GOING EXTREME

Another week, another over-the-top ute. This time Holden is cashing in on the action with a top-end version of the Colorado designed to take on the Toyota HiLux Rugged X.

Unlike the “super-utes” such as the Ford Ranger Raptor and Holden Special Vehicles SportsCat, the Colorado Xtreme has basic suspension, brakes and tyres.

Instead it’s loaded with almost every available accessory Holden can throw at it.

Standard kit on the Xtreme edition includes a 10,000lb winch with 430 metres of cable, an LED light bar, a nudge bar with a flap to hide the winch, a heavy-duty roof rack, sports bar and rear bumper.

It has mildly uprated front springs to cope with the extra weight over the nose, but they’re not the desert racer-style offerings of the Ford and HSV flagships.

Holden says it has added $19,000 worth of equipment to the vehicle, which brings it to a drive-away price of $69,990 — about $10,000 less than the Ford Ranger Raptor and HSV SportsCat, on par with the Toyota HiLux Rugged X, and about $20,000 more than a Holden Colorado LTZ.

“The top end of (the ute) market continues to develop, and we’re seeing a growing number of customers demanding greater off-road capability,” said Holden’s marketing guru Andre Scott.

Available with six-speed automatic transmission only, it gets the 147kW/500Nm version of the Colorado’s 2.8-litre turbo diesel, not the detuned 147kW/440Nm version paired to the manual.

The Xtreme also maintains the Colorado’s 3500kg towing capacity, although payload is dented slightly by the weight of the accessories.

— Joshua Dowling