Lowndes preps Colorado tow kit

Lowndes changes gears 30 times a lap around Mt Panorama and thousands of times a year in racing and testing.

So it comes as little surprise that when he updated his Holden Colorado for the new model, he picked the six-speed automatic LTZ flagship. "I looked at the power figures between manual and auto and the automatic has more torque (30Nm) for towing," he says.

"The updated auto now has six speeds and it changes quite seamlessly. It's really nice. "It also has tiptronic so you can push across and manually change it if you really want to." Lowndes often uses his Colorado to tow his Kratzmann caravan to race meetings.

"I towed 2.8 tonne with the previous model and it was on its limits pulling our caravan, but now with the towing capacity increased to 3.5 tonnes I can basically tow anything we own whether it's the caravan or motorbikes in a trailer. "I'm hoping to head off to Bathurst again this year with the caravan in tow."

This October he is expected to tow Kratzmann's first "toy hauler" caravan where the rear wall is a tailgate that allows motorcycles and other toys to be wheeled in and stored for transport. Lowndes won his first Australasian Safari in 2010 in a special Colorado rally prototype developed and co-driven by Kees Weel of the Gold Coast.

He was unsuccessful in his second attempt last year and says he doubts they will compete this year because of scheduling and sponsorship issues. However, he is sold on the new Colorado which comes with electronic stability control and a five-star ANCAP safety rating. "I often have the kids in the back, so safety is very important to me," he says.

"My first impression is that it feels bigger, which it is. It's a much nicer car. They've obviously put a lot of thought into this model." Although he drives a Commodore race car with more than 600 horsepower (447kW), he is content with the 132kW in the dual-cab ute. "It has a much nicer power delivery with the 2.8-litre turbo diesel and it's quieter and smoother with less road noise," he says.

"The new coil-over front suspension takes the kickback out of the steering wheel and it rides better with more grip from the Bridgestone Duellers." He says there is also plenty of comfort in the cabin. "It's got some more comfortable seats, the rear doors open wider for better access for the kids and there are heaps of little cubby holes inside to store things.

"I like the interior design and the fact that the instrument binnacle comes from the new Camaro. "It's slightly bigger everywhere so there is more space inside. "The tub is also longer and deeper and our bikes fit better than before." Lowndes says he gets 950km of range from the 76-litre tank, averaging about 7.9L/100km on the highway. His only criticism is that the LTZ doesn't have hill decent control like his previous model.

Holden Colorado LTZ auto

Price: From $51,990
Warrenty: 3 years/100,000km
Resale: 53 per cent
Service interval: 12 months/15,000km
Safety rating: 5 stars
Engine: 2.8-litre 4-cylinder turbo diesel, 132kW/470Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic RWD/AWD
Thirst: from 8.1L/100km
Dimensions: 5.1m (L), 1.9m (W), 1.8m (H)
Weight: 2053kg
Spare: Full-size alloy