GM Reveals 2023 Chevrolet Colorado

[Evergreen6]

tl;dr Drove a new Colorado yesterday...'24 Trail Boss with tech, advanced trailering, safety, convenience packages I and II.

Impressions:

The first thing I noticed was the ride quality: very good. Wasn't impressed by the transmission, but my basis for comparison is the ZF 8-speed which barks off lightning-crisp shifts up and down and IMO should be the bar for all 8-speed automatics. The GM 8-speed is a little more....relaxed, but it still feels competent. The 2.7 feels slower than what I'm used to as well in a turbo 4, but it's still plenty powerful. 3.42's are a pretty tame gear ratio. I can appreciate the balance of scoot and economy that GM is trying to achieve. Overall, the impressions it gave me were very good.

Given crazy MSRP's as of late, low 40's doesn't feel like a horrible price for a capable 4x4 pickup, the Trail Boss. The truck looks good in Trail Boss trim. There was a 2wd LT parked next to it. The TB just looks so much more robust. And that's what most of us want these days, i think.

Then again, it's fairly easy to see where GM is keeping cost low on the TB. Remote start is nowhere to be found on any of the window stickers in any of their Colorados on the lot, although a ZR2 was not present for comparison. Apparently, $425 adds the option as a dealer accessory. The TB's headlights are....halogen. Heated seats don't appear to be available on the TB. And the seats themselves are basic and feel a little cheap. The bed is unlined. And while I appreciate the simplicity of black plastic trim, it weathers horribly over time.

The heated seats are a big...dammit, GM. Not because my lily cheeks get cold, but because I work hard and get sore and have old sports injuries, and on cold days my body practically turns to stone, and it hurts. I get it...choose the Z71 or ZR2 instead but I really like the TB, and $55-60k for a ZR2 is kind of missing the point. Nice truck, but, I don't need or want that at almost $60k for a midsize pickup. Gimme a damn heated seat in a TB. Please.

But the TB is still on my mind. This wouldn't be my first Colorado, as I've owned a 1st gen and 2nd Gen. IMO, this gen is the best gen. I have too many vehicles, but the perfect number of vehicles is always n+1. And I do not have a truck right now.

[Realist]

I was swaying towards the Canyons, saw a Trail Boss at Home Depot and spoke to the guy and sat in it. Looks great so I headed to the local Chevy dealer last week. No seat heater was a concern to me, no need for the tech stuff. Had the dealer toss some numbers around and figured I would check on the Canyon AT4. Big GMC Dealer in St Louis area prices much lower than local dealers so worked out a deal for an AT4 with sunroof, heated seats, tow package and spray in bedliner in silver. Picked up yesterday and really liking it. 1.9 APR for 3 years makes for a big payment but still makes sense with the rates obtainably in markets and such right now. Truck, $3100 plus state tax, title, plates, finance, 7/70 0 deduct warranty and total is around $51k. I don’t think that is too bad. Saw recent complains of the headlights blinking on forums that just started making their rounds on recent produced ones and confirm it occurs on a drive last night. No worries with a warranty just hoping they find a fix.

[snizzle]

Originally Posted by Evergreen6

tl;dr Drove a new Colorado yesterday...'24 Trail Boss with tech, advanced trailering, safety, convenience packages I and II.

Impressions:

The first thing I noticed was the ride quality: very good. Wasn't impressed by the transmission, but my basis for comparison is the ZF 8-speed which barks off lightning-crisp shifts up and down and IMO should be the bar for all 8-speed automatics. The GM 8-speed is a little more....relaxed, but it still feels competent. The 2.7 feels slower than what I'm used to as well in a turbo 4, but it's still plenty powerful. 3.42's are a pretty tame gear ratio. I can appreciate the balance of scoot and economy that GM is trying to achieve. Overall, the impressions it gave me were very good.

Given crazy MSRP's as of late, low 40's doesn't feel like a horrible price for a capable 4x4 pickup, the Trail Boss. The truck looks good in Trail Boss trim. There was a 2wd LT parked next to it. The TB just looks so much more robust. And that's what most of us want these days, i think.

Then again, it's fairly easy to see where GM is keeping cost low on the TB. Remote start is nowhere to be found on any of the window stickers in any of their Colorados on the lot, although a ZR2 was not present for comparison. Apparently, $425 adds the option as a dealer accessory. The TB's headlights are....halogen. Heated seats don't appear to be available on the TB. And the seats themselves are basic and feel a little cheap. The bed is unlined. And while I appreciate the simplicity of black plastic trim, it weathers horribly over time.

The heated seats are a big...dammit, GM. Not because my lily cheeks get cold, but because I work hard and get sore and have old sports injuries, and on cold days my body practically turns to stone, and it hurts. I get it...choose the Z71 or ZR2 instead but I really like the TB, and $55-60k for a ZR2 is kind of missing the point. Nice truck, but, I don't need or want that at almost $60k for a midsize pickup. Gimme a damn heated seat in a TB. Please.

But the TB is still on my mind. This wouldn't be my first Colorado, as I've owned a 1st gen and 2nd Gen. IMO, this gen is the best gen. I have too many vehicles, but the perfect number of vehicles is always n+1. And I do not have a truck right now.

People are still confused about the packaging and I get it. The Trail Boss was intended to be a stripped work truck with off road bits. Folks are expecting a Z71 with a more robust off road package which they didn't get. Then the Z71, historically a more capable off road slant, is packaged as a street truck almost, larger wheels, narrower, less sidewall. I don't know. Buyers are getting into the TB thinking GM interiors are still cheap as always. Journos complaining about it as well on the press vehicles.

[Evergreen6]

Originally Posted by snizzle

People are still confused about the packaging and I get it. The Trail Boss was intended to be a stripped work truck with off road bits. Folks are expecting a Z71 with a more robust off road package which they didn't get. Then the Z71, historically a more capable off road slant, is packaged as a street truck almost, larger wheels, narrower, less sidewall. I don't know. Buyers are getting into the TB thinking GM interiors are still cheap as always. Journos complaining about it as well on the press vehicles.

The 20" wheels are available on the TB as well. The TB is a confusing intersection of hardware and options for sure. I get the gist - it's a robust appearance package on a WT, but then why offer pretty wheels and adaptive cruise when there are other more functional options that could be offered.

In any case, the headlamp switch should be physical. I do not enjoy the fact that it is controlled by an option buried in a touch screen.

The interior is full of cheap-feeling materials, but, know thy audience. Mud and sweat are easier to wipe off of plastic than suede and other soft-touch surfaces. The interior appears to be well-constructed and I think that's what matters most inside. My gripe with the seat is that it just doesn't feel all that robust. We're talking about a truck and trim for working people, who are in/out of that seat multiple times per day or sitting in it for long periods.

[snizzle]

Originally Posted by Evergreen6

In any case, the headlamp switch should be physical. I do not enjoy the fact that it is controlled by an option buried in a touch screen.

I think the vast majority of folks just leave their headlights on auto making this a mute point for many. Also, as I understand it, there is a quick shortcut on the main screen.

Originally Posted by Evergreen6

The interior is full of cheap-feeling materials, but, know thy audience. Mud and sweat are easier to wipe off of plastic than suede and other soft-touch surfaces. The interior appears to be well-constructed and I think that's what matters most inside. My gripe with the seat is that it just doesn't feel all that robust. We're talking about a truck and trim for working people, who are in/out of that seat multiple times per day or sitting in it for long periods.

I do kinda appreciate a basic WT interior in this case but it's a tougher pill to swallow when the truck is 40k+. In this generation, I'm drawn to the GMC Canyon AT4 as a good mix.

[GearheadSS]

Even though the Trail Boss lacks some amenities like heated seats and HID headlights, I still think it's a relative bargain, especially compared to the other midsize trucks.

Here's the window sticker from my Trail Boss which is pretty loaded compared to most.

I just passed 15k miles on mine and it has been great so far. No trouble so far.