It has been 10 long years since Australians have been able to buy a serious off roader from Holden, but with the launch of the Holden Colorado7, Holden believe they have the right combination to win Aussie families over.
Carshowroom was on hand to put Holden’s latest SUV through its paces on and off the road around Kinglake, Victoria.
Holden Colorado7 Overview
The 2013 Holden Colorado7 is based on the new Colorado ute range that was launched earlier this year. Developed alongside the ute the large 7 seater SUV is available in two model trims:
Holden Colorado7 LT $46,990
Holden Colorado7 LTZ $50,490
With a 3-tonne towing capacity and cabin big enough to fit a large family and their luggage the Holden Colorado7 might just be the perfect family SUV.
Holden Colorado7 Engine
Holden have kept the equation simple, with one powertrain and transmission combination available. The Holden Colorado7 comes with a 2.8-litre diesel engine and 6-speed automatic transmission. The Duramax diesel engine achieves 132 kW of power and 470 Nm of torque.
The combined fuel consumption is 9.4 litres per 100 kilometres (ADR 81/02) and 252 grams of CO2 per kilometre.
Holden Colorado7 The Interior
We jumped in the range topping Holden Colorado7 LTZ for our day behind the wheel. Our first impressions hopping behind the wheel is that of space. Up front, the Colorado 7 features a sculpted dual cockpit design the instrument panel that integrates with the front upper door panels. LED ice blue illumination enhances the three-dimensional dials, dual gauge instrument cluster, audio system and air-conditioning controls in the driver’s display and centre stack.
In the rear Colorado 7’s second row has 60/40 split folding seats which can be stowed in a forward tumble motion with a single latch in the seat back. while the third row has a 50/50 split configuration. Both rows fold to create a versatile load space.
Luggage space is limited to 235 litre rear cargo area with the third row in use that increases to 878 litres with the third row folded into the floor. If you fold all rear seats folded that number jumps to a massive 1,830 liters.
Major differences between the LT and LTZ is the addition of leather seats, electric adjustable drivers seat, eight speaker audio system and climate control added to the LTZ.
Holden Colorado7 Exterior & Styling
The Colorado7 was designed alongside the Colorado ute in GM’s Brazil design studio. Having to design one car that suits the multiple countries that the car would be sold to is by no means an easy job.
The Holden Colorado7 LTZ sits on a set of 17” alloy wheels (LT has 16”). The LTZ has chrome door handles and mirror covers. While the LT has colour coded ones.
Looking at the car from the side profile you can see the clear lines extend up from the front headlights in to the roofline and around the doors, creating a tough and bold looking SUV.
The side rear windows wrap around in to the tailgate, LED inspired taillights complete the design.
Holden Colorado7 On The Road
We only got to sample the Holden Colorado7 LTZ on our day behind the wheel, we covered a mixture of suburban, rural, dirt roads and 4x4 tracks.
At cruising speed the cabin was a relatively quiet place to be. It was easy enough to hold a conversation without having to raise our voices.
The front wheels have independent double wishbone suspension and five-link rear suspension configuration with coil springs at all four wheels. Holden say the five-link rear suspension has been engineered to provide greater stability and surefooted performance, particularly when towing. Its design enables a smoother towing experience and minimises trailer snaking and lateral movement.
The Colorado7 cornered flat, turn-in nicely and are nicely balanced even for a heavy seven-seater.
Off road the Holden Colorado7 performed remarkably well. The addition The Holden SUV’s impressive off-road performance is underpinned by a part time four-wheel drive system with transfer case, with low and high ratio gears, Shift on the Fly and Limited Slip Differential. Colorado 7’s Descent Control System works well at handling steep descents. Approach angle is 30 degrees and departure angle is 22 degrees.
Holden Colorado7 Challenges
A lot has changed since Holden offered a serious off roader, with the explosion in sales of soft roaders the competition will be tough. Is a hard core off roader the right vehicle for the modern family? Only time and sales figures will tell.
Holden Colorado7 Verdict
With a 5 star safety rating, standard reversing camera and plenty of space coupled with serious off road get up and go the Holden Colorado7 is the pick of the bunch when it comes to ute based family SUV’s.
Holden Colorado7 Competition
In the commercial ute come SUV family car there are limited number of competitors to the title.
In the red corner we have the Mitsubishi Triton based turbo diesel Mitsubishi Challenger available in 2wd for $36,990 and the 4x4 priced $41,490 to $55,290.
In the blue corner we have the Nissan Navara based Nissan Pathfinder this also a turbo diesel powered only SUV. Priced from $48,490 up to $75,990.
