Safety comes first for tough utes

Colorado Crew Cab. Photo / Supplied

Holden and Toyota add muscle.

When the going gets tough, the tough get ... well, tougher it seems, with two utes that were launched recently in New Zealand.

Toyota has upgraded its Land Cruiser 70 Series with new double cab versions and improved safety.

The new double-cab body style (priced from $73,390) joins the single-cab hardtop (or Troop Carrier) and wagon and gains ABS brakes.

The Land Cruiser 70 has new front bucket and rear seats, and the improved seat designs have been fitted to double cab models. The new seats have an extended seat cushion made from visco-elastic foam and an additional 30mm of fore/aft slide adjustment. The rear seat in these models has a new, 42mm longer cushion for added comfort.

The Colorado Crew Cab range has gained bullbars and still retains its ANCAP five-star rating.

After assessing technical evidence, ANCAP announced that the popular aftermarket equipment would not affect the vehicle's safety rating.

Holden Australia's Steve Curtis says it is welcome news for private and fleet customers where the bullbar is a tool of trade.

"The bullbar was subject to rigorous crash and impact tests to ensure that it meets or exceeds Holden's and Australia's highest safety standards."

Launched in June, the Colorado boasts such safety features as Electronic Stability Control (ESC), ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), driver and front passenger airbags and full-length curtain airbags standard across the range.

The double-cab Colorado is priced from $59,990.