2018 Holden Colorado vs Isuzu D-Max

What's the difference?

The word ‘extreme’ is one that conjures images of sky-diving, bungee-jumping, moto-cross riders pulling off mega jumps and, for me at least, monster trucks. 

I guess there’s something to that, because this new Holden Colorado Z71 Xtreme is a bit of a monster truck - it’s essentially a beefed up and more hard-core version of the regular Colorado.

It builds upon the top-of-the-range dual-cab diesel four-wheel drive ute to make it, well, a bit more extreme. Here’s how it does that.

Last year heralded a raft of significant changes in Isuzu Ute Australia’s (IUA) D-Max and MU-X line-up.

In its first-quarter 2017 launch on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Isuzu officially revealed the range’s new 3.0-litre engine, new six-speed automatic transmission, and upgraded Aussie-specific suspension – all engineered for Australian drivers and our unique driving conditions – as well as a few nifty styling improvements, including a new front-end.

Well, this year Isuzu chose the Mt Cotton driver training centre, just outside of Brisbane, as the venue to let Australian motoring journalists loose in some new D-Maxs and MU-Xs. The changes this time around aren’t anywhere near as big as they were last year but Isuzu is hoping that extra safety features as standard, styling tweaks and value-added service intervals will help to build on growing buyer interest in its ute and SUV range.