2017 Holden Colorado (spy shot)
Set to go on sale from early September,
Holden's 2017 restyled and improved Colorado was co-developed by Holden
engineers in collaboration with their international counterparts.
While the company's Aussie engineers
were the one steering most of the significant engineering and development
changes on the 2017 Colorado, they received plenty of help from both GM Brazil
and GM Thailand.
The result is a vehicle capable of
handling Australia's particular driving conditions as well as its typical
customer requirements. Through this international experience, Holden engineers
took part in numerous development activities and drive events in Brazil, in
addition to critical local testing at their own Lang Lang Proving Ground and on
the public roads around Victoria.
Before signing off on the truck, the
2017 Colorado was sent to tackle a wide variety of terrains. According to
Holden, local testing meant that more than 100,000 km were
accumulated on inner-city and suburban roads, rural country roads and 4x4
tracks in state forests.
As for drivability, the 2017 Colorado's
revised steering calibration and faster steering rack (from 41 mm/rev to
48 mm/rev), plus its lower lock-to-lock turn numbers (from 3.9 to 3.29), are
said to deliver a car-like feel and "a more precise response."
The suspension, co-developed by Holden
with the assistance of GM Brazil, features digressive front and rear shocks and
an increase in size of the front stabilizer bar (29/31 mm to 34 mm), as well as
revised spring rates.
Other key chassis developments include a
revised set of engine, transmission and body mounts, plus a new final drive
ratio on manual transmission models, which will improve drive quality while
towing.
