Welcome aboard.

I would take it easy first 500 miles and avoid cruise during that time and not do any serious towing. Vary speed, no worries about higher speeds, just don't dog it. Wait to spin tires to verify whether you have the G80 locking differential. ( another whole topic)

Regular unleaded at 87 octane should be fine.

Members here will have lots of great and not so great advice. They also can help you spend your life savings on aftermarket add on.

Most important: Enjoy your Canyon

 

The owner's manual for my 20 recommends minimum 87 octane fuel so that is what I run. I accidentally ran a tank of 85 octane but didn't notice any difference. I kept the RPM's under 3000 for the 1st 500 miles.
I got mine in March at the start of the pandemic so I didn't really test it until a vacation trip in August. I ran it hard this winter with several ski trips to the mountains in less than favorable road conditions.
When you first start out you may notice a hesitation when it shifts from 1st to 2nd. This only happens when the transmission is cold and disappears when it warms up.

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your truck.

 

Here is the deal today. The engine is broken in. No need to worry on the engine as they are good to go from the factory.

What needs care is the gears in the differentia. If you read the manual it will recommend to vary the speeds and acceleration in the early miles. This will let the ring and pinion to wear in better. It is not life and death but what is recommended. This also limits towing. Proper gear wear patterns worn in will prevent gear noise or failure.

The other concern is to get the brakes bedded in. You can falltheir recommendation or you can bed the pads in like the brake companies recommend if you are familiar with this.

Below is exactly what GM states in the owners manual. Please take the time to read it. Yes it has a bit much on how to wear a seat belt but there is still a lot of good info many people miss.

GM recommended break in
The vehicle does not need an elaborate break-in. But it will perform better in the long run if you follow these guidelines:
. Keep the vehicle speed at 88 km/h (55 mph) or less for the first 805 km (500 mi).
. Do not drive at any one constant speed, fast or slow, for the first 805 km (500 mi). Do not make full-throttle starts. Avoid downshifting to brake or slow the vehicle.
(Continued)
Avoid making hard stops for the first 322 km (200 mi) or so. During this time the new brake linings are not yet broken in. Hard stops with new linings can mean premature wear and earlier replacement. Follow this breaking-in guideline every time you get new brake linings.
. Do not tow a trailer during break-in. See Trailer Towing 0 224 for the trailer towing capabilities of the vehicle and more information.
Following break-in, engine speed and load can be gradually increased.


Here is the 2019 you can look up your year if you like but most of it is the same

https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2019/Chevrolet/colorado/19_CHEV_Colorado_OM_en_US_U_84137461A_2018SEP20.pdf

Oh 87 Regular is all you need.

 

…
Avoid downshifting to brake or slow the vehicle.
…

I assume this is to avoid the excessive RPMs. But letting the trans automatically (gently) downshift and slow the vehicle (vacuum pulls) during the break-in period is actually recommended by most engine (re)builders. It helps to ensure that the piston rings get properly seated.

My mechanic recommends his builds are driven lightly (similar to GM’s recommended) for 50 miles, oil/filter change, again for another 500 miles, oil/filter change, normally for another 1,000 miles, oil/filter change, then oil/filter at the normal time/mileage rate based upon usage. Seems like overkill, but a small price to pay if it’ll minimize her time in the shop over the coming years.

 

93 octane. 11.5:1 compression ratio.

 

Direct injection, compression ratio doesn’t apply like with port injection or carb’d engines. Manual says 87.


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I followed the break in described above. I wanted my “truck to perform better in the long run” lol.
I also run high octane. I ran premium in my avalanche from 18k on the odometer to 300k and traded her in running. Not saying that the premium made a difference or not but I’ll be doing the same again. (No science here) I also don’t miss major services or oil changes.

 

The link to the manual posted by another member above has the scoop. Until this one, I hadn't ever read an owners manual for a vehicle in my life. But, I've never bought one less than 10 years old either. Read it. There are lots of little tips, tricks, and overall info that may prove useful such as page 24 in my 2019 book. 87 regular unleaded fuel or higher octane. Do Not use E85 fuel PERIOD!

As far as breaking it in:

 

Thanks everyone for contributing. Lots of good information and no one is wrong in my opinion. It really comes down to opinion when choosing which route to take with the opinions given here.

I've only run higher octane fuels in cars with high performance engines (LS1, LT1, aftermarket heads/cam)

The biggest take away is the brakes/rear gear information

 

Engine break in threads are like oil threads, everyone has an opinion. Follow the manual and you'll be fine. You might also find this entertaining. These guys took 2 of the same engine, broke one in nice and easy, and the other got the rough treatment, then they tear them down and compare the results.

 

Engine break in threads are like oil threads, everyone has an opinion. Follow the manual and you'll be fine. You might also find this entertaining. These guys took 2 of the same engine, broke one in nice and easy, and the other got the rough treatment, then they tear them down and compare the results.

I want to see the fireworks video.

 

The metal in a new engine is not stress relieved. The machining of the block and heads causes stress in the metal. Keeping the engine at 55MPH maximum allows for enough heat to stress relieve the metal parts. In the "good old days" it was recommended that the head bolts be retorqued after 500 miles which was overkill. I remember replacing the head gaskets on a brand new 396CI El Camino on a Friday night that was driven from Georgia to southern Indiana that same day. The antifreeze was pouring down both sides of the block. I asked customer how fast he was driving. He didn't respond. I replaced the gaskets under warranty. There are commercial ovens for stress relieving machined parts. I doubt that auto makers take the time and expense to perform this process but pass the stress relieving on to the customer with their break-in recommendations. Another way to look at it is race cars run warmup laps. This is not done only to warm up tires but to get metal parts up to operating temperature. A lot of people ignore the recommendations and have no problems. I guess it comes down to your risk aversion tolerance and whether you believe in taking care of your equipment. I always take care of my equipment.