Chevy's Colorado pickup is the boss of the roadways

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- Chevrolet reworked its midsize Colorado pickup from bumper to bumper for 2023.  The result: A better truck from front to back.

Better? How to count the ways.  Let's start with styling.

If it's possible for a midsize pickup to look like a muscular, full-size truck, Chevrolet somehow pulled it off.  The wrap-around, split-level grille convinces the eye that this is the work site warrior you've been looking for.  The compact bed reminds that it's ready for lighter suburban duty as well.

My tester, a 2023 Colorado 4WD Trail Boss Crew Cab, was particularly attractive in "Glacier Blue Metallic" paint.  Folks literally stopped in their tracks to remark on it.

Inside, a driver-friendly layout of controls goes above and beyond the usual truck fare.  Particularly striking is the 11.3-inch diagonal color LCD display.  It took me a little study time to master all that it does.  Once mastered, it's an easy-to-read and convenient-to-use touchscreen device.

On the fly, power was provided by a 2.7-liter "Turbo Plus" engine rated at 310 horsepower. Some pickups take their noisy time getting up to cruising speed.  Not this one.

Accelerations from a standstill pressed me pleasingly into my seat, and the tester was perfectly balanced even as I performed the hardest of standing starts.  In freeway traffic, the Colorado was nimble, and dare I say, light to the touch.  Kudos to Chevy engineers on the chassis/suspension set-up.

Fuel mileage was 17 miles per gallon in the city and 21 mpg on the highway.  The bottom line on the sticker was $41,055 -- a fair number given the lengthy list of standard features on the truck.

I've discovered that size matters in the world of trucks.  Some neighbors felt that my tester was simply not big enough.  I'm guessing they are spoiled by the tons of monster-size trucks on the roads.

I get it.  But here's the thing:  Not everybody needs a big-as-a-building pickup priced at $65,000.  Maybe all they want is a functional pickup that is easy to handle, and capable of hauling the occasional big cargo load.

This Colorado -- named Motor Trend's 2024 Truck of the Year at this writing -- can do all that.  And look good doing it.