Holden Colorado vs Chevrolet Silverado

What's the difference?

The Holden Colorado Z71 is a pretty decent towing machine, handling all aspects of general load-lugging duties with a quiet reliable efficiency. In simple terms, it kept the whole ute-and-van combination trucking along nicely.

The Z71 is a solid Colorado package all-round with some welcome flashiness to its functionality.

With its unique V8 soundtrack, all-terrain capabilities and sumptuous comfort, the ZR2 is a quintessential American muscle truck that's as capable of carting crews and accessing rugged worksites during the week as it is towing boats, horse-floats and caravans or getting muddy on weekends. For either work or play, there's a lot to like here.

The Colorado is a good-looking unit, so it follows that the Z71, the Colorado line-up's top dog, should be the best-looking vehicle in the entire range. And it is. Look at the photos yourself and make up your own mind.

The Z71's black highlights everywhere, the roof rails, side steps and fold-away tonneau cover add functionality to the flashiness.

Under its slick exterior, the Z71 sits on a steel ladder-frame chassis.

There may be no mechanical differences between the Z71 and other similarly-powered Colorado utes, but this is not merely a sticker-pack special – this is something more substantial than that. Don't believe me? Keep reading.

The Silverado’s extensive remanufacturing to RHD, performed on a purpose-built production line in Melbourne, meets OEM standards of fit and finish.

As the off-road focused 1500 model, the ZR2 has hardware and detailing consistent with its rugged bush-bashing persona, highlighted by aggressively treaded mud-terrain tyres and unique raised suspension with high performance dampers.

Other ZR2 features include a raised bonnet with ZR2 applique, ‘off-road cut’ front bumper, bash plates, black grille with ‘Flow Tie’ (flow-through) bow-tie motif, ‘Performance Red’ chassis-mounted front recovery hooks, concealed dual-outlet exhaust, black fender flares/door handles/bumpers/window surrounds and chrome ZR2 badges.

It has a tough and purposeful look with bluff-fronted styling and an imposing stance. 

An expansive length of almost 6.0 metres (5931mm) and a 14.4-metre turning circle highlight formidable (and at times impractical) dimensions for urban life.

The cabin is spacious and airy with a tasteful blend of contrasting tones and textures combined with many soft-touch surfaces, yellow stitching along seams and splashes of chrome and satin chrome creating a plush look and feel.

The Z71 has a Colorado carry-over interior, which is nice and simple, with some Z71 branding stitched in the front seats.

For starters, there are grab handles for the driver and front passenger – I'm a big fan of grab handles.

The dash is a basic layout – but made family-friendly with expanses of tough plastic and soft-touch leather – and it has everything you need. The centre console houses an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and standard nav.

There is a USB port in the centre-bin, and there's a 12V socket in the back of that bin for back-seat passengers.

The cabin is reasonably comfortable; the front seats – in fact all of the Z71's seats – err on the side of firm rather than being well-cushioned. But, even in the back seat, when I sat behind my driving position, I had ample head- and leg-room.

There are the usual collection of storage spaces around the cabin – sunglasses, glove box, door pockets, seat-back pockets – but a long centre-bin lid impedes access to the cupholders in between driver and front-seat passenger, and there are no cupholders in the back seat's fold-down centre arm-rest.

There are shallow storage spots under the rear seats, one of which contains your jack etc.

Overall fit and finish is impressive without being spectacular, but that's fine with me.

The tray is 1484mm long, 1534mm wide (1122mm between the wheel-arches) and 466mm high. Back there, you get Premium DuraGuard Spray–on tub liner, which seems sturdy and durable, as well as four solid tie-down points.

The ZR2’s hefty 2587kg kerb weight and 3300kg GVM results in a 713kg payload, which is modest given a seated crew of five big tradies could use up about two-thirds of that payload capacity before loading any of their gear.

It can also legally tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer on a 50mm ball and up to 4200kg on a 70mm ball. The latter figure is 300kg less than the LTZ due to the specialised off-road suspension.

However, given the ZR2’s 6851kg GCM rating (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time), you would be left with a mere 64kg of vehicle payload if you wanted to tow the maximum 4200kg.

That’s barely enough for a driver - and a light one at that. Fact is, few if any owners in real-world use would need to tow 4200kg, but it’s important to be across these legal limits if you’re planning to.

The load tub is protected internally by a spray-on liner and offers almost 1.8 cubic metres of load volume. Its load floor is 1776mm long, 1813mm wide and sits 569mm deep, with 1286mm between the rear-wheel housings. More than wide enough for hauling Aussie or Euro pallets.

There are also 12 load-anchorage points, power assistance for lowering the tailgate and a tub camera to keep an eye on loads when driving. The rear bumper provides surefooted tub access using either the centre step or concave side-steps.

All occupants enjoy luxurious space, particularly rear passengers thanks to easy entry created by the wide-opening doors, a flat floor with no transmission hump for the centre passenger to straddle and palatial head and legroom even for tall people. Combined with ample shoulder room, a full crew can travel in enviable comfort.

Cabin storage for the driver and front passenger includes two bottle holders and a bin in each door. There’s also a large glove box and the centre console has an open tray and two USB ports up front, two bottle holders in the centre and a big box at the back topped by a padded lid that provides comfy elbow support.

Rear passengers get a bottle holder and bin in each door, plus more USB ports and two more pairs of bottle holders in the rear of the centre console and in the bench seat’s fold-down centre armrest.

There’s also storage pockets on both front seat backrests and handy compartments for small items are cleverly concealed within the rear seat’s upper-backrest cushions. Its 60/40-split base cushions can also swing up and be stored vertically if more internal load space is required, or to access ample under-seat storage.

Our 1500 ZR2 test vehicle, like its LTZ Premium sibling, comes standard with GM’s thumping 6.2-litre petrol V8 paired with a 10-speed automatic and multi-mode 4WD transmission for a list price of $144,900.

Our example is also fitted with several items from the GMSV genuine accessory range including the tri-fold tonneau cover, side rocker protectors (aka rock rails) and matching removable side-steps. It’s also finished in 'Riptide Blue Metallic', which like the accessories is available at extra cost.

The ZR2’s standard equipment includes 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels with chunky 275/75 R18 Goodyear Wrangler Mud-Terrain tyres and a full-size alloy spare, LED headlights/DRLs/tail-lights, load tub camera, spray-on tub-liner with ZR2 logo, power tailgate, 4500kg towing kit including towbar, 12-pin harness and electric trailer-brake controller, 360-degree camera with up to 14 views and lots more (see Design).

Climb aboard the sumptuous interior with its keyless opening/start and you’re treated to a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel with power tilt/reach adjustment and multiple remote controls, leather-appointed and heated/cooled driver and front passenger seats with 10-way power adjustment and memory settings, heated rear seats, power sliding rear window, dual-zone climate control, front and rear USB ports and lots more.

The high-feature dash includes a colour 12.3-inch configurable driver’s instrument display and 13.4-inch multimedia touchscreen that controls, among other things, the Bose premium sound and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity. The driver also has a choice of adaptive and non-adaptive cruise control plus there's a head-up display, switchable rear-view mirror camera function, tyre pressure monitoring and lots more, including the recent addition of standard front parking sensors on the ZR2.

Owners who need to tow will appreciate the reversing camera with hitch guidance and view, in-vehicle trailering app with different trailer profiles, trailer theft alert, automated trailer lighting test and a GCM alert.

The Z71 has a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel Duramax engine (147kW at 3600rpm and 500Nm at 2000rpm), six-speed automatic transmission, a part-time 4WD system and a rear limited slip differential.

Like the LTZ, the ZR2 is powered by a 6.2-litre petrol V8 producing 313kW of power at 5600rpm and 624Nm of torque at 4100rpm. It features cylinder deactivation to optimise fuel economy when full power isn't required.

This is paired with a refined 10-speed torque converter automatic, armed with an auxiliary external oil cooler ideal for heavy towing duties and off-road slogging. It also offers sequential manual shifting using steering wheel-mounted paddles and there are numerous selectable drive modes.

Its dual-range transfer case with push-button control offers the choice of '2WD High', '4WD High', '4WD Low' and '4WD Auto', with the latter being a full-time torque-on-demand system. It’s also equipped with driver-selectable front and rear locking differentials for optimum traction in the rough stuff.

Our dash display read 7.9L/100km, but we recorded actual fuel consumption on test of 9.7L/100km. It has a 76-litre fuel tank, so expect an approximate driving range of 753km (according to our on-test fuel consumption), factoring in a 30km safety buffer.

On our towing loop, of more than 200km total, the dash was showing 14.5L/100km, but we recorded an actual fuel-consumption figure of 15.5L/100km. Expect an approximate driving range of 460km (according to our on-test fuel consumption), factoring in a 30km safety buffer.

GMSV claims official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel consumption of 12.7L/100km and the dash display was showing 15.3 when we stopped to refuel at the completion of our 397km test, which included our usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about half was hauling a variety of payloads.

This compares to our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, which was higher again at 16.8L/100km. That exceeds the usual 2.0-3.0L/100km discrepancy between official and real-world consumption but is still acceptable for a 2.5-tonne pick-up powered by a big petrol V8 in urban use.

So, based on our real-world consumption figure, you could expect a driving range of around 540km from its relatively small 91-litre tank.

The Z71 has a steel ladder-frame chassis, double-wishbone front suspension and leaf-spring live rear axle, so it's more aligned with heavy-duty work than smooth on-road performance.

Having said that, the Z71 is quite settled over most surfaces, including highway bitumen and rough back-road backtop, and at most speeds – rather impressive for an unladen ute.

Steering is a bit floaty, with some play in it, and there is noticeable understeer on corners.

The engine is one of the torquiest in the current-day ute mob – only matched by V6 utes – and it delivers that torque quite evenly and smoothly across the rev range. The Duramax turbo-diesel can, however, be noisy, and because of that it seems like it's working hard, though it never feels too stressed, even when towing a caravan that has a caravan with a tare (empty) weight of 2600kg.

There's plenty of life in terms of acceleration with active pedal-feel but, when it comes time to pulling up to a fast stop on front disc and rear drum brakes, the brake pedals are rather spongy.

The six-speed auto is generally spot-on for all duties, although it did occasionally down-shift with an extra violence of action when it didn't really need to.

Ride and handling are pretty good, with its Aussie-tuned suspension (including traditional-ute leaf-springs at the rear) doing a decent job of sorting everything evenly, and it was only ever rattled by very severe bumps, wash-outs, and ruts at lower speeds, i.e. during low-range 4WDing.

The Z71's on-road performance and refinement are generally not as polished as segment leaders, but that's nowhere near a deal-breaker.

The ZR2’s raised off-road suspension requires more of a climb aboard than the LTZ, but the low-slung removable side-steps fitted to our test vehicle certainly make boarding easier and are an accessory worth considering if most of your driving is on-road.

There are large handles on the truck’s A- and B-pillars to assist entry to the cabin where the driver is treated to multiple power adjustments of seat and steering wheel plus a large left footrest, which together provide a very comfortable driving position.

The ride and handling are outstanding, as the ZR2’s suspension combined with the additional cushioning of its baggy all-terrain tyres is commendably supple over bumps, yet it's surprisingly responsive to steering input without the ponderous feeling expected in a vehicle of this size and weight.

This response is optimised when the ‘Sport’ mode is selected as it sharpens steering, brake pedal feel and suspension tuning for a more engaging drive. It also activates the louder and freer-flowing exhaust setting and modifies the auto’s shift calibration, which allows the V8 to shine with a guttural roar under full throttle that is not only an aural delight but can quickly reach triple-digit speeds with remarkable ease.

By contrast, it can also deliver relaxed and fuel-efficient highway travel thanks to the V8’s auto cylinder deactivation and less than 1500rpm being required to maintain a leisurely 110km/h. Engine, tyre and wind noise are negligible at these speeds.

To test its payload rating we forklifted 475kg into the load tub which combined with our crew of two equalled a total payload of 655kg that was within 60kg of its legal limit.

The rear leaf-springs only compressed abut 35mm under this loading, which left more than enough bump-stop clearance to ensure there was no bottoming out on our test route. The ZR2 performed so effortlessly with this payload it was easy to forget we even had one.

Our only criticism of the driving experience was the tri-fold tonneau cover. When hauling loads, this accessory is designed to fold forward into a flat bundle that leans against the rear of the cabin with two adjustable struts to brace it in place (see photo).

This worked fine during suburban driving up to 80km/h but was not suited to higher speeds, as the increased air pressure made it flex enough to block the rear-view mirror's camera view. So, an alternative tonneau design would be preferable for those needing to do lots of highway travel with uncovered loads.

There are currently no ANCAP star ratings for full-size US pick-ups. However, Australia’s vehicle safety authority has acknowledged the growing popularity of these vehicles with its inaugural ‘Large Utilities ADAS Safety Comparison’ to provide local consumers with comparisons of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (aka crash-avoidance technologies).

The Silverado 1500 range (February 2025-build onwards) earned the minimum bronze grading, with its score of 27 per cent being the lowest of all vehicles tested. By comparison, Ford’s F-150 earned the highest score with 81 per cent and premium platinum status.

Even so, the ZR2 has an extensive active safety menu including forward collision alert with low-speed AEB, lane-keeping, blind-spot monitoring (which expands to include trailers), rear cross-traffic alert, front/rear parking sensors, plus a 360-degree camera view (with up to 14 views) and more.

It also has six airbags including side-curtain protection for all outboard seating positions, plus ISOFIX child-seat anchorages on the two outer rear seating positions and three top-tethers.

Holden offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty across the Colorado range, with servicing required every 12 months or 12,000km. Capped price servicing applies over seven years/ 84,000km with the average annual cost over three years working out to be $405.

Now comes standard with a class benchmark five years/unlimited km manufacturer warranty, plus five years of roadside assist.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/12,000km whichever occurs first, but there's no capped-price servicing. Expect a three year service bill of around $2000, which isn't outrageous for a vehicle of this type.

GMSV has an Australian network of 50-plus dealers across most states and territories and all dealerships can provide vehicle servicing.