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There's nothing quite like driving a ute in Australia, the country that, at least by one account, invented the utility. In other countries utilities might be seen as working vehicles, in Australia they are lifestyle items. Our recent week of road testing the latest Holden SV6 ute, now equipped with the new SIDI 3.6-litre V6 demonstrated yet again that Aussies like to see and be seen in these hot looking vehicles.
No one understands this more than the designers at Holden and the new VE series Commodore utes are aimed as much at the sporting driver as the tradie. Tradies tell us that customers like to see them arrive in more than a boring Asian machine that has no show and not a lot of go.
The ute had the larger variant of the SIDI engine, a 3.6-litre power plant with 210 kW of power and 350 Nm of torque. It was matched to a new six-speed automatic transmission, codenamed 6L50. This is a small variant of the 6L80 transmission used in Holden's V8 range so comes with the right credentials.
Holden is the first local manufacturer to introduce direct-injection technology. Direct injection allows a higher compression ratio which improves efficiency and performance. Less fuel is used to produce the same amount of power. On the road, the engine is a real delight to sit behind. It responds sharply and continues to produce strong torque most of the way through its rev range. The ute is lighter than the equivalent sedans and wagons and the firmer suspension gives a sharper edge to the engine’s output. Sound levels are more subdued than we like, but the quality of the aural output is fine.
There's something about sitting in a cabin that's built for just two people. It somehow gives the Holden the feeling of oneness with the machine that keen drivers like.
Handling is slightly compromised by the fact that the load tray is there to be used – even though it may spend a fair bit of its time totally empty in the hands of a sporting ute owner. The result is a rear end that sometimes has to be toned down by the ESP (Electronic Stability Program) electronics. These can be partly turned off, but even when they are working to their full capacity they don’t interfere with the fun in the manner of older simpler traction control systems on previous models.
The front seats are very much individual units and provide a good compromise between support and easy of entry and egress. There are plenty of stowage areas within the cabin, including the big, deep centre console that we just love in all Commodores.
The Holden ute continues to irritate us with the same two problems we have disliked from the introduction of the VE Commodore series. The windscreen pillars hamper the outlook quite severely under some circumstances. And the design of the handbrake was obviously done by someone more interested in its appearance than its ergonomics.
Other than that, the $38,490 Holden SV6 ute is precisely the type of vehicle we would have sitting in our driveway any day of the week, thank you!
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