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By
EWAN KENNEDY
19 November 2007
We have just spent an enjoyable week in one of Australia's newest sporty
cars. The just released VE Commodore ute in SV6 format. That’s right,
a sporty car; if you’re not in constant touch with the automotive
scene you may be surprised to realise that utes, particularly Commodore
and Falcon utes, are the new cool machines in Oz, the latest in hot
two-door performance cars.
Performance cars with very large boots! There's room back there
for all sorts of interesting stuff, trail bikes, scuba gear, piles
of golf clubs and much more.
The new VE Commodore ute looks great. Big guards, wheel-arch
vents, El Camino style B-pillar, sleek tailgate and, on the SV
editions a deeper front spoiler that attracts a lot of admiring
looks. Finish this off in a wild green paint scheme that seems to
glow in the dark and the result is a ute to be proud of. And all
this Aussie muscle machine for a mere $35,990. Way under the price
of a European thoroughbred sports car.
It’s not only the outside that works brilliantly. There are
plenty of clever ideas to enhance the usefulness inside the new
ute. At the rear of the cabin the rear bulkhead has been moved
slightly rearwards compared with the superseded VZ Commodore. This
gives the VE extra in-cab space because the bulkhead now sits
almost vertically. The tradition has been to slope it forward at
the base to maximise the tray area at floor level. But now there's
space behind the rear seat for tools, bags, laptops, and so on,
that’s both secure and well out of the weather.
There are a couple of extra storage spots underneath the front
of the tray that are accessible from inside the cabin.
The soft tonneau fitted as standard to the SV6 can be rolled up
and stowed neatly behind the seats, a lot better than having it
cluttering up the load area when it’s not in use.
The tray is slightly shorter and narrower than previously but
is higher and still of a decent size. Check for yourself if the
dimensions are critical, though most buyers seem to find it’s OK
in these early days.
All new Commodore utes have a strong moulded plastic liner.
Tie-down hooks are of a new design and are strong and easy to use.
But the corners of the hooks are relatively sharp so beware damage
to your legs while you are loading, and also be careful at stowing
fragile cargo.
The VE ute has the high-performance version of the V6 engine,
producing 195 kW. Most drivers will find it has more than enough
performance because the ute is lighter than the sedan, and there's
nothing wrong with the four-door’s performance.
Performance was further assisted on our test car by the fitment
of a six-speed manual gearbox. It’s not the lightest or slickest
unit on the market, but works reasonably well for a unit that’s
handling a lot of torque. In any case, you can skip shift so often
that frequently only three changes are needed to get from first to
sixth. Experienced drivers will delight in the way the gearbox can
be used in this manner.
Not so good is the handbrake. It seems the guys in the
ergonomics department were out of town on the day the stylists
slipped this one past them. The action of the handbrake is awkward
and some will find it necessary to use two hands to get enough
pressure on the unit if the ute is parked on a slope. Much as we
dislike leaving a car parked in gear (because of the damage that
can be caused to the ‘box if someone hits the vehicle while it’s
unattended) we found ourselves being forced to do so for safety
reasons.
You don’t buy a sporting ute to save fuel, but it’s nice if
you can do so at the same time as you enjoy the engine’s
performance. Clever engineering work has given us a ute that’s
capable of using fewer than nine litres per hundred kilometres in
country driving, and which will generally consume about 11 to 13
litres per hundred in suburban running. That’s with sensible
driving, put your foot down to really get the maximum from the
3.6-litre six and you will pay at the bowser.
ESP (Electronic Stability Program) is standard on all ute
models. A smart move as a vehicle that’s light in the rear can
be a handful when driven by an inexperienced person on slippery
surfaces.
Special attention has been given to recalibrating the ESP and
the suspension to work properly with this sporting ute model. It’s
not quite as good as a Commodore sedan as far as noise reduction
and refinement of ride are concerned. But it really does come
pretty close. The designers have done an excellent job in this
area. Apart from wind rush around the wing mirrors and A-pillars,
the cabin’s generally as quiet as a sedan’s, with even gravel
and dirt roads not intruding a great deal.
The SV6 feels surprisingly nimble heading into corners thanks
to good weight distribution. It can be cornered at speeds well
above those likely to be attempted by sensible folks, and the
not-so-sensible ones have ESP on standby if they go a bit over the
odds. Though nothing will save them if they go beyond that again.
Holden's new sports VE Commodore SV6 ute gives you a lot of
passion and performance for a very modest outlay. It’s no
surprise that it’s attracting a lot of attention from the young,
and the young at heart, in its early days on the market.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Omega 3.6-litre two-door utility - $30,990
SV6 3.6-litre two-door utility - $35,990
SS 6.0-litre two-door utility - $39,990
SS V 6.0-litre two-door utility - $46,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: No-cost option in Omega, $1000 option in
SV6, $2000 option in SS and SSV
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Standard in all models
Traction Control: Standard in all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Holden Ute SV6 3.6-litre two-door utility)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 3.564 litres
Configuration: V6
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.2:1
Bore/Stroke: 94.0 x 85.6 mm
Maximum Power: 195 kW @ 6500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 340 Nm @ 2600 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Five-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 2.92:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 5040 mm
Wheelbase: 3009 mm
Width: 1899 mm
Height: 1480 mm
Turning Circle: 11.7 metres
Kerb Mass: 1735 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 73 litres
Towing Ability: 1600 kg with braked trailer
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: MacPherson strut, progressive rate coil springs,
direct acting stabiliser bar
Rear Suspension: Multi-link independent, progressive rate coil
springs, stabiliser bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated Disc
Rear Brakes: Ventilated Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: NA
Standing 400 Metres: NA
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Petrol 91RON or 95RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): NA
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000 km
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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