Walkinshaw Colorado Xtreme 2014 Review

Think Walkinshaw Performance, and images of tyre-smoking, neck-snapping Holden V8 Commodores spring to mind. The Melbourne-based tuner regularly pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in a locally-built sedan, with no better example the latest 497kW/955Nm Walkinshaw W497.

However, with the end in sight for big, homegrown sedans, it’s no surprise the Holden hot shop is planning for the post-Commodore era by looking at other mainstream models to weave its magic.

Walkinshaw initially dipped its toe in the water in early-2012 with a number of bolt-on enhancements for the Holden Barina, Cruze and Captiva supplied by German tuning company Irmscher.

Now it’s getting more serious with a range of suspension, performance and cosmetic tweaks for Holden’s popular Colorado ute, largely designed and developed in-house at its racing and engineering facility in Clayton, Victoria.

Launched under the new Walkinshaw Automotive banner, as distinct from the V8-only Walkinshaw Performance division, the Walkinshaw-enhanced Colorado is initially available in two kits – Xtreme High Rider and Xtreme Low Rider – primarily focused on improving the looks as well as ride and handling of the Thai-built workhorse.

The kits can be fitted to all 4x2 and 4x4 variants, meaning they can also be retro-fitted to all latest-generation Colorado utes sold in Australia since 2012.

With the aim to “offer a ride more indicative of a road car set-up” the suspension mods extend to new Bilstein struts, front/rear dampers and bump stops with unique valve coding, along with new springs and revised spring rates.

Visual enhancements include Walkinshaw-designed 19 x 9.0-inch forged, graphite black alloy wheels (replacing the standard 17-inch alloys) and Walkinshaw/Xtreme decals.

The ‘Low Rider’ kit comes with more bitumen-friendly, 255/55 R19 Continental Conti Cross Contact UHP tyres while there’s Cooper Zeon LTZ rubber for the more off-road oriented Xtreme High Rider package.

Walkinshaw also lowers the Colorado’s rear by 30mm for the Low Rider, and jacks up the front by 50mm and the rear by 15mm for the High Rider; partly for the aesthetic reason of reducing the slight ‘bum up’ side profile of the standard ute with its rear tray empty.

In the metal, both High and Low Rider versions certainly look the part, with the more balanced side profile, ballsier wheels and bold stick-ons either providing a suitably stealth or bling look, depending on your preference.

The burnt orange 2014 Colorado 4x4 Xtreme High Rider got the thumbs up from my tradie next door neighbour, while the all-black 2012 Low Rider 4x4 Colorado driven days later was not far off in attracting appropriate attention.

The suspension tweaks were also immediately noticeable on the road, with the standard Colorado’s disappointingly sloppy road manners replaced by a much tauter, more responsive feel behind the wheel including sharper handling and less jittery, bouncy ride.

While the on-road dynamics were probably still no match for more polished rivals like Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50 and Volkswagen Amarok, the Walkinshaw treatment did a good job of camouflaging the body-on-frame/leaf sprung platform so hard to ignore in the standard ute.

Defying its jacked-up stance, the High Rider Colorado turned in eagerly and cornered relatively flat, with decent grip from the Cooper tyres. It still understeered when pushed hard but the disconnected, roly-poly feel in the standard ute was less evident. It also felt more confident over a variety of surfaces, soaking up pot holes, cut-up roads and bumpy off-road tracks with aplomb, and less road shock transmitted to occupants.

The Colorado Low Rider felt even more composed in corners, even when driven with gusto. But unlike the High Rider’s compliant set-up the Low Rider's felt quite stiff and unforgiving, with the smallest road irregularities felt and making it far less comfortable for daily use.

While a noteworthy transformation, don’t expect a Maloo-like experience, with the standard Colorado’s DNA (sluggish steering, mushy brakes and strong but leisurely diesel performance) taking the edge off any true sporty intentions. However, the changes do make the Colorado a far more enjoyable not to mention safer proposition on anything other than straight roads.

While some might argue the modifications don’t quite live up to the ‘Extreme’ tag, Walkinshaw points out that retaining reliability and drivability were paramount, while aiming to “meet the exacting standards and high levels of quality that would be expected from an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)”.

It also claims the changes do not impact on the original vehicle’s GVM or load carrying capacity, stability control or speedometer calibration, or 3500kg towing ability.

While hardly cheap (both packages are available for $6990 fitted), the pricing is not excessive considering a market where buyers are increasingly spending thousands of dollars on aftermarket accessories for dual cab utes that are used as much for recreation as work.

Walkinshaw is also offering optional LED daytime running lights which fit snugly in the front bumper for another $795, as well engine ‘chip’ upgrades to be rolled out in coming months.

The first will be a 15kW/30Nm boost (to 147kW/500Nm) for the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine in 2012-13 Colorado models (similar to what Holden did with its latest update). Walkinshaw is also working on a 20 per cent power/torque boost for the latest 2014 Colorado, which could boost output as high as 176kW/600Nm.

If nothing else, the Walkinshaw-enhanced Colorado proves that local tuning can turn the big Holden ute into a more civilised beast, and points the way for Holden to deliver similar improvements for the next Colorado update. It also fills a hole in the current Colorado line-up for a ‘tough truck’ hero model like Ford’s Ranger Wildtrak.

More mild than wild compared to traditional Walkinshaw fare, the Xtreme Colorado is a promising start for Walkinshaw Automotive, and points to a future of similar, Walkinshaw kits for a host of other Holden and non-Holden utes and SUVs. Stay tuned…