Tested: The 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss Midnight Edition Lights the Way

At our 2024 Truck of the Year competition, the Chevrolet Colorado wowed us so much with its versatile variants like the Trail Boss that it ended up taking home the Golden Calipers. As for the Trail Boss itself, the team felt like it was a more aggressive set of tires away from true off-road pickup truck greatness. Recently, we got our hands on the Midnight Edition–equipped 2026 Colorado Trail Boss to see what if anything has changed and if it’s worth the $4,195 premium over the standard Trail Boss—not to mention its midsize competition.

Adds Weight ... and Tire

Despite a gain of 39 lb-ft of torque versus the 2023 Trail Boss we tested two years back, the 2026 Trail Boss Midnight Edition turned in a 0–60-mph time almost a second slower. It was a similar story through the quarter mile (14.5 seconds at 94.9 mph in 2023, 15.3 seconds at 88.9 mph in 2026) and when it came to measuring stopping distance from 60 mph (121 feet in 2023 vs. 130 feet in 2026). Interestingly, though, through our figure eight and skidpad tests, the trucks turned in virtually identical numbers.

What gives? We’re not entirely sure. The Midnight Edition truck weighed 104 pounds more due primarily to the sport bar mounted in the bed and a 40-inch LED light bar on top. And maybe the tires. One of the minor issues around the Trail Boss we previously called out was that its Goodyear Wrangler Territory AT tires left some off-road performance on the table. The Bridgestone Dueler A/T RH-S tires on the Midnight Edition were no doubt an attempt to address that, but they may have played a role in its lesser speeding up and slowing down numbers. A slow eight-speed automatic gearbox was also called out from trackside as a potential issue. Sometimes, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact issue.

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The good news is that the extra weight goes toward the rear. That’s on top of the high-mounted light that shoots out a beam farther forward than your standard headlights, with the goal of improving night driving vision on your favorite trail or when you’re in a super dark spot out in the woods.

The sport bar shouldn’t interfere with cargo loading until you get near the back of the cab. There, the dual tubes may present a bit of challenge for anything taller than the third brake light. It also doesn’t affect interior bed tie-down placement, but Chevrolet does warn to not use the sport bar as a strapping point. It can also potentially interfere with some tonneau covers, but ones that attach within the open cargo space (like the RealTruck Advantage soft roll-up bed cover) should work fine.

Still a Very Capable Truck

The other good news is that the 2026 Colorado Trail Boss Midnight Edition is still the same great truck that's happy both on-road and off. But of course, it’s happiest out in the dirt. One of the small issues we encountered during hard braking was that we experienced a bit of wheel hop when we mashed the brakes, but nothing too wild or out of character for a truck of this nature. You’ll also find that the steering is a bit slow to respond, while waiting for those taller tire sidewalls to lean over and take a set (they also contribute to some extra lean in the corners).

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Despite those minor deficiencies, the truck’s dampers are tuned well enough to make you still feel in control despite its high ride height. Although off-road surfaces and rough paved roads will predictably jounce the truck around some, things aren’t so stiff as to make trail driving at a slow and steady pace difficult. But hit a sharp dip too fast during an off-road drive, and you'll experience some excessive rebound. Nothing too dramatic, mind you, but the Trail Boss suspension isn’t going to behave in the same way as the ZR2’s DSSVs or a set of internal bypass shocks. Nor should it, really. This is a hardcore, rugged off-road truck, after all, and that's bound to come with some on-road downsides.

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Is Adaptive Cruise Too Much to Ask?

Two of the biggest complaints we have about the 2026 Trail Boss Midnight Edition aren’t huge in the grand scheme but are starting to become an issue when viewed against its recently updated midsize truck competition. The first is a lack of any sort of adaptive cruise control system. The Colorado is smart enough to have a warning light that will light up when you get too close to the vehicle ahead of you but not smart enough, apparently, for adaptive cruise.

Ford’s Ranger FX4 can be optioned with adaptive cruise control at $43,960, and so can the $44,010 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road, both of which offer it for quite a bit less than the Midnight Edition’s $46,690 jumping-off price.

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Big Power, Bad Fuel Economy

The other complaint is its fuel economy. Its 2.7-liter turbocharged I-4 delivers an impressive 310 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque, but it returns just 17/22/19 mpg city/highway/combined. Compare that to the Toyota Tacoma 2.4-liter turbo 4WD with its eight-speed auto (20/23/21) and Ford Ranger 2.3-liter turbo 4WD with its 10-speed auto (19/26/22). To be fair, the Ranger only produces 270 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, while the Tacoma makes up to 278 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque.

Of course, you can get the best of all worlds by going with the Ranger’s 2.7-liter turbo V-6, which produces 315 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, or the 2.4-liter turbocharged I-4 hybrid i-Force Max in the Tacoma with 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. Those uprated engines still return better fuel mileage than the 2.7-liter Colorado. The V-6 Ranger is rated at 19/23/20 and the hybrid Tacoma 22/24/23, and the price bump for both of those powertrain upgrades is still less than the Trail Boss Midnight Edition.

The Competition Is No Joke

There isn't anything about the 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss Midnight Edition that’s materially changed from the truck that won our Of The Year award in 2024. It works well on-road, and it has top tier off-road features and capabilities depending on spec. But in just two short years since, the midsize category has become hotly contested, and automakers with newer competing offerings are pressing up on the Colorado's advantages. While some owners won’t bemoan the lack of adaptive cruise control or its fuel-efficiency downsides, that $50,780 price tag for a midsize pickup truck might give them pause, light bar or not.

What it will come down to is what you truly need or want from your truck. Some folks are simply Chevy Bow Tie forever, and for them, the Colorado will always be the choice. And if you’re one of those folks, having a lot of power driving the wheels, a better set of all-terrain tires, and a sport bar and a light bar packaged in would no doubt make the Trail Boss Midnight Edition an attractive option.

But if you're a more discerning midsize truck shopper looking for the same or better convenience features and better fuel economy, you can get that for nearly $7,000 less with the Ranger FX4 or the Tacoma TRD Off-Road. Or you can get similar power, convenience, and efficiency with the Ranger with the 2.7-liter V-6 or the Tacoma i-Force Max and still spend around $2,000 less depending on spec. As we said, the midsize truck market is only getting better, and the Colorado is in for a tough fight, regardless of trim package.