear differentials and a modified frame that places its rear shock absorbers outside the frame rails for better clearance - an exclusive feature not even the bigger Silverado ZR2 gets. Common to all Colorados is a slick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Chevrolet Colorado's gas mileage is good, with mpg figures that undercut rivals' naturally aspirated V6s like the Nissan Frontier by about 2 mpg on the combined cycle, partly thanks to the standard start-stop system. The most efficient configuration is the base 237-hp engine with 2WD in the WT and LT, returning 20/25/22 mpg on the EPA's city/highway/combined cycles. Fitted with 4WD, these figures drop to 19/23/21 mpg. With 2WD coupled to the 310-hp/390-lb-ft engine, you're looking at 18/23/20 mpg, and this engine with 4WD in the Trail Boss and Z71 has figures of 17/21/19 mpg. The ZR2 with its mud-terrain tires post figures of 17/19/18 mpg.

With a fuel capacity of 21.4 gallons, the Colorado has a maximum range of around 470 miles in its most efficient configuration, dropping to around 385 miles for the ZR2.