Right now, Chevy offers five different trims for the midsize Colorado pickup, giving drivers plenty of options to choose from. And yet, as one looks at this selection of models, something becomes abundantly clear: they’ve gone all-in on off-road capability and options without offering something more luxurious. If someone’s interested in a Chevy Colorado for sale and they want a trim that’s specifically made to be a high-end or prestige model, then they’re out of luck. This can’t be a simple oversight as Chevy offers luxury trims for some other models, including their only other pickup model, so it must be an intentional omission. That being said, is it one that should continue? We’re going to dive into that today, so let’s take a look at what’s available for the Colorado, what Chevy offers in terms of luxury for some other models, and what a luxury Colorado could look like.
Current 2024 Chevy Colorado Trim Levels
Before we dig into the titular question, I think it’s worth taking a moment to look at what’s available in the Colorado right now so we’re all on the same page. This won’t be a deep dive into these trim levels because I’m not trying to buy one or anything, just a quick overview to see what Chevy offers. That should make it easier to consider them and my question. So here’s what’s available right now:
- WT – Starting trim for the Colorado with all of the basics you’d expect. You get 17-inch wheels, an 11.3-inch Infotainment display, and the standard four-cylinder 2.7L turbo engine. A more powerful TurboMax engine and other upgrades like convenience, tech, and towing enhancements are available.
- LT – The second-level trim for the Colorado features a few upgrades here and there, but it’s not a huge boost over the starting options. 18-inch wheels are available, but not on the WT, and it has some nice touches like body-color door handles. Some other options, like a Bose sound system, are offered on the LT and not on the WT.
- Trail Boss – Our first of three off-road models, the Trail Boss is a significant upgrade over the WT and LT. It comes with a standard TurboMax engine and 18-inch wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires. Perhaps the most significant thing is that it comes with an off-road suspension featuring a two-inch factory lift.
- Z71 – The second off-road option, the Z71 builds on what Chevy offers with the Trail Boss. This one has some upgrades, like nicer wheels (still 18 inches), heated power-adjustable side mirrors, LED headlights, fog lamps, and tail lamps. Inside, the Z71 has some upgrades like nicer seating and more.
- ZR2 – Chevy has the ZR2 as the pinnacle trim for the Colorado, the summation of everything it offers, and it is also an off-road model. It gets DSSV Multimatic suspension dampers designed for handling the roughest terrain and a three-inch factory lift for its high-performance suspension, plus a taller and wider stance than many other models. Inside, it has nice tech features, but things like leather seating, memory settings for the driver’s seat, and a wireless charging pad are all extra options and not included.
Pretty good selection overall, but we see that Chevy offers three different off-road trims, out of five total options, but nothing as a high-end or “luxury” model for the Colorado. So I wonder, does that mean Chevy doesn’t have an established pinnacle trim in terms of luxury or tech features? No of course they do and it’s offered on their other major truck.
Chevy Luxury on Other Models: The High Country
The luxury trim in question is the High Country, Chevy’s signature luxury trim. It can be found on several other Chevy models, including some of their SUVs, such as the Tahoe and Suburban. More importantly, however, the full-size Chevy Silverado also has a High Country trim level available as the pinnacle for luxury and comfort features. Like with the Colorado, Chevy offers numerous off-road trims for the Silverado, including two Trail Boss options, the Z71, and the ZR2.
What sets the Silverado High Country apart is its focus on improved technology and luxury features all included. It has 20-inch wheels, body-color exterior details, and even chrome wheel-to-wheel assist steps on both sides. You get a spray-on bedliner with the High Country, LED exterior lighting, automatic wipers, and even heated, power-adjustable, power-folding, driver-side auto-dimming outside mirrors with puddle lamps. Inside, the High Country features a Bose Premium sound system, perforated leather seating, 10-way power front seats, a wireless charging pad, and much more. So…
What Might a Luxury Chevy Colorado Look Like?
Honestly, the easiest thing Chevy could do is essentially a copy/paste job on the High Country from the Silverado to the Colorado. Some things would need to change, of course, but much of it could be carried over and create a pretty impressive, high-end trim for their midsize pickup. Using the LT as our basis—since we’re not interested in off-road features here—Chevy could simply make 18-inch machined aluminum wheels standard, wrapped in all-season tires, with LED exterior lighting, body-color details, and a spray-on bedliner all standard in a Colorado High Country model. They can even go all-in and include heated, powered, auto-dimming side mirrors for this model, along with the EZ-Lift and Lower StowFlex tailgate that’s available for the LT but not standard.
Inside, a High Country model for the Colorado should have power-adjustable front seats, even if they’re the eight-way options currently available. Most importantly, they could have perforated leather with heating and ventilation functionality to be comfortable in hot and cold conditions. Then slap in a Bose Premium sound system, wireless charging pad, and some more features and options—an HD rearview camera display would be great, along with adaptive cruise control and more advanced safety features as standard in this hypothetical High Country. Much of this stuff already exists in the Denali trim for the GMC Canyon, so Chevy’s designers could borrow some of it and make it their own.
Should Chevy Offer a Colorado High Country?
This is, of course, the big question and one that I would answer simply: yes. They have five trim levels right now, and three are focused on going off-road, which seems overkill. Even if Chevy doesn’t want to cut anything from their lineup (I’m not sold on needing all three off-road trims, but that’s another topic), adding one more trim wouldn’t create too much bloat. I think it would be pretty welcome, and as mentioned, there’s already a GMC Canyon Denali, but plenty of people prefer the Colorado. Offering a high-end, luxury model for this midsize truck would be an overall win and something I think Chevy should 100% go for.
What Does the Future Hold for the Colorado?
As we all know, thinking that Chevy should do something doesn’t mean they’ll actually do it. I don’t work at Chevy, nor do I have all of their inside information and data. They might’ve already run focus groups and tested the idea of a Colorado High Country and found no demand for it. Who knows? It’s easy for me to say that Chevy should go for it when it costs me nothing to throw out the idea, but considering how popular Chevy trucks are—and the midsize market seems to be a thriving one right now—giving us another option seems like a smart choice. Only time will tell what Chevy plans to do, but since a new generation of the Colorado just launched for 2023, an all-new High Country model could be an excellent addition for 2026 to refresh their midsize truck.
