Holden Colorado SportsCat by HSV 2018 Review

Come next year, when it no longer produces hot Holden Commodores for the first time in 30 years, the Colorado SportsCat ute will become HSV’s only model.

In fact, given its ‘by HSV’ badging, the dual-cab 4x4 one-tonner is not technically an HSV model, effectively leaving the brand most famous for V8 sports sedans without an actual model range.

Alright so HSV will also convert Camaro coupes and Silverado pick-ups, but they’ll be marketed and retailed as Chevrolets, and sold alongside the ‘SportsCat by HSV’ at selected Holden dealers.

Then there’s the elephant in the room, the Colorado ‘Wildfire’ -- a name trademarked by HSV sister company Walkinshaw Performance, which is known to be working on an even hotter version of Holden’s Thai-built ute, powered by a twin-turbo GM V6 and employing suspension tech from the US-spec Colorado ZR2.

If GM’s direct rival for Ford’s upcoming Ranger Raptor is approved for production, whether or not it’s sold and branded as an HSV, the SportsCat won’t be the ultimate Colorado.

What it will be though is a tough-looking 4x4 crew-cab that’s more capable both on-road and off, priced far below the Raptor and Wildfire and therefore within reach of Aussies who already buy high-spec sports utes in their thousands every month.

OK so despite an extensive midlife makeover last year, the Colorado doesn’t offer class-leading handling, ride quality or refinement, and nor do HSV’s chassis upgrades make it the benchmark in terms of capability either on-road or off.

But the Colorado already offers a class-leading 500Nm of torque (at least in auto form; manual versions offer less punch at 440Nm) and the requisite 3500kg braked towing and one-tonne payload capacities.

And, as we discovered after a full day of testing the SportsCat on a skid pan, handling circuit, off-road tracks and motorkhana course at Queensland’s Mt Cotton driver training centre, HSV has made it a much better truck to drive without compromising off-road ability.

Tough new look
The wildest factory Colorado yet boasts a range of styling and chassis enhancements that are claimed to make it “the most advanced sports 4x4 on the market”, starting with chunky new front bumper/grille designs incorporating a pair of LED fog lights and functional red tow hooks, while the SportsCat+ adds a prominent ‘bonnet bulge’.

The SportsCat’s side profile is dominated by beefy wheel-arch fender flares -- smooth-form on SportsCat and casselated on SportsCat+ -- wrapped around 18x10-inch matt-black forged alloy wheels with Cooper Zeon LTZ Pro tyres, plus tubular side steps.

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A unique rear hard tonneau cover with load-rail provision and quick-release mechanism, combined with a unique alloy sports bar on SportsCat and sail plane on SportsCat+ completes the exterior upgrade, which is punctuated at the rear by a bold ‘COLORADO’ tailgate applique.

There are also substantial updates inside, where new SV Sports heated front bucket seats with unique padding, Jasmine leather and Windsor suede trim for all seats and the dashboard, branded floor mats and twin-needle red stitching for the seats, leather-clad steering wheel, door trims and centre console cover are said to bring “premium levels of comfort and style”.

Upgraded chassis
Chassis changes are just as extensive, including HSV Sports Suspension with performance-tuned MTV dampers all round, the front spring rate stiffened to 110Nm/mm and a 25mm front ride height lift that levels the vehicle out and ups the ground clearance and approach angle (now 32 degrees).

The overall size and rolling radius of the new 285/60 R18 Cooper tyres -- a hybrid between a sports-truck tyre and an all-terrain tyre -- adds a further 20mm of front ride height for a total increase of 45mm.

And apart from adding visual aggression, the SportsCat’s six-spoke matt-black alloys (with machined face on SportsCat+) are offset, widening the vehicle’s wheel tracks by 30mm.

However, the big advances are reserved for the top-shelf SportsCat+, which adds a specifically developed decoupling rear anti-roll bar that’s claimed to improve rear-end roll control and therefore turn-in response at higher speeds on the road.

At the same time, it allows for optimised suspension performance off-road by automatically decoupling when Four-Wheel Low range is selected either on the fly or from a standstill.

SportsCat+ buyers will also have the option to further upgrade their suspension with SupaShock dampers, which made their Australian debut in HSV’s swansong GTSR W1.

The SportsCat+ also comes with a unique braking package comprising a larger (25.4mm) master-cylinder diameter and forged four-piston front AP Racing callipers clamping 362x32mm rotors, reducing brake pedal travel and improving feel.

The final piece of the chassis upgrade for all SportsCats is a recalibrated traction/stability control system with less aggressive interventions particularly on corner exit to deliver “a more performance-based vehicle response”.

What’s carried over
There are no changes to the Colorado’s 147kW/500Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel and, as with the Z71, exterior paint colours will be limited to Absolute Red, Satin Steel Grey, Mineral Black and Summit White.

The extra standard equipment including wheels/tyres, decoupling stabilizer bar and body kit add up to 60kg in weight, bringing the SportsCat’s gross vehicle mass (GVM) to 3150kg, its gross combined mass (GCM) to 6000kg and its curb mass to at least 2257kg.

The Colorado LTZ/Z71’s standard safety suite continues, comprising seven airbags, reversing camera, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning and ESC including Trailer Sway Control, Roll-over Mitigation, Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control.

Also remaining standard are an 8.0-inch colour touch-screen with AppleCarPlay/Android Auto, satellite-navigation, DAB+ digital radio and premium seven-speaker sound, plus front/rear parking sensors, climate control and auto wipers.

Apart from the SupaShocks, extra-cost SportsCat options will include an elastomer tub-liner, Load Master fabric cargo partition with pockets, tonneau-mounted roof racks and eye bolts that fix to the inner tub rail, although no pricing has yet been announced.

Behind the wheel
Exactly how much HSV has improved the SportsCat is a touchy subject for Holden, so there was no standard Colorado to benchmark it against at the joint media launch, where the focus was on the top-shelf SportsCat+.

Nor did we get a chance to sample a SportsCat+ with its optional SupaShock dampers, which are bigger, linear-style units that, claims HSV, produce less frictional losses than any commercially available damper, thus improving grip and performance without compromising ride quality.

But within a few laps of a diesel-soaked skid pan it was clear the SportsCat is far more than a body-kitted Colorado with fancy dampers and a front-end lift kit.

Locked into second gear via the auto’s manual mode (there are no paddles) with traction control off, then stability control off, its lusty 500Nm of torque from 2000rpm, broader footprint, bigger contact patch and flatter cornering stance made long, tail-out power slides a breeze – even while changing direction.

Less fore/aft pitch and lateral body roll makes the steering more sensitive to driver inputs and more consistent in its response, allowing you to place it on the road with more precision and confidence.

With ESC on it was less intrusive too, and very subtle in the way it throws out the anchors when traction is lost – usually up front first, but always progressively – and then regained, as evidenced by a full lap of the tight, super-slippery figure-eight layout with the throttle flat to the floor.

As we discovered later on a surprisingly testing off-road track, where a number of steep, loose and rocky sections showed the Colorado has lost none of its low-speed crawling traction or wheel articulation, HSV has also recalibrated the SportsCat’s hill descent control.

The electronic fettling extends to the anti-lock brakes too, and repeated full-force stops from 80km/h with half a turn of steering lock on another wet bitumen surface barely raised a sweat for the AP Racing front brakes.

Initial braking force and outright stopping power are both clearly improved, as is pedal feel and consistency. The bigger tyres and firmer front-end made it difficult to engage the ABS, even in those conditions, and when it did kick in it was barely perceptible and maintained the car’s rotation.

Likewise on the ride/handling circuit, the SportsCat sat pretty flat in both slow and fast bends, felt crisp on turn-in and never got out of shape during hard corner exits.

It’s far from a sports car, but that sort of chassis fine-tuning doesn’t come with an aftermarket suspension kit and, overall, the relatively minor geometry upgrades make a big difference to on-road driving performance.

Also lifting the ownership experience are a great set of well-bolstered front bucket seats and a nice step upmarket via leather/suede trim that’s matched to the dash, centre console and doors, all with the attention to detail of red double-stitching.

Out the back, the cool-looking hard tonneau employs a clever multi-link hinge and quick-release system and incorporates rails for optional roof racks that can be attached to the tub rails when the load cover’s not in place.

That makes it as useful as it is aesthetic, and there’s no doubt about the added street cred of the rest of the body kit.

So the SportsCat is a surprisingly significant step up from even Holden’s fanciest Colorado in terms of both form and function.

Throw in what should be a relatively modest price premium and – despite an upcoming influx of top-end sports utes like the Ranger Raptor, Mercedes-Benz X-Class V6, HiLux TRD, a more powerful Volkswagen Amarok V6 and, perhaps, HSV’s own Wildfire -- we’ve no doubt HSV will sell every SportsCat it can make.

Some HSV purists and cynical old automotive hacks might decry the direction the company has been forced to take in the absence of a homegrown GM sports sedan, wagon or ute.

But its new focus on performance pick-ups (and, finally, the Camaro!) in one of the nation’s biggest, fastest growing and most lucrative market segments could prove a strategic master stroke.

2018 Holden Colorado SportsCat by HSV specifications:
On sale: February
Price: $60,000-plus (TBC)
Engine: 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 147kW/500Nm (440Nm manual)
Transmission: Six-speed manual and automatic
Fuel: 8.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 230g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP

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