Can you think of a better present to celebrate America’s 250th birthday with than an off-road pickup truck?
The 2026 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss Stars & Steel edition celebrates America’s 250th anniversary with a special graphics package, but it’s not red, white and blue. The decals are black, and you can get the truck in black or white.
The Colorado Trail Boss comes with a two-inch lift and a turbocharged 2.7 L four-cylinder rated at 310 horsepower and 430 pound feet of torque and runs $42,995. The Stars & Steel package, which is bundled with the Midnight, Technology and Convenience Package 2 packages, adds $14,645 on top of that.
Along with the styling, the whole shebang includes steel rock rails, skid plates, red recovery hooks, an upgraded wheel and tire package with these black 20-in wheels wrapped in 33-inch Bridgestone Dueler AT tires, a sport rack with a commemorative logo and a 40-in off-road LED light bar on top of it. There’s also a rollup tonneau cover, black badges and trim, all-weather floor mats, and a few other bits and pieces.
The drivetrain includes an eight-speed automatic and a two-speed transfer case, but you can only get it with the standard electronic automatic locking rear differential and there is no front locker option.
Overall, it is really solid package, especially considering most of it’s functional, but it remains one notch below the Colorado ZR2 in capability. That does have a front locker and the amazing Multimatic DSSV performance dampers, which allow it to be driven at high speeds off-road, but also handle the rocky stuff. A similarly equipped ZR2 runs around $60,000, but you can’t get it with the Stars & Steel graphics.
The Stars & Steel interior is pretty much the same as the regular Trail Boss, but adds an eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat, water-resistant Evotex synthetic upholstery, adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera system that works at all speeds.
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At our mildly difficult, rocky off-road stomping ground, the engine proved to be perfectly suited to the truck, which is rated for 19 mpg combined and up to 7,700-pounds of towing.
The Colorado’s refinement is off the charts for the midsize pickup segment, even with the lift and all-terrain tires. The body control is outstanding and it’s as quiet as a crossover on pavement, even with the lift and knobby tires.
As far as the off-pavement stuff goes, I was impressed by what it could handle without manual lockers. It just stepped right up a few of the steep, rocky climbs that have proved more challenging for other trucks.
The ZR2 has the lockers and can be driven much faster over the rough stuff, thanks to its magical Multimatic DSSV dampers, but the Trail Boss can handle a lot. But is the Trail Boss Stars & Steel really worth more than $57,000? Check back in 50 years.
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