2009 Holden Colorado Reviews

When General Motors and Isuzu split, Holden relinquished the popular Rodeo badge. The revised replacement in 2008 was the Colorado.To meet the evolving role of utes as combined tradie-family transport, the Colorado had a flashy new look that would fit comfortably in suburbia and bush alike.Underneath it remained the same tough truck as the Rodeo predecessor and was just as capable of slogging through the rough stuff off-road.There were two and four-door Colorado utes, with rear or four-wheel drive and petrol or turbo diesel engines.Depending on your need for comfort you could choose between the LX and LT-R, the latter with all the fruit you could want. Even the LX had aircon and MP3 sound, the LT-R adding Bluetooth phone connectivity and reversing sensors.The petrol option was a punchy 3.6-litre V6 (157kW/313Nm) and the turbodiesel a more frugal 3.0-litre four-cylinder (120kW/360Nm). Backing them were a smooth-shifting five-speed manual or a four-speed auto.For lighter duty, the rear-wheel drive model sufficed.For going off-road there was also the option of dual-range four-wheel drive.On the road the Colorado was comfortable and quiet, the seats were supportive and the cabin well laid-out and welcoming.The price for the V6's ample performance potential was in fuel consumption when pushed.The well-proven mechanical package gives little troubleMeanwhile the turbo diesel was not only the thriftier engine when it came to fuel consumption, it also had greater low-down grunt to make it more drivable and more comfortable and competent off road.The Colorado is rated to tow up to 3000kg braked.The well-proven mechanical package gives little trouble, according to the trade and owners alike.Initially there were some complaints from owners about noisy front suspension bushes.Holden got on top of that relatively quickly with revised upper shock absorber bushes and retainers so there shouldn't be any out there still exhibiting the distracting noise.The Colorado is well equipped to handle the hard going and will do so competentlyIf you hear a creaking sound from the front when road-testing a Colorado, check to see whether the revised setup was fitted.Some owners complain of the fuel consumption of the V6, others moan about the turbo lag of the diesel.The Colorado is well equipped to handle the hard going and will do so competently if driven by someone knowing how to do it. Look for damage underneath, to the floorpan, chassis fittings, exhaust etc.It looks good, goes well, good for family or work use.Also check for a service record. It's most important on any vehicle but it's even more important on a car that's made to work hard for its keep, such as towing or off-roading.

Maybe there should be more attention to fuel efficiency than fuel economy. Too many self-righteous bystanders do not understand there is more than one simple answer to consumption and environmental concerns and there may be more than one saviour.Among all this there is the whole of life — from manufacture to scrapping — question of a vehicle to consider; in this case some would suggest an old, refurbished diesel car or truck may be less harmful to the environment than the pollutant cost of building a flash new machine (which would include the mining of fresh materials).And while on sidetracks, how about authorities playing a part?Stop-start traffic harms fuel consumption and new roads cannot always be the answer. Why are new shopping and residential centres automatically granted sets of lights for access, disrupting arterial traffic? Why must be there full, red light stops on pedestrian crossings?Most motor vehicles run cheapest with optimum engine revolutions per minute. Allowing a car to lug costs fuel, as does acceleration and deceleration; smooth driving and traffic flows save fuel.And, okay, hybrid vehicles with a combination of electric and petrol engines save fuel. Yet not necessarily any more than a decent (and most of them are these days) diesel engine.But what happens when there is a family, and holiday luggage, to cart a decent distance?Now it becomes a matter of fuel efficiency versus fuel economy.A hybrid may make sense around town for two (although something like a small European diesel or Hyundai's i30 would make more sense) but when it comes to carrying say four adults and gear in comfort and safety on a long highway drive a larger sedan, even petrol-powered, can be as efficient in overall running costs.(As Audi decided recently there was no point in petrol-electric cars in their range until hybrid technology becomes more efficient; instead the German company will concentrate on lighter cars and even better diesels.) It is, as said in the west, horses for courses and hybrids are, by and large, still the ponies of the business.And all that is a long way into the business of dual-cab utilities, four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive.But with the business in recent seasons of dressing up these dual cabs, extending their appeal with sports bars and alloy wheels and fancy cabins, comes sniping from the footpath.One bloke around here is disgusted by what he terms muscle trucks and cannot see that these machines are more useful than a Commodore or Falcon and, most often with diesel engines, more economical. In other words these dual cab utes, with space for four adults and capacity for a half tonne of sand in the back are among the more efficient — fuel used divided by jobs done — on today's market.Holden's latest effort is the Colorado, a rebadged and revised Rodeo. Top of the pile in this line-up is the four-wheel drive, dual cab LT-R with all manner of goodies from blue-tooth phone connectivity to reversing sensors plus some extra chrome.It’s offered more as a flash family truck but underneath it retains all the tough bits for slogging through mud heaps or crawling up rocky mountains.Driving It is comfortable enough and very competent, if not quite having the ride and handling credentials of some rivals.Now with the petrol V6 and manual transmission the LT-R is supposed to run at 12.6 litres per 100 kilometres but with a deal of Christmas run-arounds and some paddock work this ran out closer to 14 litres per 100 kilometres.Some of the problem could be the V6s lack of meaningful torque at the bottom end. There is supposed to be 313Nm at 2800rpm but it takes a fair boot to get the show on the road; this engine was a little raucous too when pushed through the five-speed transmission yet quiet enough at cruising speeds.Those fuel figures may perturb some but its not far off real road figures for many large V6 sedans (without the same capabilities). And with the Colorado's turbocharged diesel option that should be closer to 10 litres per 100km (the factory claims 8.4 litres per 100km) for mixed duties.So call them muscle trucks if you must but the dual cab utility — petrol or diesel — remain a sensible option when talk turns to fuel efficiency and saving the planet. Holden Colorado LT-R PRICE: $43,990BODY: dual cab utilityENGINE: 3.6 litre petrol V6POWER: 157kW @ 5300rpmTORQUE: 313Nm @ 2800rpmTRANSMISSION: 5-speed manualDIMENSIONS: (mm) 4995 (l), 1553 (w), 175 (h)KERB WEIGHT: 1922kgTOWING: 2500kg