New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Interior, Reviews, Colors
New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Interior, Reviews, Colors – The renaissance of the midsize truck has resulted in a wide spectrum of choices ranging from workaday work rigs to purebred weekend warriors. Falling smack in the centre of the suddenly robust segment is the New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Trail Runner, balancing form and function against the practicality of a pickup.
Table of Contents
New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Redesign and Update Plan
Exterior and Interior
Familiar though the handling may be, the ride quality is certainly an acquired taste that takes some getting used to. There’s a kind of front to back rigidity that can make the Colorado ride like a rocking horse as it see-saws over broken pavement. Getting power down on uneven surfaces can be quite jarring, too, the driveline shuddering as the rear wheels skip across cracks and crevices. New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Interior
The cabin itself is also a bit cramped, the Colorado’s right-sized exterior dimensions coming at the cost of space to stretch out inside. Beyond the obvious comparison with a full-size truck like the Silverado, even the Chevrolet Blazer midsize SUV has a wider cabin than the Colorado. Guys fitted for a size 40 suit or smaller will likely find the space more than sufficient, but those with frames like refrigerators would be wise to take the Colorado for a spin before getting their hearts set on one.
The seats aren’t especially comfortable either, with thin and firm cushions that don’t take long to cause cramping and fatigue. They come upholstered in a cloth and leatherette combo, though genuine cowhide can be added for an extra $1,095. I’d just as easily keep the cash in my pocket and live with the synthetic stuff, which feels tough enough to withstand the rigours of work or play. Which brings up the final point about the Colorado’s cabin: yes, it’s narrow; no, it’s probably not an ideal family hauler. But when it’s time to pick up two or three friends and toss your bikes in the back to hit up your favourite single-track trail, there’s more than enough space inside.
New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Specs
It’s important to point out that the Trail Runner isn’t a purpose-built machine like the Colorado ZR2; instead, it’s a simple add-on package for Z71 models like my tester. Where the ZR2 skews to the extreme – and slightly unnecessary – end of the pickup spectrum, the Trail Runner package delivers a sampling of the style and substance without going overboard.
Since it builds on the Z71, that’s not a bad place to start. Think of it as an off-road lite trim that’s only available with four-wheel drive in Canada and adds beefier suspension bits, an automatic locking rear differential, a skid plate for the transfer case, and hill descent control. Make no mistake: the ZR2 and its adventure-ready equipment – variable dampers, locking differentials, lifted suspension, and badass front bumper – is a fantastic truck. But given how specialized and singularly focused that version of the Colorado is, I’d gladly save the $7,000 or so and stick with the Z71.
That makes the case for the Trail Runner that much more compelling. It borrows the ZR2’s grille to go with extra skid plates and rock rails, as well as chunky 31-inch Goodyear Duratrac tires. None of it’s especially over the top, but it all helps the Colorado Z71 look and feel just a bit more rugged while remaining a practical pickup.
Engine and Performance
The truck I tested had a gas-powered V6 under the hood, which probably isn’t the engine I’d get – the 2.8L turbo diesel is more my speed – but there is a lot to like about it. Displacing 3.6L, the naturally aspirated engine generates 308 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque – ideal output for a truck this size. The Colorado is by no means quick, but the torque is delivered progressively on its way to a 4,000 rpm peak, which is significantly sooner than the same engine in the Blazer (5,000 rpm) or Camaro (5,300 rpm).
New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Fuel Economy
When it comes to fuel consumption, context is everything. The 11.9 L/100 km combined I ended up with after a week of testing isn’t especially impressive – though it is better than the Colorado’s Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) rating of 12.2 L/100 km. In fairness, I spent the vast majority of my time with the truck in two-wheel drive cruising around secondary highways north of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Interior
When you look at the V6-powered Colorado compared to competitors like the Gladiator, Ford Ranger, and Toyota Tacoma, fuel consumption is right in the wheelhouse of what’s reasonable for a midsize truck. But if you look at it next to other products powered by the same engine, it’s downright miserly. The Blazer RS I drove just a few weeks prior, for example, barely did better, averaging 11.5 L/100 km over a weeklong test.
New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Safety Features
Of course, fuel economy probably isn’t leading the list of reasons to buy a pickup truck. Here’s to hoping that’s true of advanced safety features, too, because you won’t find many of them here. Despite being reintroduced only a few years ago, the Colorado just missed the cut on the kind of in-demand equipment that’s offered elsewhere. That means no lane-keeping, automatic braking, or adaptive cruise control.
Instead, lane-departure and forward collision warning systems – along with rear parking sensors – can be added through a safety upgrade package. Crash-testing conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) yielded mostly positive results, though the Colorado didn’t perform particularly well in the passenger-side small front overlap evaluation. Structure and safety cage integrity rated poorly, with the not-for-profit noting “the passenger’s survival space was not maintained well.” New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Interior
New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Price and Release Date
The Colorado Z71 crew cab starts at $40,798; $600 more if you opt for the long box. That’s not bad for a truck these days – especially when you take into consideration the V6 engine under the hood. (Picking diesel power, meanwhile, adds an eye-watering $4,585 to the price tag.) A similarly equipped Ford Ranger lands in the same price range but gets its power from a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, while the Toyota Tacoma costs considerably more for a model with the same kind of equipment. There’s also the aged Nissan Frontier that dates back to the final season of Friends, for those keeping score at home.
My tester featured $5,385 in optional equipment – that Trail Runner package, the upgraded paint, a spray-in bedliner and a few others – for a final pre-tax price of $48,183. That’s still a good chunk of change, but it’s reasonable considering what it comes with in terms of utility and usability. New 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Interior
