Holden Colorado Reviews

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 

So far it’s sold pretty much as well as the Rodeo, but it will need to do more than just scrape by when there’s hotter competition for the buyer’s wallet. If it wants to be a frontrunner, it will need to really impress. And it does.DrivetrainsThe LX manual diesel runs on a 3.0 litre, 4.0 cylinder common rail turbo engine that outputs 120kW at 3600rpm and 360Nm at 1800rpm. There is also an optional four speed automatic transmission that reduces torque to 333Nm at 1600rpm.InteriorInside, the LX certainly doesn’t overwhelm the driver with unnecessary features. It’s quite simple but doesn’t skimp on comfort with its soft feel steering wheel, airconditioning, supportive bucket seats and an MP3 compatible stereo system.ExteriorThe new Colorado has brought with it – and improved on – the rugged looks of the Rodeo it replaces.One piece bumper and grille surround with air dam, 16 inch alloys, clear multi-reflector headlamps and body coloured side mirrors are some of the features that have made competitors sit up and take notice.The LX Space Cab Chassis we drove is the only unit with an oiled wooden tray and body coloured side and tail gates, which with the drop sides makes it both practical and good-looking.Payload and TowingThe 1687kg truck has a gross vehicle mass rating of 2900kgs and a three tonne towing capacity.SafetyHolden’s Colorado LX safety package includes driver and front passenger airbags, side impact door beams and front lap/sash retracting seat belts.PricingHolden’s Colorado range starts at $19,490 for the DX 4x2 Single Cab Chassis and tops out at $49,690 for the LT-R 4x4 Crew Cab Pick Up. The LX 4x4 Space Cab Chassis is priced at $41,490.DrivingThe Colorado range is extensive – 16 variants worth – and so caters for many needs and tastes.Our cherry red LX Space Cab Chassis with its oiled wooden tray gets our vote as the most elegant of the lot and probably the most practical with its fold-down alloy sides and tail gate.Inside, the Colorado is clean and simple - just how you want a no-nonsense work ute to be. There’s not much to the dash – just the necessary bits like air con, a decent CD/MP3 player - and its all intuitive and of better than average quality. We found the seats to be comfortable and supportive.The three litre oil burner produced more than enough torque for four hilly trips to the tip with a substantial load each go. Changing gear with the long slender stick was easy and smooth.We didn’t fit in as much off tar practise as we would have hoped but for the few dirt roads we did manage, we found the truck to be capable and comfortable, if a little bouncy – but we liked that, really.With the windows up it was quieter than we expected for a diesel with a little wind noise from the side mirrors at high speed. Tyre noise was negligible. Verdict 7.5/10