2023 Chevrolet Colorado would make PH off-roaders drool
Choose your own adventure with the all-new Chevy Colorado
There's a new Chevrolet midsize pickup truck in the US and its off-road variants would have been great to satisfy our overlanding needs here in the Philippines.
Enter the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado. Available in the Work Truck, LT, Z71, ZR2, Trail Boss, and ZR2 Desert Boss packages, the all-new midsize Chevy is bigger, more rugged, and a lot more capable whichever variant you choose.
The all-new model is offered exclusively in a crew cab or four-door pickup truck configuration and follows a more Silverado-esque aesthetic with slender headlights and a large single bar grille at the front. Fender bulges and sharp lines on the sides and rear of the pickup truck make up for a more muscular overall look.
Inside, the Colorado gets a more tech-forward interior that uses an 8-inch digital instrument cluster for the driver and an 11.3-inch infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The truck's modern dashboard has circular air vents and comes with different colors of contrast stitching to its upholstery depending on the model trim.
Similar to how Ford did it with the Ranger, Chevrolet engineers pushed the Colorado's wheels forward to improve its approach angle for better off-road capability. The Trail Boss variant is two inches taller and has a track that's three inches wider than the standard Work Truck and LT variant. Meanwhile, the most rugged (and capable) variant comes in the form of the Colorado ZR2.
The top-spec ZR2 has unique front and rear bumpers, plus aluminum skid plates to protect its underside. For better off-road capability, the ZR2 is equipped with front and rear electronic locking differentials and a three-inch lift with Multimatic DSSV dampers. In addition, the ZR2 rides on 17-inch wheels with 33-inch all-terrain tires.
In terms of engine options, the all-new Colorado is available with a 2.7-liter, four-cylinder turbo in three states of tune. The standard Turbo has 237 PS and 351 Nm, while the Turbo Plus gets 310 PS and 529 Nm of torque. For the High Output variant that's standard in the ZR2 model, the engine also puts out 310 PS but has higher torque at 583 Nm. All of these engine options are paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
The towing capacity of the Colorado depends on the state of tune of its powerplant and ranges from 3,500 lbs to 7,700 lbs (1,587 kg to 3,492 kg) with the High Output variant.
Up to five different drive modes are available in the all-new Colorado – namely Normal, Tow/Haul, Off-Road, Terrain, and Baja. Most of the modes are self-explanatory, but the Terrain mode is specialized for rock crawling purposes. On the other hand, the Baja mode is essentially a desert mode for high-speed running.
Meanwhile, advanced driver assist systems such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, and front pedestrian braking is standard even on the base Work Truck variant, while other ADAS features like adaptive cruise control, blind zone steering assist, rear cross-traffic braking, and rear pedestrian alert are available in the higher-spec models.
The 2023 Chevy Colorado will be built in the Wentzville, Missouri plant, and will arrive in US dealerships in the first half of 2023.
Based on our recent engagement with Chevrolet Philippines, they're aligning their local offerings with Chevy models from the US such as the Suburban, Tahoe, Camaro, and Corvette. With that said, should they also bring in the all-new Colorado? Let us know in the comments.
