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By
EWAN KENNEDY
23 October 2006
The Holden VZ Commodore has been made to look somewhat
old-fashioned by the introduction of the stunning new VE range. Which
certainly isn’t a problem if you’re looking to buy a new Holden
sedan.
But the VZ utes are suffering because the introduction of the
VE commercial range is still some time off. Holden decision to put
its engineering resources and dollars into bringing forward the
program for the Statesman and Caprice is the reason behind the
delayed release of the new utes.
Holden's design and marketing teams have leapt into action to
try and give the VZ utes a bit of visual punch to keep them active
in the sales race. A punch that has been improved by the
introduction of the 260 kW 6.0-litre Gen 4 engine as seen in the
VE range to the special SS Thunder.
Taming the big engine is a set of brakes featuring red
paint-out on the calipers, with ‘Holden’ boldly displayed on
the big front units.
Also on the red side – this is not a vehicle for the shy and
retiring types – is the bright leather used in the twin bucket
seats.
The ute thunder theme has been a major success for Holden in
the past so it made a lot of sense to build more thunder into the
visual part of the equation. And while they were at that dress-up
game, why not add a bit of Monaro to the recipe? Monaro wheels for
example, and not just any Monaro wheels, but the stunning 18-inch
numbers first seen on the special edition Monaro CV8-R.
These big wheels and tyres are amply set off by a bold hard
tonneau carrying twin-aero styling that makes the clear point this
is a sports ute not a mundane load hauler.
The VZ to VE crossover continues with the offering of a big
range of colours for the SS Thunder, including that fabulous
orange shade called Ignition that features strongly in the VE
advertising campaign.
Thundering along with a big V8 under the bonnet in the special
edition Holden SS Thunder ute will set you back $42,990 (plus
on-roads). That’s whether you specify a six-speed manual gearbox
or an four-speed automatic transmission uprated to suit the added
engine power. Holden says the extra equipment adds $3000 in value,
but charges only $500 more to supply it.
If you’re not really into the full Thunder from Holden
there's now a real bargain on offer in the ute range. The old VZ S
ute has been replaced by a model tagged the SV6 to align it with
the VE sedan range.
This model is bargain priced from only $33,990 with a manual
gearbox. Fitting an automatic, now the five-speed unit as used in
the VE, not the old four-speed, only adds $1000 to the price.
Again on-road costs have to be factored in.
Somewhat oddly, the manual gearbox sits behind a 187 kW engine,
whereas the auto models get another three kilowatts to bring them
up to 190. These engines are variations on the latest Alloytec
High Output units from the VE range.
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Marque Publishing Company
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