First things first, this is not an HSV Colorado. Instead, it is a Holden Colorado SportsCat by HSV.

It’s an important distinction as HSV felt disingenuous to apply its full branding to a vehicle that lacks its traditional power upgrade. Yes, the SportsCat retains the same 2.8-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder as the standard Colorado, producing 147kW/440Nm in manual guise with the auto adding another 60Nm.

Most obvious are the SportsCat’s visual enhancements, consisting of a new fascia and grille, LED fog lamps and tow hooks, hard tonneau, rear sports bar, tailgate applique, wheel arch flares and 18 x 10-inch forged alloy wheels. The range-topping SportsCat+ adds a bonnet bulge and a ‘casselated’ treatment for the wheel arch flares.

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Production of the SportsCat models is scheduled to start in January at HSV’s new production facility in Clayton with pricing to be confirmed closer to the release date.