Holden Colorado 2013 News

Buying a used car is difficult enough in normal times.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced its latest round of automotive recalls, with models from Citroen, Holden, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi and Peugeot affected.

Holden is recalling more than 26,000 examples of its Colorado ute and family SUV -- almost every one sold in the past 18 months -- because they may catch fire.Holden issued a “stop delivery” notice to dealers and is urging Colorado owners to bring their cars in for rectification work after five customers experienced “thermal incidents”.The models affected were made between September 2013 and January 2015.The latest safety bulletin makes Holden the most recalled car brand so far this year; last year Holden had the equal highest number of recalls with Jeep, with each issuing a record 14 notices.According to the Federal Government’s recalls website, “there is a risk that (a) cable insulation may melt or catch fire, which may pose a risk of injury to the vehicle occupants and other road users”.A statement from Holden said an alternator cable “may have been assembled so it makes contact with a steel bracket on the battery tray”. The latest safety bulletin makes Holden the most recalled car brand so far this yearUnder certain driving conditions, Holden says, movement of the engine may cause the cable to rub through the insulation.“This may cause a short circuit. If the short circuit creates sufficient heat, there is a risk that the cable insulation may melt or potentially catch fire,” the Holden statement said.Holden says drivers of affected may notice a battery warning light on the instrument cluster or “in more serious cases a small amount of smoke may be emitted from the engine bay area”.The safety alert for the Thailand-made Colorado ute is the fifth Holden recall so far this year.Earlier this month Holden issued a recall for the Korean-made Captiva family SUV because certain models could lurch forward if the key was left in the ignition.Jeep and Nissan have issued four recalls so far this year while Honda, Hyundai, Mazda and Suzuki have issued three recalls each so far this year.Market leader Toyota has only issued two recalls so far this year.

The Holden Colorado’s range of optional accessories, from bullbars to towbars, canopies to tonneau covers and snorkels, have been developed alongside the Colorado itself, to suit the rigours of Australian conditions.

Holden has announced a new Thunder special edition of the Colorado ute range, with the intention of adding value to 4WD dual cab variants for the remainder of the financial year.Thunder-badged models include LX 4x4 Crew Cab Chassis (normally $42,990 man/$44,990 auto) and Pick Up (normally $44,490 man/$46,490 auto), LT 4x4 Crew Cab (normally $45,490 man/$47,490 auto), and LTZ 4x4 Crew Cab (normally $49,990 man/$51,990 auto), and come equipped with a host of normally optional features.The Thunder package includes an alloy nudge bar, towbar, carpet floormats front and rear, bonnet protector, slimline weather shields and Thunder badging. LX Pick Up and LT Thunders also gain a soft tonneau cover for their tray, which is already standard fitment on LTZ models.The Thunder LT 4x4 Crew Cab manual carries drive-away pricing of $39,990, which represents a significant $5,500 saving over the regular model’s list price (before on-road costs).Pricing for all other Thunder variants has been left at the discretion of dealers, so buyers should not be afraid to negotiate. Considering the drive-away pricing of the LT undercuts the list pricing of the less-equipped LX, there looks to be good scope for Colorado bargains.Holden spokesperson Shayna Welsh confirmed with Carsguide that the Thunder package is “available for all existing stocks” of the included variants until June 30.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn

It will go on sale in the middle of this year with the highest hauling rating despite using a smaller engine than the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, Nissan Navara V6 and Toyota Hilux. Holden is yet to reveal the maximum payload, that is, the amount in can carry on the tray or in the ute back. The top-spec Colorado will run a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel generating 132kW and 470Nm. It works with a six-speed automatic transmission, which can handle the higher torque figure. Customers can also select a lower output version of the same engine, which makes the same amount of power, but has 30Nm less torque. This unit is available with a five-speed manual gearbox. The entry-level diesel option will be the smaller 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel with 110kW and 350Nm of torque, which will be hooked up to a five-speed manual. This smaller powerplant doesn't quite match that of the larger engine, but is still a fairly handy 3000kg. Holden has decided against offering up a petrol variant, as is the case with the just-introduced Ford Ranger. More details on the Colorado, including pricing, will be released closer to the launch, which has been delayed due to floods near the Colorado factory in Thailand. The company has disclosed the new model will be available in three body styles, a single cab, a space cab and family-friendly crew cab with the choice of 4x2 or 4x4. Key safety features will be standard on the new model, which shares the same base as the Isuzu D-Max but wears a different skin and runs unique engines, including electronic stability control (ESC). Holden says it will also install front and side curtain airbags to all Colorado models as standard equipment. In a bid to have interested customers hang-on until the new ute arrives, Holden is sending out display Colorados to dealers in April.