GM Puts the Brakes on Chevy Colorado Trail Boss
Here you see it, now you won’t.
What a difference a week makes! In the wake of Chevrolet giving us a first in-person look at its 2022 Colorado Trail Boss , at the 2021 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show in Las Vegas, TruckTrend has learned the off-road package is now unavailable for that pickup.
Why, you ask? Well, demand for the trucks apparently is so high (reports say that in one month, Colorado orders were three times greater than they normally are for an entire year), there simply aren't enough units to go around. To make up for the deficit, Trail Boss orders are being declined on all 2022 Chevy Colorado LT and Z71 models with four-wheel drive.
And going forward, trucks that are already dressed (the optional off-road package is dealer installed) are being stripped of their Trail Boss identities. The black Colorado emblems and tailgate letters, G80 automatic-locking rear differential, red tow hooks, 1-inch front lift (for leveling), 17-inch gloss-black ZR2 wheels, front air-dam delete, and front-, and mid-frame skidplates—optional equipment for 2021 LT and Z71 Colorados—are all being removed .
The retraction is a bit of a bummer. With Trail Boss components on board, the midsize Chevy fills the void between Z71 and Colorado ZR2, the hardcore off-roader in the lineup. And for Bow Tie loyalists, the package presents a viable alternative to the AT4 Off-Road Performance Edition of GMC's Canyon .
Hundreds of OEM and tricked-out rigs were on display at the 2021 SEMA Show . Seeing what could have been for the 2022 Chevy Colorado (as an all-inclusive deal) was nice, but all we can hope now is that a Trail Boss edition will be offered for 2023.
In the interim, however, per our mock lining out of a 2022 Chevy Colorado LT (using the information available on chevrolet.com), all of the bits in the now-defunct Trail Boss package (wheels, tow hooks, skidplates, etc.) appear to be available a la carte, as options for 2022 Colorado LTs and Z71s. There's even a really cool roof-mounted tent for overlanding now, plus rock-slider-style nerf bars to protect rocker panels from being damaged.
So creative ordering and applying the appropriate vinyl graphics (GM's own licensed logos can be procured online) can still make a new Colorado Trail Boss happen, if you want one that badly.
While the 2022 Chevy Colorado Trail Boss was being touted as "new," a little-known (well, more so forgotten) fact about the Colorado and the Trail Boss package is, the combination already had a one-year run.
Yes, when the second-generation Colorado made its debut in 2015 (at the Cleveland Auto Show, of all places), a Z71 Trail Boss Special Edition was included in the lineup and available until 2016. The following year, 2017 Colorado ZR2 hit dealership showrooms.
I'm definitely a long time car guy. My love of "all-thingsautomotive" dates back to the early 1960s, shortly after I said the word, "car" for the first time. I feel fortunate that I was able to grow up in the Muscle Car era of the late '60s and early '70s. I immersed myself in reading magazines, and learned everything I could about high-performance from that period, and knew that one day I would work in the performance industry in some way, shape or form. Since graduating from the University of Pittsburgh (with a Bachelors degree in Communications) in 1985, my professional career has included work in network radio and television, Internet/online media, Ford Service, BMW Service, Internet/online automotive data, and my current job; Senior Technical Editor of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords magazine. The constant in my long career has been "cars;" specifically, 1986-to-present, V-8-powered, Ford Mustangs. I have learned a lot about late-model Mustangs (and I'm still learning), and the position I now hold allows me to share the knowledge I've gained with like-minded Mustang enthusiasts all over the world. Owning, building, modifying and writing about late-model Mustangs has become a true passion for me. A great stop, on a very wild life ride.
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