Zac Quinn 
A 2.7L turbocharged four-cylinder engine, first found in the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, will be the only engine available within the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado. The engine will come in three different configurations. A base output L2R with 237 horsepower and 259 lb-ft of torque, the standard L3B with 310 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque, and a high-output L3B with 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. If you opt for a lower output variation of the engine when the new Colorado goes on sale in 2023, it appears Chevrolet Performance will follow in Dodge Direct Connection and Ford’s dealer-installed flash tune footsteps.
Chevrolet Colorado L3B Engine Calibration: Details
The Chevrolet Performance Parts catalog for 2023 has recently been released, and on pages 24-25, we can see some of the available parts and upgrades that customers can purchase for the new generation Chevrolet Colorado. This is where the dealer-installed calibration for the L3B Engine is mentioned. The calibration seems to increase the engine’s torque output by over 40 lb-ft, turning the base L3B into a high-output L3B. Chevrolet Colorado engineers have mentioned to us previously that the internals of both the standard and high-output L3B engines are the same, separated by an ECU calibration otherwise.
At launch, only the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 will come standard with the high-output L3B engine in the lineup. So, if you want to save some money up front, and opt for something like a new Colorado Trail Boss, you could easily augment your truck at a later date with this first-ever Chevrolet Performance calibration.
Additionally, customers won’t have to switch their fuel to premium after the calibration is installed, and it maintains all vehicle-limited warranties when a dealer installs it.
The Chevrolet Performance L3B Engine Calibration is available for WT, LT, Trail Boss & Z71 trims, and the specific calibration will depend on whether your truck is equipped with trailer provisions. The Chevrolet Colorado’s sibling, the GMC Canyon, won’t be getting this option because all the engines already have high output across the lineup. However, it’s possible that if GM really wanted to, they could offer a stage tune beyond that for those trucks.
We can expect these dealer-installed tunes to be the first of what’s to come from GM, and we may be seeing more in-house performance upgrades for vehicles in the future. With the aftermarket being increasingly locked out of new vehicles, let’s hope this is at least an option that The General is working on for customers.
