Chevy Colorado Cat-Back Exhaust: V6 vs Turbo Four

A cat-back exhaust is the exhaust system from the catalytic converter back to the tip: the mid-pipe, the muffler, and the exhaust tip itself. It will not meaningfully increase the horsepower of either engine Chevy has put in the Colorado. What it buys you is a different sound, a little less weight hanging under the truck, and on a handful of these kits, a pipe routed up and out of the way if you actually take the truck off-road. Be skeptical of anything that reads like a power claim on a cat-back unless the maker backs it with an actual dyno number.

RideBuildList earns commissions from some retailer links. This is a pick-one guide, not a parts list to add up. You're swapping one system in for your factory exhaust, not stacking two or three of these together. The two generations of Colorado on the road right now need different parts, so find your truck below before you start comparing prices.

If you're on the 3.6L V6 (2015-2022 Colorado or Canyon)

• MBRP Exhaust 3-Inch Cat-Back, Tour Profile, Single Side Exit Exhaust, S5090P | 2017-2022 Chevrolet/GMC Colorado/Canyon is the cheapest option in this whole guide. MBRP lists it as a bolt-on, roughly one to two hours of work, no welding or cutting. It's rated for 2017-2022 trucks, and per the listing it also covers the 2.8L Duramax diesel four, not just the 3.6L V6, so check your engine code before you order if you're on the diesel.
• Volant 3.0 IN Cat-Back w 4.0" Slash Cut Tipt (54744) 2015-2016 Colorado Canyon 3.6L V6 (128/140.5" WB) only fits the 2015-2016 trucks, the narrowest fitment window of anything on this list. Confirm your exact model year before you click buy, this one won't cover the later V6 trucks.
• MagnaFlow Exhaust Products MagnaFlow BRE Exhaust Kit 15-22 COLORADO CANYON 3.6L - 106-0766 sits in the middle of the price range and covers the full 2015-2022 run, a safer bet if you're not sure which half of that span your truck falls into.
• Corsa Performance Sport / 3.0 in Cat-Back 4.0 in Twin Tips | 2017-2022 Colorado ZR2 3.6L V6 (14919) is built specifically for the ZR2 trim, with twin tips. The listing writes the fitment to ZR2 only. If you're on a base or Z71 Colorado, this isn't your part no matter how good the price looks.

If you're on the 2.7L turbo four (2023-2026, the redesigned truck)

• MBRP Exhaust 3-Inch Cat-Back, Street Profile, Single Rear Exit Exhaust, S5017AL | 2023-2026 Chevrolet/GMC Colorado/Canyon is the budget pick for this generation, a street-profile system with a single rear exit.
• aFe Power Apollo GT 3in Cat-Back Exhaust, Hi-Tuck is the cheapest way into a high-clearance "Hi-Tuck" layout, aimed at owners who actually wheel the truck and don't want a tailpipe hanging low over rocks.
• MagnaFlow Exhaust Products MagnaFlow 2023-2026 Chevrolet Colorado 2.7L / 2023-2026 GMC Canyon 2.7L NEO Series Cat-Back Performance Exhaust System 19649 is a straightforward mid-priced bolt-on, no cutting into the factory system required, per the listing.
• aFe Power Rebel Series 3 Inch 304 Stainless Steel Cat-Back Exhaust System GM Colorado/Canyon 23-26 L4-2.7L Turbo is aFe's Rebel Series, a street-oriented stainless system priced close to the MagnaFlow above, so it comes down to which sound and look you'd rather have.
• Borla Exhaust Borla 23-24 Chevrolet Colorado / 23-24 GMC Canyon S-Type Catback Exhaust w/Turndown Tips is Borla's S-Type with turndown tips, the exhaust most people picture when they say they want "that Borla sound."
• Borla Exhaust S-Type Cat-Back Exhaust, High-Clearance Climber, Single 3in Turndown is Borla's own version of the high-clearance idea, the premium alternative to the aFe Hi-Tuck above, same basic concept with Borla's own fit and sound tuning.

Street system or off-road clearance

The high-clearance idea shows up at two prices on the 2.7L turbo truck: the aFe Hi-Tuck is the budget entry, and the Borla Climber is the premium version of the same layout, pipe tucked up instead of hanging under the bumper. You're paying for brand and sound tuning between those two, not a meaningfully different amount of ground clearance.

The Corsa listed above is the only kit here written specifically to the ZR2 trim. If you're not on a ZR2, it isn't the one to buy regardless of how the price compares to everything else, check your trim badge first.

Most of these list as a straightforward bolt-on job, about one to two hours with no special tools. A few of the newer 2.7L-specific listings don't publish an install time at all, so budget extra time and read the instructions before you start if yours is one of those.

What the published numbers actually say

None of the ten parts above publish a tested or claimed horsepower or torque figure in this catalog. A couple of the listings use marketing language, phrases like "unleash hidden horsepower" or "dyno-proven performance," without an actual number attached to back it up, and this catalog doesn't count that kind of language as a real gain. If you're after more power, a cat-back isn't the part that gets you there. What you're buying here is sound, a little less weight, and on two of these, better ground clearance.

The legal part

Whether a given cat-back is legal to run where you live depends on your state's inspection rules and local noise ordinances, and a parts listing doesn't settle that for you. None of the kits above claim to remove a catalytic converter, which is the part of an exhaust swap that creates the real federal and state emissions exposure, but check your own state's rules and talk to a shop or an attorney before you assume anything here is street legal everywhere. This isn't legal advice, just a flag to go check.

Where to start

If you're keeping the truck stock otherwise and just want a different sound for less money, start with the cheapest MBRP option for your engine. If you actually wheel the truck and the factory tailpipe has ever had you wincing over a rock ledge, the high-clearance kits are worth the extra money. Everyone else in the middle is mostly picking a brand and a tip style, not a meaningfully different product.