Holden makes tweaks in response to critics

 The Colorado was a good truck, but Holden received feedback that some people regarded it as too noisy and the ride too hard. 

To the company’s credit, they’ve done something about it.

A cowl insulator and thicker material behind the dashboard area have cut engine noise in the cabin by 7%, according to the company. 

Better door seals and tighter panel gaps have reduced wind noise too.

The 2.8L turbodiesel continues unchanged, which is no bad thing given it develops 147kW and 500 Newton metres torque. It has always held its own in the grunt department, a key trait in the kiwi ute market. 

It is still a tad unrefined, but thanks to the sound deadening efforts, it is less overbearing.

The top-of-the-range LTZ – the biggest seller in the Colorado range – gets reduced spring rates all around and the dampers have been re-tuned. Holden calls it “comfort” suspension and it is certainly more compliant than it was, closing the gap between it and the Ranger/BT-50/Amarok competition. The trade-off is a reduction in payload to 825kg.

Other tweaks include the hill descent control and hill start assists, recalibrated to enhance the Colorado’s already substantial off-road ability.

Overall the efforts to take off the rough edges have worked and the Colorado feels more on par with the current big seller, the Ford Ranger. Already a good-looker, and a well-priced one at that, the added refinement should broaden the Colorado’s appeal and push it up the sales ranking.