2023 Chevy Colorado ZR2 First Look - Ready for Adventure!

Hey folks, welcome to the channel and welcome back to the Detroit Auto Show. We're here in the Chevrolet booth to take a look at this, the all-new 2023 Chevy Colorado, and in particular, this model is the Desert Boss, and I'm going to tell you all about it. The first thing I want to talk about with this new Colorado is actually just General Motors' philosophy with midsize trucks because a few things have changed. First of all, the Colorado and the Canyon are now crew cab, short bed only. That is the only configuration. Second of all, the Canyon over at GMC, it ditched the work truck option, and in fact, even the basic Canyon gets a two-inch lift. So GMC has positioned its truck definitely above the Colorado in terms of price and capability. Over here at Chevrolet, this is, of course, the ultimate model, but they're still happy to sell you a work truck model, and it shows in the way they have laid out their powertrain specs. Powering this new Colorado, there is only one engine option, which is a little sad that they dumped the diesel, but hey, that's just the way the industry has been going. So here in the Colorado, you're getting a 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but again, unlike the Canyon, Chevy offers three different outputs on this same engine. So the basic model makes 237 horsepower, 259 pound-feet of torque, bump up to the turbo plus, and you're getting 310 horsepower, 390 pound-feet, and then finally, the turbo high output, which keeps that 310 horse, but it makes 430 pound-feet of torque. So if you stay with the basic trucks, you're actually gonna get less power, and then once you get up to something like this ZR2 Desert Boss, you're gonna get the most powerful model. So again, Chevy has made sure that this lineup can still suit all of its customers. Inside, the interior has been entirely redone. And one of the things I actually noticed sitting here right away is the truck feels noticeably wider. I feel like I have a little more space between me and my passenger. Now, the other thing that's been totally updated here is all of the infotainment. That's an 11.3-inch touchscreen. I have an 8-inch digital gauge cluster right in front of me, so of course, all the technology is here. All of the drive modes are here, of course, too, including a desert-focused Baja mode because these days, you have to have Baja mode. Another thing I really like, and this is more carried over down from the Silverado, this bank of switches that they have, and they're almost a little bit rubberized, have a real nice feel to them. And then another thing I wanted to check, I got my Google Pixel 6, and look, it actually fits on the charger. It was one of my biggest complaints with this truck. When they added the wireless cell phone charger, it was tiny. It didn't fit a lot of phones, so they made sure they stepped that up, too. And then this cool digital camo here and the stitching, they've done a lot of work on this interior, and again, it obviously shows. So now let's talk about these fun off-road trucks. You already know the ZR2 nameplate, and it's just bigger and better for this year. So it still comes with those Multimatic DSSV dampers, lockers in the front and the rear. But for this model year, this truck actually has a 3-inch lift, and it has a wider body than any other Colorado in the lineup. Now, if you step down to just a Colorado Trail Boss, you're just getting a 2-inch lift. So yes, this one does set itself apart a little bit. Now, on top of ZR2, Chevy has also added the Desert Boss package, and that's exactly what you're looking at right here. So if you opt for the Desert Boss, you're going to be getting 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, an off-road bumper with a brush guard, and then on the back of the truck, you can see it right up there, a sports bar, a roof-mounted light bar, and then maybe one of the coolest features that this truck has, an under-body camera. Yes, there is now a camera underneath, which is going to show you the trail and show you where your tires are on those rocks. Now, let me hit you with a couple of numbers. So for this truck you're looking at right here, you're talking about an approach angle of 38.3 degrees, departure of 25.1, and ground clearance of 10.7 inches, all of which are impressive numbers. Now, one of the which I actually think is going to make a much bigger difference in the real world is that they have moved the shock mounts from inboard to outboard, and those shock mounts on the Colorado ZR2 have always hung way too low. We would run it up the hydro line, and it would just be hanging with mud and salad, basically. So I was happy to see them make that change and get those shocks out of the way so they're not taking a beating. And now, of course, I can't wait to take this on our off-road trails to see how it actually performs. So that's the end of this video. Now, please let me know what you think of this new Colorado. As always, go below, make sure you hit like, hit subscribe, hit join to become a member of our channel, and then come back here to Truck King to see more from the Detroit Auto Show. See ya.