Holden sweetens ute with cuts and equipment

HOLDEN is reaching out to tradies by revealing a cheaper and better-equipped VF Ute ahead of its showroom arrival in June.

The new-look load-lugging range now kicks off at $32,990 plus on-road costs with a 3.6-litre engine replacing the old 3.0-litre version ($2500 lower than before).

As well as the price cuts and better engine, base variants add premium gear such as automated parking, a rear-view camera and an eight-inch touchscreen with the MyLink smartphone-based infotainment system.

With reversing visibility a noted bugbear of the VE Ute range, the addition of the camera across the entire range is a welcome addition.

Remarkably, the sporting SV6 comes down to the same $32,990 price thanks to a $5500 discount, more than any other VF Ute. Extra features over the base version include blind-spot monitoring, sports suspension, 18-inch alloy wheels, a limited-clip diff, sports seats, soft tonneau and LED daytime running lights.

Why, you ask, are the base commercial version and the sporty SV6 the same price? Well, the former is automatic only, while the SV6 figure mentioned applies to the six-speed manual. Buyers pay an extra $2200 for the auto (on all variants), which also loses the DIY version’s limited-slip diff.

The entry price is still $4400 more than Ford’s base automatic Falcon ute, however, the revised SV6 now undercuts the Falcon XR6 ute by $2200.

Once again, you can get dedicated LPG versions of both the base ute and the SV6 for an extra $2500.

Next up the model tree is the SS, which trades in the 3.6-litre V6 for a 6.0-litre Gen 4 V8, matches the SV6’s features list, and kicks off at $38,990. The discount over the old version, at $3500, is less than the discount applied to the SV6, meaning the price gap between the two has widened.

The hardcore SS-V now costs $42,490 after a $5000 discount over the VE, and comes with features over and above the regular SS such as leather seats, 19-inch alloy wheels, push-button start, satellite navigation, a colour digital display, footwell lamps and a DVD player.

For an extra $6000 you can get the SS-V Redline which, thanks to a relatively miserly $1500 price chop, now costs $48,490. Extra features include Brembo brakes, unique forged 19-inch rims, a colour head-up display, a forward-looking alert system that will warn you if it thinks a rear-end collision is likely, a lane departure warning system and “ultra” sports suspension.

The Lion brand has rolled out its new VF sedan tech on the ute version, too, including an electric park brake with automatic release, brakes that stop the ute rolling back on a hill, Trailer Sway Control and remote vehicle start (with automatic transmission only).

Options such as a bundled blind-spot warning system and one that will even warn you if you are about to back into a passing car ($350), sat-nav ($750) and soft tonneau cover ($490) can be added to low-grade versions. The SV6 can be optioned up to get leather seats for $1000, and premium paint adds $550.

Holden executive director of sales and marketing, Philip Brook, describes the ute as much as a performance car as a humble commercial vehicle.

“VF offers the sort of world-class user technology that will redefine what it means to drive a ‘tool of trade’ vehicle. The ute is so much more than its humble beginnings - it’s become an incredible vehicle by any definition,” he said.

“For performance lovers the ute has become Holden’s ultimate two-door sports machine with half of our ute customers choosing a V8 model. VF Ute offers more of what people want – great performance, luxury features and the latest safety technology – and red hot prices across the range.”Holden Commodore VF Ute pricing*

Ute (a)	$32,990 (-$2,500)
LPG Ute (a)	$35,490 (-$2,500)
SV6	$32,990 (-$5,500)
LPG SV6 (a)	$35,490 (-$5,500)
SS	$38,990 (-$3,500)
SS-V	$42,490 (-$5,000)
SS-V Redline	$48,490 (-$1,500)

*Excludes on-road costs.