BRAND LOYALTY

COLORADO SALES CONTINUE TO MARCH NORTH, BUT AT A VERY MODEST PACE. PERHAPS BETTER TIMES ARE AHEAD.

THE Holden Colorado retains its fourth place from 2015 despite picking up a modest 390 sales increase along the way. In 2015 the Colorado also did better than in 2014, gaining 802 sales and climbing up two spots in the rankings as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Prado slipped in the game of snakes and ladders.

Holden should be happy with the Colorado gaining the fourth place ranking and holding it for another year as – frankly – the Colorado wasn’t much to drive until its recent overhaul for the MY17 model year. Holden will no doubt be hoping for better things this time next year following a full year of sales of the rebirthed and much-improved Colorado.

It certainly deserves to sell better. Thanks to a raft of changes, where Holden has literally pulled the Colorado apart and put it back together again with a host of new or revised parts, it’s much nicer to drive. Changes such as moving the engine’s balance shafts, adding sound deadening, changing the engine and body mounts, and adding a thicker windscreen, new window seals, roof mouldings and mirror mounts are all aimed at improving the Colorado’s previously poor running refinement. Chassis changes including recalibrated suspension, electric power steering and more seamless automatic transmission, thanks to a new torque convertor, are also most welcome.

As ever there is plenty of performance from the Colorado, even if it needs more revs to get there compared to the bigger and ‘lazier’ five-cylinder in the Ranger. In our recent seven-ute load and tow comparison, the Colorado also impressed when hauling either a 3500kg tow weight or a one-tonne payload. The engine and chassis certainly coped well, while the automatic gearbox was the best on test.

Sadly the Colorado isn’t much better off-road than before. It’s still a tough and capable truck, but it won’t go where a Ranger, Hilux or Amarok will.