Holden Commodore Ute SS 2007 review

It's still practical and a hard worker, but the jobs have changed. Holden's new VE Ute still carries a load in the back, but instead of building materials it's motorbikes and jet skis.

The Ute has become the 21st-century sports car, Holden has four models and three are sports themed, but it is more than that. It's sporty, but is still a tool for its 'young at heart' (Holden's words) owners.

Holden boss Chris Gubbey calls it a “weekday workhorse and a weekend warrior,” but in fact it's the opposite. During the week the Ute is a sports coupe and at the weekend it's used to haul the motorbike to the bush or the surfboard to the beach.

Explore the 2007 Holden Commodore range

• Holden Commodore Ute SS 2007 review
• Holden Commodore Ute VE 2007 review
• Holden Commodore Ute 2007 review
• Holden Commodore Ute SV6 2007 review

Tradesman-friendly models such as the dual-cab Crewman and all-wheel-drive Cross8 are notable absentees from the new VE line-up... and will remain that way.

The VZ versions proved a costly experiment for Holden and it has clearly learned its lesson.

“Without going too far and giving too many things away, we're looking at all alternatives for all our vehicles,” Gubbey says when pressed about all-wheel drive.

“A lot of these other investments take a huge amount of investment and time. It's just a matter of weighing that up in the market place, how it sells, what the customer feedback is?”

That same principle applies to the dual-cab. According to Gubbey, the sports models are what people want.

“In terms of the research, we think we have the right model line-up to sell the vehicle,” he says.

The new model has dramatically increased cabin space yet managed to keep the tray unchanged from the VZ model. And though payload for the tray is down across the range, it has a series of new features to make it more user-friendly, most notably a new cargo liner.

It's a fact the tray can't accommodate a full-sized building sheet, but it has mouldings to fit ramps for loading motorbikes.

One of the keys to the Ute closing the gap between tradesman's tool to sports coupe is the improved design. Based on the long-wheelbase WM chassis, the Ute shares the same front-end as the sedan.

The biggest difference is the one-piece body side, which has allowed the designers to ditch three joins.

Another big step forward is at the back. The tailgate hinges are now fully concealed and the licence plate is centrally mounted, to give the rear end a symmetrical look.

Design changes continue into the cabin, where interior space has more than doubled from 90 litres to 250. That is achieved by straightening the previously angled back panel to open up space behind the seats.

Two compartments have been added beneath the tray.

In keeping with the interior improvements, the new model is more stylish. Drawing on influences from classic sports cars, the designers have introduced a T-panel at the back of the cabin. On the sports models the T-panel is colour matched to the exterior and carries the SS badging to make the new Ute stand out even more.

As does the sedan, the line-up starts with the Omega. It's powered by the standard 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 that produces 180kW at 6000 revs and 330Nm at 2600 revs.

It is available with a six-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. It's the family workhorse, as its 16-inch steel wheels and raised ride-height attest.

The sports models start with the SV6, which has the High Output version of the Alloytec, making 195kW at 6500 revs and 340Nm at 2600 revs. Some modest fuel-economy gains have been made, but the figures remain roughly the same across the range.

The same can't be said of the payloads, which are down.

The automatic Omega has the biggest, with a claimed payload of 794kg, down from 818kg on the VZ equivalent. The loads continue to drop as you go up the range, with the SS-V automatic able to carry only 508kg.

Holden has introduced three new colours for the Ute range Atomic (green), K-Pow (blue) and Crunch (yellow) to make a total of nine hues across the range. The VE Ute goes on sale in October.