Chevrolet High Country tops expanded Colorado line-up

With the new move, Chevrolet now offers a full range of pickup trucks for Vietnam customers.

The ‘High Country’ nameplate takes inspiration from Chevrolet’s top-level full-size pickup truck sold in North America and top-level mid-size truck in Brazil.

High Country is distinctively American in character, adding upmarket design enhancements that complement the vehicle’s upcountry capability with a bold sense of urban style.

The new model is built at GM’s Rayong Assembly Plant in Thailand, using a Duramax diesel engine supplied by GM Powertrain Thailand, and is exported to many markets in the region.

“There are truck customers who want more in addition to great on and off-road performance and hauling capability – the kind that Colorado offers at every trim level. They also want to stand out in a crowd. For them, High Country is not going to be just a great work truck, it’s also a great lifestyle statement that says a lot about them and their will to succeed,” said Hai Le Thanh, GM Vietnam Head of Sales and Marketing.

High Country also underscores Chevrolet’s new focus on models that build on the brand’s storied “tough truck” heritage. GM introduced the first Chevrolet pickup truck in America several decades ago, and has contributed many innovations to the segment since.

With High Country, Chevrolet has spared no efforts in aiming it at the higher echelon of the urban populace. Exterior enhancements help differentiate it from other pickup trucks in Thailand, including Dark Chrome Mask headlamps, dual tone light grey and black grille and nudge bar and a glossy B-pillar veneer.

Further separating it from the pack are transverse roof-rack bars, a stylised sports bar, chromed rear-door belt-line molding, and mirror scalps. Completing the upmarket look is a chromed/blackened tailgate handle while a set of 18-inch wheels give High Country an imposing and distinctly urban appearance.

Enhancements also have been executed inside High Country to bring it up to par with its new, upmarket role in the revamped Colorado lineup.

For a start, the driver’s seat comes with electrically-powered six-way adjustments. While on the subject of seats, those in the High Country are finished in new premium-grade ‘Brown Stone’ leather. Complementing this is a dashboard, center console and steering wheel finished in glossy ‘Piano Black’ trim.

High Country also comes equipped with smart media featuring smartphone connectivity, pictures, videos and navigation system. Once connected, options such as Audio, Pictures and Movies, Telephone, Smartphone Link and Settings are projected on the Colorado's touch screen. Users can access personal playlists and make hands-free voice calls, amongst other functions.

The leather steering wheel allows users to control the audio system and answer phone calls. These features are best in class in Vietnam. Users can also adjust the door locks, lighting system and speed-compensated volume while keeping their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel.

To help drivers maneuver in Bangkok’s tight urban confines, High Country comes equipped with a rear view camera that activates when reverse gear is engaged. The area behind the vehicle is shown on the on-board touch-screen colour display with dynamic guidelines that show the vehicle’s potential coverage area. The projected coverage area changes its orientation according to steering inputs.

“High Country’s upgraded enhancements are tailor-made to appeal to urban customers who want the interior refinement and technological features of a premium passenger car and exterior styling that is tough enough for the work site but cool enough for date night,” said Una Tan, marketing director, Chevrolet Sales Thailand.

Powering High Country is the GM’s proven second-generation Duramax four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, making the truck the most powerful and torquey in its class.

The 2.8L variant features 147 kW (200 hp) of power at 3600 rpm and 500 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm, producing output equivalent to or better than larger, less efficient competitor engines. The engine provides excellent acceleration straight-line performance and payload capacity.

The engine’s control module – its brains – feature GM-developed software for quicker response and added accuracy to keep the engine operating at peak output and efficiency under any given conditions. The Duramax 2.8-liter is Euro-4 compliant.

In terms of active and passive safety, High Country features two airbags in front, in addition to other features such as Traction Control System (TCS), Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA) and Panic Brake Assist (PBA), and some others.

The Colorado is Chevrolet’s most important product in the region, and High Country is designed to help grow Chevrolet’s share of the pickup truck segment overall.

The model competes in the many Southeast Asian markets’ most competitive segment, which grew 150 per cent in Vietnam in 2014 compared to 2013. The availability of the High Country is primed to raise purchase consideration for the entire Colorado line-up.

Earlier this year, GM Vietnam launched the full range of the Chevrolet Colorado, including the Colorado LTZ 2.8L AT 4x4, the Colorado LTZ 2.8L MT 4x4, the Colorado LT 2.5L MT 4x4 and the Colorado LT 2.5L MT 4x2.