Holden Colorado 7 2014 Review
Rugged, no-nonsense Colorado 7 wins favour offroad, but is it classy enough for city folk to consider?2014 Seven-Seat SUV Comparison
Overwhelming proportions are softened with thoughtful equipment inclusions such as access grab handles and large side steps. Its 2205kg (kerb) of brawn is capable of best-on-test braked towing capacity of 3000kg.
The Colorado 7 scored top marks for ease of access to the third row of seating, but due to the second-row 60:40 configuration favouring the driver/roadside as the main access point, it was marked down. For the safest entry and exit, we needed to flip and tumble the segment of seating, which was an effort.
Road and engine noise was a little intrusive, and NVH in general was the worst on test.
The Colorado 7 gained points for generous third-row space and its thoughtful equipment details for second- and third-row occupants, such as dedicated air-vents (roof mounted) with controls and good storage compartments. It also scored highly for overall comfort and space in accommodating seven occupants.
With seven-seat configuration in play, the Colorado offered 235 litres of load space.
Interior plastics were bland and of average quality, with a hard-touch dash, a leather-rimmed steering wheel that felt anything but, and also-leather but flat and shapeless seats. The centre console felt shoddy and loose and the glovebox edges were roughly finished.
But the paint job was presentable and the telltale panel gaps were large, but consistent; although the doors didn’t shut with the quality sound of the Japanese and Korean cars.
Under the (heavy) bonnet the Colorado 7, like the Territory, is workmanlike but relatively tidy in presentation with regular-service items generally easily accessed.
The tailgate is quite easy to operate – if something of a stretch for smaller people – the third-row seats fold down quickly and easily and there’s a cargo blind to offer some sense of security.
impressed on test. Its 132kW/470Nm output eclipsed most here, however,
turbo lag does affect initial delivery. Interestingly, the straight-line
performance figures didn’t really suffer (see breakout), and average
fuel economy was respectable at 8.4L/100km.
Holden’s six-speed
automatic transmission reacts appropriately to throttle and grade
changes, and is better than we’d noted in early iterations.
As
the only offroad oriented, body-on-frame vehicle on test, the Colorado 7
certainly feels taller and softer than most here. Its dynamics suffer
relative to the others, and with heavy, long-ratio steering and a soggy
braking action, lacks the discipline shown by its rivals around-town.
If
you live in a rural area or look to travel offroad regularly, the
Colorado 7 may prove a wise choice, though for urban dwellers, the
smaller Holden Captiva 7 – or indeed one of the rivals sampled in this
comparison – is probably a better option.
VALUE FOR MONEY
The Colorado 7 is the newest nameplate in this comparison and, as the name might suggest, is based on underpinnings shared with Holden’s light commercial utility, the Colorado.
Recently revised, the Colorado 7 range is priced from $46,990 to $50,490 which gives it the dearest entry price of any entry model in this company. On test is the Colorado 7 LTZ, which is priced at $50,490 (plus on-road costs). Add an additional $550 for metallic paint.
The Colorado 7 has a three-year/100,000km warranty, 12 months of included roadside assistance and a three-year/60,000km capped-price servicing programme. Service intervals are set at nine months or 15,000km (whichever comes first) with the first service priced at $295.
As the Colorado 7 has only been on sale for just over 12 months, we cannot offer a comparable retained value figure.
Bluetooth connection is easy and the audio's large touch-screen system is intuitive to operate. There's also three dash compartments, plus a useful tray under the steering wheel and a coin box on the right lower dash.
Among the downsides are a speedometer that is extremely difficult to read because of a thick needle that hides the graduations. The fact that only the driver gets an auto power window switch and that there's no sat nav, even at LTZ level, is also a letdown.
Price: $46,990 - $50,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 132kW/470Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.2L/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 243g/km (ADR combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP
| What we liked: | Not so much: |
| >> Genuine offroad ability | >> Agricultural road feel |
| >> Gutsy turbo-diesel engine | >> Build quality below par |
| >> Great interior space | >> Large, heavy proportions |
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