HSV Colorado SportsCat SV 2020 Review

Who would have thought, a few short years ago, that “one-tonne” utes like the HSV Colorado SportsCat would become the hottest property on the Australian new-car market?

So hot in fact that, in recent times, Toyota’s HiLux and Ford’s Ranger utes have made a habit of regularly out-selling, on a monthly basis, everything else on the entire new-vehicle market.

Among other contenders in the prolific one-tonne ute segment – which include Mitsubishi’s Triton, Isuzu Ute’s D-Max, Volkswagen’s Amarok and Mazda’s BT-50 – Holden’s offering, the Thai-built Colorado, doesn’t enjoy anything like the phenomenal market penetration of the HiLux/Ranger duo.

But it’s nevertheless a significant presence that currently runs (in 4x4 form) in fourth place for sales behind the Mitsubishi Triton.

All this attention on one-tonne utes has brought a maybe-unexpected consequence: the rise in glammed-up, “sporting” one-tonners that, in some way, help satisfy the cravings for a mass-market, macho workhorse that can also double as a five-seat family car. It reflects what might be considered as the essential Australian macho character, pretty much like the factory-sanctioned V8 muscle cars of yore.

If you’re a purveyor of one-tonne workhorses worth your salt, you’ll have at least one ultra-ute in your lineup and most high-profile contenders have responded – or are about to respond – to the call.

Holden’s presence in this sub-segment is the Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) version of the Colorado, available in base HSV SportsCat V form, or as the more hard-core HSV SportsCat SV reviewed here.

For the manufacturers, the appeal of sports utes is reflected in pricing: A Ford Ranger Raptor will set you back $76,290 before you even think of adding options, while the HSV-badged Colorado, in its most expensive SV form, is tagged at $68,990, once again before on-road costs and before any options are considered.

Of course the SportsCat SV already comes pretty heavily loaded: It’s been tricked up inside and out at the HSV skunkworks in Clayton, Victoria, with a toughened-up exterior that is covered from all points of the compass by a more aggressive grille, a phony bonnet bulge, a hard, front-hinged tonneau cover and 18-inch alloy wheels with knobbly Cooper all-terrain tyres.

The interior walks away from workhorse ute connotations with carefully-chosen luxury items including suede-covered HSV sports seats, leather steering wheel wrapping and hand-stitched trim on the dash.

And while the basic driveline is regular Colorado with a 147kW/500Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, a choice between six-speed manual or auto transmission and a part-time, dual-range 4x4 system, the suspension does get a thorough re-think via uprated springs with thicker strut braces up front along with revised dampers, a ride height raised by 45mm, 30mm wider tracks and, standard on SV, a de-coupling rear anti-roll bar to free-up off-road suspension travel.

The SV also gets premium four-piston AP brakes with 362mm rotors up front to do most of the stopping work: The rear wheels are drum-braked.

Both SportsCats, V and SV, list HSV’s high-end SupaShock suspension system as a $2990 option.

If one-tonne utes in recent times have improved markedly in their on-road dynamics, the high-dollar sports versions take it all a step further.

The SportsCat SV, though you’d never describe it as plush-riding, tackles the bitumen with levels of handling competence that challenge many an agile sedan.

Though it’s ultimately going to be influenced by the frontal weight bias and the live-axle, leaf-spring rear, the grip and the steering response (3.0-turns from lock to lock) help ensure the HSV SportsCat always feels balanced and secure. And the AP racing brakes are fantastic.

The turbo-diesel four delivers about what you’d expect: It’s strong and torquey, works well with the auto, is pretty economical (we averaged 10.1L/100km against the official figure of 8.6L/100km) and, unladen, accelerates with determination.

Though the ride is nicely controlled and not a lot of racket from the outside world permeates the cabin, you’re nevertheless still aware the SportsCat SV is a more primitive beast than the more fully-developed Ford Ranger Raptor with its four-wheel disc brakes and coil-sprung rear-end.

The HSV SportsCat Series 2 went on sale at national HSV dealers in July 2019.

Pre on-roads pricing begins at $62,490 for the manual-transmission V and tops out at $66,790 for the manual version of the more comprehensively-equipped SV. Auto transmission adds $2000. Options for the SportsCat V include a decoupling rear anti-roll bar ($2795), the premium AP brakes ($2990) and, for the SV also, a decorative sailplane for the rear roll bar ($1300).

The SportsCat V may be reduced by $2500 through removal of the hard tonneau cover and sports bar, while SuperShock suspension, from HSV’s swansong GTSR W1 Commodore, adds $2990 to the price of both V and SV versions.

Like we said, one-tonne sports utes are the province of those who like to combine workplace functionality with social and family-friendly (or friend-friendly) chores. The lucrative segment partly fills the gap left by the departure of locally-made sports sedans and is a vital element in HSV’s continued existence.

There’s a show-pony element here for sure, although this is underwritten by undeniable upgrades to dynamic abilities and interior luxuries. On top of its upmarket trim, the SportsCat SV comes with standard heated front seats (powered on the driver’s side) climate-control, sat-nav, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto functionality and a seven-speaker sound system with digital radio.

Access will be a high step up for some folks but, once on board, the HSV-reworked cabin is – especially for a ute – plush and inviting.

The hard tonneau cover may compromise the SportsCat’s practicality – mitigated partly by the fact it has a quick-release function – in some ways, but it adds to security and is made more functional by the soft storage bag that hangs off sliding rails in the tray.

Safety technology is limited to all the usual primary electronic controls (stability control, ABS), plus lane-departure warning, forward collision alert, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

The Colorado cabin is spacious and dressed to impress. It offers enough head, shoulder and legroom to easily accommodate five passengers and the vision all-round is excellent. Up front, the sculpted HSV seats don’t disappoint: Although only the driver gets electric adjustment, the shaping and support ensure plenty of long-distance comfort.

The jacked-up ride height helps with ground clearance, while the SV’s decoupling rear anti-roll bar is activated automatically when low-range 4WD is selected to help increase off-road wheel travel (Despite this, the SportsCat SV still seems to lack a bit in situations when extra suspension travel would benefit).

As with regular Colorados, the HSV SportsCat is rated to tow 3.5 tonnes in a tray that will hold a competitive 876kg and provides load length and width that, at 1484 and 1534mm respectively, are comparable with Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.

With its high-riding, flared-wheelarch stance, black alloy 18-inch wheels wrapped in meaningful Cooper Zeon LTZ Pro Sports all-terrain tyres and an aggressive front end sprouting dual heavy-duty recovery hooks, the HSV SportsCat SV rivals the purposeful appearance of Ford’s Ranger Raptor.

The only really superfluous accoutrement is the dummy black plastic scoop sitting atop the bonnet.

As sports utes go, the HSV SportsCat SV is a worthy contender in the emerging new breed of brashly capable yet versatile workhorses that scrub up well enough to make you look good as you greet the concierge outside the opera on opening night.

Well, almost.