The 2023 Chevrolet Colorado is one of the trucks I was looking forward to driving. After reviewing the 2022, I was ready to head to the dealership to pick one up. The day after I had 2022 Colorado, the 2023 model was announced to be a new redesign.

Chevy flew me out to California to get to drive different Colorado trims. I was to drive them both on road and off road. The hardest decision was going to be picking one trim over the other. I started driving the LT trim around city streets. Seeing the large and clear infotainment screen was a massive improvement over the previous gen’s tiny screen. The biggest surprise was the premium Bose system that played my music loud and clear. It was an even bigger surprise when it was doing it with a wireless Apple CarPlay system which can sometimes have digital artifacts. Suspension on the LT did feel a little stiffer and almost sports car-like when hitting bumps.

The next day I jumped into a Trail Boss and was ready to see what it can do. With a 2” lift and larger wheel and tire set up, the bumps were absorbed better than the LT did. Driving some canyon twists, the steering wheel feedback felt great. Once I was at the off-road park, the Trail Boss tackled the trail like a boss! The 2” lift was confidence inducing to make sure I had enough clearance of any large rocks. The underbody protection also made sure I’d have the added protection to the drivetrain.

What I was missing were some more city slicker type of tech in the Trail Boss. That’s where the Z71 fills in that gap. With things like a wireless charger, seat memory, heated and vented leather seats, that’s what I drove on the way back of the trail. The Z71 does sit lower since it doesn't have the lift but a larger 20” wheel did give it a good amount of ground clearance. I was surprised that the Z71 was just as capable on the trail. I did miss the large fender flares of the Trail Boss.

Ultimately I am excited to see the new 2023 Chevrolet Colorado hit the streets. My biggest decision is going to be if I want a more off-road ready Trail Boss, or if I want to have my tech and luxuries of the Z71. Then there’s the ZR2 which is basically best of both but at a higher price.