Overview
Fresh off the heels of a full redesign in 2023, the Chevrolet Colorado has jumped to the top of our midsize truck rankings. Combining a smart new interior, easy-to-use tech and a powerful turbocharged engine, the Colorado has raised the bar for the rest of the segment. As you'd expect a truck from Chevrolet to do, the Colorado offers an array of trim levels and option packages to take the truck from a day-to-day parts hauler to an off-road warrior. The Colorado also offers strong payload and towing numbers as well as plenty of creature comforts for those days when it's more about running errands than dodging tumbleweeds.
Edmunds spotlight: Midsize but mighty
For many buyers of full-size trucks, it's all about the numbers. Powerful engines, impressive payload capacities and stratospheric tow numbers can easily sway buyers who might never use any of this capability to stick with a larger truck "just in case." But the midsize Colorado can still tow and haul its fair share. On paper, a 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine might not be a good idea for a truck, but in its most powerful guise, the Colorado's engine belts out 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. That enables the Colorado to tow up to 7,700 pounds and handle a payload of 1,685 pounds, making it plenty capable of hauling desert toys on a trailer as well as truck full of friends and their gear. And when you're not hauling the goods, the midsize Colorado proves far easier to drive and park in both urban and suburban environments.
Competitors to consider
As luck would have it, midsize-truck buyers are awash in a wave of truck redesigns after years of relative stagnation in the segment. Along with the all-new Colorado, there's also an all-new Toyota Tacoma as well as a soon-to-be-released Ford Ranger. The Tacoma needs no introduction as it's been the go-to midsize truck for generations, offering practicality, excellent off-road ability and tremendous resale value. The new Ranger looks to impress as well, and Ford has already annouced that a Ranger Raptor will be in showrooms upon the truck's introduction.