Just months after launching in mid-2013, Holden’s Colorado 7 SUV received a serious power upgrade that saw the output of it's 2.8L turbo diesel engine leap by 17kw to a muscular 147kw.

This was enough to catapult it from a mid-pack, placing among its diesel powered peers, to right near the head of the leading bunch. It really begs the question, why didn’t Holden launch the Colorado 7 with this much lustier engine? No one seems sure of the answer, but it’s unquestionably a far superior motor to its predecessor.

Other changes in addition to the extra heavy artillery that is now locked and loaded in the engine bay is some additional technology including a 7 inch colour touch-screen with MyLink – Pandora, Stitcher, TuneIn, BringGo, Siri Eyes free Integration. Another neat idea is displaying the rear view camera imagery on the Mylink screen located in the centre console.

Essentially the Colorado 7 is a station wagon version of the Holden Colorado Ute with both vehicles offering similar off-road abilities. This is one of the few Ute based station wagons left on our market. However in 2015, Ford is expected to launch a station wagon derivative of their top selling Ranger Ute.

• The 2.8 litre common rail turbo-diesel, a product of Italian diesel engine maker VM is a totally reformed character that now packs a hefty 147kw worth of grunt and 500nm of torque. While these sort of imposing figures are enough to make buyers sit up and take notice.
• The greatly improved refinement and lower noise levels should also silence critics of the previous motor. For a Ute based vehicle this one swallows long distances with car like ease. While the engine volume switch has been turned down a good few notches, at speeds in the 50km/h to 70km/h bracket, it still sounds a bit coarse. This suggests the while refinement programme the engine was subjected to has made measurable improvements, it doesn’t really earn a tick in the “Job done” box.

The re-energized engine provides the perfect stage for the intuitive six-speed automatic to move up a cog and showcase its talents. These include gear changes executed with clockwork precision that are so good, that the gearbox was rarely wrong footed or caught on the hop by any of the many and varied driving conditions it faced under my watch.

A large passenger compartment that comfortably fits five-to-seven adults is a real strength of this vehicle. Entering and leaving the cabin is easy via wide opening front and rear doors. When the third row of seats are snot in use there is an expansive flat cargo floor area that will have owners with serious load lugging intention drooling in anticipation.

The Colorado 7 is made in General Motor’s new factory in Thailand a country where several other top selling Utes are now built. While a genuine off-road bruiser, it has a softer side with plenty of car like technology including Bluetooth connectivity, power windows, two auxiliary power outlets, USB port plus an iPod compatible audio system.

For a hard line cross-country warrior this one packs an impressive safety punch. Heading an extensive list of safety features are electronic stability control, dual front airbags and full-length curtain airbags that extend to the third row of seats. As part of the latest Colorado 7 upgrade Trailer Sway Control is fitted and given the amount of towing this model will see as part of its regular workload this is a very smart and potentially life saving piece of kit.

The Colorado 7’s chassis is engineered independently of the ute to ensure it is has a greater focus on people comfort. However, both vehicles they share the same independent double wishbone front end. Beyond that they plot different paths with the 7, adopting a five-link live axle rear set up and coil springs both front and rear. A part time four-wheel drive system with transfer case, low and high ratio gears, Limited Slip Differential plus Hill Descent Control, along with good ground clearance make it a real off-road commando.

The suspension is supple, but only just, to maintain reasonable levels of ride comfort on both tarmac and tussock. Despite this gentler side it still retains the teak like toughness to haul 3.5 tonne. The suspension is set up for hard grind, not hard cornering. The body roll that is all part of the package in a vehicle of this height and bulk, requires a circumspect approach to cornering, especially those that are reasonably tight. If that doesn’t convince driver then the rather vague and waffle steering certainly will.

My cross-country sojourns were largely over some moderately steep farm and forestry tracks, all of which were easily dealt to by the test vehicle. Moving between 2WD and high and low 4WD simply requires a flick of a rotary dial switch on the dashboard. These are an absolute breeze to use compared to the fiddly floor mounted gear levers normally found in Ute based wagons.