HSV reveals Colorado SportsCat ute

HSV has revealed its take on the Holden Colorado ute, which brings more aggressive exterior design, an upgraded interior and increased on- and off-road performance – but no more power or torque.

Pricing for the ‘Colorado SportsCat by HSV’, which will be available in two specification grades after production at HSV’s Clayton (Vic) facility begins in late January, is expected to start at more than $60,000 — at least $5000 above the $54,990 Colorado Z71 twin-cab it’s based on.

HSV expects to produce about 1000 examples annually, and the top-spec SportsCat+ variant to account for more than half of all sales in a booming ute segment led by Toyota’s HiLux – Australia’s top-selling vehicle bar none.

SportsCat will be the only HSV-badged model in production once the company’s MY17 Holden Commodore-based range is discontinued in 2018, when HSV will also convert the Camaro coupe and Silverado pick-up for sale via a new network of Chevrolet retailers at existing HSV/Holden dealers.

HSV Wildfire coming too
However, HSV managing director hinted it could be followed by an even hotter version of the Colorado, this time sold and branded as an HSV and positioned as a direct rival for Ford’s upcoming Ranger Raptor.

HSV sister company Walkinshaw Performance, which has trademarked the ‘Wildfire’ brand name, is believed to be developing a higher-output Colorado powered by a twin-turbo GM V6 and employing suspension tech from the US-spec Colorado ZR2.

GM Holden marketing chief Mark Harland said there was a handsome market for premium and performance 4x4 utes, as evidenced by the high proportion of high-grade HiLux and Colorado sales – and upcoming entrants like the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, Renault Alaskan and more powerful HiLux TRD and Volkswagen Amarok V6 models -- but denied SportsCat would impact sales of regular Colorado models.

“There’s a proven market at the top-end of that segment,” he said. “HiLux and Ranger are the two best selling products… I don’t see any cannibalisation with Holden.”

The tougher Colorado one-tonner boasts a range of styling and chassis enhancements that are claimed to make it “the most advanced sports 4x4 on the market”.

Cosmetics
In detail, the former includes two new front bumper/grille designs incorporating a pair of LED fog lights and functional red tow hooks, while the SportsCat+ adds a prominent ‘bonnet bulge’.

The SportsCat’s side profile is dominated by chunky wheel-arch fender flares -- smooth-form on SportsCat and casselated on SportsCat+ -- wrapped around 18x10-inch matt-black forged alloy wheels with Cooper Zeon LTZ Pro tyres, plus tubular side steps.

A unique rear hard tonneau cover with load-rail provision and quick-release mechanism, combined with a unique alloy sports bar on SportsCat and sail plane on SportsCat+ completes the exterior upgrade, which is punctuated at the rear by a bold ‘COLORADO’ tailgate applique.

There are also substantial updates inside, where new SV Sports heated front bucket seats with unique padding, Jasmine leather and Windsor suede trim for all seats and the dashboard, branded floor mats and twin-needle red stitching for the seats, leather-clad steering wheel, door trims and centre console cover are said to bring “premium levels of comfort and style”.

Chassis upgrades
Chassis changes are just as extensive, including HSV Sports Suspension with performance-tuned MTV dampers all round, the front spring rate stiffened to 110Nm/mm and a 25mm front ride height lift that levels the vehicle out and ups the ground clearance and approach angle (now 32 degrees).

The overall size and rolling radius of the new 285/60 R18 Cooper tyres -- a hybrid between a sports-truck tyre and an all-terrain tyre -- adds a further 20mm of front ride height for a total increase of 45mm.

And apart from adding visual aggression, the SportsCat’s six-spoke matt-black alloys (with machined face on SportsCat+) are offset, widening the vehicle’s wheel tracks by 30mm.

However, the big advances are reserved for the top-shelf SportsCat+, which adds a specifically developed decoupling rear anti-roll bar that’s claimed to improve rear-end roll control and therefore turn-in response at higher speeds on the road.

At the same time, it allows for optimised suspension performance off-road by automatically decoupling when Four-Wheel Low range is selected either on the fly or from a standstill.

SportsCat+ buyers will also have the option to further upgrade their suspension with SupaShock dampers, which made their Australian debut in HSV’s swansong GTSR W1.

The SportsCat+ also comes with a unique braking package comprising a larger (25.4mm) master-cylinder diameter and forged four-piston front AP Racing callipers clamping 362x32mm rotors, reducing brake pedal travel and improving feel.

The final piece of the chassis upgrade for all SportsCats is a recalibrated traction/stability control system with less aggressive interventions particularly on corner exit to deliver “a more performance-based vehicle response”.

“We set ourselves some pretty aggressive targets heading into the SportsCat program,” said HSV engineering director Joel Stoddart.

“We wanted to set the bench-mark for on-road performance without compromising the vehicle’s off-road capabilities. In fact, we’ve managed to improve the vehicle’s off-road performance, so I’m confident the team has delivered on both counts.”

Carryover bits
There are no changes to the Colorado’s 147kW/500Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, which can be had with either a six-speed automatic or manual transmission, in which peak torque drops to 440Nm.

The Colorado’s benchmark 3500kg braked towing capacity and one-tonne payload also carry over, along with Holden’s new-vehicle warranty, although exterior paint colours will be limited to Absolute Red, Satin Steel Grey, Mineral Black and Summit White.

The extra standard equipment including wheels/tyres, decoupling stabilizer bar and body kit add up to 60kg in weight, bringing the SportsCat’s gross vehicle mass (GVM) to 3150kg, its gross combined mass (GCM) to 6000kg and its curb mass to at least 2257kg.

The Colorado LTZ/Z71’s standard safety suite continues, comprising seven airbags, reversing camera, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning and ESC including Trailer Sway Control, Roll-over Mitigation, Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control.

Also remaining standard are an 8.0-inch colour touch-screen with AppleCarPlay/Android Auto, satellite-navigation, DAB+ digital radio and premium seven-speaker sound, plus front/rear parking sensors, climate control and auto wipers.

Apart from the SupaShocks, extra-cost SportsCat options will include an elastomer tub-liner, Load Master fabric cargo partition with pockets, tonneau-mounted roof racks and eye bolts that fix to the inner tub rail, although no pricing has yet been announced.

“Most 4x4 pick-ups are inherently capable off-road – essentially, it’s a category expectation -- and we’ll certainly be among the best-in-class in this regard, especially with our added ride height and Cooper tyre package,” said HSV managing director Tim Jackson.

“But what we also wanted to do with the SportsCat program was dial up the vehicle’s on-road characteristics, given that’s where most people tend to spend the bulk of their time driving their vehicle.

“With our unique suspension packages and AP Racing brakes combined with the interior and exterior comfort and styling enhancements we’ve made, we’re confident we’ve developed Australia’s most stylish and advanced sports 4x4.”