2023 Chevy Colorado Eight-Speed Automatic Transmission Not All-New
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The all-new 2023 Chevy Colorado will mark the beginning of the pickup truck’s third generation, bringing with it a host of upgrades to the exterior, interior, powertrain, and technology. One of the most surprising developments related to the new truck was GM’s decision to iterate the existing eight-speed transmission found in the second generation trucks instead of using its logical successor, the ten-speed automatic transmission found in other GM products.
The decision was surprising to say the least, since the previous-generation eight-speed (RPO Code M5T) had many issues in the second-gen Colorados, enough to prompt multiple lawsuits against GM. However, engineers believe they have addressed as many of the problems as they reasonably could in the gearbox.
Based on the outgoing eight-speed transmission used in the 2017 thru 2022 Chevy Colorados, GM calls the “new” eight-speed the Hydra-Matic 8L80. But just how new is it?
“I wouldn’t say it’s all new, but from a component perspective, there’s a lot new in it,” 2023 Chevy Colorado Chief Engineer, Nick Katcherian, told GM Authority Executive Editor, Alex Luft, when asked if the eight-speed was all-new from the ground up. “We learned a lot from the first-gen eight-speed on this truck, we’ve taken all those learnings and added more componentry, and really tried to move the eight-speed to a position where we could be proud of. We know what the customers have been complaining about on the current generation and we fixed everything that we could within reason,” Katcherian added.
GM’s decision to not use the ten-speed comes from the perspective of gear ratios. The 2.7L turbocharged engines available in the new Colorado provide plenty of torque, meaning that GM didn’t need an extra two ratios. In other words, the ratios of the eight-speed matched better with the engine than those of the ten speed.
As a reminder, all 2023 Chevy Colorado trim levels are powered by one of three variants of the turbocharged 2.7L I4 gasoline engine, depending on the trim level selected. The new Chevy Colorado LT gets the “base” 2.7L I-4 L2R Turbo tune as standard, rated at 237 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque (max trailering rating of 3,500 pounds).
The remaining two tunes are designated with RPO Code L3B. They include the mid-range 2.7L Turbo Plus tune is optional, offering up 310 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque (max trailering rating of 7,700 pounds), as well as the high-output variant rated at 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque.
The third-generation Colorado rides on an updated version of the same GMT 31XX platform used by the previous generation. Known internally within GM as 31XX-2, the updated architecture is shared with the Colorado’s corporate platform-mate, the 2023 GMC Canyon.
The new 2023 Chevy Colorado will launch during the first half of 2023, with production is slated to kick off on January 25th, 2023 at the GM Wentzville plant in Missouri. Official pricing details will follow closer to the start of production.
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