We compare the 2023 Chevy Colorado to the current Toyota Tacoma. Will we find a new top truck?
The 2023 Chevy Colorado is all-new, while the current Toyota Tacoma is ancient, and about to be comprehensively updated. Still, there are plenty of folks buying Toyota’s midsize offering right here, right now. Considering its mid-size sales dominance, how does the all new Colorado compare to the current Tacoma?
First, lets put things into perspective. Last year, Toyota sold almost 216,000 Tacomas in the United States. Their best year was 2019, when they sold about a quarter million in the USA. In 2022, the Colorado sold just over 89,000 units. Their best year was 2018, when almost 135,000 units were sold in the USA. Good numbers, but nowhere near the Tacoma’s volume.
Why? I mean, the Colorado had some variants that were totally superior to the equivalent Tacoma. That’s painfully apparent when you look at the previous Colorado ZR2, against the Tacoma TRD Pro. In almost every measurable way, the ZR2 clobbered the TRD Pro, yet the Toyota had double the sales.
While were at it, the vastly improved Nissan Frontier sold about 76,000 units last yeat. The unchanged Jeep Gladiator sold just under 78,000 in 2022. Finally, if your curious, the Honda Ridgeline sold just under 43,000 in 2022.
Chevy’s latest might have the legs to take it to the Tacoma. However…
There will only be one model year that the Tacoma remains in its current, anachronistic state. The next-generation truck is expected to be a more efficient, capable, and high-tech pickup. This leaves two questions out there for the Colorado: does it unseat the current Tacoma, and can it go head-to-head with the new one.
I think the answer is (mostly) yes.
As you’ll witness in this video, the new Chevy Colorado has more power, capability and comfort than the Tacoma. It had the highest tow rating, by a mile, and it has a good amount of standard tech. Like its GMC Canyon brother, it has only one cab and bed configuration. At least for now, that’s one thing that Toyota has over the Colorado, more configuration choices.
Our test truck was Andre’s new 2023 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss. It’s not exactly flush with options, nor did Andre spoil himself with higher-end packages. At just over $41,000 – he got just enough to make it extremely off-road capable, while maintaining its high tow rating. At the same time, we all feel it looks better than the current Tacoma.
Let us know what you think and check out the full comparison below:
