Reviews

Holden Colorado ute test

The new Holden Colorado LT Crew Cab 4x4 has a new name, and a new face too. But it's actually an old friend we used to know and like - the Rodeo.

 

  • The Holden Colorado LT Crew Cab 4×4 is just under five metres long, stands 1.7 metres tall and is 1.8 metres wide
  • The Colorado’s acceleration is strong and smooth with the 3.0-litre four-cylinder, common rail injection, turbocharged and intercooled diesel
  • Dynamic safety gear in the ute includes ABS with EBD, but the Colorado doesn’t have electronic stability control
  • It has on-demand four-wheel drive (rear-wheel drive in normal driving) to ensure smooth handling whatever the surface
  • Holden calls this vehicle a “powerful light truck” – a re-branding of the Rodeo range

Four-door Crew Cab variants like the test LT 4×4 have seating for five – driver and front passenger in bucket seats, the rear trio on a bench – all with three-point seatbelts. There are anti-side intrusion bars in all four doors, but only two airbags – frontal bags for driver and front seat passenger.

The load tray is usefully-sized at 1419mm long, 1082mm wide between the wheelarches (1553mm at its widest) and 470mm deep. It comes open and unlined as standard, although a cover and durable tray liner are available from Holden’s accessory catalogue, along with a bull bar for the front of the load tray.

The turbocharged and intercooled 3.0-litre common-rail diesel motor provides 120kW of maximum power and peak torque of 333Nm in the auto version or 360Nm in the manual. The auto’s torque peaks at 1600rpm (the manual’s at 1800rpm), which gives the Colorado lugging power and keeps gear-shifting to a minimum.

The Holden Colorado’s suspension is tuned primarily for load-carrying (front by wishbones and coil springs, rear by solid axle and leaf springs) but performs well on-road as well.

It offers a maximum towing capacity of 3000kg with a braked trailer.

During the test it achieved fuel economy in the 10 litres/100km bracket, and the tank holds 76 litres of diesel.

The disc front/drum rear braking system provides good performance and the handbrake was strong.

The LT Colorado is well-equipped with remote-control central door-locking, power windows and exterior mirrors, floor carpets, and a trip computer that provides outside temperature, instant and average fuel economy and two trip-odometers.

 

Photography: Mike Stock

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