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We’re getting a new 2023 Chevy Colorado truck this year. With the redesign, we’re expecting a ton of upgrades to this popular midsize truck and we’ve seen some of the styling revisions in a video from Chevy. But Chevy has stayed silent so far on what engine options the new Colorado will have. Colorados have been famous for the 2.8-liter Duramax diesel option, for example. But, could the new Colorado and its GMC cousin get the turbocharged four-cylinder from the 2022 Chevy Silverado?

The 2022 Colorado has three old-school engine choices

A 2022 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 driving in the dirt. Should the ZR2 get the more powerful four-cylinder from the Silverado?
2022 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 | Chevrolet

The current Colorado and its twin the GMC Canyon have three engine options. You can order a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, a 3.6-liter V6 and a turbocharged 2.8-liter turbo-diesel. The diesel is an interesting option, and the Colorado and Canyon twins are the only mid-sized trucks with a diesel option. With the diesel, the trucks can tow up to 7,700 pounds, thanks to its 369 lb.-ft. of torque, but it looks like the diesel is going away for 2023. The V6 has 308 horsepower and with it the truck gets 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

The new turbo-four is the base engine in the Silverado

The base model of the Chevy Silverado truck now has a 2.7-liter turbocharged four cylinder engine.
The Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck | Chevrolet

The 2022 Chevy Silverado full-size truck has a new 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The engine makes more horsepower and more torque than the V6 you can order today in the Colorado. In the Silverado, it makes 310 horsepower and 430 lb.-ft, which means it also makes more torque than even the diesel. The big truck gets 19 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway. But a crew cab Silverado weighs about 4,800 pounds, while a crew cab Colorado weighs about 4,100 pounds. With 700 pounds less to pull, we’d expect a Colorado with the turbo four-cylinder to get even better mileage, better towing figures, and put down good acceleration numbers.

What we know about the new 2023 Chevy Colorado

We’ve seen a preview of the new 2023 Chevy Colorado ZR2. Chevy produced a short video clip that shows the truck bounding through the desert, and it says the truck will debut on July 28th. Dealers should get the new Colorado trucks near the end of 2022. We also know that Chevrolet is targeting the off-road segment with at least two new off-road versions of the Colorado. So far Chevy has announced a ZR2 version and an even more upgraded ZR2 Bison edition, which has even more off-road capability and could possibly take on the upcoming Ford Ranger Raptor.

Are Chevy Colorados good trucks?

Could the new 2023 Chevy Colorado come with the more powerful engine from the Silverado?
2023 Chevy Colorado | Chevy

The Chevy Colorado has earned high marks for its powerful V6 and its diesel engine option, which gives it class-leading towing capability. The trucks are also known to handle better than some of their competitors in the class. Reliability ratings are mixed. Consumer Reports ranks the truck near the bottom. J.D. Power on the other hand ranks Colorado near the top for quality and reliability.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.