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What's the difference?
If Oscar Wilde was correct in claiming that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Ford should be blushing.
Its audacious decision to create the Ranger Raptor, an extreme performance version of the local hero, with unique body, chassis, suspension and engine enhancements inspired by Mexico's bruising Baja off-road race, has triggered numerous imitators.
One of those is Ford's nemesis Toyota with a unique GR Sport version of its venerable 4x4 HiLux dual cab ute, based on the existing 'wide-track' Rogue and (according to Toyota) inspired by the company's Dakar Rally-winning GR (Gazoo Racing) HiLux off-road racer. It's the most powerful diesel HiLux to date.
Although not as extreme as the Raptor, Toyota's typical pragmatic approach has resulted in an eye-catching and more heavy-duty off-road-focused version of its top-selling ute, that offers unique suspension, engine and body enhancements while ensuring that the HiLux's fundamental load-carrying and towing abilities are not compromised.
So, with our tradie hard-hat on, we recently put a HiLux GR Sport to work with a big payload to see if the latest Hilux flagship has maintained its workhorse practicality.
The Holden Colorado is a quiet achiever in the ute market: it has a solid rep as a work-and-play vehicle, generally records positive results in objective editorial reviews and comparisons, and it sells well.
But how does a Z71 do as a tow vehicle? Read on.
Given the current HiLux generation is in its eighth year in local showrooms, it's becoming harder for Toyota to create a new flagship that looks and feels like one, regardless of how large its wheel-arch extensions may be or how many GR Sport logos it displays.
Although 'inspired' by off-road racing, the GR Sport falls short of being a genuine Raptor rival, as Toyota has predictably drawn a line in the sand in terms of how far it's prepared to go with in-ya-face modifications without sacrificing the HiLux's core load-hauling capabilities.
But the GR Sport is also much more affordable than a Raptor, so it's more a Wildtrak X rival. And in that sub-flagship context, it's likely to have considerable appeal for those wanting a HiLux that combines Dakar-winning looks with solid workhorse practicality.
The Holden Colorado Z71 is a pretty decent towing machine, handling all aspects of general load-lugging duties with a quiet reliable efficiency. In simple terms, it kept the whole ute-and-van combination trucking along nicely.
The Z71 is a solid Colorado package all-round with some welcome flashiness to its functionality.
The GR Sport shares the Rogue's 15mm increase in ride height and significant increases in track width over the standard HiLux, with the front wheels being 135mm further apart while the rears have an extra 155mm between them.
However, the GR Sport is equipped with unique KYB monotube shock absorbers tuned specifically for this application and the rear anti-sway bar has also been removed to provide increased suspension travel in the rough stuff.
The GR Sport also brings enhanced braking performance with ventilated 338mm front and 312mm solid rear disc brakes, complete with red-painted calipers displaying GR logos.
Our only criticism of this suspension package is that the 265/65 tyres look too small, given the increased ride height and elaborate wheel-arch extensions designed to house them.
A larger and meatier tyre package, like the Raptor's more aggressive 285/70 rubber, would better fill those cavernous wheel housings and provide less of a 'tippy-toe' appearance.
There are large assist-handles on the A and B pillars and the rock-rails have integral steps to assist occupants when climbing aboard.
However, like all HiLux dual cabs, the rear seating is notoriously tight for tall people like me (186cm) because with the driver's seat in my position, my knees are pressed firmly into its backrest and my head is rubbing on the roof lining.
It's even tighter in the slightly higher centre rear seat, particularly with adults either side.
The Colorado is a good-looking unit, so it follows that the Z71, the Colorado line-up's top dog, should be the best-looking vehicle in the entire range. And it is. Look at the photos yourself and make up your own mind.
The Z71's black highlights everywhere, the roof rails, side steps and fold-away tonneau cover add functionality to the flashiness.
Under its slick exterior, the Z71 sits on a steel ladder-frame chassis.
There may be no mechanical differences between the Z71 and other similarly-powered Colorado utes, but this is not merely a sticker-pack special – this is something more substantial than that. Don't believe me? Keep reading.
The GR Sport is not only the most expensive HiLux; its 2270kg kerb weight also makes it the heaviest model in the fleet.
It shares the Rogue's 3050kg GVM and 780kg payload ratings, with the latter being 160kg less than a 'narrow-track' SR5 equivalent.
The GR Sport is also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer but with its 5850kg GCM rating (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) that leaves a payload limit of only 80kg. And that would only allow for a driver - and not a large one at that.
Fact is, not many (if any) GR Sport owners would need to tow 3.5 tonnes, but it's important to be mindful of these figures if you do.
The unlined load tub is 1570mm long, 1645mm wide and 495mm deep, so the thickness of the GR Sport's drop-in composite liner slightly reduces each of these dimensions.
With 1105mm between the wheel housings, it can't fit a standard 1165mm-square Aussie pallet, but will take a Euro. There are four load-anchorage points and the hefty tailgate has no lower/raise assistance.
Cabin storage starts with a large bottle holder and narrow bin in each front door, plus an overhead glasses holder, upper and lower glove boxes (with the upper having access to air-con) and pop-out cupholders on either side of the dash.
The centre console offers open storage up front, two small bottle/cupholders in the centre and a small lidded box at the back, with a padded and contoured lid that doubles as an elbow rest.
Rear passengers get a bottle holder and bin in each door, pockets on each front seat backrest and a fold-down centre armrest with two more cupholders.
The 60/40-split seat bases can swing up and be stored vertically if more internal cargo space if required. This also reveals two handy underfloor storage compartments.
The Z71 has a Colorado carry-over interior, which is nice and simple, with some Z71 branding stitched in the front seats.
For starters, there are grab handles for the driver and front passenger – I'm a big fan of grab handles.
The dash is a basic layout – but made family-friendly with expanses of tough plastic and soft-touch leather – and it has everything you need. The centre console houses an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and standard nav.
There is a USB port in the centre-bin, and there's a 12V socket in the back of that bin for back-seat passengers.
The cabin is reasonably comfortable; the front seats – in fact all of the Z71's seats – err on the side of firm rather than being well-cushioned. But, even in the back seat, when I sat behind my driving position, I had ample head- and leg-room.
There are the usual collection of storage spaces around the cabin – sunglasses, glove box, door pockets, seat-back pockets – but a long centre-bin lid impedes access to the cupholders in between driver and front-seat passenger, and there are no cupholders in the back seat's fold-down centre arm-rest.
There are shallow storage spots under the rear seats, one of which contains your jack etc.
Overall fit and finish is impressive without being spectacular, but that's fine with me.
The tray is 1484mm long, 1534mm wide (1122mm between the wheel-arches) and 466mm high. Back there, you get Premium DuraGuard Spray–on tub liner, which seems sturdy and durable, as well as four solid tie-down points.
Our 'Feverish Red' GR Sport test vehicle is available only with a unique 165kW/550Nm performance-enhanced version of the ubiquitous '1GD-FTV' 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine and 'AC60F' six-speed torque converter automatic, for a list price of $73,990.
That's $3230 more than the Rogue from which it's derived, making the GR Sport the most expensive offering in the HiLux range. Our example also features the two-tone premium paint option (black roof) which adds another $1000.
The GR Sport shares much of its standard equipment list with the Rogue, including smart entry/start, LED lights, rear privacy glass, dual-zone climate control, one USB port, one 220V domestic socket and two 12V sockets in the cabin (but no USBs for rear passengers), 4.2-inch driver's info display and nine-speaker JBL premium sound with 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen and multiple connectivity including Android and (wireless) Apple devices, to name a few.
It also brings a suite of unique GR Sport features beyond chassis and engine enhancements (see Design), starting with gloss black 17-inch alloys and 265/65R17 Bridgestone Dueller AT tyres with a full-size alloy spare.
There's also a unique GR Sport front bumper, fascia, mesh grille, satin dark grey wheel-arch extensions, gloss black rear bumper/door handles/mirror caps/body badging, front underbody skid plate, red rear recovery points, heavy-duty steel rock-rails, five-piece moulded composite load tub-liner with GR-branded headboard/anti-slip floor and 3500kg tow-bar and wiring harness.
The interior also gets a unique GR Sport treatment with suede and leather-accented sports seats with GR logos, leather-accented steering wheel with GR logo and paddle-shifters, aluminium sports pedals, contrasting red seatbelts on all seats, unique 'technical mesh' trim on dash and door linings, instrument panel GR logo on start-up and all-weather floor mats with GR logos for driver and front passenger.
The Z71 auto 4x4 dual-cab has a list price of $57,490 MSRP. Our test vehicle is $59,260 MSRP because, over and above its comprehensive list of Z71 features (and those from cheaper variants), it has an electric brake controller ($740), and a towing package ($1030).
The Z71-specific features include a heap of style-based stuff, such as black fender flares, new front fascia, roof rails, and stickers on the bonnet, as well as 18-inch grey alloys (on Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts), sailplane sports bar, black highlights everywhere – including exterior door handles, mirrors and tailgate handle.
But the Z71 buyer gets plenty of useable real-world stuff such as roof rails, soft-drop tailgate, fold-away tonneau cover, and decent underbody protection.
There's also a leather-wrapped steering wheel and leather seats.
It has a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel Duramax engine, six-speed automatic transmission, a part-time 4WD system and a rear limited slip differential.
Bonus: there are plenty of genuine Holden-designed, -engineered and -tested accessories, including frontal protection bars, LED light bars, extended sports bars and more, that are probably available for your Colorado.
There's still some fight left in Toyota's Euro 5-compliant 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, given Toyota engineers have squeezed an extra 15kW and 50Nm from it via ECU tweaks to turbocharger and fuel injection calibrations.
This 10 per cent increase in power and torque makes the GR Sport the most powerful diesel HiLux ever, with 165kW at 3000rpm and a sizeable 550Nm available between 1600-2800rpm.
The smooth-shifting six-speed torque converter automatic has also been recalibrated to optimise the engine's increased outputs, with faster shifting and a more direct and responsive feel in auto mode and when sequential manual-shifting, using the steering wheel-mounted paddles.
Economical highway cruising is assured with overdrive on fifth and sixth gears and there's part-time, dual-range 4x4 with a switchable rear diff-lock.
The Z71 has a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel Duramax engine (147kW at 3600rpm and 500Nm at 2000rpm), six-speed automatic transmission, a part-time 4WD system and a rear limited slip differential.
Toyota claims average combined cycle consumption of 8.1L/100km. At the completion of our 317km test, which was a mix of city, suburban and highway driving including our GVM test, our figure based on fuel bowser and tripmeter readings came in at 10.1L/100km.
That's within the usual 2.0-3.0L/100km discrepancy between official figures and real-world numbers and not bad for a high-riding ute weighing more than 2.2 tonnes in mostly urban use.
So, based on our figures, the GR Sport should have a realistic driving range nudging 800km from its 80-litre tank.
Our dash display read 7.9L/100km, but we recorded actual fuel consumption on test of 9.7L/100km. It has a 76-litre fuel tank, so expect an approximate driving range of 753km (according to our on-test fuel consumption), factoring in a 30km safety buffer.
On our towing loop, of more than 200km total, the dash was showing 14.5L/100km, but we recorded an actual fuel-consumption figure of 15.5L/100km. Expect an approximate driving range of 460km (according to our on-test fuel consumption), factoring in a 30km safety buffer.
The rock-rail steps and handles on the A pillars ease climbing aboard. Although drivers of most widths and lengths can find a comfortable position, a bit more extension for the steering wheel's reach adjustment would be welcome as arms can feel too outstretched for some body types.
On the road the GR Sport feels like a more responsive version of the Rogue, with a well-planted wide-track feel and slightly firmer ride combined with the livelier response of the engine's higher outputs and the transmission's sharper shifting, particularly when using the paddles.
The differences are noticeable, but not substantial. The acceleration from standing starts feels about on par with the Ranger's 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo four.
And although the GR Sport's rear stabiliser bar has been removed to improve rear axle travel off-road, it has also improved rear-wheel traction when cornering, which combined with the engine's higher output contributes to increased low-speed power understeer. This is most noticeable in roundabouts.
Toyota's loyal adherence to hydraulic-assistance for its power steering produces a slightly heavier and more linear feel than the electronically-assisted system preferred by major rivals, which produce more noticeable changes in turning weight between highway and parking bay. However, it does provide good overall feel and response in this application.
The GR Sport is relatively quiet to drive, with low engine and tyre noise and a feeling of rock-solid build quality. It's also a low-stressed highway cruiser, requiring only 1600rpm to maintain 100km/h and barely 1750rpm at 110km/h.
To test its load-carrying ability we forklifted 650kg into the tub which with driver equalled a total payload of 740kg that was only about 40kg under its legal limit.
The rear suspension compressed 40mm, leaving 60mm of bump-stop clearance which was more than ample in avoiding any bottoming-out during our test run.
The higher centre of gravity created by this load was noticeable during cornering, but when driven at sensible speeds the wide-track suspension provided a stable and sure-footed platform on sealed and unsealed roads.
Its 550Nm of torque made light work of our 13 per cent-gradient, 2.0km-long set-climb at 60km/h, self-shifting down to third gear and 2500rpm to effortlessly pull this load to the summit with minimal accelerator pedal. Load-hauling ability has always been a HiLux strength.
Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, was not as strong but consistent with similar tests conducted with this engine.
The Z71 has a steel ladder-frame chassis, double-wishbone front suspension and leaf-spring live rear axle, so it's more aligned with heavy-duty work than smooth on-road performance.
Having said that, the Z71 is quite settled over most surfaces, including highway bitumen and rough back-road backtop, and at most speeds – rather impressive for an unladen ute.
Steering is a bit floaty, with some play in it, and there is noticeable understeer on corners.
The engine is one of the torquiest in the current-day ute mob – only matched by V6 utes – and it delivers that torque quite evenly and smoothly across the rev range. The Duramax turbo-diesel can, however, be noisy, and because of that it seems like it's working hard, though it never feels too stressed, even when towing a caravan that has a caravan with a tare (empty) weight of 2600kg.
There's plenty of life in terms of acceleration with active pedal-feel but, when it comes time to pulling up to a fast stop on front disc and rear drum brakes, the brake pedals are rather spongy.
The six-speed auto is generally spot-on for all duties, although it did occasionally down-shift with an extra violence of action when it didn't really need to.
Ride and handling are pretty good, with its Aussie-tuned suspension (including traditional-ute leaf-springs at the rear) doing a decent job of sorting everything evenly, and it was only ever rattled by very severe bumps, wash-outs, and ruts at lower speeds, i.e. during low-range 4WDing.
The Z71's on-road performance and refinement are generally not as polished as segment leaders, but that's nowhere near a deal-breaker.
The HiLux boasts a maximum five-star ANCAP rating achieved in 2019. It has seven airbags plus AEB with pedestrian and daytime cyclist detection, lane departure alert, active cruise control, road speed-sign assist, downhill assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, reversing camera and more.
The rear seat offers ISOFIX child-seat mounts on the two outer seating positions plus top-tether restraints on all three seating positions.
The Colorado line-up has a five-star ANCAP rating as a result of testing in 2016.
Safety gear includes seven airbags, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, Forward Collision Alert), Lane Departure Warning, a tyre-pressure-monitoring system, Hill Descent Control, Hill Start Assist, Trailer Sway Control and Roll Over Mitigation.
Toyota covers the HiLux with a five-year/unlimited km warranty which is extended to seven years on engine and driveline.
Scheduled servicing remains conspicuously short at six months/10,000km, whichever occurs first.
Capped-price service pricing of $290 for each of the first six scheduled services works out at $580 per year.
Holden offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty across the Colorado range, with servicing required every 12 months or 12,000km. Capped price servicing applies over seven years/ 84,000km with the average annual cost over three years working out to be $405.