The 2023 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss Is a Work Truck for Adventurers
When it comes to midsize trucks, folks often want something that offers some off-road chops. Whether or not they actually intend to use the capability is a story for a different day, but off-road trucks are pretty popular. The 2023 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss is a unique take on an off-road pickup, and that is thanks to its work-truck interior.
Is the Chevy Colorado a work truck?
The Chevrolet Colorado WT can make a decent work truck. It’s got a fairly simple interior while still offering legitimate capability. The 2023 Colorado Trail Boss takes that capability to the next level. The version of this midsize truck sits between the Z71 and ZR2 trims, and the packaging did impress me.
I had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the 2023 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss recently, and I drove it on the road and put it through its paces off-road. Although the steering dynamics did bother me a bit, overall I was impressed with what I saw.
Even at the roughest parts of the off-road course I was on, the Colorado Trail Boss made everything feel easy. At the same time, because of the work truck interior, the cabin feels fairly simple.
What’s different about the Colorado Trail Boss?
There are some notable changes to the 2023 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss; it has a two-inch lift, tuned shocks, and a locking rear differential. Paired with the 32-inch Goodyear tires, it’s no surprise that this midsize truck is ready for the road less traveled.
Under the hood of the Colorado Trail Boss is the 2.7-liter Turbo Plus four-cylinder engine. If you’re like me, you might prefer a pickup with a V6, but this powerplant’s 310 hp, and 390 lb-ft of torque is hard to argue with. For the 2023 model year, each Chevy Colorado comes with some form of this engine.
This off-road truck does come at a price
The Chevy Colorado Trail Boss that I tested had a price of around $44k. But for a model not as well equipped, this truck goes for about $38,000. That’s certainly not as cheap as the WT, but you are also getting something with off-road chops. And to a certain kind of consumer, the higher MSRP might be worth it.
You do have to pay extra for things like the G80 automatic locking rear differential, and you can also option a front bash-plate along with a mid-mounted skid plate.
Does the 2023 Chevy Colorado have a manual transmission?
Unfortunately, the Colorado no longer offers a manual transmission. If you want a new truck with a manual transmission, you will have to look to the Toyota Tacoma or Jeep Gladiator.
According to Car and Driver, each 2023 Chevy Colorado comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission. So if you like to row your own gears, that might come as a disappointment. Thankfully, not all hope is lost, the 2024 Toyota Tacoma will continue to offer a six-speed manual transmission on certain trims.
