2026 Chevrolet Colorado Road Test and Review

2026 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss Stars and Steel Special Edition ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Big horsepower, big towing capacity, and a big payload capacity are a pretty strong trifecta in a pickup truck – even a mid-size pickup like the 2026 Chevrolet Colorado. Throw in models with lots of off-road capability, and it’s a pretty compelling option, at least on paper.

To see how this promise translates into the real world, we spent a week testing a mid-level 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss that cost $57,240 when piled up with options, including $13,455 for the Stars and Steel Special Edition package – a mix of cosmetic add-ons and luxury amenities. Keep reading our full review to learn more about the Colorado’s pros and cons, and how it stacks up against similarly sized pickups.

One Size, Different Styles

Every 2026 Chevrolet Colorado is a four-door crew-cab pickup with the same turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine, which makes 310 hp and a class-leading 430 lb-ft of torque. It’s borrowed from the larger Chevy Silverado 1500.

However, the Colorado is available in a mix of styles. The truck starts at $34,495 including the mandatory destination charge. That money buys the base WT (“Work Truck”) model with a black plastic front end and steel wheels. The next-up Custom ($35,640) keeps the same face but has dressier wheels. So does the off-road-ready Trail Boss ($42,595) like our test vehicle, though it adds all-terrain tires, a 2-inch lift, and a 3-inch wider stance. The LT ($38,095) and lightly off-road-themed Z71 ($46,695, pictured below) break up the sea of black with a body-colored bumper. And the top ZR2 ($52,795) and ZR2 Bison ($62,495) build on the Trail Boss as off-road models with more features and their own unique front-end design.

2024 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Squared-Off Face

Whatever Colorado you pick, you get high, angular headlights astride a dark-colored grille. The Chevy logo sits proudly on a bar running between the lights. It’s not quite pretty, especially in trim levels with so much black on the front end. But it has attitude.

We most recently tested a Trail Boss with the Stars and Steel Special Edition package. It includes a “sport bar” in the bed with lights on the top – similar to what you’ll find on a Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter – along with patriotic graphics inspired by America’s 250th birthday. We’ve previously tested a more conventional-looking Z71, which we found more attractive but less distinctive.

2026 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss Stars and Steel Special Edition ・ Photo by Brady Holt

High-Gloss Cabin

Colorado rivals like the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier have adopted all-business interiors, where rugged purposefulness is the goal. The Colorado’s interior is glossier, with shiny black trim around its infotainment touchscreen and on its center console. And the digital screens’ graphics are more colorful than rival trucks’, too.

The dashboard itself is angular like an old-fashioned truck, but the dominant impression of the Colorado’s dash is shininess. We’re not sold on it, but we know some folks welcome this extra decoration. No one will love the hard armrests on the door panels.

Most of the Colorado’s controls work well. Both the 11.3-inch touchscreen and the 11-inch digital gauge cluster are customizable – you can set different views side by side on the touchscreen, and you can choose between analog dials and more hyper-modern displays on the gauge cluster. We appreciated the climate system’s physical (glossy black) buttons and knobs below the touchscreen, too. But we didn’t love using the screen to turn off the headlights or set the trip computer.

2026 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss Stars and Steel Special Edition ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Lots of Amenities, Small Backseat

The Colorado is a comfortable place for the driver and front passenger. The seats are decently shaped and have plenty of legroom, though you don’t get to spread out like in a full-size pickup. We appreciated our test truck’s heated front seats and heated steering wheel, and ventilated front seats are also available.

This truck does struggle if you plan to carry passengers in the back. None of the Colorado’s rivals has much rear legroom, either. But this Chevy is even tighter than most, with limited knee clearance if the front seats aren’t scooted well forward. Fitting a rear-facing child safety seat would also be a challenge. You can flip up the rear seat to open up some storage space in the cab.

2026 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss Stars and Steel Special Edition ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Get to Work

The 2026 Colorado is rated to tow up to 7,700 pounds and handle a payload of up to 1,710 lbs. Those are great numbers for a mid-size truck. And unlike many pickups, they don’t even come with a big asterisk. Trucks often have wide-ranging towing capacities across their different trim levels and body styles. But every 2026 Colorado with a towing package can handle a 7,700-pound trailer except the ZR2, whose off-road-focused suspension only allows 5,500 to 6,000 pounds.

Payload varies a bit more, but all WT and LT models handle about 1,700 pounds with either rear-wheel or four-wheel drive. The off-road-oriented Trail Boss and Z71 are in the high 1,500s, and the ZR2 dips to 1,310 pounds.

The main limit to the Colorado’s capability is its 5-foot-long bed. The Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier have optional 6-foot-long beds.

2024 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Capable, Yes; Character... Maybe

Many mid-size pickups are off-road toys or lifestyle accessories as much as hardworking trucks. The Tacoma and Frontier, plus the open-top Jeep Gladiator, lean into their rough-and-tumble vibe. By contrast, driving the Colorado is more civilized – and more sterile. The suspension isn’t as bouncy, the engine doesn’t fire up as loudly, and it takes a corner with more agility. The Colorado isn’t ultra-refined like a car-based Honda Ridgeline, just a slightly less trucky truck. For some people, that’s perfect – the truck benefits with fewer rough edges. After all, the Colorado can be kitted out for either supreme towing or supreme off-roading. But for others, the truck flavor is part of the point.

We also didn’t love the Colorado’s powertrain. This 310-hp truck is quicker than most competitors – the also-civilized Ford Ranger is an exception with its optional V6 – but the transmission doesn’t always shift smoothly. Worse, at least to us, the engine sounds rough without sounding tough. It rasps and whirs without the Tacoma’s old-school clatter, the four-cylinder Ranger’s growl, or the V6 Ranger or Frontier’s hearty roar.

2026 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss Stars and Steel Special Edition ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Reasonable Gas Mileage on Most Models

Despite its powerful engine, the Colorado gets similar gas mileage to many competitors – the same as the Jeep Gladiator and only 1 to 2 mpg less than other rivals.

Rear-wheel-drive Colorados get an EPA-estimated 19 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined on regular-grade fuel. Most 4WD models, including our Trail Boss test vehicle, manage 17 mpg city, 22 mpg highway, and 19 mpg combined. We did a little better, averaging about 20 mpg in our Trail Boss and in the Z71 we tested a couple years ago.

The ZR2 dips to a lousy 17 mpg in the city and on the highway, while the ZR2 Bison manages a mere 16 mpg. We tested the equivalent GMC Canyon AT4X a few years ago and averaged 18 mpg.

2024 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Colorado vs. the Competition

As we’ve mentioned, the Colorado squares off against the Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma, plus the quirkier Honda Ridgeline and Jeep Gladiator.

The Tacoma is the class’s bestseller. Both the Colorado and Tacoma are turbocharged four-cylinder pickups with similar styling and a mix of ordinary and off-road models. The Colorado has a more powerful base engine, higher towing and payload limits, a smoother ride, and more agile handling. The Tacoma has simpler dashboard controls, better gas mileage, an optional 6-foot bed, an available two-door body style, and optional class-exclusive manual transmission or gas-electric hybrid models. Subjectively, it has a more trucky attitude to its driving experience and interior design, for better or for worse.

The Ranger shares more of the Colorado’s smooth competence than the Tacoma’s intentional roughness. It also has smoother bodywork than the more angular Chevy and Toyota. The Ford has a choice of punchy, nice-sounding, and reasonably economical four-cylinder and V6 engines. And the Ranger Raptor is a desirable high-powered off-road toy. The Colorado edges out the Ranger’s towing and payload limits, it’s a little more agile, and its interior looks higher-tech.

The Frontier is an old-school truck with a non-turbo V6 engine, heavy steering, and a bouncy ride. It doesn’t rule the spec sheet for towing and payload, and it doesn’t have an extra-capable off-road model like a Tacoma TRD Pro or Trailhunter, Ranger Raptor, or Colorado ZR2. But it has more features for the money and an available long bed.

The Gladiator is like a pickup version of the Jeep Wrangler. It’s clumsy and loud, and it’s expensive. But you can take off the roof and doors, and it can tackle challenging off-road conditions. It tows up to 7,700 pounds, too, like the Colorado, and it has more rear legroom.

The Ridgeline goes to the other civility extreme. It’s a car-based crossover with an extra-smooth ride and extra-roomy interior for its class. From the driver's seat, it challenges a full-size pickup for spread-out space. But it tows just 5,000 pounds and won’t go as far off-road. Also, its car-based roots don’t improve its gas mileage, and its dashboard styling is straight out of 2017 – when the current generation debuted. The smaller, even lighter-duty Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick are also car-based pickups, but they have sharper handling and better gas mileage than the Ridgeline.

Finally, if you like the Colorado, know that the GMC Canyon is nearly identical. It’s missing an equivalent to the base WT model, its grille is a little different, its dashboard vents are angular instead of round, and it has a few nicer interior materials. In general, you can shop both trucks while hunting for the best deal.

2025 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Final Thoughts

The 2026 Chevrolet Colorado is a highly capable yet reasonably comfortable pickup. We didn’t fall in love with its interior or how it drove – but some of that is subjective. Objectively, the Colorado can tow, haul, and go off-road without beating you up too much.

If you aren’t more attracted to a rival truck’s character or design – or its extra rear-seat room and superior gas mileage – the Colorado has plenty to offer you.

2026 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss Stars and Steel Special Edition ・ Photo by Brady Holt