Holden Commodore SV6 Ute 2008 Review

Road Test

About our ratings

With the introduction of the VE light commercial range, Holden has jumped emphatically into the recreational users' camp.

For those who can still justify a traditional Aussie ute for commercial purposes and wouldn't consider Ford's Falcon, there's the entry-level Omega Ute. Mostly however, the VE Ute is aimed at those who will cart tents, scuba gear, mountain and motocross bikes, skis, canoes and all the other paraphernalia of a fun weekend away from home -- and if it can convey tools of trade and materials during the week, so much the better.

The basic Omega is outnumbered by the SV6, SS and the SS-V sport utes. As the name suggests, the SV6 is fitted with the higher performance (195kW) Alloytec V6, whereas the SS and SS-V are fitted with the 6.0-litre V8.

While drivers who are serious about straight-line grunt will prefer the V8 variants, the SV6 remains a quick car from A to B, even if the fastest route between the two is the scenic one. Indeed, that is undoubtedly the SV6's forte. The SV6 Ute has been designed for selfish drivers. Only one other person can share the car -- and that passenger may find the ride is firm, but not harsh -- and there's no opportunity to appreciate the steering and handling quite the way the driver can.

But that's the point. The driver will embrace the SV6 Ute for its exceptional roadholding... Not just exceptional by the standards of light commercial vehicles, either. The car corners very responsively, with good turn-in. Handling is throttle-sensitive when pushed harder, but there's no camber change or serious lift-off oversteer characteristics. Sudden changes of direction, off-camber corners or corners that tighten up cause the SV6 Ute few difficulties at all.

The IRS is a multi-link system which provides very high levels of road-holding and traction. It's more likely to induce oversteer on a trailing throttle than with the throttle wide open, such is the system's tenacious grip. Even then, the SV6 has standard ESP to right anything awry.

Complementing the car's cornering ability, the brakes feel over-assisted initially, but proved to be highly dependable for repeated hard braking on a stretch of winding road.

The engine is highly tractable, but the gear shift and throttle set-up conspire to make driving the SV6 unnecessarily demanding when not in maximum attack mode. If you give it enough throttle to let it rev and force the gear shifter through the gate, it's actually a smoother ride and easier to shift gear.

The SV6 engine doesn't sound especially sweet. There's a deep note as per an XU1 motor, but it's stuck with that typical V6 resonance, which isn't that loveable. It is purposeful sounding though -- and it's willing enough to rev.

Even though the V6 develops peak torque of 340Nm from a relatively low 2600rpm and the overall gearing of the SV6 in first and sixth gears is lower than for the V8-engined SS, the SV6 remains a car that clearly has a point to prove on a fast, twisty stretch of road -- rather than the drag strip.

The engine doesn't lack for torque at lower engine speeds and has plenty of midrange and top-end (right through to redline), but at lower speeds, it's more the load-lugging sort of torque appropriate for a commercial vehicle -- not tyre-shredding stuff.

With its low profile tyres (245/45 R18) and the IRS system defeating fast starts in the street drags scenario, the SV6 is to the SS what a motocrosser is to a drag bike.

A problem for the cross-country cut-and-thrust driving style is the down-change from third to second, which is not easily accomplished if you're trying to match engine speed to road speed. The gear shift is generally ponderous, with a rubbery shift action.

From fourth to third is fine, so it would seem the dogleg is a hindrance and that may reflect on the transmission's origins in LHD markets. As mentioned already, the gear shift demands to be brutalised by the driver. If you attempt to drive it smoothly, it throws such an attempt back in your face. There's a bit of driveline shunt during low-torque gear changes and it's like letting the clutch out twice. It's better to slam it through the gears and let the engine rev a bit for best effect.

In the view of the tester, the lock-out on reverse gear should be a different mechanism (ie: pull-up collar under the gear knob) or the reverse gear gate should be placed somewhere else. With first gear a stretch from the right side of the cabin, it's possible to keep pushing past the lock-out and get reverse instead, until you're familiar with the spring loading for the first gear gate.

On the freeway, wind noise is the most plaintive source of noise, but the SV6 is still very quiet, compared with earlier generations of ute. There's a bit of bass boom from the drivetrain, and the tyres (which are otherwise very quiet) are more distinctly audible over coarse bitumen. The suspension can occasionally be heard working over badly formed roads.

Around town, the SV6 copes well with stop/start traffic and will actually idle along at an indicated 6km/h in first gear before the driver needs to depress the clutch. That's about the same speed as a slow jog.

That brings us to the disparity between the analogue and digital speed read-outs. Digital speeds are displayed in the trip computer read-out in the centre of the instrument binnacle. Scrolling through the different trip computer settings and data is straight-forward, facilitated through the 'Info' toggle on the left steering wheel spoke, however, the digital read-out indicates a speed a couple of km/h higher than the analogue speedo. The trip computer also displayed range travelled and distance to empty.

According to the trip computer, fuel consumption averaged 11.5L/100km over the time the car was in our possession. A highway and country roads trip to Apollo Bay lowered the consumption to 11.0L/100km neat despite the not inconsiderable load the SV6 was carrying.

We should mention at this stage the amenity offered by the SV6's load bed and tonneau. Though the lack of lockable storage may affect some (who perhaps should look at buying a wagon), the standard soft tonneau works well, incorporating both a taught-top channel fixture and more traditional elasticised rope and clip back-up. The latter worked well securing the tonneau over a holiday load of five pushbikes, two sets of golf clubs, fishing gear, a brace of boogie boards et al!

Other features fitted to the SV6 Ute on test included cruise control, electric seat height adjustment, remote control switchgear on steering wheel spokes for audio system, optional six-disc ($595) CD audio system, 12V auxiliary power outlet inside the centre console storage bin, electric windows/mirrors, driver's footrest, electro-chromatic mirror, auto-on headlights, override switch for the ESP and the two storage bins either side of the cabin, set in the cabin bulkhead behind the seats.

Beneath those are mounted the battery (passenger side) and the jack (driver side). These items are located virtually amidships, contributing to the Ute's weight distribution.

To reach the battery and jack or to place articles behind the seats, the seats can be tilted forward with a quick release mechanism on the side of the seat, around shoulder height. Yanking the seat forward is easier in the Holden than the HSV equivalent, the Maloo, which has a different release mechanism for the seat and is a handful -- a case of the basic Holden doing the job better.

The seats themselves are comfortable enough, but it's a good idea to ensure that the tilt of the base is set up correctly so the driver's posterior won't slide forward under heavy braking (submarining), although this wasn't a significant concern.

From the driver's seat, the field of vision is a mark against the Ute. We've frequently complained about the VE Holden's thick A pillars, which could easily obscure a cyclist [Ed: or small SUV!] at a roundabout. The main problem rests with the field of vision to the rear and rear three-quarters. Exterior mirrors work acceptably well, but with the tonneau fitted, it's difficult to establish where the car ends and over-the-shoulder 'head checks' on lane changing yield little if anything other than a view of the B/C pillar.

The Ute is built on the same wheelbase as the Statesman, so it's not exactly short and the optional park distance sensors ($495) for this car are highly recommended. Without them, it's either park-by-touch or park by blind faith in one's sense of spatial relationships.

Remaining on the subject of vision, the Ute's headlights are not really adequate in this day and age. High beam is good, but low beam lacks power to do much more than alert other drivers of your presence. Once out of the built-up areas, they're just not up to the job.

As far as controls and switchgear were concerned, the instruments are easy to read and switches are -- contrary to modern ergonomic practice -- clearly labelled with text to describe the switch's function. That works for us...

As usual, we can't leave a VE Holden go without mentioning the handbrake, which is like a sawn-off shotty when you want a 9mm handgun. There's nothing subtle or delicate about the way it works. It feels cheap and it can snag the fingers, thumbs and webbing of the unwary. In the press vehicle it also seemed to be in need of adjustment, coming up a long way before engaging the brakes.

The other functional aspect of the cabin that gave us pause for thought was the requirement to depress the clutch before starting the engine. It's a practice that Hyundai, to name one company, has promoted in its cars over many years, but we know Holden is going global when this feature finds its way into a Ute.

Looking back over this review, it's clear that the SV6 Ute is not by any means perfect. There are some relatively obvious flaws, which hopefully Holden will resolve with the next model, but the SV6 Ute offers a lot of virtues that do compensate for those flaws.

Those flaws are minor irritations which are soon forgotten or overlooked, whereas the virtues of the car will leave you pleasantly surprised and grinning like a monkey ages after the drive.

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