Filed under: Sports/GTs, Trucks/Pickups, Holden, Australia
PickupTruck.com drives the Holden VE Ute
Our friends at PickupTruck.com have posted a "first drive" report on the new Holden VE Ute, and from the sounds of things, we really, really want Bob Lutz's GMC Caballero idea to come to fruition. The wheelman for PickupTruck.com was Aussie scribe James Stanford of GoAuto, and in addition to giving us the particulars about the slick, car-based pickup, he also gives us a quick backgrounder on Australian utes in general. It's interesting. For example, while Utes cost less and seat fewer humans than the sedans they're based on, they actually have better resale values. Where many people use the El Camino as a punchline here in the US, in the land of Oz, that's simply not the case. The Ute is a desirable vehicle Down Under, and it can be infused with a healthy dollop of badassedness.
The VE Ute makes no bones about its light-duty nature, with the SS boasting a peak cargo capacity of just a smidge over 1,300 pounds (less still if you go for the killer-looking 19" wheels). This isn't a shortcoming, however, as three-fourths of Holden Utes sold are sport-oriented, anyway. In this department, the VE Ute brings the goods, pumping out 362 horses in V8-powered SS trim via a six speed transmission (manual or automatic). Rear tires can be incinerated at will if that's your flavor, but the suspension is tuned so that attacking the curvy stuff's as fun as testing the Ute's straight-line capabilities. We won't steal the PickupTruck.com's thunder, beyond that. For the nitty gritty, you need to check out the review for yourself. Then, cross your fingers and hope that this Aussie beast follows its sedan cousin over here sometime in the future.
[Source: PickupTruck.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
TriShield 11:43AM (9/25/2007)
I will purchase one of these if GM sells it here. I really don't want to see it wearing GMC badges or have the word "Caballero" plastered anywhere on it though.
It's the same car as the Pontiac G8 with a different body on it. Let Pontiac sell it as a G8 variant.
http://img463.imageshack.us/img463/7140/untitledhi4.png
Please!
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Tyo 12:05PM (9/25/2007)
GMC Syclone might make sense.
Pontiac has never been known as a truck brand, but a g8 variant is probably what itll be
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SPG 5:03PM (9/25/2007)
Syclone!?
That's actually a really good idea.
Still, I think GMC should be making trucks.
Not cars or crossovers.
Chad 12:11PM (9/25/2007)
Blah, not a fan.
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TriShield 12:13PM (9/25/2007)
The Ute isn't a truck, it's a muscle car that can haul more than ass.
In addition to Caballero being an incredibly stupid name for a car this thing just doesn't fit GMC, the "Professional Grade" truck brand.
Pontiac is already selling the G8, this car is virtually identical to it, and Pontiac is a performance car brand. Pontiac should get it.
It would be a little weird to see the same car sitting in a Pontiac/GMC showroom with different badges on it.
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Chad 1:48PM (9/25/2007)
It's got 2 seats and a truck bed. I bet it'll have to be registered as a truck. So I'm thinking ......truck.
Justin 1:44PM (9/25/2007)
GMC Syclone please. Pontiac gets the car version, GMC gets the truck version.
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LoneWolf 2:18PM (9/25/2007)
What about Chevy El Camino?
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Joe K. 2:52PM (9/25/2007)
Lutz already stated, if it comes here, it will not be a Chevy. Thats why speculation is between GMC and Pontiac, it certainly is no Caddy or Buick, and since Pontiac already has the sedan form that it can keep the same front clip as, more than likely thats where i see it going. GMC would be nice, plus i would like to see what it would do with the front end, but in terms of recognition and such i wouldn't see why they would have it jump nameplates... G8 Ute...
TRRosen 2:52PM (9/25/2007)
should be noted ford also makes a car-up in Australia "the Ford Falcon" I saw one in a Delphi testing lab a while back.
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Barney 4:38PM (9/25/2007)
They have been making them for several decades.
TriShield 2:56PM (9/25/2007)
Lutz more or less said Chevrolet has too many models already. I also don't think GM wants to whether another retro-name storm if they apply El Camino to this car like they did the Monaro with the GTO name.
Chad, the Ute is a car despite whatever the government wants to register it as. They call the Dodge Magnum a "truck" too.
The Ute does not have a dedicated body-on-frame chassis engineered to be a truck. It's a stretched Pontiac G8 with a tray in place of the rear seat and trunk.
Not a truck, and not something GMC should be selling. Especially when they already have the Canyon with a V8 available this year.
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Chad 3:43PM (9/25/2007)
You seem to feel that being called a truck is bad? I'm not sure what part of it isn't a truck. The only difference is that it has a lower stance than a truck. So if it's marketed as a truck by GM would it be a truck then? What part of it isn't a truck?
It's very impractical I'll give it that. Most trucks these days can seat more than 2, but if you wanted something with just 2 seats and sporty there are much sportier choices out there such as the Solstice and the like. Maybe if you wanted something that could burn tires and never get any grip it would be a good choice. Other than that I'm not sure where it fits in.
dan 4:12PM (9/25/2007)
Impractical ... you ever try to bring home a new microwave in a Solstice?
Chad 4:32PM (9/25/2007)
That's what I'm saying. Truck buyers by trucks, and someone that wants a 2 seater sports car buys a 2 seater sports car. So this can haul a microwave and is therefore a truck. However there are much more practical truck brands out there. So I guess the target market for this is a single guy (because it's just 2 seats), that needs to haul stuff (because it IS a truck), but isn't going to tow much (because it isn't a full-size truck & doesn't have a truck frame). Pretty specific to be practical.
TriShield 5:50PM (9/25/2007)
It's not a truck because it's not a truck. It's no more a truck than the upcoming G8 is or the El Camino ever was.
Marketing it as a truck (which Holden does not, they sell a truck called the Rodeo) creates a very unrealistic expectation for this car here.
The Ute is not made to tow or haul HUGE loads. It is RWD muscle car that can fit whatever you put in the tray, can tow light loads like a boat. It also has none of the drawbacks of a truck like the big appetite for fuel, wafting ride or woeful driving dynamics.
I need a practical vehicle with an open tray to haul things around with. I used to own a fullsize truck and will never own another one. I would much rather have a car that can do all the work I ever used the K1500 4x4 for while still being comfortable and enjoyable to show, drive, and take to the drag strip or the twisting mountain roads here.
I recently drove a new Sierra Denali and a new Tundra and the dynamics compared to a car are atrocious. Both drive like American boats from the 1970s with more power. They are also hard to maneuver through city traffic and take more effort than I like to park. Call me crazy but none of those attributes add up to create what I would call a practical vehicle.
If you still don't understand the Ute you can read Holden's site to see exactly what it's all about.
www.evolutionendshere.com.au
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Daz 11:24PM (9/25/2007)
I drive a Ford equivalent XR6 Turbo Ute and it is extremely practical!
I can fit two motorbikes and camping gear in the tray, there is room
behind the seats in the cabin, and I can get 30.5MPG (9.3L/100km)
on the old highway getting there. It has leather seats and the sound
system is ok, 6 Speed ZF auto and climate control. It can tow
). It handles great, has a huge amount of torque,
Can carry 500kg (1111 lbs) and tow 1600kg (3555 lbs)
It is my personal executive express with a huge boot (trunk)
importjap 8:35PM (9/25/2007)
Haven't driven the Ute yet but the SS sedan is a fantastic drive. I can only imagine the ute is going to be a bit better, a little less weight.
A ute is not a truck, not even close. Utes are designed for tradesmen - throw your tools in, and off you go. Adding the 6L V8 is opulence and nothing more.
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Philthy 9:40PM (9/25/2007)
I think you're both right and wrong in a sense. The Ute down here is seen as either a light truck or sports-recreational car, depending on which model you opt for. It really is a bit of a chameleon. The SS is definitely on the far sporting side and can't haul much, but Holden will soon be releasing a one-tonner version with a separate aluminium bed with the suspension and load capacity to compete with light trucks like the Toyota Hilux or your Ford Ranger. Here's the previous model: http://img.drive.com.au/drive_images/Editorial/2006/01/23/23hol_leadimage.jpg
If GM figures out how to market this thing to America it could be a real hit, as there's no real competition for this vehicle up there. No sense in pitching it against sportscar buyers, they won't think it's sexy or focussed enough. It needs to be seen as a a sports-pickup that can really walk the walk in terms of handling. It could also be pitched at the Mustang musclecar crowd; this ute can be pretty devestating on the dragstrip.
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Daniel Cowan 10:14PM (9/25/2007)
What about a hybrid model? In a recent article, I saw people who didn't want GM wasting their money on a niche, but what about making a hybrid, or two mode hybrid? That should silence critics.
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