2023 Chevy Colorado - Event Date: 10 Jul 2023

Looking for real life experience towing a Pod with the new 2023 Chevy Colorado High Output Tune.  I live in Utah and tow a 182G in mountainous terrain with a 2017 Silverado 5.3.  Tons of power and love the truck, just looking for a smaller vehicle for everyday driving.  On paper the Colorado high output should meet our needs, with torque of 430 ft-lbs vs 383 ft-lbs in the Silverado.  I'm guessing the fuel economy will be terrible in the colorado when going up a steep grade; I'm ok with that as long as it has the power.  We take longer trips with kids, so I like to go 60-65 up the mountain passes and like having the ability to accelerate if needed (passing slower vehicles without losing momentum).  Almost pulled the trigger on the diesel colorado last year, but the dealer let me tow my Pod before signing the paperwork and the thing was an absolute dog going up a steep grade.  Got a running start on flat terrain and got the vehicle up to 70 mph before starting the climb from Park City up to Parley's summit (~ 3 mi of 7% grade) and the speedometer was at 58 mph and dropping by the top of the Summit.  Unacceptable for us when many of our trips involve going over mountain passes...backed out of the sale.  In fairness to the truck, it was my first time driving a diesel and it was brand new, so maybe the crappy towing performance was user error or can be chalked up to the engine not being broken in.  I understand that the smaller size of the colorado will have some negatives as a tow vehicle and not looking for a lecture on how I tow the pod at higher speeds.  What I am looking for is feedback from someone that has towed in high altitude, mountain terrain with a colorado and the 2.7 liter engine with a high output tune.

I fully understand your desire to stay with a smaller tow vehicle. I did the same thing when we purchased our 179 in 2016 and paired it with a Nissan Frontier 4.0L.  We proceeded to put 50K miles on the 179 and 80K on the Frontier in 6 years.  While the smaller truck did the job, it worked hard for every mile. Since then we have upgraded our trailer and gone to larger tow vehicle, F150 3.5 Ecoboost. 

Yes, lots of towing in entire western states. New Mexico to Canadian border, Pacific Northwest, California, etc. Mountains, flats, wind, rain, snow, forest roads, Interstates, you name it.