The Holden Ute was a coupé utility built by Holden from 2000 to 2017 on the Commodore platform. Between 2003 and 2007 Holden also built a crew cab version called the Holden Crewman, and between 2003 and 2005 a cab chassis version known as the Holden One Tonner.
Holden Ute at a glance
| Maker | Holden, Australia |
|---|---|
| Production | 2000–2017 |
| First series | VU, 2000 |
| Based on | Commodore, starting with the VT platform |
| VU wheelbase | VT wagon and WH Statesman wheelbase, 116 mm longer |
| VU engines | 3.8-litre Ecotec V6, 152 kW (204 hp); 5.7-litre Gen III V8, 225 kW (302 hp) |
| VY (2002) | facelift, One Tonner returns and Crewman arrives in 2003 |
| VZ (2004) | 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 replaces the Ecotec |
| 2006 V8 | 6.0-litre Generation 4, later the L98 specification |
| One Tonner | 2003–2005, after an 18-year hiatus |
| Crewman | 2003–2007 |
| Exports | Chevrolet Lumina SS in South Africa, also sold in the Middle East |
History of the Holden Ute
VU: a new ute for a new Commodore
Holden introduced the Ute range with the VU, replacing the Holden VS Utility. The VU arrived 36 months after the VT Commodore sedan, in time for the launch of the VX Commodore series, and it used the same wheelbase as the VT Commodore station wagon and the WH Statesman and Caprice, 116 mm more than before. It employed the Commodore interior and picked up the VX’s upgraded equipment and restyled exterior.
The range came in Base, S and SS forms. Base and S cars used the 3.8-litre 152 kW (204 hp) Ecotec V6 with a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual, or the optional 5.7-litre 225 kW (302 hp) Generation 3 V8 with a six-speed manual or four-speed automatic; the SS was a Commodore SS specification minus side-impact airbags, with the V8. A VU Series II arrived alongside the VX Series II. In October 2001 the VU gained the SS Fifty special edition to mark the 50th anniversary of the Holden utility: 500 were built, all black with a partial leather interior and “hyper yellow” accents, a chrome sports bar and a colour-coded instrument cluster.
VY: Crewman and One Tonner
The VY of 2002 was the range’s first major facelift, with a sharper nose and a more European interior, and the same three specifications. More important was the addition in 2003 of two new models: the One Tonner cab chassis returned after an 18-year hiatus and the Crewman became Holden’s first four-door utility. Both added sales and drove the biggest expansion of the Ute range since its 1990 reintroduction. The One Tonner came in base and S form only. By December 2003 the Crewman range had grown to include the Crewman Cross 8, Holden’s first all-wheel drive utility, with bolstered wheelarches, raised ride height and the Gen III V8 with a four-speed automatic; V6 versions of the One Tonner and Crewman were automatic only.
VZ and later series
The VZ of August 2004 brought the new Alloytec V6 in place of the Ecotec, which had been in use since the 1995 VS Commodore; the ute range took the lower-capacity Alloytec 175. The 5.7-litre Generation III V8 was replaced by the 6.0-litre Generation 4 in 2006 and later updated to the L98 specification, and in 2004 Holden replaced the V6 with a 3.6-litre Alloytec unit. The Australian-built Ute was to be sold in the United States as the Pontiac G8 ST from 2009 alongside the Commodore-based G8 sedan, but the plans were shelved on 6 January 2009 during GM’s company-wide review after the financial crisis. Sales as the Chevrolet Lumina SS began in South Africa in 2006 and 2007 and in the Middle East in 2009 and 2010, making it the first full-size Chevrolet coupé utility since the El Camino was discontinued in 1987. The Holden Ute was built until 2017.
Design and features
- Longer wheelbase: the VU used the wagon and Statesman platform, 116 mm longer than the sedan.
- Three specifications: Base, S and SS, with V6 or Gen III V8 power.
- SS Fifty: 500 black special editions built in October 2001.
- Crewman and One Tonner: a four-door ute and a cab chassis added in 2003.
- Cross 8: Holden’s first all-wheel drive utility, from December 2003.
Holden Ute versions
- VU (2000–2002): Base, S and SS, plus the SS Fifty of 2001.
- VY (2002–2004): facelift, Crewman and One Tonner added in 2003.
- Crewman (2003–2007): four-door utility, Cross 8 all-wheel drive from 2003.
- One Tonner (2003–2005): cab chassis in base and S form.
- VZ (2004–2006): Alloytec V6 and the 6.0-litre Generation 4 V8.
The Ute was the load-carrying member of the Holden Commodore family, related to the Holden panel van of earlier decades. More cars are in the Holden collection.
Video: 2014 Holden VF SS-V Redline Ute review
Video by CarsGuide on YouTube.
Sources
- Holden Ute, English Wikipedia: series, engines, models, exports
.jpg){kind=link}