As both Ford and Chevrolet are showing with their midsize Ranger and Colorado, as well as Ford’s compact Maverick pickups, there is a huge market for trucks of lesser size. And in many ways, midsize trucks today are the same size as full-size pickups of yore. Both companies are debuting new midsize trucks for 2023, and both are missing what is looking like a huge market within this segment. 

What is the one big thing missing on the 2023 Colorado?

We’re talking about hybrid and electric trucks. We’ll forgive them for being late to the EV truck market. But hybrids are taking off and Ford needs to look no further than at its Maverick. Standard equipment is a hybrid powertrain, which accounts for 50 percent of its sales. 

But neither Colorado nor Ranger will be getting hybrid systems anytime soon. But there is a big difference between the Ranger’s engine offerings and the Colorado’s. It’s that there are no engine options with the Ranger, there is only one. It’s a 2.4-liter turbo-four cylinder. Contrast that to the Colorado, which offers three. 

It, too, sticks with a four-cylinder engine. But it is offered in ever-increasing performance outputs based on trim levels. All of them start with the standard 2.7-liter turbo-four, spinning an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

How much power and towing capacity does the Colorado have?

For the base WT and then LT trims the four puts out 259 lb-ft of torque at 5,600 rpm. At the other end are the Z72 and Trail Boss models. The four-banger ups its power output to 301 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm. 

That’s more power than the Jeep Gladiator, Honda Ridgeline, and Toyota Tacoma bring to the table. And even the base 2.7-liter has more power than the base engine in the Toyota Tacoma. So Chevrolet has upped the power of the 2.7 putting it on a level with what we have expected from V6 and V8 architectures. And the Z71 and Trail Boss also get the limited-slip differential. 

For all midsize pickups, the Colorado has the most towing capacity at 7,700 lbs with Z71 and Trail Boss trim. With ZR2 models, the towing capacity drops to 6,000 lbs. And with the base WT and LT packages, it can handle 3,500 lbs. 

Did the interior improve for 2023?

Inside, the 2023 Colorado has seen a significant increase in appointments and materials. With many full-size Silverado buyers being disappointed in the cabin when introduced in 2019, Chevrolet got the hint. Not only has it done a great job at improving the Silverado interior, but the new Colorado benefits as well. 

An 11.3-inch infotainment screen greets drivers and passengers across all trims. New for 2023 is wireless phone charging, but you can still charge up as USB ports are included. Through a subscription, Google Built-In will get you navigation, music, and many other personalized features you can explore through your Google account. 

As for a hybrid Colorado, insiders say it won’t happen. An EV version will land at some point, but probably not until 2026. But GM is going all-in with electrification and passing with the interim hybrid system for the Colorado.