Holden Colorado RG 4x4 LS (2012-2026)

Good ute – Bought my LS MY14 Colorado as a demo with 2000kms on the clock in mid 15. Have always been quite happy with it except for a few issues. It is great off road in sand or whatever and has plenty of power to tow the van etc. An early issue was that the motor was using slightly more oil than GMH’s standard due apparently to a problem with cylinder… Read more

honing with the MY14 manufacture. This was replaced at 30 000 kms under warranty without any hassles so no complaints about that. However now have things going wrong even though has only done 130 000kms. Recently had a crack in the oil cooler which ended up with cooling system full of oil. Cost to fix $1800. More recently small pipe supplying coolant to the turbo developed a leak. This was impossible to see and very involved to get at so cost $1200. Otherwise it’s still going well Update Feb 26. Traded the Colorado in on an MV Triton but have to admit that I miss it. It was a good bus, rode well, plenty of power.

Okay for what it is – I don't think it's a good idea to buy a car or receive a work supplied car and then straightaway do a review on it. Best to wait a number of years to see what crops up. So here goes. I was given this work supplied Colorado in 2019 and it was brand new. With it's 2.8 diesel 6 speed auto (my employer only gets autos) it has good power but the… Read more

accelerator pedal needs to be pressed quite a way towards the floor before the power kicks in. Torque? what torque for when you comes to a slight hill it immediately changes down. Diesels are supposed to have good amounts of torque, well not this one. The transmission is like the previous Isuzu D Max I had for work and maybe the same in that going down hill the gearbox changes down but on reaching the bottom of the hill revs it's tits off when you apply power finally lurching up through the gear ratios to fifth or sixth gear. This car is ten years younger than my own Ford G6E and the ZF gearbox in my Ford is still light years ahead of whatever is in the Colorado. The interior is nothing to write home about being funeral black and plastic panels started squeaking and rattling within 2 years. The audio system comes with warning messages that show every 24hrs and are very annoying as the novelty wore off within a day or two. The dash cluster is always lit and the "message centre" between the rev counter and odometer puts up silly messages like "gradient braking active" when you go down a slight hill. You can turn the message off but not the retarding effect so if you're trying to speed up to join a motorway via a downhill on ramp the car tries to hold you back. When a halogen headlight bulb blows you get a message to say a bulb has blown. You can see that you've just lost half of your illumination so you don't need a silly message telling you. The daytime running lights are part of the headlight and when they blow you have to get a whole new headlight assembly. How stupid is that design. Being a diesel it has a particle filter and when that needs cleaning another message comes up which can't be cancelled and it uses a lot more fuel in cleaning the filter. The seats are better in the Colorado compared to the D Max with good support. So far this vehicle has been reliable with only consumables being replaced. If I'd had the chance to buy one when new would I?, quite frankly no as it seems a bit too delicate to take off road for serious 4x4 work. Being full to the brim with computers one fault and it will stop dead leaving me stranded. Yes it's okay for what it is but it's nothing special.

Worst car ever bought – Commuting and Transport. Not often as car not safe to drive. Mechanic noted diff housing bent Holden refuse to fix car wanders all over the road. Holden dealers only do wheel alignment and say just hang on to the steering wheel and it wont wander all over the road. Show details

Dangerous fault – I purchased a manual LS Colorado new in 2017. Full Holden service history since. Used privately with an equal mix of urban and rural driving. Never been driven off-road. Light towing duties. Now has 85000 km with no mechanical problems until now... Noticed a month ago a warning message "Change Oil Soon" and "Remaining Oil Life 6%", this was… Read more

despite the previous service being only 9000 km previously. Holden said it was just a courtesy message and not to worry. Last weekend, I was midway through a 600 km trip, travelling with cruise control set on 105 (110 area) and accelerated (gently) to pass a road train. The vehicle commenced to gather speed by itself. I disengaged cruise and pressed on and off the accelerator pedal to try and regain control as speed increased (still by itself) to 145 km/hr. This had no effect. As I had a truck behind me, I couldn't suddenly brake so I placed transmission into neutral and coasted to the side of the road. Engine was running in redline with no accelerator input. I switched motor off, restarted it and the problem appeared to have gone. Had the vehicle checked by a regional mechanic. No fault codes had been thrown and he was unable to replicate problem. Contacted Holden customer care who arranged for the car to be assessed at local Holden dealership. They believe that there may be an issue with the DPF which somehow causes additional fuel to be input via the injectors (??). They said that the oil level was slightly high (they serviced it previously) and asked if the DPF warning message had been displayed recently. I told them I was aware of the DPF warning but hadn't seen it for months. When it gets displayed, I religiously drive the vehicle over a distance to clear the warning. They still have the car after three days, unwilling to release it as the issue is potentially dangerous. Luckily the vehicle is still covered by factory warranty. I will be most interested to find out what has been done to alleviate this dangerous fault. Otherwise I have been generally happy with the car. Good fuel economy, power and towing capacity. I find seats are rather unsupportive but do acknowledge that the car is a base model.

Great car, no troubles – The car is used mainly for highway driving with a bit of 4x4 thrown in, it runs really well and has not caused any troubles yet. It is regularly serviced (oil every 7000km) and is now at 105000km. Would recommend. Show details

Good Ute, offering great value for an entry level truck – Great value for money, impressed with level of refinement for an entry level Ute. Tows the boat and caravan well (both approx 2.8 ton). 7 years free service great bonus. Show details

2019 Colorado LS – Ive just picked up today a Brand new 2019 Colorado Ls, { company car not my choice } if you want a comfortable work ute / office, keep away. This is by far the most agricultural vehicle I have driven apart from a John deere tractor. It's uncomfortable, basic, terrible handling and the brakes are borderline dangerous. Even the handbrake goes… Read more

straight to the roof and it's only travelled 75klm. Our company bought Two and they are both like it.

Save your money.

It's not good when you pick up a new work ute and even the

salesman says you won't like it.

Good Reliable Truck – 3 years old and is my daily drive. To work is 64k country/city round trip and is at 58,000k. It is bumpy on our wonderful roads but is the base model. Good quality sheepskin seat covers helped immensely. I sit on a 100ks going to work and 80ks on way home (to many roos at night). Fuel is between 8.4 and 8.7 L/100k. Has plenty of power and… Read more

is easy overtaking and not hard to hit 120k+ when doing so.

Very easy to spin the front wheels in the wet from take off so use the 4x4 around town and it works very well.

Only problem was the fuel filler door actuator failed and replaced by Wagga Motors under warrenty and is serviced by them at the recommended intervals.

Besides the normal costs. I had to replace the pollen filter at the last service.

Otherwise I can't fault the Colley.

Perfect Ute for all adventures – Great for the bush and the beach and everything in between. Plenty of room for kids of all sizes (or just men!) great air flow and engine capacity. Sand does catch within the wheel frame which throws off the alignment whilst on the beach - but don’t be alarmed it’s just the car loving the beach as much as you!  Show details

Better cars out there – I've had my Colorado for 18 months now. Never been off road. I just needed a replacement car with a big boot and they don't make them any more. So I bought a ute. Firstly do not buy one of these, thinking it comes with gps, or you can call or text by voice. I have an android and use android auto. The best day of my life was when I bought a stand… Read more

alone GPS, installed it and deleted android auto. It simply doesn't work. Buy a car that has a proper GPS installed. Don't get sucked in to Android Auto or apple cat play. You will regret it. It Has a severe rattle in the exhaust they can't (won't) fix. Ride is like a truck, which I don't mind. It's a bit agricultural and basic. If you ever need help from Holden 'customer care', good luck. I think the only person who works there is the cleaner. They don't return calls. You're on your own. Overall, it's not a bad car. I like driving it, but it's the little things that Holden could have gotten right that spoil the experience. And remember, don't fall for the android and apple crap!

DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE! – So, first, if you are thinking of buying a new Colorado, go to the Holden website and read the reviews written by actual owners! You will quickly get the picture about the many common complaints... For me, by far the worst issue is the absence of any useful engine braking. In fact, once you start heading downhill, it actually feels as though the… Read more

engine is revving up to shoot you off downwards with an alarming jump in speed. This happens even in low gears so the engine will soon race up to 4000rpm with no apparent restraint on speed. Consequently the cruise control is compromised ... I had mine set on 104kmph on the highway recently and being distracted by a conversation with my passenger, didn't notice that it had raced up to 126 kmph on a long downhill

Multiple issues, bad service – Don't buy a Holden, unless you enjoy headaches. Less than 30,000kms I have had the following problems: 1- speedometer replaced after it jammed up and was stuck at 60kmh 2- fuel cap wouldn't open 3- headlights filling up with water, leaving them stained on the inside, Holden only replaced the LH side, telling me "oh yeah it's normal for… Read more

them to fill up with water" but they can only replace it if it fills up when they test it.

4- engine burning through oil and blowing a tonne of black smoke through the exhaust. So my dip stick and oil cap were changed along with a higher viscosity oil "because that's the right oil for this car now"

5- the mylink system shutting down completely on various occasions, when this happened I lost my indicators too. Took it to Holden and they updated the firmware

6- after firmware update my reverse camera didn't work. Another trip back to Holden to have it reconfigured. Upon taking it back they thought it was in for a 45,000 service...

7- This is the big one. One day my car tried to kill me when I chose my moment to move off from a give way sign onto a main road. As I took off I lost all speed, revved the hell out of the engine as my car put itself into low range. I pulled over and couldn't get it out of 4L for ten minutes. The electronic switch was doing nothing, moving backward, forward, nothing. Ignition off then on, repeat, nothing. So I sat and waited another 5 minutes with the ignition off before starting and it corrected itself. I contacted Holden that same day and was told there was nobody in on that Saturday who could check the problem. So after booking my car in for the following week I was told that the car is fine, no errors were logged, they can't do anything about it. "If it does it again then bring it back in and we will see how we go from there."

They have left me feeling like they don't care or just can't be stuffed and are happy to lie their way around issues or dodge them altogether.

Way to go Holden, you're service is pathetic. Never again.

Cannot believe spending $50K is this difficult – This post details the buying experience of my first 4x4 - a Colorado Crew Cab. Firstly several dealers failed to provide emailed quotes in a timely manner after requesting same. A country dealership advised as I was an out of town customer, they would provide me a price that 'would embarrass other dealers' despite a 3 week delay, this quote was… Read more

one of the most expensive. I must state several dealers were also very prompt and professional (Lithgow, Bathurst & Mudgee). Now accessories....In my eyes the Colorado is designed as a towing vehicle or for off road purposes. The Holden steel bull bar (unlike aftermarket bars) is not able to be fitted with a winch. Winches seem to be a common accessory and almost an essential on off road vehicles. This lack of winch compatibility is not evident on information provided by the Holden eg their website which has pretty pictures but lacks relevant information eg weight, lack of winch & recovery point compatibility etc. Holden canopy, dealers and the website do not give details of the height of the canopy. This seems very basic information, particularly if one has a restricted garage entry. Recovery Points. Several dealers advised that the tie down hooks at the front of the vehicle were capable of being used for snatch strap recoveries for a 'stuck' vehicle. These mild steel loops. welded to the chassis are rated at 1500kg. Given the weight of the vehicle (between 2024 kg & 3150 kg) plus the resistance of extracting the vehicle multiplied by the recovery vehicle speed will produce forces far exceeding 1500 kg rating. Failure of these tie down hooks during a recovery as advised by dealerships could potentially result in death or serious injury. Note Aftermarket recovery points appear to be rated at 4500 kg. In short, the information available from Holden seems to be more about sales, than useful and practical information to assist persons like myself who are 4x4 novices. Vehicle ordered, yet to be delivered more to follow.........

Good so far – Ive had my 2017 Colorado LS for a short time now. Travelled about 3000km so far, a bit early to tell of any problems, but none so far. Coming from a 2013 Triton, this ute exceeds it in all aspects. Comfort, handling, power,lower road noise,lower fuel consumption etc.For a base car having Android Auto is a big + for me-handsfree… Read more

information/phone/navigation.The base models of other makes were quite poor in comparison-at this time.Very happy with purchase.

Update June 2018-I have travelled nearly 10000km on my Colorado with no warranty issues. The fuel economy around town sits at 9L/100 and down to low 8 on trips-although I dont lug heavy loads around.

Update Jan 2019-Had an issue with a tailgate rattle and rear view camera.The camera at night was blurry and unuseable.They were both repaired under warranty with new tailgate rubbers and new rear camera.Still happy with ute.

Great car – After owning Mitsubishi Tritons for years, I swapped over to a Colorado after my latest Triton had problem after problem. The Colorado is far superior in every respect, has more power, more driver comfort. I can't fault the Colorado as I have had no problems or recalls in the 6 months since purchase. It does guzzle fuel like most large cars.  Show details

Check the fuel and top up the oil ! – Used excessive oil from day 1. Quite often go to check oil and none on stick! Add. 1L to register. Dealer said oil usage normal on new vehicle (a first for me as past 4 vehicles I had never added oil between changes). At second service had used 3L oil. Dipstick and type of oil changed. Still service manager reported "this was within normal usage".… Read more

When I drove around to service bay, mechanic said "oh not another one"! Yours is the 4th one using oil. From then on I had to call in every time I needed oil. In the the last service period leading up to the 60k HOLDEN added 5L oil. Finally came to the party and replace engine at 60k. I have nothing but praise for our local service manager as I know his hands were tied by HOLDEN and he fought for my replacement motor. I am amazed this has been kept off the radar as mine was the second motor replaced at our small country dealership and there are at least 3 more to do there alone

Not one tonne pay load – I have had the Colorado for 3 months new I am a tradesman with my tools on the back it is a dual cab and at the first service the rear springs were buggered I was told it was to be replaced under warranty but only once. The next week I took my car in to have springs replaced and upon picking my car up the new springs were just as non compliant as… Read more

the one month old ones. I was told to take it down and have it weighed at a weigh bridge. Well this is where the fun begins I had the car weighed with tools and all on the vehicle and it came up 570 kgs under weight. I have a certified copy of this and now it is with Holden hq and after two months of beings stuffed around with no one getting back to me they come back with a decision that my car must of been overloaded at some point causing the springs to sag and they are voiding warranty on this issue even though with the new springs going from having them replaced straight to the weigh bridge. I don't know how it passed ADR compliance and

I don't know how Holden get away with this I have engaged fair trading and I will be starting a civil action if I can find enough people with same issues as it's not up to us to fix the problem it's there's. The only reason they call it a one tonne pay load is for the tax break but it isn't doing it's job and hasn't from the start.

Piece of crap – Rusting throughout the body, oil consumption. After an accident, all airbags deployed, had my children been in the car & in their car seats they would have died due to incorrect deployment. 2 months later still no car and Holden Australia screwing me round with an answer as to what happens now. As I believe it is a manufacturers fault. Holden is… Read more

very lucky my children were not in the car.

Please be careful if you drive one with children in it, as I would hate for this to happen to someone else & their children be in the car.

They claim the rusting is fall out however have been told by the mechanic that it is not fallout it is intact rust.

Next stop is fair trading.

Never buy a Holden again.

Steering Shake – Bought my Colorado 4x4 Crew Cab new in late 2013 and it had steering wheel shake at 90kmh and over since the day I bought it. Took it back to the dealer twice with no results and came to the conclusion that Holden didn't really want to know me once I purchased the vehicle. I then out of my own pocket two wheel balances, two wheel alignments to no… Read more

effect. I then replaced the standard steel rims for after market alloy rims and changed the tires to All Terrains to no effect. Finally in desperation I had all the suspension replaced with Old Man Emu but it still shakes although I must say not as violently. I use my Colorado to tow my 22ft, 2,400Kg tare weight Caravan and it has to date been to out back Queensland in 40 degree heat, into Victoria,South Australia and across to Perth towing the Van. It had almost 20,000Km on it when I first hooked the van onto it and it now has 54,000Km odd on it and I have had absolutely no issues (apart from the steering shake) with the vehicle in the 30,000 odd Kilometers I have put on it in the past twelve months towing the Caravan. With hindsight I should have bought a Ford Ranger or Mazda BT50 and would recommend these as better alternatives to anyone willing to listen, unfortunately I have laid out too much money on the vehicle to trade it at this point.

great – Bought new rg Ls in feb. Stalled a lot at first but car changed suddenly at 5000k became very smooth, gear changes like silk. Had problems with engine light coming on under hard acceleration sometimes. Found the positive battery terminal had been incorrectly fitted by dealers contractor after towbar, brake controller, Anderson plug and camera had… Read more

been installed. Too late, the open circuit had fried the ecu. Dealer (Kelly Holden Cardiff NSW) have been very helpful. New computer fitted this week. Love the power and off road ability, it pulled us out of a difficult situation in a washed out track in Tasmania. Pulls our 1500kg van no problems, never overheats, uses a little oil, not enough to stress over. All in all very happy with purchase and dealer. Like the sound and video system, have installed Bringo, run it alongside a top of the line Garmin and they both make the same announcements at the same time, Pandora is great, tune-in not the best. It was great to sit and watch a video while we waited for the ferry to Tassie. Only other issue is the LED tail lights on the caravan interfere with the bulb check function and give random blinks. Once both blinkers have been used it stops. Just a matter of flicking each blinker on each day when checking trailer lights which we all do daily when towing (I hope) looking forward to saying the same at 50000k.

Colorado engine problem returned – Having done a previous review on this issue still not resolved,last weekend 08/02/15 the problem returned,total loss of power,engine dropped to a very rough idle like running on one cylinder,this was previewed by a shaking of the vehicle which in all instanced happened before powerloss, Engine then returned to normal operation and we continued. … Read more

Holden cannot come up with an answer as it cannot be replicated at will,can go for a couple of months between failures.Vehicle went in to dealers to try to determine problem 04/05/15 as of now 25/05/15 still in their hands,no report,loan vehicle supplied by Holden,which was good.

July 6th 2015 Update:

Recently had my 2012 Colorado returned to a Holden service dealer to look at intermittent return to idle problem.Due to other circumstances along the way it took 7 weeks to get the vehicle back,a loan vehicle was supplied during this time.No problem with the attention provided by Holden Melbourne, nor the quality of the work carried out by the mechanics,which involved head removal, decarbonizing,heavier valve springs fitted, as per 2014 vehicles,although the vehicle had only done 45000,which I thought unnecessary.Because they addressed a mechanical problem, which on the vehicle only lasted about 20 seconds,I cannot see how by doing this would address the problem, as mechanical problems do not usually resolve themselves to revert to normal operation for weeks or months after occurring, which is what was happening.

I notified Holden of my concern that I did not agree with their diagnosis,suspecting the problem may still be lurking to reoccur.They accepted this and assured me that should further problem reoccur, I was to notify them that my file would be kept open,they were very good, my case manager kept in touch with the mechanics and I could not fault the backup I received from Holden,love the vehicle would recommend them to anyone for value for money.

Just fitted a pedal box kit to alleviate the takeoff delay for overtaking and at intersections which they suffer with, boy what a different vehicle,for passing, towing, forget chipping the engine for $400 try this,and it does not interfere with the engine management of common rail pressures and anything harmful,and is fully programmable to suit your driving style or road conditions.

November 29th 2017 update: Failing a/C condensors and turbo hoses

My Colorado has had 3 condensers fitted this year, they are failing where the horizontal tubes meet the vertical tubes.

The vehicle is not used in heavy off road conditions, mainly touring.

We recently had the vehicle go into limp mode with the dash warning light on, found a local garage to get it out of limp mode which enabled us to get to a dealer with a later test unit, this displayed a large loss off air pressure which resulted in our finding both inlet and outlet turbo hoses were cracked (the outlet) or blown off the turbo (inlet) cost over $700 t0 replace.

The A/c jobs cost near $1000 each time, we now find there are no aftermarket condensers available, Holden want 3 times the price, the failed ones are one original, and two Nippon Denso"s.

Has anyone else had similar problems, the shortage of available condensers are possibly an indication of failures.