Holden Colorado 2016 Quick Spin

What’s it all about?

The updated Holden Colorado comes with hopeful expectations that it will close the refinement gap to rivals such as the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara.

Australian engineering input has fine-tuned not just the Colorado’s chassis and added electrically-assisted steering, but made it more chic overall with new looks and a distinctly more upmarket cabin ambience – and let’s not forget added technology, safety and cabin noise improvements.

The version reviewed here is the Colorado LT, which sits one step up from the base LS model and is below the more safety-laden LTZ and the top-spec Z71.

How much will it cost?

Specified to capture the bulk of Colorado sales, the LT is priced from $41,190 in two-wheel drive form and $49,990 as a four-wheel drive (as tested here).

It offers just enough standard gear to make the buyer feel a little bit special, including 17-inch alloy wheels, side steps and front fog lights over and above the base Colorado LS – which itself actually fares well with Holden’s MyLink infotainment system including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as DAB+ digital radio, reversing camera with rear parking sensors and remotely activated power windows all standard.

A three-year/100,000km warranty with lifetime capped-price servicing at nine-month/15000km intervals, plus one year of roadside assistance are all part of the Colorado deal.

Why should I buy it?

Local engineering input has improved the Colorado’s dynamics across the board, which means it nudges the Ford Ranger [check-out the carsales.com.au comparison here] in terms of ride quality and handling with quicker steering and a general decrease in noise, vibration, harshness.

It’s still not quite as car-like as the Ford, our test car also experienced an unpleasant driveline thump on gearshifts and on-off throttle applications.

But the 147kW/500Nm 2.8-litre turbo-diesel, while more rowdy than the five-cylinder Ranger, is impressively strong and easily capable of lugging a trailer weighing up to 3500kg (braked).

Its use of a limited-slip, rather than a lockable rear differential is a bit of a compromise for regular off-roaders, although we did like the rotating control nob on the console that enables quick shifting between two and all-wheel drive, and high and low range.

Refreshingly, our fuel consumption figure of 8.8L/100km was virtually identical to the official 8.7L claim, a 0.4L improvement over the outgoing model.

When is it available in Australia?

The latest Colorado went on sale in Australia in August 2016 and is available at Holden dealers around the country. It’s offered in two and four-door cab-chassis and four-door pick-up form, and with the choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmission and two or four-wheel drive.

The aforementioned 2.8-litre turbo-diesel is the sole engine offered, with torque output downgraded from 500Nm between 2000-2200rpm in automatic versions to 440Nm between 1600-2800rpm in manual versions.

Who will it appeal to?

With improvements to driveability and comfort, Holden is attempting to lean the Colorado more towards car-like applications, although it’s still essentially a workhorse with plenty of off-road potential.

The cabin is unquestionably roomy with plenty of space for five passengers, the seats are pretty comfy and there’s a 60:40 split-fold rear base giving access to (limited) under-seat storage.

Although tray space is a little down on the Ranger in all dimensions, the payload for the Colorado LT pick-up is within cooee of the Ford (1048 v 1136kg) and the 3500kg braked tow rating remains impressive.

The pricing, particularly when stacked up against the Ranger, is nothing if not competitive.

Where does it fit?

The Holden Colorado, in many ways, is a carbon copy of its one-tonne LCV rivals – the Ford Ranger and its BT50 Mazda twin, Toyota’s HiLux, Volkswagen’s Amarok, Mitsubishi’s Triton and Nissan’s Navara.

In its latest form, it softens-up the interior to cosset passengers while improving everything for the driver as well via the now-electric steering, the sharper handling and the smoother ride, as well as the more tactile dash with its improved infotainment.

And let’s not forget the seven airbags – including a driver’s knee airbag – and the five-star ANCAP safety rating.

So, what do we think?

If the Colorado has been sidelined in the past when compared with its more sophisticated rivals because of a tendency to crudeness – but not for its actual capabilities – those perceptions are best forgotten about with the latest iteration.

From the moment of stepping into the cab and firing-up the muscular turbo-diesel engine, this is clearly a different vehicle.

It might not yet have the finesse of a Volkswagen Amarok or the on-road smoothness of a Ford Ranger – but it’s almost there.

Ratings: