ANCAP: Five stars for Holden Colorado

HOLDEN’S updated Colorado one-tonner has joined the growing list of high-riding utes to be awarded the maximum five-star rating in the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), thanks in part to a particularly strong performance in pedestrian protection.

The refreshed Colorado will be able to throw the top safety score into its sales proposition when it rolls into Australian and New Zealand showrooms in September, upgrading its previous four-star rating for single and space cab versions.

In its pre-facelifted version, only the range-topping crew cab managed five stars with the inclusion of dual seatbelt pretensioners for front occupants, but this time round all versions have taken out the maximum rating.

For occupant protection, the Colorado performed well in the side-impact and pole tests as well as seatbelt reminders, scoring the maximum 16, two and three points respectively, while 13.89 out of 16 for frontal offset testing contributed to an overall score of 34.89 out of the maximum 37.

Single cab and space cab versions dropped one point each in the seatbelt reminder category, but that was insufficient to drop the variants back to a four-star overall result.

A rating of ‘good’ in whiplash protection as well as the inclusion of dual frontal, side chest, side head and dual front knee airbags garnered further praise for the one-tonne ute.

In addition to the high levels of occupant protection, the Colorado’s new-look front scored high marks for protecting people outside the car as well. Almost all areas of the frontal area were rated as good, while only small areas of the bonnet and windscreen dropped to marginal or poor.

Lower leg impacts scored the maximum six points, upper leg dropped a few fractions for a 5.57 score, while the 17.3 points for adult and child head impacts took the total score to 28.87 out of a possible 36.

ANCAP CEO James Goodwin pointed out that the Colorado is only the second vehicle in its class to score as highly in the pedestrian safety assessment.

“Mid-cycle updates for cosmetic purposes are common across all makes and models but it is pleasing to see Holden has made mid-cycle safety improvements to their popular light commercial model,” he said.

“The stand out element in our assessment of this model is its pedestrian protection score, entering the ‘good’ range with ease. This is a marked turnaround for vehicles of this type where historically, we have seen poor results.

“This is only the second utility we have rated that has achieved a ‘good’ pedestrian protection score.”

In its previous generation, the Colorado scored a five-star rating when fitted with a genuine accessory roo bar, but the protective bars are known to be hazardous to pedestrians. Even without the accessory fitted, the ute only managed an ‘acceptable’ rating for pedestrian safety.