Holden Commodore SS Ute 2006 Review

It pushes out 260kW plus of power and 510Nm of torque which combine to catapult the ute forward at a considerable rate of knots.

Holden is loathe to say just how fast that might be, because it doesn't want to be seen to condone speeding - but let's just say that it's pretty damn quick.

In comparison the previous 5.7-litre V8 produced 240kW of power and 470Nm of torque.

With the arrival of the new VE Commodore imminent, the days of the VZ ute are numbered.

But it will still be some time before we see a new ute and Holden isn't putting a date on it.

As the price of fuel continues to rise, the term V8 is becoming something of a dirty word, at least with those unable to afford the extra cost of running one.

But the people attracted to these cars normally have a relatively high disposable income.

That's a good thing because they'll need it, especially as the SS has a thirst for the good stuff.

Although the SS will run on standard unleaded, Holden the quoted power figures are are based on 98 RON premium.

With standard you're sure to notice a loss of power and it will probably have an impact on fuel economy too.

The Holden's main competitor is of course Ford's Falcon XR8 ute.

The XR produces similar power output figures from its 5.4-litre V8, but the XR is a little heavier than the SS.

The main point of difference between the two vehicles is that the Ford gets traction control which is an absolute god-send in wet weather.

With no weight in the back, these cars can become skittish and putting your foot down at the wrong moment can see the back overtake the front.

Both vehicles, however, get ABS and performance brakes.

Our test SS ute was fitted with a standard six-speed manual transmission.

A four-speed auto is optional.

We'd like to say the SS's 6.0-litre V8 is smoother than its predecessor and most of the time it is.

But there is still a fair amount of drive line vibration that comes and goes, especially when sitting in top gear.

Previous models have been plagued by the same problem.

We were, however, surprised by the fuel economy figures that we got from the car.

Holden claims an official figure of 14.6 litres/100km for the manual, but we managed to get almost 500km from a single 64-litre tank of fuel at a rate of just 11.6 litres/100km - without making a conscious effort.

Standard equipment includes two airbags, climate air, sports suspension, leather wheel and shifter, cruise control and a roof mounted spoiler with integrated brake light.

You also get a body kit with 17 inch alloys and 235 series rubber.

With independent rear suspension, these utes are designed with play in mind rather than work, but the SS will still car a 650kg load in the back.

A soft tonneau cover is standard.

Holden SS ute is priced from $41,490 before on road costs.

That's $3000 less than an SV8 and heaps less than an SS sedan at $51,790 which makes it the cheapest entry point to a V8 engine.