What's the difference?
The Holden Colorado is a quiet achiever in the ute market: it has a solid rep as a work-and-play vehicle, generally records positive results in objective editorial reviews and comparisons, and it sells well.
But how does a Z71 do as a tow vehicle? Read on.
For some strange reason, the Isuzu D-Max isn't often mentioned on the list of Australia's most popular vehicles.
You hear all about the Ford Ranger and the Toyota HiLux, of course. And you hear about the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, the Tesla Model Y and a handful of others, too.
But let's give the D-Max its flowers. Last year, it was Australia's third best-selling vehicle, shifting more than 31,000 units in 2023. And it moved another 7947 vehicles over the first three months of 2024. That makes it a proper sales behemoth.
So far, it's the only ute that's been able to maintain touching distance to the Ranger and HiLux, and the brand has some pretty big sales ambitions for the model for this year and beyond.
I tell you all of this as a way to say that this updated 2024 model is a Very Big Deal, not just for the brand, but for the legions of ute fans across the country.
What's fresh? There's a new look, better safety kit, a new permanent trim level, new off-road capability and a better cabin experience.
Is that enough to keep it in the hunt with the best-selling utes in the country? Let's go find out.
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.
The new D-Max hasn’t been majorly overhauled and instead bundles together a whole bunch of small but important changes, all of which have been designed to keep it fresh in the face of its competition, like the Triton, Ranger and HiLux.
Has it done enough? Only time will tell. But there’s little doubt that these updates only improve the D-Max formula.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.