New Car Snapshot Holden Commodore S Ute
Sun Herald
Sunday June 3, 2001
PIGEONHOLE: Testosterone on wheels.
PHILOSOPHY: Rural carryall transformed. The S is a city-slick sports car.
WHO'S BUYING IT: Young blokes who don't read much poetry, rural blades, self-employed types.
WHY YOU'D BUY IT: Drives like a car, carries three-quarters of a tonne, looks sharp at B&S balls.
WHY YOU WOULDN'T: Doesn't handle like a car unless there's plenty of weight over the rear wheels. Is strictly a two-seater and has no secure storage. Not cheap.
STANDARD EQUIPMENT: Alloy 16-inch wheels, body colour bumpers and mirrors, flush fitting tonneau cover, electric window lifts, rear demister.
SAFETY: Driver's air bag is standard but an option pack for $3,635 adds a passenger bag, air conditioning and anti-lock brakes. Frontal structure of the ute is the same as the Commodore sedan, which is a three-star crash test performer.
CABIN: No trade-offs here; the ute feels just like a regular Commodore. Although door pockets and a centre console are included, there's no real storage capacity. Comfort is good.
SEATING: Buckets with electric height adjustment and modest fore/aft travel along with lumbar support. Left foot rest for the driver and height and reach adjustment on the steering wheel mean most bodies can dial in the right driving position.
ENGINE: Standard issue 3.8-litre V6 produces 152kW and healthy torque figures. Can be plumbed for LPG. Optional Gen III V8.
TRANSMISSION: Standard five-speed manual or four-speed auto. Six-speed manual can be ordered with V8 only.
STEERING: Regular Commodore rack and pinion which means a tidy 11.5m turning circle and good feedback at cruising speeds with lighter efforts for parking.
RIDE: The rear end doesn't like speed bumps or sharp ledges unless it's carrying some kilos.
HANDLING: For the first time the humble ute gets independent rear suspension, which provides a smoother ride under favourable conditions but chassis balance is weight dependent. Unladen, the ute is nose heavy and tail happy.
FUEL: Standard unleaded at the rate of around 12 litres/100km.
BRAKES: Four-wheel discs with a load-sensing proportioning valve. Order the anti-lock option for that unladen wet road panic stop.
BUILD: Test car was finished to a high standard although early annoyances happen when the production line runs at full tilt.
WARRANTY: Three years/100,000km.
ANTI-THEFT: Remote central locking with immobiliser and high quality door locking hardware. Best in class.
COST
The manual S costs $27,970, the automatic $28,700. If you want V8 power, it's $32,770 for manual or automatic. The long options list ranges from limited slip differentials (at $350 just what you want for a bit of circle work) to cargo tie-down hardware and metallic paint. A high margin vehicle for Holden but one of its most popular.
VERDICT
An excellent response to Ford's all-conquering ute series, the Commodore S is the stuff of dreams for many young blokes. It looks the business, drives very well within the limitations of its people v payload compromise and, as with all Aussie utes, should hang on to its value at, um, trayed-in time.
© 2001 Sun Herald