Holden ups safety game on Colorado

GM HOLDEN has uncovered the Australian-spec version of its heavily revised Colorado workhorse range ahead of its September on-sale date, and revealed that it will include an injection of active safety technology not seen in the previous model.

The updated ute will make its first public appearance at the NRL State of Origin match between the QLD Maroons and the NSW Blues at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium tonight and follows the April reveal of the Brazilian-market Chevrolet Colorado.

There are few differences between the styling of the Chevy-badged version and the local model, although the Holden will be offered with dual paint on the flagship Z71 variant.

Holden is yet to release full specification or pricing, but the images indicate that there will at least be LS, LTZ and Z71 variants in dual-cab guise. More information will be revealed at the August launch.

Aside from the rejigged styling, the Colorado also welcomes new safety tech to the range, including forward collision alert, lane departure warning and front park assist for low-speed manoeuvres, all of which are available on selected variants.

A reversing camera is now standard across the entire range, except of course on cab-chassis variants as it does not have a tray. It can, however be ordered with a camera if a tray is fitted as part of Holden’s Genuine Accessories program.

As expected the Colorado gains the new version of Holden’s MyLink infotainment system and it features DAB+ digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that is displayed on either a 7.0- or 8.0-inch colour touchscreen.

Embedded satellite navigation and voice recognition are also on offer, depending on the variant. It will also feature remote window activation which allows the user to wind the windows down from outside the vehicle via the key fob and let fresh air in.

Holden executive director of sales Peter Keley said he expects the refreshed Colorado to continue the strong sales of the outgoing model that arrived in mid-2012.

“Colorado has resonated well with customers in a segment that has almost doubled in sales in the last ten years, and we’re confident the new 2017 Colorado will build on this and redefine customer expectations of what a truck can be,” he said.

“Not only does it come with fresh new styling, it also offers car-like refinement, ride and handling as well as vehicle technologies unique to this segment including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

“Colorado is also the only vehicle in the 4x4 utility vehicle segment to offer remote window activation – a feature we expect to be popular with customers in hot climate parts of Australia.” The car-maker says its new range of genuine accessories will be the most extensive it has ever produced, which, according to Holden engineering manager for accessories Joseph Basile, was a direct result of the response to the Australian-developed Colorado concept from this year’s Bangkok motor show.

“When we revealed the Colorado Xtreme show truck back in March, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback, and that has driven us to make sure we included as many of the concept accessories as we could, into the final Colorado program,” he said.

“In the coming months, the 2017 Colorado will deliver a plethora of all-new accessories to its range including a safari bar, fender flares, LED driving lights, 18-inch wheels and all-terrain tyres, so we’re confident there’s something for everybody.” The SUV version of the Colorado ute – now taking the international Trailblazer moniker in favour of Colorado 7 – is expected to launch shortly after the workhorse.

Holden is experiencing mixed fortunes with its Colorado ute this year, with sales of the 4x4 variants up by 1.1 per cent to 8397, while the 4x2 sales have dropped by 27.8 per cent to 977.

In overall sales, the Colorado is trailing the big-hitting Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, as well as the Mitsubishi Triton, but it remains ahead of the Nissan Navara, the related Isuzu D-Max and Mazda’s BT-50.