2025 Chevrolet Colorado Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The Chevrolet Colorado’s exterior looks vary widely based on trim level. In WT trim the Colorado looks like the work truck it’s designed to be, with a black plastic grille and fascia, silver-painted steel wheels, and a smattering of matte black trim that does little to decorate the truck’s body sides. The LT trim level adds body-colour door handles and side mirrors along with a nicer set of wheels.

The next rung up the pricing ladder is represented by the Colorado Trail Boss. It’s an off-road trim level that includes a five-centimetre factory suspension lift, 32-inch tires on 18-inch black wheels, and black plastic fender flares. The Chevy Colorado Z71 is next, and while it loses the lifted suspension, it still features 32-inch tires and tow recovery hooks for decent off-road capability. The Z71 also benefits from a fancier grille with multi-textured surfaces and additional body-colour elements.

At the top of the range is the Chevy Colorado ZR2. While most of the ZR2 package can be found under the truck’s skin, its 17-inch Graphite and Oxide Gold wheels stand out from the crowd, as does its unique hood, with a gloss black bulge reminiscent of muscle cars from the 1960s and 1970s. An optional ZR2 Bison package was fitted to our test truck, bringing with it beadlock-capable wheels, chunky fender flares, a bed-mount spare tire carrier that looks really cool but drastically reduces available space, and stamped steel bumpers. The ZR2’s high-tech, gold-coloured Multimatic DSSV shocks (that’s short for Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve) are visible from the outside, and while their real benefits are felt as the truck bounds over boulders and berms, the fact that they look amazing doesn’t hurt.

No matter which version of the Chevy Colorado you choose, you’ll get a digital gauge cluster and an 11.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Cloth seats are also standard, with a man-made EvoTex option on LT, Trail Boss and Z71 models. Real leather seating surfaces are also available in the Z71 and are standard in the ZR2.

All Chevy Colorado pickup trucks come standard with a 2.7-litre TurboMax four-cylinder engine that spins out an impressive 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission is also standard, and the engine/transmission pairing suits the midsize Colorado perfectly. Power from the large-displacement turbocharged engine comes quickly, with minimal lag right off idle. The transmission shifts quickly and smoothly, as does the optional shift-on-the-fly four-wheel-drive (4WD) system that’s optional on WT but standard in Canada on the LT, Trail Boss, Z71 and ZR2.

The Colorado’s engine is also offered in the larger Chevy Silverado pickup truck, so its strong performance in the smaller truck makes sense. So does the 3,500-kilogram (7,700-pound) maximum towing rating, which is tied with the Jeep Gladiator for best-in-class status and significantly better than the best-selling Toyota Tacoma’s max rating of 3,000 kilograms (6,500 pounds). The Colorado’s max payload ratings are also class-leading with a maximum of 837 kilograms (1,846 pounds), depending on trim.

If your plans include adventures as far off the beaten path as possible, your search should start with the Trail Boss edition. With a factory-installed five-centimetre suspension lift, the Chevy Colorado Trail Boss offers 24.1 centimetres of ground clearance, which is helpful when driving over the top of large rocks or logs. For even greater off-road potential, the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 boasts 27.1 centimetres of ground clearance to go along with its aluminum skid plates that protect the bottom of the engine and the two-speed transfer case. For ultimate off-road capability, the Colorado ZR2 Bison jacks the truck up so much that there’s more than 30 centimetres of ground clearance, and a full set of boron steel skid plates are designed to absorb damage if a driver manages to exceed that extremely high limit.

Chevrolet’s off-road-oriented Colorado models also feature selectable drive modes, which depending on model include a Normal mode, a general Off-Road Mode for grass, mud, gravel or deep snow, a Terrain Mode for low-speed rock crawling or climbing, a Tow/Haul Mode and, in the ZR2, a Baja mode for higher-speed travel in sandy conditions.

The ZR2 and ZR2 Bison’s Multimatic DSSV shocks do an excellent job of absorbing big bumps or dips while still maintaining a comfortable ride on regular pavement. The ZR2’s 33-inch mud-terrain tires are designed for heavy off-roading but still feel comfortable on the road. The Bison edition gets additional front and rear jounce control dampers for an extra layer of bump absorption.

Our Colorado ZR2 Bison test truck was equipped with locking front and rear differentials that ought to make quick work of most muddy or slippery trails. With the chunky rubber that’s standard on the Bison, we didn’t come close to getting the Colorado stuck, but it’s nice to know there will be lots of traction when necessary.

While some midsize trucks offer multiple cab and bed lengths, all 2025 Chevy Colorado models feature the same four-door crew cab and 1,567-millimetre (61.7-inch) short bed. Most buyers opted for this cab and bed style anyway, so it makes sense that Chevy went this route (as did Ford with its most recent Ranger refresh). That said, if you need a six-foot bed, you’ll have to direct your attention toward the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma, or choose a full-size truck instead.

Inside the Colorado, all the necessary controls are within easy reach of the driver. The digital gauge cluster is clear, colourful, and easy to read, and there are multiple options on how to display data. Almost everything the driver needs to see can be displayed in this digital screen, including speed, navigation instructions, and audio information. When we took our Colorado ZR2 Bison off the pavement, we were even able to see useful off-road stats such as the angle of the steering wheel and the truck's pitch and roll angles.

The Colorado’s front seats are comfortable and offer a car-like seating position. Front-seat headroom is sufficient for tall occupants. There’s plenty of space up front for six-foot drivers, and since the Colorado isn’t as wide as a full-sizer like its Silverado sibling, it’s not hard to reach around and grab what you need from the door pockets, centre console, or glove box.

Like most other midsize trucks, the Colorado’s rear seat doesn’t have as much legroom and is overall more cramped than the front. We couldn’t comfortably put a six-foot passenger in the rear seat behind a six-foot driver, but that’s true of competitors like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma. The legroom-champ Jeep Gladiator does offer appreciably more space for rear-seat passengers.

Buyers who generally plan to use their trucks on pavement may be best served by a Colorado that doesn’t have a factory suspension lift. Our ZR2 Bison had 11.4 cm of total suspension lift over the Z71 model (the Trail Boss is 5 cm taller while the non-Bison ZR2 is 7.6 cm taller). That means there’s a massive step up into the ZR2 Bison’s cabin. Loading items into the bed requires a similarly large lift, though the Colorado’s built-in bumper steps help somewhat. It’s also worth noting that this version’s payload and towing capacity are reduced to 655 kilograms (1,445 pounds) and 2,720 kilograms (6,000 pounds) respectively.

The Chevrolet Colorado’s infotainment system is built atop software from Google and is very easy to use. Though some competitors offer larger screens, the Colorado’s 11.3-inch unit looks appropriately sized for the truck. The Google built-in technology that integrates Google apps and services into the Colorado’s infotainment system works very well. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard and simple to use. Buyers who like to talk to their vehicles will find voice recognition in the 2025 Colorado.

In addition to the touchscreen, there are lots of buttons, dials and switches littered across the Colorado’s dashboard. We appreciate the simple dials to control audio volume and to set the interior temperature. Seeing so many buttons in the Chevy Colorado seems a little out of place in 2025, but that may add to the truck’s appeal for some buyers.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) hadn’t published crash-test ratings for the 2025 Chevy Colorado at press time, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the current-generation Colorado a four-star frontal crash-test rating, five-star side-impact rating, and three-star rollover rating. That works out to an overall four-star safety rating, which matches the Ford Ranger. While the current-generation Toyota Tacoma is rated as a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS.

The 2025 Colorado comes with standard Chevy Safety Assist, a package that includes forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, a following distance indicator and automatic high beams. Blind-zone steering assist, reverse automatic emergency braking and rear park assist are also standard, though other tech like rear pedestrian alert, trailering support for blind-zone steering assist, and a 360-degree camera system are optional.

Chevy’s Teen Driver technology is standard across all Colorado models. This package allows parents to set speed and audio volume limits for other drivers based on the key that’s being used.

In Canada, the 2025 Chevy Colorado starts at $42,433 (including a $2,600 destination charge and other fees) in base rear-wheel-drive (RWD) WT trim. Adding 4WD bumps the price to $46,433. The LT trim starts at $51,033 with standard 4WD. The lifted Trail Boss starts at $51,633. The popular Z71 starts at $56,633, and the off-road-special ZR2 goes for $63,633. A top-shelf ZR2 Bison with all the extra off-road gear pushes the price tag all the way to $75,428 before options.

To put those prices in perspective, the best-selling Toyota Tacoma’s starting MSRP of $51,429 with standard 4WD is a fair bit higher. In its TRD Pro trim, the top trim available with a five-foot bed, the 2025 Tacoma costs $81,933. Most of the pricing from trim to trim is within a few thousand dollars across the board. Similarly, the 2025 Ford Ranger starts at $45,065 with standard 4WD and goes up from there, culminating in the Ranger Raptor that boasts a 405-horsepower V6 engine and fancy Fox shocks from $81,415. The unique Jeep Gladiator starts at $60,031 with standard 4WD and culminates at $86,685 for the desert-bombing Mojave X trim. The more car-like Honda Ridgeline starts at $54,626.

While it’s true that high-spec midsize trucks can carry price tags perilously close to larger full-size trucks like the Chevrolet Silverado, buyers who are looking for a truck they can easily fit in their garages or in tighter urban areas may not want anything larger. Plus, a smaller truck can be a useful tool for buyers who want to be able to get as far off-road as possible on tight trails. And if you favour General Motors products, the 2025 Chevy Colorado is quite a bit cheaper than the mechanically related GMC Canyon.

The 2025 Chevrolet Colorado achieves estimated fuel economy ratings of 13.6 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 11.0 highway, and 12.4 combined with 4WD. The lifted ZR2 climbs to 14.1 L/100 km city, 13.8 highway, and 14.0 combined. Add the Bison package and you can expect to burn 14.8 L/100 km city, 15.1 hwy, and 14.9 combined. Driving the ZR2 Bison on city streets and on the highway, we averaged 15.7 L/100 km through one full tank of gas.

Comparing fuel efficiency against its competitors, the Chevy Colorado comes in above the Ford Ranger (10.7 to 11.5 L/100 km combined) and Toyota Tacoma (11.2 to 11.9 L/100 km). Toyota also offers the Tacoma with a i-Force Max hybrid powertrain that pushes city fuel economy down to 10.5 L/100 km while delivering 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque.

Note: Images show a US model.