Holden Ute (2013-2017)

Should have bought a Pony – Bought this piece of scrap plastic brand new off the showroom floor and to start ran like a train for 4 months than a serious of electrical problems which still happens today. This is my first and last GMH?Holdern, I had it in and out of dealers with their so called highly skilled technicians and hi tech equipment and they could only replace parts… Read more

that didn't need replacing as the same old problems still haunt this rubbish even today, dealer's don't know or don't have the right experience or equipment I'm guessing to solve any of these problems and when I had a lengthy phone conversation with GMH Melbourne they couldn't find any records of any problems.... with this but they knew I had bought it paid cash end of story... so my next vehicle will be a old piece of cheap crap instead of a new shiny expensive piece of crap, this is the second new car in my life and both had issues with electrics but not close to this one, at least I could fix the first one...getting cheaper and more reliable to get a pony anyway. If I keep writing about this junk I will only get more depressed and closer to suicide, dam it. I've if anything over serviced it with premium grade products from day one. I couldn't bring myself to sell this back on the market so some other poor bugger would end up with it so in due course I will wreck it or bury it out on the farm...screw it..front and rear Windscreen's are rusting & front one leaks, front suspension is bearable, steering is just acceptable, drivers seat collapsed, drivers seat control panel failed twice, passenger seat failing, hazard indicator flashes when it want to, blows headlights on a regular basis blows LHS brake lamps regularly, trans fault lights up most of the time trans vibrates on occasion window switches both failed replaced twice, Paint is fading and peeling and that list goes on. If they want to replace this can I have another brand I dint know anymore.

Commodore 2010 Ute, Stay away from these utes – I bought this ute brand new and have looked after it well. However, I have had nothing but trouble as soon as warranty finished. At 100,000 km, I had to replace the timing chain. That cost $3,300. It started falling apart inside when it was still relatively new. It looks shocking now. Even the roof lining has come off completely and any part that… Read more

could come off, has come off. It leaks like a sieve inside the cabin. The it rains, the floor is wet throughout. I have had tried to fix it, but nobody seems to be able to fix it. Just spent another $1,200 on it. This time, it was both engine mounts that needed replacing as well as all 6 spark plugs. I have driven other cars for much longer than this car, but never had as many issues as I do with this car. My advise is to stay away from these lemons.

BEAUTIFUL – Bought a 2010 V8 Redline series 2 Holden commodore and shes a beauty, sounds amazing, well looked after fuel's okay, no regrets purchasing this baby upgraded from a v8 holden commodore sedan 2009 NO REGRETS Show details

HOLDEN UTE V8 SS THUNDER – Best Ute I have ever owned. Looks fantastic and drives like a supercar, but I can fill the back up and drive down the dirt roads and the back roads to the beach and it handles it all. Surf board in the back, lawn mower, tip run... handles it all, then I can wash it, park it in the garage and it’s gorgeous to look at too. 5⭐️  Show details

Seat interior – I really love holden utes but needs more room at the front I think the bench seats should come back in the utes since theres not much room with the two bucket seat ute you can sit at least third passenger in the front of the ute or more and put more things in the front.  Show details

Nothing but trouble – my 2012 sv6 ute stalled turd it over it started sat there and let it idle for about 5 mins and it stalled again this time it wouldn’t start got it jumped started drove 30 k and it stalled again and wouldn’t start not even jumping it got new battery it started drove 5 k and did same thing  Show details

A real mates ute! Love my Holden – As a chic you might be very surprised one owning a ute but I needed it for all my horse gear. As I love holdens I had to buy this Holden ute. Cost about the same as any other so nothing different there. It drives very smoothly and loads of room  Show details

Big, Comfortable, Plenty of power – Finally back in a Holden Ute. L98 Bought at 130k %100 un modified The VE was my first V8 Auto LS and it definitely has it's quirks. The 2~3 shift can hesitate quite a bit at low throttle. 1st is quite low and with more than normal throttle the stability control gets involved It has a Large comfortable cabin sadly missing Grab Handles though.… Read more

Unlike the sedan that has this facility even if not fitted. This was a problem for my elderly relative.

Nice Head unit plays MP3 cd's displaying names, also displays track and artist names on audio cd's with that information. Sadly no DAB and very difficult to properly integrate. A roof aerial instead of those troublesome electric units my VZ had.

Standard Suspension unloaded put quite a rake on the car to suck an extent that the front will scrape in spoon drains. Solution is to either put 200kg in the rear or lower the rear? I lowered just the rear to get it level and give the front some clearance. My VZ was similar from new but not quite as bad.

Plenty of room in the tray finally fitted with factory tie down points. Not enough but more than my VZ had.

I do all my own servicing and have found it easy to work on with plenty of room even when changing plugs.

No dipstick to check transmission oil level from above was a surprise but I rectified the problem by fitting an after market dipstick. During service I noticed a much larger oil capacity and a very high oil level specified at the factory. Upon further investigation the increase in capacity and greatly upgraded oil spec was a direct result of a 50% increase in service interval. MMM Materials cost was up by 60% for the service I think I will do another in 10k and check it out.

The biggest concern was a %50 increase in fuel consumption over my VZ 5.7?

In traffic it is horrendous up to 19 liters per hundred and the speedo is 4klms out at 60

Normal suburban traffic driving with the normal flow it averages 14 ~ 16 liters per 100. On a country run 200kg load in the back the very best was 9 and the average was 10.5 liters per 100. I don't use fuel with ethanol when possible always on 98. I have checked o2's tire pressures brakes and the trans to no avail the thing is just thirsty. Also the operator manual states that 95 is the minimum requirement my VZ was happy on 91.

To sum up a nice ride but with a few drawbacks. Should have got a manual again.

PROS

Big comfortable cabin. Nicer seats than the VZ

Plenty of room in the tray

Easy to work on

Did I mention POWER

CONS

No Grab Handles, at least an option would have been nice.

More thirsty than it should be IMO

Torque management for the gearbox can make it change gears very slowly at times

Increased Service costs materials wise.

The stability control works well but come in to early for my taste. It can be quite savage and I now find that If I need to accelerate quickly to catch a gap in the traffic I turn it off for a more predictable car. The opposite of what should be done?

What Idiot at Holden's decided that the SS needed to have RED dash lights?

Last of the Line – It has taken holden a long time to get it this good, and now they are going to stop production. I only purchased this ute a month ago, and all i want to do is drive it. I had a cat back exhaust installed and i am in love with it. I had a two seater sports car which i traded for the ute. While the sports car was good, the drive feeling is… Read more

completely different to the ute I feel that I am driving a magic carpet that will do what ever i ask of it, but i know that I don't have to ask as it already does what I want. The cabin interior is bloody excellent, and has all the extras you could want. The heads up display is clearly the best feature. I can see what is happening with the car without lowering my line of sight. My wife even likes the interior of this car.

VF 2 SS ute – Very happy so far , had the car for a month, great deal , 2016 demo with 9 ks on it , guess everybody test drove the SSV Redlines, much cheaper than the 2017 models , same car. Great service from Holden so far. Great to drive , not as bad on fuel as they say, once you're over the mountains. Great loss once these type of utes disappear . You have to look at them as a coupe with a big boot, great for touring.  Show details

SSV Heap! – Drives ok when it doesn't have problems. Areas of the car present very cheaply with squeeks and rattles likened to a low end entry level car. At Around 20000kms it did a push rod and valve spring (while under no load, stuck in slow traffic) Now At 70000kms it has suspected piston rattle (slap), maybe needing an engine replacement (which will no… Read more

doubt lower the resale value of my car considerably). The ute has been with holden for over a week now with no explanation as yet. I have not modified this engine in any way and I don't thrash it. Most kilometers are freeway ones and I've only ever used 98 octane fuel. I wash this car religiously twice a week and up until now have been very proud of it, even giving it a nice new set of simmons wheels. Now, after having driven a toyota corolla (rented by holden) I hate my ute and no longer want it. I never would have imagined a car with holdens flagship LS3 engine would be so much of a heap.

So much for going out with a bang holden. You could have done much better with your last car.

Makes me proud of Australian engineering and manufacturing – I bought my SSV Redline as an ex-Holden company vehicle at 5k km. The handing is phenomenal, with sophisticated but not intrusive ESC and traction control. The harder suspension in the redline is definitely noticeable, and body roll is very low and sticks to the road but with the obvious additional hardness over bumps. The LS3 is an amazing… Read more

engine. It'll be rather docile to 3k RPM but surges in power above there, and another huge surge from 4.5k RPM (peak torque). This means you can potter slowly throughout town with lower RPMs as the big V8 has enough low down torque to pull from 1.5k RPM. If you want power you'll need RPMs, unlike turbo cars that dominate the performance market which can develop maximum torque from lower revs. I like that aspect of the naturally aspirated big V8, simply because I feel it improves everyday drivability.

I have the 6 speed manual. The clutch is extremely bitey, so it does take a bit of time to get used to the sensitivity of it. The gears are quite tall, especially if you're coming from a diesel pickup style ute background. However, the driving experience with the manual is fantastic. Unless you're facing a very steep hill, you can sit in 6th on the highway without needing to change to do typical overtaking.

The interior is a vast improvement on previous Holdens I have owned. The finish is comfortable with good attention to detail.

The heads up display (adjustable between various displays - speed/rpm, gps etc) is fantastic, and being able to keep your eyes on the road whilst knowing your speed is a huge safety improvement, especially considering the potential for this vehicle to rapidly gain speed. My only complaint (minor) there is that there is a bit of a lag or slow refresh rate which limits the usefulness of the tachometer function of the HUD.

The user interfaces I'd rate 8/10, only because of a couple mildly - and I must stress mildly - annoying but seemingly obvious oversights in design:

- No pause button on the rediline for audio (however points for mute button on steering wheel, and generally robust bluetooth connectivity

- Lane departure warning is very accurate, useful and will not trigger when you indicate, however, the warning is not loud enough in my view to alert the driver, considering that in these cases the driver is likely suffering fatigue and falling asleep or is distracted.

- There are lots of customisable settings which is very good, but there are many warning bells and chimes which all sound the same and can be easily overwhelming. It would be good to have an array of differnent tones with settings to modify each.

Love it – Great car, a pleasure to drive, excellent performance, comfortable well equipped with great handling. Beats the european stuff and costs far less. Good after sales service. I especially like the quality of the interior, and the smooth comfortable ride. I take it to Melbourne from Sydney regularly and it's a real pleasure to drive.  Show details

Great car for the price! – This review is for the lower spec Falcon and Commodore, I haven't driven a Commodore SV8 or a Falcon XR6 Turbo. I have owned two Fords (AU Falcon Sedan) and a (FG Falcon Sedan) both were great and when i went to buy a ute recently i naturally went to Ford to see if previous experience could be repeated. A big let down, the FG Falcon was a… Read more

better vehicle than the VE (dad had one), but the VE Series II claimed that title back a few years later.

After test driving a Ford Falcon FG Series II LPI and Petrol models, I also test drove the new VF Evoke Ute Petrol (3.6), I wanted to hate the VF and it completely won me over.

What i liked

Engine was smooth

Gear box was smooth (not as good as the Falcon ZF but still very good)

Road noise was very minimal inside cabin

ride was really good

Interior very nice

Safety features

dual climate control

turning circle was good

power still pulled strong across rev range

superior looks

front parking sensor

Automatic Park Assist

Hill Start Assist

Easier to put stuff behind the seats

6 airbags

What i didn't like

Thick apillar

small side mirrors ( blind spot monitoring technology make this issue only minor)

The Falcon's LPI motor on paper should have smashed the VF Evoke but in the real world the 60 n,m extra didn't feel that much more responsive i tried testing this from 60 -100 and 70- 110 (all running in 5 or 6th gear) basically overtaking speeds

Petrol was the same but the difference was even less.

The Ford felt less refined, more bouncy due to leaf spring suspension and a lot of road noise, the cabin looked and felt old and bland (the XR6 is greatly improved due to the touch screen).

Holden has tried to improve their cars and utes since 2008 with new engines, suspension tweaks interiors, exteriors etc. and the VF really shows all of those improvements.

Ford on the other hand have had basically the same engine for 15 years with minor tweaks, only offering four cylinder turbo petrol and six cylinder lpi as alternative for fleet buyers. Other than a touch screen added to the 2013 Falcon XR6 FG II and FG X, the interiors are very similar to the FG from 2008.

To sum up

The VF commodore ute a real value for money and from objective criteria is significantly better than Fords offering.

Commodor 2010 SSV Holden Ute – I've always owned Holden's. I brought this Ute when I retired. It's very comfortable and good on fuel when cruising Performance and handling is superb and I love the sound it make when changing gears! The interior is very roomy, the leather seat are comfortable too. The instrument on the dash are very well lite up easy to find and read. It also has a great sound system. I love, love, love, my Holden Ute.  Show details

VF 6.2L SS – The VF is the best handling ute I've owned. I thought my last V8 SS, a VE was good but this one is great. So far it's a little heavy on fuel but with 304KW, it's a jet. The seat back-rest adjustment is my only complaint, it's the old ratchet type, bring back the knurled-nut infinitely adjustable.  Show details

ss ute – Ihave the 2008 ss ute..love driving her everywhere,is an auto with triptronic which i have not worked out how to us. But have had the rear lights fixed as they leaked water the back window refitted as this leaked buckets of water , the stereo does not turn off when the door is opened, the speedo keeps failing to work, and when going up the… Read more

Gillies range which is 19km of winding road all i can see are the door pillars. But a beautiful car/ ute which is wicked fast. Lopes along at 1000revs,wld like to drive it fast but the speed limits around here are 80, handles beautifully very stable on the road..I could drive it to melbourne just to enjoy the experience of it, has the chev badge and engine

awesome ute – I have a 2009 SV6 ute it would have to be the best car I've owned handles well has pick up when needed and awesome on fuel i've never had a problem with it the only thing I don't like about it is the front side pillars there to wide and makes it hard to see on a roundabout. Other than that I love it.  Show details

Good ute but too many recalls – I bought my VF SS ute new in 2013 i loved it and still do but they should have put a few more extras in it considering your forking out for a V8 with the SS your basically buying the SV6 car with a V8 engine. You dont get any extras unless you upgrade to the SSV/redline. Also the gen1 VF is riddled with recalls mine has been in 9 times and thats not bad i was told. Worst was my steering locked up while driving.  Show details

Nice drive factor! VF SSV Storm – VF SSV Storm, I had a ford xr6 sedan from new, very under rated car. I have had the ute for a week, still getting used to the manual as its been a while since I had a manual. This car is bloody awesome, and I just want to go for a drive all the time. The WOW factor is definitely with this car, something I didn't have with the ford. Didn't realise… Read more

how much I missed it. The accessories with the storm are easy and the standard satnav saves me sticking one on the inside of the windscreen.

+ WOW factor appeal, plenty of usable accessories

- TOO bloody quiet, people buy the v8 to hear it.

Loveable Rogue – Bought my MY 9.5 VE SS back in August 2009. 140,000 km and over 5 years later it still puts a smile on my face! I opted for an M6 transmission as the auto boxes really dull the whole package down. That's probably the only area Ford consistently beat the general! I looked at both the XR8 and XR6T options at the time but agricultural leaf… Read more

springs and ugly cosmetics made the Holden a no brainer!!!

For the record is have a BA 1 tonner tray top as a work Ute and it is truly the perfect work horse.

The SS is more a sports Coupe with a really big boot.

Effortless low down torque means she almost idles along at under 1300 revs sitting on 100. We consistently get better than 13l/100km mixed use driving. Pretty good from a 6litre pushrod donk!

All in all its fast fun and visceral... not too sophisticated or subtle but tons of fun and with a less restrictive exhaust than from factory makes a truly addictive note that tightens the pants time after time!

Build quality is also excellent - for a Holden! No major mechanical issues in the 5+ years and 140+ kays as the running gear is pretty much bullet proof (LS V8s and tremec T56 from even more powerful 'vettes are legen-dairy!)

The CD player cacked itself under warranty and the drivers lumbar support also lost the will to live. These are the only 2 issues I have had...

On balance it has been fantastic and I'll truly miss her when she's gone!

Very Happy – VE Series 2 SV-6 Thunder Auto. Very happy with my purchase, drives and handles like a sedan with power to burn. Compared to earlier models, the late models are truly world class now. Recently drove the vehicle on a holiday with extensive highway driving. It returned 8.7 litres/100K (32.6 mpg) for the journey.  Show details

VE Commodore Ute – 2009 Ve commodore Ute 6 speed manual V6 This has been the best ute possibly best car we have ever owned! It gets serviced every 15000ks and we drive it! That is the owning experience in a nutshell! gearbox shift was very firm when we first got it but by the time we had done 7000 ks was now quite a sweet shift! Tows very well, brakes are… Read more

superb, and is very good on fuel!

was bought as a work runabout and now I drive it out when ever I get the chance for the smile factor!

Fuel economy is brilliant we are averaging 8.6 litters per 100ks (thanks to fuel card figures :P) this is average from new for over 65000ks not a trip or single run best run etc!

we are stocked it goes well services have been well priced! Just is good value for the money Fuel economy, performance and rides very well, even have got 65000ks out of the original tyres and they still have a bit of life in them! Don't like the thick windscreen pillar! have to move a bit when looking as it can obstruct on some intersections that are at funny angles

New VF sv6 ute – Hi ladys and gents, I've been a Holden man since I was a little boy and i have owned 6 Holdens and five weeks ago I went looking for a new car. I test drove a black sv6 ute, it had 10klms on the clock, it had a lifter noise in the engine, it looked great and drove very smooth. I was expecting more than what this car is with all the hype and talk… Read more

about the new sv6, I was very disappointed. It didn't handle as good as expected and the power didn't impress me at all. Then the price was after trade in of my 2003 vy commodore which I had since new was $38000 on road and they wouldn't drop the price I asked for free tinted windows and towbar an floor mats. They wouldn't budge on the price. I then went to Ford and looked ate the 2013 xr6 ute and drove it and what a well presented car I bought the xr6 ute with free towbar and tinted windows and mats and premium plates and full tank of fuel for $29000 and it was delivered to me with in a week . the colour shape handled like a wet sponge lack of power noisy engine

Great Ute, Cant wait for the new one SS – Great ute, have just sold my SV6 to buy a SS ute cant wait, had little problems here and there but was dealt with by dealership, excelent handling good fuel econonomy and great looking vehicle, lots of power, great handling, can do a long trip without the fear of breaking down and very comfy to drive Reliable, fuel efficient, good looking and comfortable few rattles but were fixed Show details

$50000 lemons – First VY SS had noisy lifter noise which dealer could not hear. Got rid of it. Second VE SSV gear box crashed after 1 year, replaced with 2nd hand clunky box after dealer mucked me about. After 20000klm lifter noise appeared as in the first car. Didn't argue this time, got rid of it. One person said to me that they didn't know holden made diesel… Read more

motors (when starting up). I do not know how holden can keep selling these chevy motors. As l said holden dealers are deaf. The RACV mechanics are not deaf because they told me they all sound like that. I have RAVC report stating noisy motor. Holden never again. Good fun for 1 year Rubbish motors. Dealers treat you like a [censored word removed]. Cheap inside

Excellent – Had the SS for about 19 months now, my third SS ute. Great to drive, even when loaded with my work gear. If you can't drive a powerful rear wheel drive vehicle, don't buy this one. Build quality is way down on previous, thin metal panels, cheap glass, really poor paint quality (chips easily) and the computer gets confused occasionally. … Read more

Otherwise it still has the usual reliability, never breaks down starts first time every time and is FUN to drive. Effortlessly runs around everywhere in top gear if needed, ESC keeps you on the straight and narrow, just a great cheap form of transport. Cheap, fun to drive, handles like a dream Build quality

Terrible – So Holden says this is a high performance vehicle with superior handling do they? Well, maybe high performance compared to a Daewoo, but up against a real car it just can't compete. Just because it's got two doors doesn't make it any kind of sports coupe either, even with the big (and bigger) V8. It's heavier and more expensive than the sedan, yet… Read more

you get less practicality, fewer seats, fewer doors, and rubbish handling.

Superior handling? Maybe compared to the previous series of Commodores, which handled like they had a hinge in the middle, but certainly not compared to any half way sorted sedan chassis. There's no weight in the back, so good luck getting all that power to the ground, and look out if you go too hard into a corner; you'll most likely end up backwards in a tree. As for the steering, the wheel is completely the wrong shape to hold comfortably, and seems to be spring loaded to return to the center, a clear sign of having a front track much too wide for the vehicle.

But you've got to have a wide, muscular stance on your hotted up ute, or what's the point, right? Looks tough. Ideal storage bin for superfluous antennas and bull bars. Handling. Uncomfortable steering wheel. No storage space in the cabin. Poor fit and finish. Rubbish four speed auto gearbox.

OK – You pay 40k for a car and the service centre of course treats you like s**t, car makes whining noises and has a bad shift change (auto), but all they can tell me is that the car is still teaching itself when to change gears when your driving.... yeh right after 30,000 i don't think so. They try to make me look stupid even though I'm a mechanic.… Read more

They order parts for warranty tell me that it will be a couple of weeks and they will call me when in. 2 months later they call me and tell me to bring it now otherwise they will be sending the parts back - great service. I give 5 stars for the car 1 for the service centre and thats being generous. SSV Ute a Great Drive, always enjoy coming back and taking it for a drive after a months work away. Service centre

pleasantly surprised – after coming out of a prestige car getting something to use at work to drive around without having to worry too much where I park it , this Thunder Ute is a nice surprise.... Looks good, goes well is the V6. Sat nav very good and blue tooth...Now I like it so far ..good value and nice colour. down side no reverse camera looks pretty good, and goes well...handy to have a ute in family no reverse camera Show details

Good car better than expected – I have a 2010 Ve Commodore Omega Ute with factory duel fuel and to be honest it has really surprised me how good it is. Great on fuel, $20 a week without towing my trailer or $40 a week with it on current gas prices. 53 cents which has been a great saving. The way they have built the gas tank into the front part of the tray works well and the new… Read more ·  1

gas systems are a massive improvement no backfires, seamless change from petrol to gas, no loss in power, really impressive. The car itself handles really well with traction and stability control even in the wet. The car has plenty of room inside and is comfortable on long trips. Overall a big improvement on previous models. Reliable (really too early to give an accurate report on reliablity) , comfortable, good levels of safety, handling, roomy, powerful yet ecomomical on factory duel fuel, roomy tray, good at towing, cheap to run, stability and traction control which are very helpful in a ute Thick A pillar creates some vision problems in certain situations (you get use to it and learn to move your head slighlty to look either side of it), not a full on workhorse like a Hilux or Narvara but it tows well just don't put really heavy stuff in the tray, big to park (long)

OK – Drives well, auto shifts much better than the earlier V series cars (Vu - Vz) interior's fit and finish is quite poor, the steering wheel crashes into the bottom of the dash if you attempt to raise it up fully, the center console is made from a cheap flexible plastic that feels like it will break quite easily and the trim down the trans tunnel is… Read more

just clipped on and will come lose quite easily, most of my issues with this car is with the interior and it extends out thru the entire VE series,

Also Be aware that the tub in the tray is all you get, under that plastic is nothing but the road, so i would not recommend sharp heavy loads Looks the goods in SS & SSV, Plenty of towing power with the 6L & 6.3L V8, Parts for service and damage repair available cheaply because its a holden Lower Models look a little soft and flabby. interior quality leaves alot to be desired,