The 2026 Chevrolet Colorado is a midsize pickup built one way: crew cab, 5-foot bed, and a 2.7L TurboMax turbocharged four-cylinder making 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque in every one of its six trims. Pricing opens at $32,400 before destination for the Work Truck and climbs to $50,700 for the ZR2. Properly equipped, a 4WD crew cab tows 7,700 lbs. Around here that combination lands well, because most truck miles are paved and empty long before they are anything else: Highway 70 at six in the morning, Interstate 30 north toward Benton on a Friday, then a gravel county road down to a Lake Hamilton ramp for two hours on Saturday.

Allen Tillery Auto Chevrolet stocks the Colorado at 4573 Central Ave. Come drive one, or call 501-881-4274 and we will tell you what is on the ground today.

2026 Colorado Engines and Powertrain Options

There is one engine, and every trim gets all of it. The 2.7L TurboMax turbocharged four-cylinder produces 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque through an 8-speed automatic transmission, on regular unleaded with a minimum of 87 octane.

That matters more than it sounds. On most trucks the engine is what the trim ladder sells you, so the entry trim is also the slowest. Not here. A Work Truck leaves the lot with exactly the same output as a ZR2, which means the money you spend moving up the lineup buys drivetrain hardware, equipment and ride height, never power. The 2.7L TurboMax is the engine, on every trim.

What changes across the lineup is how that power reaches the ground. WT, Custom and LT are rear-wheel drive as standard with four-wheel drive available. Trail Boss, Z71 and ZR2 are four-wheel drive only, and they carry a two-speed transfer case with a low range that the part-time system on the lower trims does not have. The fuel tank holds 21.4 gallons across the lineup.

EPA-estimated MPG. Source: fueleconomy.gov. Your actual mileage will vary.

Colorado Trim Lineup and Pricing

Six trims span $32,400 to $50,700, all before destination, and they separate on drivetrain, ride height and equipment rather than output. Here is the ladder from bottom to top.

WT (Work Truck), from $32,400

The one that goes to work. Rear-wheel drive as standard with four-wheel drive available, 17-inch Ultra Silver Metallic wheels on all-season tires, the 11.3-inch touchscreen, and standard Chevy Safety Assist. Full engine, full tow rating, nothing paid for trim a work bed is going to ruin anyway. A spray-on bed liner is a $475 option.

Custom, from $33,545

Style and value, for $1,145 over the WT. It adds 18-inch high gloss black aluminum wheels on all-season tires and black badges, plus the 11.3-inch screen with Google built-in and the 11-inch digital driver display. This is an appearance and content step, not a capability step, and for a lot of buyers that is exactly the right purchase.

LT, from $36,000

The commuter's Colorado. It brings 17-inch Argent Metallic wheels on all-season tires, the EZ Lift and Lower tailgate with built-in StowFlex storage, remote start with Keyless Open and Start, and available wireless phone charging. If the truck spends five days a week on pavement and two days doing truck things, this is the balance point.

Trail Boss, from $40,500

The step that buys the most hardware at once, and the one on our lot. A 2-inch factory lift, 18-inch wheels on 32-inch all-terrain tires, four selectable drive modes with an off-road performance display, and a two-speed automatic transfer case with a transfer case shield. Ground clearance goes to 9.5 inches. Four-wheel drive is standard.

Z71, from $44,600

Comfort with genuine capability underneath. It runs 18-inch wheels on 32-inch all-terrain tires, four selectable drive modes, LED headlamps, taillamps and fog lamps, and a Jet Black interior with Adrenaline Red accents. Available 20-inch wheels are new for Z71 this year. Think of it as a different aim from the Trail Boss rather than a rung above it.

ZR2, from $50,700

The factory trail truck. Multimatic DSSV dampers, front and rear electronic locking differentials, a 3-inch factory lift with high-performance suspension, 17-inch wheels on 33-inch mud-terrain tires, five selectable drive modes and 10.7 inches of ground clearance. Approach is 38.6 degrees, departure 25.2, breakover 24.8. A properly equipped ZR2 crew cab is rated to tow 6,000 lbs rather than 7,700, which is the trade.

You will also see the ZR2 Bison referred to as a trim. It is not one; it is a package on the ZR2, and around here it is almost always an order rather than something waiting on the lot. What the order buys is 35-inch mud-terrain tires, 12.2 inches of ground clearance and five boron steel skid plates, with a best-in-class record for ground clearance, breakover angle and underbody protection. Worth knowing before you shop: if the Bison is what you want, plan on the build sheet and the wait. The full trim-by-trim breakdown, with what each step adds and who it is for, is on the 2026 Colorado trims and pricing page.

Technology and Connectivity

The screen is standard, on every trim, including the Work Truck. An 11.3-inch diagonal center touchscreen with Google built-in pairs with an 11-inch diagonal digital driver information center, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard as well.

Google built-in means Google Maps and Google Assistant run natively in the truck rather than mirroring from a phone, so navigation and voice work whether or not the phone is connected. That is a meaningful thing on a truck that starts from $32,400 before destination, and it is the single feature that most separates this Colorado from what a midsize pickup used to give you at the bottom of the range. Higher trims add an available 120-volt outlet in the bed, cargo bed lighting, and underbody cameras on the ZR2. Details are on the Colorado tech and safety page.

Interior and Comfort

Every 2026 Colorado is a five-passenger crew cab, and there is no other body configuration offered. No extended cab, no regular cab, and one bed length across the lineup.

That single-configuration approach keeps the cabin consistent from WT to ZR2 and puts the differences into materials and equipment: the EZ Lift and Lower tailgate and remote start arriving at the LT, available wireless phone charging from there up, and the Jet Black interior with Adrenaline Red accents on the Z71. The truck measures 214 inches long on a 131.4-inch wheelbase, which is meaningfully shorter than any half-ton crew cab and the reason it slots into an older carport that a Silverado simply does not.

Towing and Payload Capability

Properly equipped, a 2026 Colorado crew cab tows 7,700 lbs, in 2WD or 4WD. The ZR2 crew cab is rated at 6,000 lbs when properly equipped, because its 3-inch lift, its dampers and its mud-terrain tires trade rated capacity for articulation, so there is no single Colorado tow figure that covers the lineup.

Payload runs 1,445 to 2,046 pounds by configuration; a 2WD WT, Custom or LT carries 1,710 pounds. Gross combination weight rating is 13,250 lbs, and 11,600 lbs on the ZR2. For any individual truck, the tire and loading label on the driver's door jamb is the number that governs, not a brochure figure.

In practical terms that covers most of what gets pulled to Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine on a Saturday: an aluminum fishing boat on a single-axle trailer, a pair of side-by-sides on an open deck, a small camper. For a two-horse gooseneck or a loaded car hauler you want a Silverado, and we sell those too. The launch ramps around Garland County get busy from spring through October, and a shorter truck is easier to back down a crowded one than a more capable truck that will not fit the lane. Saline County buyers making that drive tell us the same thing. The Colorado towing capacity page breaks the ratings down by configuration and pairs them against real trailer weights.

The bed is 5 feet long, with 41.9 cubic feet of volume, up to 17 tie-downs, a built-in tailgate measurement tool, cargo bed lighting and a mid-position tailgate rated to hold 500 lbs. That mid-gate stop is what lets a 5-foot bed carry 8-foot material without the load riding on the tailgate edge.

Off-Road Capability

Three trims are built for it, and they are not the same truck. Trail Boss, Z71 and ZR2 all come with four-wheel drive as standard and a two-speed transfer case, and they separate on suspension, tires and clearance.

The Trail Boss takes a 2-inch factory lift and 32-inch all-terrain tires to 9.5 inches of clearance with four drive modes. The Z71 shares the tire and wheel package with a comfort-first setup. The ZR2 is a different order of thing: Multimatic DSSV dampers, lockers at both ends, a 3-inch lift, 33-inch mud-terrains, five drive modes and 10.7 inches of clearance. Out toward the Ouachita National Forest and the Talimena Scenic Drive, where the approach is an hour of pavement and the last ten minutes are the part that matters, that hardware is what you are paying for. The ZR2 and Trail Boss page compares them directly.

Safety and Driver Assistance

Chevy Safety Assist is standard on every 2026 Colorado, a package of six driver assistance features. They are Forward Collision Alert, Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Following Distance Indicator, and IntelliBeam auto high beams.

Blind spot detection and lane departure warning and prevention are standard equipment as well, along with electronic stability control and forward collision warning. The tech and safety page covers the driver aids trim by trim.

Which 2026 Colorado Is Right for You?

Five buyers, five answers. Because the engine never changes, this comes down to drivetrain, ride height and how much equipment you want.

A well-equipped pick for most buyers in this market lands at the Trail Boss, from $40,500 before destination, tax, title and license. It is also what is on the ground here right now, which shortens the wait considerably.

Why Buy the 2026 Colorado at Allen Tillery in Hot Springs

We have sold trucks from this lot since 1967, and the Colorado is the one we point people to when a half-ton is more truck than the job needs. Allen Tillery Auto Chevrolet is at 4573 Central Ave, Hot Springs, AR 71913, and you can reach us at 501-881-4274.

Buyers come to us from Benton and Bryant on the north side, from Little Rock down Interstate 30, and from Malvern and Arkadelphia to the south, and the question is almost always the same one: how much truck is enough. Ice reaches bridges and shaded grades here well before it reaches open pavement, which is the honest argument for four-wheel drive on a midsize that spends most of its life on dry asphalt. Come drive one, or start with pre-approval and a trade appraisal so the numbers are settled before you get here.

2026 Colorado Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 2026 Chevy Colorado come with a V6?

No. Chevrolet offers one engine in the 2026 Colorado, the 2.7L TurboMax turbocharged four-cylinder with 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque, and no V6 or diesel is available in this generation.

Is a Colorado enough truck for a boat and a small camper?

For most of what gets towed around here, yes. A properly equipped crew cab is rated at 7,700 lbs in 2WD or 4WD, which covers a bass boat, a pair of side-by-sides or a teardrop camper comfortably. A two-horse gooseneck or a loaded car hauler is past it.

Which Colorado should most buyers start with?

The Trail Boss, from $40,500 before destination. It is the one step in the lineup that adds four-wheel drive, low range, a 2-inch lift and 32-inch all-terrain tires together, and it is what we usually have on the ground.

Do I need a ZR2, or is a Trail Boss enough?

If you cannot name a place you would use a locking differential, the Trail Boss is enough and it keeps the higher 7,700-lb tow rating. The ZR2 is worth its money to a buyer who wheels somewhere specific and accepts 17 mpg combined for it.

Is a Colorado expensive to run?

The choice that moves it most is drivetrain and tires rather than trim, because every version shares one engine. EPA combined ranges from 21 mpg in 2WD down to 16 on a ZR2 Bison, per fueleconomy.gov, and mud-terrain tires cost more and wear faster than all-seasons.

Is there more than one cab or bed size?

No. Every 2026 Colorado is a crew cab with a 5-foot bed and seating for five. Every Colorado is a crew cab with a 5-foot bed and seating for five.

How much does a 2026 Colorado cost?

Starting MSRP is $32,400 for the WT and $50,700 for the ZR2, both before destination freight. Destination, tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment are extra, and the dealer sets the final price.

Can a midsize truck realistically be my only vehicle?

For a lot of buyers here it is. At 214 inches it parks where a half-ton does not, it seats five, and it tows what a weekend actually asks of it. The compromises are a 5-foot bed and one cab configuration, so if you regularly haul long material or six people, look at a Silverado instead.

Explore the Colorado