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Holden Tested the Crap Out of the Colorado to Ensure its Smoothness

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2017 Holden Colorado testing

The all-new Holden Colorado was revealed last month during a high-profile event at ANZ Stadium, and now that the gravity of the whole thing has had a chance to set in, the automaker is taking some time out to reveal a bit about its new mid-size pickup truck.

Set to go on sale early next month, the Holden Colorado is touted as having been engineered specifically for the purposes of handling the task of driving in Australia. Holden engineers collaborated with Colorado’s GM Brazil Homeroom and the GM Thailand Manufacturing facility where they are built to ensure that the final product suits the needs of the customer.

For polish, the Colorado was tested extensively at the Lang Lang Proving Ground and throughout Victoria. Through the final development drive, testing racked up more than 100,000 kilometers of driving on inner-city and suburban roads, country roads, and off-roading tracks.

“The variety of roads in Australia and the variety of ways in which Australians use trucks means the 2017 Colorado has to be versatile enough to handle everything thrown at it,” said Holden’s Lead Development Engineer, Amelinda Watt. “We know customers like to drive their Colorado off-road or on unsealed roads, but we also know they spend a lot of time on the bitumen.

“We’ve focused on improving refinement and driveability with a range of chassis changes, including electric power steering as well as engine and transmission noise and vibration refinements,” Watt added. “We’ve also had the benefit of international experience, as the Colorado program was a co-development project between GM Brazil, GM Thailand, and Holden—a great example of the type of engineering work Holden will be responsible for in the future.”

Among the improvements Holden engineers were able to make for the Colorado is the addition of a Centrifugal Pendulum Absorber torque converter, which cuts engine noise and vibration for a smoother ride, and a relocated balance shaft.

Gallery: Look at that Holden Colorado go!