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The new Chevrolet Colorado claims to make the Honda Ridgeline feel outclassed with its meaner looks and technological advancements under the skin.

Chevrolet has dropped a bomb with the all-new 2023 Colorado which claims to set up new benchmarks in the midsize truck segment. While the completely-revamped Ford Ranger is still some time away, the new 2023 Chevrolet Colorado takes on the existing pickup trucks, out of which the Honda Ridgeline got revised the most recently in 2021.

Compared to the new hulk-like Chevrolet Colorado, the Honda looks slightly like a sober gentleman. And when it comes to midsize pickup trucks, a towering stance and aggressive design is a battle half won. But the Chevrolet Colorado promises a wholesome upgraded experience over the Honda Ridgeline, beyond the looks. We have compiled all the factors which help the new Colorado outclass the Ridgeline.

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One look at the Chevrolet Colorado is enough to let you know that it has gained some serious muscle and much-needed tweaks on the outside. It retains the butch appeal of its predecessor in a more evolved form, which makes it feel like a true-blue American truck.

The heavily revised front fascia with the bold-looking all-black grille, slimmer all-LED headlamps, chunkier-looking tires, and flared wheel arches with sharp lines all come together to make the Colorado a more butch-looking truck. In addition, the Colorado now also gets a rugged Trail Boss version apart from the ZR2 version, both of which take the intimidation factor one notch higher with their all-blown appeal.

In comparison, the Honda Ridgeline has now started looking paler and less intimidating to look after the arrival of the new Chevrolet Colorado. Don’t mistake us - the Honda Ridgeline was updated only recently with a mildly revised front fascia in the 2021 model.

However, compared to the Colorado, it simply lacks the traditional ruggedness and heightened stance. The subtle use of chrome at the front makes the Honda Ridgeline look decent, but apart from that, it simply lacks the desirability factor and macho appeal of the new Colorado.

Being a newer vehicle, the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado had to have a more modern and feature-rich cabin over the Honda Ridgeline. However, little did we expect that the difference is this significant. The Chevrolet Colorado has raised the bars in desirability, technology, and comfort much higher over the standards set by Ridgeline. Chevrolet has completely revamped the cabin of the Colorado which now makes it a much more refreshing and tech-packed space to be in than ever before. Much more than the subtle-looking Honda Ridgeline, you ask? Well, we can’t deny that.

The star attraction in the new 2023 Chevrolet Colorado is the widely-laid cockpit comprising an 8-inch fully digital color instrument console adjoined with an 11.3-inch colored infotainment system stretching towards the middle of the dashboard. In addition to this refreshing-looking cockpit, the Colorado also gets propeller-like rounded AC vents, wrapped and stitched knee pads on the doors, contrast stitching, and piano black inserts to make the cabin look more appealing.

In contrast, one can easily say that the cabin of the Honda Ridgeline looks more old-school with a conventional center console design with cluttered housing for buttons. Even the tucked-in standard infotainment system is no match to the new-age touchscreen unit of the Colorado, which looks larger and more intuitive to use with more attractive graphics.

Related: This Chevrolet Colorado Pickup Truck Is A Bit Extreme

The new heart sitting under the hood of the new Chevrolet Colorado is the same 2.7-liter inline-four turbocharged gasoline engine that powers the mightier Silverado too. In its best avatar, this new 2.7-liter gasoline engine churns out 430 lb-ft of torque output in the full-blown ZR2 version. It is significantly more than the 262 lb-ft torque output from the 3.5-liter naturally-aspirated V6 gasoline engine of the Honda Ridgeline.

Even the maximum power output of the Colorado range is 310 hp, against the 280 kW claimed by Honda Ridgeline. These are heavy-duty pickup trucks meant to haul loads, where more power and torque outputs are more appreciated. It is where the Colorado outshines the Ridgeline with its power of turbocharging despite it losing in the displacement game.

The all-new Chevrolet Colorado is offering something that is simply not present in the Honda Ridgeline lineup – a full-blown off-road monster version. And much to our surprise, Chevrolet has introduced two such versions in the Colorado – the Trail Boss and ZR2.

In the more extreme ZR2 variants, the Chevrolet Colorado gets a more towering stance with modified front and rear bumpers for higher approach and departure angles and 17-inch wheels with 33-inch diameter mud/terrain tires.

And the Colorado doesn’t stop there, as it gets off-road specific kit. It includes segment-exclusive Multimatic DSSV dampers, special cast-iron control arms, selectable front, and rear locking differentials, a modified rear axle with a 3.42 ratio, rocker panel protection, and an aluminum skid plate.

All these elements mean that the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 can go further off the road, where the Honda Ridgeline might not dare venture.

Hailing from India, Jeo has grown up dreaming about a red-colored Porsche 911. This fascination led him to study more about cars and their functionality in his automotive engineering days from the past. His passion for writing about cars directed him towards blogging, which he has been doing for almost a decade.