In Pictures: 2016 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss in Solvang, CA

Available with a turbo-diesel, the 2016 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss Edition mid-size pickup takes off-road adventure to new heights.

Solvang, California – The tarantula and snake infested mountainous region of central California is the perfect place to hit the trails in Chevy’s new Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition – a midsize truck with a full-size attitude possessing performance to match, and now offered with an new 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel under the hood.

The fastest-selling truck in the segment, the Colorado pickup hit the market hard since its reintroduction as a 2015 model year; first, with the versatile GearOn accessory system earlier this season, and now, the second Colorado special edition: the aggressively styled and performance-oriented Z71 Trail Boss.

2016 chevy colorado trail boss
2016 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss. Photo: Amee Reehal

Z71 Trail Boss Special Edition

Chevy introduced the Z71 Trail Boss at the Cleveland Auto Show back in March 2015. This special edition combines the capability of Chevrolet’s Z71 off-road truck suspension package with more aggressive tires and additional appearance enhancements. It’s offered in extended and crew cab configurations, with a choice of a long or short cargo bed and available 4WD.

Built for Adventure 

For optimal adventure, the Trail Boss finds an enhanced off-road truck suspension package, Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac 265/65R17 all-terrain tires and 17-inch dark argent metallic painted cast-aluminum wheels. Plus, the GearOn moveable cargo tie-down rings, load bar and cargo divider with black fender flares, and the front and rear black (not gold) Chevy bowtie logos for a little more stealth.

Chevy Colorado Trail Boss Features

As with any special edition, this off-road Z71 flavour gets all-weather floor mats with Z71 logo, front fog lamps, projector beam headlamps, a spray-on bed liner, front recovery hooks, and a G80 automatic locking rear differential.

2016 chevy colorado trail boss
2016 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss. Photo: Amee Reehal

Clean Diesel Power

The bigger news for the Z71 Colorado right now is the all-new 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel power plant which GM claims is there cleanest diesel truck engine ever produced. Producing 181-hp at 3,400 rpm and 369 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm, the diesel Colorado’s broad torque band makes it very powerful at low rpm, while the turbocharged performance provides a better feeling of immediate and smooth horsepower on demand.

The new Colorado diesel goes on sales this fall, offered in LT and Z71 Crew Cab models, with 2WD or 4WD, and priced $3,730 US more than a comparably equipped 3.6L V-6 model.

2016 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss Edition Gallery

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Amee Reehal
Amee Reehalhttps://www.ameereehal.com/
Shooting cars and bikes professionally since film was a thing, for over 20 years, Amee has collaborated with the major automakers and agencies, and his work has been published in various global outlets including MotorTrend, GlobeDrive, SuperStreet, Chicago Tribune, PerformanceBMW, and others. He’s an automotive writer and founder/managing editor of TractionLife.com, focusing on digital marketing & SEO for the past ten years (backed by a marketing degree, go figure). Find him travelling, spending time with his kids and family. Or golfing, poorly.