World of Wheels

New 2023 Chevrolet Colorado Advantages Over Rivals

The 2023 Chevrolet Colorado has just debuted. The arrival of a fresh player makes competition in the segment more interesting. Let’s see what the advantages of the new Colorado are in comparison with its rivals.

Midsize pickups are gaining popularity, and the competition in this segment is high. When the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado enters the market assumedly next spring, it will have to compete with the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Honda Ridgeline, Jeep Gladiator, or the Nissan Frontier – each has its advantages and weak points.

Since the 2023 Chevy Colorado is a newcomer, we wonder which advantages it has over its rivals – the aforementioned five.

Dimensions

Exterior dimensions of the 2023 Colorado are: 131.4 in (wheelbase), 213.0 in (length), 84.4 in (width), 78.8 in (height). The Chevrolet pickup is wider and taller than its competitors. It is also longer and has a larger wheelbase, except for the Jeep Gladiator only.

The Chevy Colorado offers best-in-class rear headroom of 45.2 inches and good front headroom of 40.3 inches, but mediocre front and rear legroom.

Performance

Unlike the rivals with their variety of engine choices, the 2023 Colorado comes with one transmission and a single gasoline engine, albeit in three different power levels.

No diesel option like in the Jeep, and no manual gearboxes like in the Gladiator and Tacoma – truly, we miss them in the Chevrolet pickup, as well as V6 engines.

Off-Road Capability

Colorado has a good off-road version – ZR2 (in the photo), but some competitors have their own off-road variants, also capable, such as the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon or the Toyota TRD Pro, or the Ford Ranger Raptor.

So, it is pretty tricky to compare which of them is more off-road and which is less.

Payload and Towing

The new Colorado has the largest max towing capacity of up to 7,700 pounds, and a better payload of 1,587 pounds than most rivals (the best is the Ranger’s 1,770 lbs).   

We use the maximum specs corresponding to the competitors’ engines that most closely match Colorado’s.

Technologies

Though almost all rivals have full-size infotainment displays as standard, the Chevrolet Colorado benefits from its newer standard 8-inch digital gauge cluster and an 11.3-inch infotainment central touchscreen.

Safety and driver assistance packages of different midsize pickups may differ in the number of standard features they offer. The 2023 Colorado’s base safety suite is very decent.

It includes Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert, AEB, Front Pedestrian Braking, IntelliBeam automatic high-beam assist, and Following Distance Indicator.

Price

The price will follow later, but we expect it will be competitive and one of the cheapest in the class. The current 2022 model is priced between $25,435 – 44,200. The priciest offerings in the segment are the Honda Ridgeline and the Jeep Gladiator, but they have a higher level of standard equipment.

Some Facts about New-Gen Colorado

The production is scheduled to begin on January 25, 2023, at the GM Wentzville plant in Missouri. The pricing will be announced closer to that date.

The pickup truck will be available in WT (Work Truck), LT, Z71, ZR2, and the first-ever Trail Boss trim levels.

The exterior got a more modern and premium look, wheels sized from 17 to 20 inches, LED lighting, and a built-in tailgate storage system among other things.

The automaker offers four unique trims for the interior, a pair of customizable color displays with diagonals of 11.3 and 8.0 inches, and Chevrolet’s Safety Assist package.

The truck has a single powertrain – a 2.7-liter four-cylinder L3B gasoline engine mated to an only 8-speed automatic transmission.

Customers can choose from three output variants: Turbo (237 hp / 259 lb-ft), Turbo Plus (310 hp / 390 lb-ft), and Turbo High-Output (310 hp / 430 lb-ft).

The entry-level model’s maximum towing is 3,500 pounds. The rest have a max towing of up to 7,700 pounds.

Sources: YouTube, CNet

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