SPY PICS: Holden Colorado 7 hits Oz

Holden is just months away from launching its first direct rival for Toyota’s all-conquering Prado in eight years, as evidenced by this exclusive image of the all-new Colorado 7 wearing lion badges on Australian roads for the first time.

Snapped by motoring.com.au in Melbourne today, the big new Holden four-wheel-drive received Australian Design Rule approval on July 20 and will make its local public premiere at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney on October 18, immediately after its global launch as the all-new Chevrolet Trailblazer earlier that month.

Expect Holden’s first full-chassis seven-seat wagon since 2004, when Isuzu’s Rodeo-based Jackaroo departed, to be in showrooms here by the end of this year, about six months before it is joined by yet another all-new Holden SUV, the compact Trax five-seat crossover.

Together with the Trax, which makes its world debut at next month’s Paris Motor Show, the Colorado 7 is expected to double Holden’s relatively miniscule presence in the booming SUV sector, in which it currently only fields the Captiva 5 and 7 models.

As the name suggests, the larger Colorado 7 – which debuted in concept guise at last November’s Dubai Motor Show, before the production Trailblazer appeared at the Bangkok Motor Show in March – is based on the same ladder-type truck platform as Holden’s new Colorado ute and was developed alongside the pick-up by GM in Brazil at a cost of $2 billion.

Like the Prado (but unlike Australia’s Colorado ute), the Colorado wagon should be available with both petrol and diesel power, giving it wider appeal than rugged body-on-frame diesel-only seven-seaters Mitsubishi’s Triton-based Challenger and Nissan’s Navara-based Pathfinder.

While the latter will be replaced by an all-new petrol-only model built in the US and based on a car-like monocoque platform, also joining the Colorado 7 in the heavy-duty 4x4 fray will be Ford Australia’s upcoming Ranger ute-based Everest SUV, Toyota’s HiLux-based Fortuner SUV an SUV based on Isuzu’s new D-Max and, potentially, one based on VW’s Amarok.

Matching Toyota’s top-selling Prado engine for engine, we expect the Colorado 7 to be available with the same new 2.8-litre Duramax four-cylinder turbodiesel that powers the majority of the all-diesel Colorado one-tonner range, as well as Holden’s Port Melbourne-made 3.6-litre petrol V6, which powers the Colorado in the Middle East.

Both engines should be available with the same transmission options as in the ute, including a five-speed manual gearbox and six-speed automatic.

Built in Thailand alongside its ute namesake and the vast majority of Japanese-brand one-tonners, the Colorado 7 should deliver the same rugged off-road appeal and three-tonne towing capacity as the tray-back, with which it will share its two-speed transmission and four-wheel drive system, while offering better on-road dynamics by switching the ute’s leaf-sprung live rear axle for coil-sprung five-link rear suspension.

Also like the ute, the Colorado 7 will come standard with electronic stability/traction control, side curtain airbags and anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist, plus cruise control and Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

In addition there should be Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control, while premium Thai-market features that should also be available here include 18-inch alloy wheels, foglights, LED tail-lights and, perhaps, a seven-inch touchscreen system with satellite-navigation.

Despite riding on a shorter 2845mm wheelbase than the Colorado (3096mm) and being shorter overall at 4878mm (5127mm for the ute), the Colorado 7 is claimed to offer class-leading interior space – including in the third row, which is said to be suitable for adults on long trips.

The Colorado 7’s reclining second-row seats are split 60/40 and feature integrated folding armrests with cup-holders, while 50/50-split third row offers centre console storage and also folds flat.

Expect pricing to be in line with or below the Prado – and well over the top of the Captiva ($27,990-$43,490) – with a starting price of around $50,000.

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