- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.8DT, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
147kW, 500Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 8.7L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4XD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2017 Holden Colorado Z71 review: Long-term report one
Call Mr Plow, that’s my name. That name again is Mr Plow. The 2017 Holden Colorado Z71 joins the long-term fleet.
♫ Call me Mr Plow, that’s my name. That name again is Mr Plow. ♫
We couldn’t help ourselves, naming our latest long-term review car, the 2017 Holden Colorado Z71, after Homer’s enterprising small business ‘Komatsu’ pickup.
There’s not a lot of similarities other than the colour, but rest assured, should it ever snow in Melbourne, we’re getting in on the ground floor.
Sitting on top of the wholly revised 2017 Colorado range, the Z71 is powered by a 147kW/500Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder Duramax turbo diesel, with power driven through a six-speed automatic transmission, to a selectable four-wheel drive drivetrain.
There’s an eight-inch MyLink touchscreen media system with native navigation and support for Apple and Android mobile device projection. Heated leather seats, LED running lights, even a remote start function are all part of the package too.
Priced from $57,190 before options and on-road costs, our Absolute Red Z71 has been kitted out with some Holden genuine accessories to give it a leg-up in the functionality and credibility stakes.
The colour, one of four choices, is a no-cost option, but the giant Safari bar, with integrated fog lamps, comes at a $2910 premium.
Attached to it is a factory fitted LED light bar ($1000), linked to the high-beam lighting circuit and activated by a switch on the dashboard.
Around the back, is the heavy duty rubber tub mat ($260) and tow-pack with electric brake controller ($1,650).
We’ve got the under body bash plate ($230) and a pair of clip-on cup holders ($28 each) that return the cooled drinks in front of the vents functionality that was lost when the Colorado’s cabin was upgraded in 2016.
Not content with all this, Mr Plow is heading in shortly to be fitted with front and rear fender flares ($1330) and a set of four slimline weather shields ($210).
That’s a total of $7646 worth of accessories, which, because they were ‘bought’ new with the Colorado, are covered by the three-year factory warranty. We’re just disappointed Holden doesn’t offer a genuine snowplow option.
All these extra goodies won't go unused, either, as we have some solid work and adventure plans for the big guy over the next few months.
We aren’t the first owners of 1HO-3XE, the team at Holden have already put over 13,000km on the clock (and a few dents in the tray!), so before we go too much further, the Colorado will head in for a ‘secret shop’ service (and flare fitting) with a randomly selected Holden dealer.
We’ll detail the process and experience of both the required interval service as well as the details on the accessories themselves.
Flush with fresh oil, Mr Plow will head off road for some tough trials on tough trails to see how the Colorado platform performs when pushed.
We’ll tow and tour, plus we’ll tare, so you get an understanding of the total weight of the Z71 with all the extra goodies on board, and how that works with the factory towball down-weight rating and 6000kg gross combination mass.
And along the way, we’ll assess the cabin and creature comforts as well as how the big lug deals with day-to-day life near the CarAdvice office in Richmond, and on requisite media production support and school-run duties.
We’ll check and see if Linda Ronstadt has any availability for a joint venture too.
2017 Holden Colorado Z71
- Price: from $57,190 with automatic transmission
- Options: $7,551 (Safari bar, LED driving lights, tub mat, carpet mats, cup holders, fender flares, tow pack and brake controller, weather shields.
- Engine: 2.8-litre four cylinder turbo diesel
- Power: 147kW at 3600rpm
- Torque: 500Nm at 2000rpm
- Transmission: six-speed automatic, selectable four-wheel drive
- Claimed fuel use: 8.7 litres per 100 kilometres
- Weight: 2088 kg (tare mass – in standard trim)
- Seating: five
- Gross vehicle mass: 3150 kg
- Country of origin: Thailand
- ODO reading: 13,898 km
- Travel since the last update: N/A
- Fuel consumption on trip: N/A
Click the Photos tab above for more images by Tom Fraser
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Audio
Listen to the quality of the Bluetooth audio from the 2017 Holden Colorado below. Subscribe to the CarAdvice podcast at caradvice.com/podcast.