The new Holden ute.

[Azza]

I saw on the evening news a report about the all new Holden ute.
From the footage I saw it looks like a great car and has had some serious coin invested in it by the General.
One item that took my interest was that the entire side of the ute from front blinker to rear is one sheet of pressed metal, Holden says it's to do with development of safety etc.
No doubt it will make the repair bill higher for the owner if the car is hit and needs repair but does it make life more easy for the panel shop, would it mean the car is off the road for longer or shorter than say a VY ute?
Just a curious question put to the forum for those in the industry.:)

Azza.

[CV860L]

I was reading in wheels that when downshifting in manual mode the six speed auto blips the throttle on downshift!
Can anyone with a VE or an E series confirm this???????
Mind you, the Hsv website also stated that the auto cars had flappy paddle gearboxes for 2 days after they were released, it was then taken down from their website due to being a load off bull$hit.

On another note I saw a new WRX going through Berry today, the photos real don't do it any justice, it was actually 10 times uglier in the flesh.
Looked like a modified kia with pizza cutter wheels, those clear tailights make it look ghastly.
I went through my mags when I got home to find out what size tyre they are running.......205's !!!, no wonder it looks so shit.....Good luck Subaru, you're going to need it!

[35R]

Dunno about the Ute sheet metal, i'm guessing anyone with a $40k ~ $50k car has insurance though..

As for the WRX i hear you, i have NFI what market they are targeting with that car. They kind of have the 50 y.o. market with the standard models (I would hazard a guess their bread and butter constituency) but then the boy-racer younger crowd with the WRX etc. But it seems totally riced out with this latest model. I don't get it. They manage to make it uglier each year.

[CV860L]

Dunno about the Ute sheet metal, i'm guessing anyone with a $40k ~ $50k car has insurance though..

As for the WRX i hear you, i have NFI what market they are targeting with that car. They kind of have the 50 y.o. market with the standard models (I would hazard a guess their bread and butter constituency) but then the boy-racer younger crowd with the WRX etc. But it seems totally riced out with this latest model. I don't get it. They manage to make it uglier each year.

Yeah Subaru have been talking about losing the boy racer image for years now, unfortunately they make up probably 75% of the market!!!
They ex-camry buyers looking for a bit poke will be more interested in the turbo forrester anyway so why they fuc#%d up a good car is beyond me.

Might be time to find a compentent marketing manager..........

[NickS]

I was reading in wheels that when downshifting in manual mode the six speed auto blips the throttle on downshift!
Can anyone with a VE or an E series confirm this???????

Confirmed ... it's very subtle, you don't exactly get a big rev on downshift but the revs pick up before the gear is engaged so you hear the engine revs increase but you don't get that sudden lurch forwards, it's all very seemless.

I use the downshift feature on hills all the time because it's so smooth, throw the shifter across and bang it forwards once or twice, no perceptable change of gears except for the increased noise from the engine and then the car slows itself down. I'll happily admit this gearbox is not perfect, it can get confused if you suddenly want to gun it after cruising along quietly, but in 99% of driving it's great ... especially when compared with a 4L65E or a rip shift equipt M6 with a tex !!!

:D

[CV860L]

Ok thanks, I did not know that............

[DaveHAT]

Reading the stats on the ute on the weekend and despite it's sensational looks it's kinda soft that the advised max weight carrying ability for the SSV ute is only a sniff above 500kg ... :shock:

A bit soft for a ute I gotta say ... maybe Holden figures that most utes are used a cars most of the time these days??? :confused:

I love the look of the ute BTW and smart thinking to make the tailights the same as sedans ... less admin and one part fits all models :bravo:

[VooDoo]

The F6 Ute is only 435kg

Actual carrying capacity has increased from the VZ models due to better tyre choices. The tailgate will hold the FULL weight on its hinges too!

Most ppl wont carry much in the back in any case. Those that do wont use a SSV to do it and the omega has a much better laod rating for the tradies (and still better than the fords)

[Glenn@Marranos]

And then there is the new Maloo...

http://aycu23.webshots.com/image/30742/2005698518530313698_rs.jpg

The Article http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleId=44140

[2 cylinders shy]

It will be interesting to see how these things go in the Brute series next year.