North East Motor Guide

OCT 4 - 10 | 2019

2020 Holden Colorado review

Ŷ ON THE IMPROVE: Holden Colorado is a versatile and safe vehicle that combines the toughness of a small truck with the comfort of an SUV.

By ALISTAIR KENNEDY variants: LS, LT, LSX, LTZ, LTZ+ and Z71.

Prices range from $31,690 for an automatic LS 4x2 Single Cab cab chassis through to $57,190 for an auto Z71 4x4 Crew Cab. In between there are Single Cab and Space Cab utes, the latter with restricted rear seats.

As part of a MY 2020 upgrade the midrange LTZ 4x4 gained leather trimmed seats with the front ones now heated; DuraGuard spray to reduce slippage on the tub-liner of the LTZ, LTZ+ and Z71; rugged fender flares and a bash plate together with a ‘soft drop’ tailgate in the Z71.

There are also now accessory packs: Tradie, Farmer, Black, Rig and the Xtreme.

BT-50

MAZDA 2018 PLATED 4X4 DUAL CAB GT

Visit your nearest dealer or look up the Holden website for specifics.

STYLING Colorado is big, bold and brash with the top-spec models showing a style that’s clearly aimed at premium ute buyers including an alloy sports bar, 18-inch alloy wheels, chrome exterior door handles and exterior scalps.

Colorado also comes with a range of Genuine Holden Accessories, including a safari bar and LED light bar.

At almost five-and-a-half metres long and nearly two metres wide Holden Colorado attracts plenty of street presence especially so when it comes in the bright orange hue of our LSX Crew Cab test car together

with its black grille, matte black extended sports bar and full-width ‘Colorado’ branded rear decal.

Wheels start at 16-inch steel on the LS, 17-inch alloys on the LT while the LTZ upwards get different designs of 18-inch alloys. All models come with a full-size spare.

INTERIOR The dual-cab Colorado has the sort of interior cabin space that its external measurements suggest with plenty of head, leg and shoulder room wherever you sit. The rear seat is wide enough for three adults although it’s a little firm and not ideal for long trips.

Ŷ Continued page 3 21d13123-v67

THE Holden Colorado utility/pickup has been on sale in Australia since 2008 although, until 2012, it was simply a re-badged version of the long-serving and popular Isuzu built Rodeo. The current model is based on the Chevrolet Colorado which is designed in the US but built in Thailand.

Utes have never been more popular in Australia with both the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger sitting at or near the top of all vehicle sales and Colorado in a respectable fourth and gaining ground despite the overall industry wide decline.

In dual-cab format the modern ute is effectively a crossover combining the functionality of a working vehicle with the comfort, space and drive standard of an SUV. Colorado comes with the choice of six

SAVE THOUSANDS

$49,990 DRIVEAWAY Automatic Transmission Colour - Aluminium Top of the range model -

Alicia Pizzolitto 0457 496 822 Mark Prentice 0437 276 412 Noel Gilbert 0438 597 200

Hurry ONLY 1 LEFT

Michael Henderson 0418 512 531

Vin - MNOUROYG100845469

Come in for a test drive today

Serving the community as your local Mazda dealer for over 50 years!

10 Templeton Street, Wangaratta

(03) 5721 5677 www.onemilemotors.com.au

LMCT1060

In Store Special

$6,300

In Store Special

$5,599

* Instore special price not valid with 0% ďŹ nance.

In Store Special

$6,799

3

October 4 - 10 | 2019

> available online - www.nemedia.com.au

2020 Holden Colorado review Ŷ From page 1 There is a lot of plastic although with a softer touch especially at the most important touchpoints.

Heated leather-appointed front seats are standard on the LTZ, LTZ+ and Z71.

The dashboard is functional and effective with good-sized buttons and dials located within easy reach of the driver. The steering wheel has the most commonlyused controls although the feel is more practical than premium.

Tray length is 1795mm with the Space Cab and 1484mm behind the Crew Cab. Towing capacity is 3500kg braked and 750kg unbraked which is the industry standard and provides more than enough for Monday-to-Friday trade work and weekend boat / horse float towing.

With the tailgate down, the loading lip is relatively high and requires quite a lift into the tray. The soft tonneau cover on our LSX proved difficult to unsnap so tightly does it lock in.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS There is only one engine available across the range – a Duramax 2 four-cylinder 2.8-litre turbo-diesel paired with either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic depending upon the model.

Maximum output is 147kW of power with 440Nm of torque in the manual version and 500Nm in the auto. Importantly most of that torque is available from just 2000 rpm.

The engine gets a Euro 5 emission rating thanks, in part, to a diesel particulate filter.

SAFETY All Colorado variants come with seven airbags, electronic stability control incorpo-

rating enhanced ABS brakes, rollover mitigation, trailer sway control, hill-start assist and hill descent control. In line with its family focus there are two IsoFix child restraint anchor points in the two outer rear seats and rear seatbelt warning reminders.

Also standard, and very useful in such a big vehicle, are a reversing camera and rear parking sensors.

The LTZ, LTZ+ and Z71 also have forward collision alert, tyre pressure monitoring and lane departure warning.

INFOTAINMENT All Colorado variants come with Holden’s latest generation MyLink infotainment system displayed through a 7-inch colour touchscreen in the LS and LT and 8-inch in the higher specced models. All provide access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with easy-to-pair Bluetooth connectivity.

DAB+ digital radio is available in all models apart from LS. The audio quality ranges from just two speakers in the LS up to seven in the premium system in the LTZ, LTZ+ and Z71 crew cabs.

Ŷ COMING HERE: Huge front end suits a Nissan that's aimed to have tough territory under its wheels.

MAJOR upgrades to the Nissan Patrol have been announced in a media event in the Middle East. It's extremely popular in that area thanks to its rough and rugged build and excellent off-road ability.

Australian imports will be here shortly before Christmas, local specs may be slightly different to this quoted here, will provide them as soon as we get them.

Nissan’s V-motion grille is used in its latest iteration in arguably its boldest way yet.

Fascinatingly, it was described at its launch in the Middle East as having, “Boomerangshaped LED headlights and tail lights”.

Inside are new design diamond-stitch quilted leather seats with added padding providing a luxurious feel, as does the new hand-stitched steering wheel.

A new centre console incorporates dual displays with access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This ensures customers are always connected and can make the most

closed the gap in terms of quality and performance. It’s a spacious, safe and versatile vehicle that combines the toughness and durability of a small truck with the comfort and convenience of an SUV. All Holden models now come with a fiveyear unlimited kilometre standard warranty.

SUMMING UP Although it lags behind the market leading Toyota and Ford recent enhancements to the Holden Colorado have certainly

FUEL TANK: 76 litres

AT A GLANCE MODEL: LS-X 4x4 Crew cab utility ENGINE: 2.8 L turbo diesel four cylinder MAX POWER: 147 kW @ 3600 rpm MAX TORQUE: 470 Nm @ 2000 rpm DRIVELINE: Six speed automatic

ECONOMY: 8.7 L/100km (combined)

DRIVING Prior to its release Colorado has had a fair amount of local chassis and suspension testing to ensure it suits Australian conditions. The result is a drive that is robust but comfortable and easily adaptable to differing road conditions.

Inside the cabin ambience is on a par with many sedans and so provides a degree of stress-less driving on and off the bitumen.

The impressive lowdown torque is one of the reasons the Colorado has the oomph needed when overtaking or hauling a load, even up a steep climb.

2020 upgrades for Nissan Patrol

By EWAN KENNEDY

The electrically assisted steering varies with the speed so is lighter when parking or finding your way through tight city roads, but then gets progressively heavier at speed providing a reassuring degree of feedback.

Utes tend to offer a better ride under load and our test coincided with the need for some springtime remedial gardening and a couple of visits to Bunnings. The difference is noticeable although it did remain pretty efficient when the tray was empty.

Fuel consumption is listed at 8.7 litres per 100 kilometres for the automatic LSX Crew Cab that we tested. We averaged 9.8 L/100km during our normal combination of urban, motorway and rural driving.

of their smartphones.

Nissan tells us there are significant reductions in noise and vibration to provide a quieter, more pleasant cabin. Improved cooling and air flow distribution systems lead to quicker cooling, ideal in hot climates.

In addition to the Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies already available, the upgraded Patrol comes with Intelligent Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection and the Intelligent Forward Collision Warning system.

Patrol power is provided by a 4.0-litre V6 producing 204kW (275 horsepower) and 394 Nm of torque. The big gun 5.6-litre V8 produces 300kW (400 hp) and 560 Nm of torque.

An All-Mode 4X4 system lets the driver switch modes to handle different on- and off-road conditions. Hydraulic Body Motion Control, available on V8 models, ensures a more comfortable ride thanks to improved suspension and vibration reduction.

Leave that phone alone

By EWAN KENNEDY IF you use your phone while you’re driving, you’re as dangerous as a drink driver.

So if you’ve got into the potentially lethal and illegal habit of checking your phone when you’re behind the wheel, it’s time to take away the temptation. A government campaign is currently running to - hopefully - get the message across.

You can set up ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ to automatically activate every time you drive.

You won’t receive any messages until you arrive at your destination and if someone has sent you a text, they will receive an automated response to let them know you’re driving.

You’ll still be able to access maps and music – just remember to set these things up before you drive off.

HOW TO: APPLE Go to settings.

Go to ‘Do Not Disturb’.

Scroll down to ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’.

Activate it, choosing 1 of 3 options – Automatically. When connected to car Bluetooth. Manually.

If you're having difficulty adding this feature to your current phone, go to Apple’s support page for further instructions.

ANDROID: Go to your notifications shade.

Use the quick toggle for ‘Do Not Disturb’ – this will be either on your first or second panel.

Activate it before you get in the car.

Deactivate when you finish driving.

Not all Android phones have a ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ feature built in. Android users can go to the Google Play store, search for ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ and download any of the free apps available.

I've been writing for many years as a motoring journalist, “Always have two eyes on the road, two hands on the wheel and all of your attention on driving.” Sadly, exactly the opposite is becoming the norm…"

October 4 - 10 | 2019

4

> available online - www.nemedia.com.au

Mazda CX-5 2012 - 2018 A COMBINATION of style and the bril- By EWAN KENNEDY liant red paint finish has had the Mazda CX-5 sitting at the head of the sales race in smaller petrol engine, all others have a sixits class virtually all the time since it arrived speed automatic transmission and this unit is also mated to the 2.0-litre petrol when here in February 2012.

Mazda’s Kodo styling theme with its big requested..

Every model across the Mazda CX-5 grille, long bonnet and deeply sculpted sides works even better in the CX-5 than in range comes standard with six airbags, Dynamic Stability Control, ABS brakes, Emerthe rest of the range.

This is a comfortable five-seater if those gency Brake Assist and Electronic Brake in the back aren’t overly large, as is usual Force Distribution.

The CX-5 had mild understeer when husin this class two adults and a child makes tled on fast bends, but it’s capable of going more sense.

Mazda CX-5 has three-piece 40:20:40 a lot harder than the typical owner will defold-down rear seats to let you juggle lug- mand before needing any correction from the driver, or the backup of stability control. gage and passenger loads.

It has a fuss-free pleasant ride even on Initially CX-5 lagged somewhat in performance thanks to the use of a 2.0-litre four- corrugated dirt roads. On motorways it’s alcylinder petrol engine. That criticism was most in the luxury sedan class for noise and answered with the introduction of a 2.5-litre vibration suppression.

Servicing and repairs are generally mid four-cylinder petrol in 2018.

Mazda CX-5 received the option of a range for this class. We heard of no ongoSkyActiv turbo-diesel only six weeks after ing complaints about parts not being availthe launch of the petrol. Interestingly, the able. However, some parts may have to be diesel powered Mazda CX-5 isn't a per- specially imported from Japan.

Insurance costs are pretty well line-ball formance unit, not an economy one. So it doesn't have the low fuel use you might ex- with other Asian SUVs. pect. Still it uses less than the petrol and WHAT TO LOOK FOR - all that torque is addictive.

Some of the early diesels had fuel leakA 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol was introduced in November 2018. These are ing into the engine sump if the CX-5 was still rare on the used car scene, but are used only for short around town trips. Look worth hunting down if you're into perfor- for white smoke and an engine that's down on performance. A software fix prevented mance SUVs. The second generation CX-5 was intro- this - check the service records to be sure duced in April 2017. It looks similar to the this has been carried out.

Avoid AWD CX-5s that have been used successful original, but had a smoothing out that's almost being minimalistic in its off-road. They’re city slickers and ground clearance isn’t great. There are plenty of lines.

Inside, the central screen is a good size. pampered suburban alternatives to be Infotainment is by the easy to use Mazda found.

Then again, the suburban runners have MZD Connect system via a 7.0-inch touchscreen. The instruments are sporty in their scars on their sides caused by careless door opening by others. layout.

Previous crash repairs can be spotted Though based on the powerplants of the Series one CX-5 they have significant im- by sighting along the sides. Unevenness is provements based around driveability and likely to be a sign of panel repairs. If there's the slightest doubt have a professional do faster response.

A six-speed manual is on offer with the a complete inspection.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit

By EWAN KENNEDY JEEP Grand Cherokee Summit is the famed American company’s most luxurious variant.

It features a refined front with LED foglights. The restyled rear fascia has dual trapezoidal exhaust tips. In addition, the bodycoloured side-sill cladding, wheel arches over the 20-inch alloys, mirror caps and door handles further deliver on the premium elements of Summit.

Platinum chrome adorns front and rear lower fascia applique, side window surrounds and side sills, roof rails, tail lamp bezels and rear step pad.

Making its mark very obvious there’s exterior badging on the Jeep seven-slot grille.

Inside are high-grade NaturaPlus soft leather seats suede-like premium headliner, berber floor and cargo mats. While you are getting into the cabin you will notice the SUMMIT door sill plates.

Optional is a “Signature Leather Wrapped Interior Package” with quilted Laguna leather seats with contract stitching as well as leather-wrapped upper and lower door panels, centre console and glovebox lid.

Harmon Kardon Premium Audio System comes a standard in the Summit, featuring a 10-inch subwoofer and 19 high-performance speakers.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit is now available at Jeep dealerships Australia wide. It’s priced from $84,450 MSRP, to which dealer and government charges have to be added.

Ŷ BLING: Plenty of exterior chrome dresses up the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit to perfection.

Ŷ 2018 Mazda CX-5 Check the interior for signs of rough treatment by the little darlings. Similarly look over the cargo area for items that were loaded in an uncaring manner. Also look for damage to the boot floor and sides.

In September 2016 Mazda Australia is-

Ŷ 2014 Mazda CX-5

CAR BUYING TIP Do a quick walk around a car before getting deeply into inspecting it. That way you can pick up obvious defects that may put you off buying it altogether.

EXPECT TO PAY 2012 CX-5 MAXX: $9000 to $14,000 2013 MAXX SPORT OR A 2015 MAXX: $12,000 to $17,000 2013 AKERA: $15,000 to $22,000 2014 GRAND TOURER: $17,000 to $25,000 2015 AKERA: $20,000 to $28,000 2016 GT: $22,000 to $31,000 2017 GT: $27,000 to $36,000 2018 AKERA: $30,000 to $41,000

Ŷ 2012 Mazda CX-5

CLASSIFIEDS CARAVANS & CAMPERS

sued a recall to repair a poor paint coverage on the tailgate. If not rectified there could be corrosion on the ‘gate.

Look for scars to the wheels, the leftfront is usually the first to suffer.

Feel for uneven tyre wear by running your hand from side to side across the tread. If it's greater one way there could be alignment problems.

MOTOR VEHICLES

SOLD MOTOR VEHICLES

BARGAIN!

2001 Ford DC Ute, 160,000km, reg, REDUCED! (QUS017), very good condition, tow bar, air COROMAL Compact 402 van, very tidy, 2 0 1 1 M a z d a 3 , cond, $3500. Ph 0409 rear annexe, $8650 ono. (YUL502), 145,000km, 881 851. manual, tinted windows, Ph 0447 006 810. very economical, fully serviced, registered, RW C , e x c e l l e n t condition, $7500. Ph 0419 215 634.

MOTORING TRADES & SERVICES

WANG’S ONLY 5 STAR CARWASH

the best

CARWASH

SOLD

CLASSIFIEDS - 5723 0101

REDUCED! MARS Galileo hard top camper, 2014 model, good condition, $7750 ono. Ph 0407 547 333.

Motoring in the North East

Sell your caravan

from 2 weeks * $ in

40

*Cond apply.

9 papers

Ph 5723

0101

REDUCED!

TOYOTA Prado GXL, 3.0L turbo diesel, 6 speed manual, 7 seats, ARB winch bar, cooper tyres, 140,000km, (1AL8WW), $29,000 M A Z D A 6 h a t c h ono. Ph 0407 078 589.

2011 Luxury Sports, manual, Charcoal grey, 130,000km, leather, sunroof, towbar, reverse camera, 5 star safety, full service, very good condition, (ABK785), $11,500. Phone Matt classifieds@ 0409 954 863. nemedia.com.au

email your advert

22 - 24 Handley Street, Wangaratta

k/06d11887-v5/3518

7ANGARATTA Auto Cooling System Specialists

5721 3486

135 Vincent Road, Wangaratta AU01845

K/21D11897-V55/1018

ADVERTISE HERE...

CALL US TODAY

5723 0100