Ford ute Vs Holden ute (opinions & reviews wanted)

[DHdog]

G'day Farkiners,

Im in the market to buy a new ute, I am not bothered with the Ford Vs Holden debate, I will buy either one.
what Im looking at is either a Holden SV6 or the Ford XR6 ute manual (2007 model).

Ok, what Im after is your opinions and reviews from users of Holden & Ford utes, perferably people that own 05-07 model utes.
Tell me your likes/dislikes/problems etc etc with your ride.

There is one thing that I know of is that, the Holden commodores HSV/SS tend to go through a set of tires in under 25000km, so even information like this would also help.

cheers Dave

 

[NCR600]

I've had an 05 Commodore wagon for work and own an 02 SS ute.

No major problems with either and the SS handles pretty well for a big car. The previous owner set the suspension up properly, so I've not noticed the commonly reported problem of the insides of the rear tyres scrubbing out.

The Alloytec V6 in the wagon went pretty well, but lacked the lowdown torque of my old Falcon ute, but I only noticed that because it was an auto. Same could be said of the Gen III too I guess. My bet is that you wouldn't notice it with a manual.

The Falcon (95, and I believe the current motor is based on a similar unit) used an AWFUL lot of fuel, more than my current GenIII motor does. The Alloytec was pretty easy on fuel by comparison.

I covered 100,000 km in the wagon in around 10 months and never had a major issue with it. The aircon fan made some funny noises later on in the piece, and the suspension wasn't really up to the job of carrying all my work gear over western NSW roads, or spirited driving, but all in all it was a pretty good car. Fairly bland and boring, but did everything required of it.

 

[Elbo]

I'm not sure whether this will be an issue for you, but from my experience of checking out my mates 2001 Ford AU or AUII ute, the cabin is very cramped if you are anything over 6 foot. I am just under 6' 2" and although I had the seat the whole way back I was cramped, uncomfortable and had no room to operate the clutch without hitting my knees on the steering wheel.
They go through fuel pretty quickly if you drive erratically. Not sure on tyre life, but the back end is very light and therefore easy to throw around without really wanting to. It's similar to Toyota Hilux's and 4runners in that it drives best when carrying a load. Although carrying a load lowers your fuel economy. What are you using it for? Work, farm etc or just a car? If you're using it for work, have you looked at the Ford RTV Ute?

My cousin owns a 2006 BF XR6 ute (yellow) and it is very nice, he bought it for work as he is a cabinet-maker, but he's too scared to put a scratch on it and drives up his family's farm driveway at about 2 km/h to avoid stones flicking up. Over the top if you ask me.

 

[floody]

I'd go the ford if you're actually going to do any work with it, the fords are just more of a workhorse than the Holdens. I also think the alloytec V6 in the Holden follows in their grand tradition of being all noise and no shove.

 

[W2ttsy]

for memory ford still run leaf springs in their wagon and utes while the holden runs IRS.

this can be good and bad. good because under load (most likely if its for work) will be better on the road and it makes for easier lowering. bad because its a rougher, older tech and will not soak up bumps as well as IRS.

IRS in the holden ute makes lowering hard and if you dump it heaps you may get inside tyre wear as the camber kit cant fully compensate for it.

If youre only looking for a V6 in the holden id go for a VY over the VZ. the electronic throttle in the VZ and the alloytec rev A arent much fun if you want to get a tad spirited, plus s/c and turbo are a tad more expensive and untested for the alloytec vs the tried and true ecotec...

W2ttsy

 

[DHdog]

What are you using it for? Work, farm etc or just a car? If you're using it for work, have you looked at the Ford RTV Ute?

It will be mainly used for shuttling for when I go riding DH and transport for bikes + moto aswell, and once in a blue moon it may be used for work but nothing to heavy.

This has forced me to buy a ute:

I have had no back seat in my 2000 commodore for a long time now because I put my dh bike in there and I never put it back, I have an abundance of black marks on my roof, thats from the handle bar grips as you slide it through it touches the roof.
So naturally you destroy the car

 

[placebo]

There is one thing that I know of is that, the Holden commodores HSV/SS tend to go through a set of tires in under 25000km, so even information like this would also help.

cheers Dave

I've got a Y series Maloo. If you're getting more than 25000km out of your rear tires then you are driving it wrong.

Maybe wait a bit too. New Commodore VE utes are out toward the end of this year, built on the standard wheelbase instead of the statesman one. Will have a bit more space in the cabin as well, similar to the Fords with a bit extra behind the seats.

 

[DHdog]

for memory ford still run leaf springs in their wagon and utes while the holden runs IRS.

That is true.

If youre only looking for a V6 in the holden id go for a VY over the VZ. the electronic throttle in the VZ and the alloytec rev A arent much fun if you want to get a tad spirited, plus s/c and turbo are a tad more expensive and untested for the alloytec vs the tried and true ecotec...

W2ttsy

I dont think much of the ecotec in auto, a big slug down low I thought, my current car is a comy and im pretty sure its not an electronic throttle which makes it even more of a slug (2000 model).

 

[gerry]

commodore ute

i had a 2000 comodore ute [v6 5 speed]and i was quite happy with it . i didnt carry much weight so had no tyre wear issues however the same cannot be said for the clutch.

i always had a problem getting a smooth takeoff from a standing start which i found odd because ive only ever driven manuals in all my driving years .

after about 65000kms the clutch started making squealing noises on take off
when we pulled the clutch out we found that there is a rubber dampener between the fly wheel flange and the clutch plate surface sort of like a harmonic balancer.this rubber had destroyed itself.

after researching i found a earlier model flywheel that was one piece and fitted this with a new clutch kit and it fixed the sqealing and the harsh take off making it a much better drive.

apart from this problem [which cost $1000 to fix]and a few other minor problems [ignition leads every 15000kms to stop a low down miss] i would buy another one no problem

 

[Eddy]

My dad has a 04 auto xr6 Ute, its nice roomy (being 6' 3"). We have had a few problems with ours but hopefully these have been ironed out for the newer models, a couple of things we have experienced are, blew the diff, not doing anything stupid either, car was going slow, we also shattered the gear box, again not doing anything stupid, we where told by a transition place that the gear boxes were made out of soft metal to reduce noise.

Good things, leather kit is well worth the extra money, cruise control, electric adjustable pedals to raise or lower them accordingly, so if your really short you don’t have to have the seat right up close, we can get about 500+ ks to a tank of fuel (80 leeters) country driving and about 460 ks city driving. As for tyres the stock Dunlop tyres didn’t last long, don’t be fooled by the gage going to 260kms because the speed limiter cuts in at 190.
We love the car, drive hills well, but yea haven’t been in the new commodore to compare, from what I have heard they are a bit tinny, have you test driven both yet?

 

[DHdog]

Thanks for your replies guys.

Im yet to test drive either one of the utes, as no one has a manual for me to test drive, and if there is a manual, its an V8.

P.S
I know every man and his dog own either a Ford or a Holden so keep your comments/opinion/replies coming

Cheers Dave

 

[Cruz]

Have both as work utes and both are autos.

The Falcon goes a lot better than the new Holden motor but does use more petrol (unless there is a good load in there and then the Holden uses more). Tyre wear is a lot better on the Ford and it also turns in a lot better into corners and the brakes are better, though still not great. The Holden still has wooden brakes. The Ford auto is a better unit and the 6 speeder is a ripper, changes how the car feels.

 

[Dozer]

I bought a new S Holden Ute in 2005 The equivalent of the SV6 sedan). It is a six speed manual and has some very nice features. I do not use the ute for shuttling simply because I drive it very carefully and don't want to have rocks and sticks and shit bouncing off the bodywork. I also hate the idea of someone sitting in the back of it while I'm driving up a dirt road. My suggestion would be to not use it on shuttle roads that aren't really smooth because you will end up having a car that looks like a landmine went off underneath it.
As for the performance and reliability of the car......the six speed combined with the alloytec V6 is great. It doesn't have the punch or noise of a V8 but it is very practical and goes a whole lot better than any auto! The gears are matched extremely well and contrary to what people think about a six speed, you aren't changing gears and wearing out your clutch every five seconds. It has good torque for pulling away in a lower gear at lower revs, it has fantastic handling (you need to really get into it to lose traction) and it handles a load very well. I get mine serviced when it needs it (as the computer tells you) and it hasn't faulted me at all. It doesn't chew the juice, it doesn't go hard on tyres, it is very comfortable inside (I'm 6 foot 5 and I actually pull the seat closer to the steering wheel).
I love the car and I'd recommend it based on my experience. I haven't driven a Falcon ute but a friend from QLD has a late model falcon ute and he loves it. It may turn out to be personal preference for you and money may come into but.......from me to you......go for the Holden.
Have you considered getting an older 4wd ute for doing shuttles and carrying your gear around? I used to have a Ford Courier 4 x 4 ute before I bought the Holden (I know....holy shit! Dozer owned a Ford!!!) and I miss having the adventureability (new word for the dictionary ) of the older 4 x 4. I've found having the new shiney ute has restricted me to some of the places I can go simply because I look after the car a lot more than the bush fairing 4 x 4.

 

[W2ttsy]

I dont think much of the ecotec in auto, a big slug down low I thought, my current car is a comy and im pretty sure its not an electronic throttle which makes it even more of a slug (2000 model).

The electronic throttle was only introduced on the VZ (2004+) and it sucks as it tries to modulate the take off to be smooth as possible. So when you mash the accelerator at take off, it tries to smoothly accelerate the car, making for a lousy launch.

The ecotec is a pretty good engine, but the auto box is a bit weak. I found that the gearing isnt really suited to launching/racing (highway gears) and thats mostly why its a slug. gear 1 lasts from 0 - ~30km/h then 2nd goes from 30 all the way to 80km/h and mean while the power band is on the outer limits so little torque and high revs (i used to get 5500 in second at 70km/h - this is WOT launch).
Best way to combat this is to go for a stage 2 shift kit, gear remap (i had 2nd dropped down to shift at ~70km/h) and then a better gear ratio for the diff (i have 3:75 gears - stock ones are 3:11). I have this setup and now every launch could give me spinabifida.

we can get about 500+ ks to a tank of fuel (80 leeters) country driving and about 460 ks city driving.

Thats pretty poor for country conditions. the 70ltr tank in my car does 800km+ in country conditions (i squeezed 1198km out of my tank for the trip from brisbane to bundy and back) and for city driving a full tank of premium will get around 550km.
depends on driving style, if i get heavy footed on a sat night i can see the needle go down really fast, but if i decide to drive like a geriatric then i can get quite a lot out of the tank. also had the engine retuned with premium fuel, so the burn is cleaner (downside is that regular fuel makes the car idle like shit and the engine runs like ass)

W2ttsy

 

[cam-o]

I had an '02 (AU series 2) XR8 ute until about 3 months ago. Sold it as I needed a sedan to carry more kids. It was a fantastic car, can't recommmend it highly enough. Both the holden and ford are fundamentally good things, so I'll only highlight the things I think differentiate the two:

The Good (for Ford):
1) The supercab. Having that bit of space behind the seats makes a MASSIVE difference day to day. It's a safe place to stash helmets, toolkits, pumps etc etc. For me that alone was reason enough to buy the ford.

2) Gearbox. I've got the tiptronic in my sedan and it is awesome. Perfect combination between the convenience of an auto and the fun of a manual.

3) Tray. the Tray is a plastic tub, so you don't need to buy a liner which saves you some $$$. (don't worry it's super tough plastic)

The Bad
1) Stereo - as in you can't replace it. In the Ford it's factory or nothin. You can still plug in an ipod with the connector but cool stuff like full iPod control can't be done easily.

The personal preference stuff
1) Suspension - as has been mentioned the Holdens use IRS, the Fords Leaf. This means the Fords carry load better, the Holden are faster at track days. In everyday driving I personally think it makes bugger all difference.

I'll add more if I think of it.

 

[Ivan]

I had an '02 (AU series 2) XR8 ute until about 3 months ago. Sold it as I needed a sedan to carry more kids. It was a fantastic car, can't recommmend it highly enough. Both the holden and ford are fundamentally good things, so I'll only highlight the things I think differentiate the two:

The Good (for Ford):
1) The supercab. Having that bit of space behind the seats makes a MASSIVE difference day to day. It's a safe place to stash helmets, toolkits, pumps etc etc. For me that alone was reason enough to buy the ford.

2) Gearbox. I've got the tiptronic in my sedan and it is awesome. Perfect combination between the convenience of an auto and the fun of a manual.

3) Tray. the Tray is a plastic tub, so you don't need to buy a liner which saves you some $$$. (don't worry it's super tough plastic)

The Bad
1) Stereo - as in you can't replace it. In the Ford it's factory or nothin. You can still plug in an ipod with the connector but cool stuff like full iPod control can't be done easily.

The personal preference stuff
1) Suspension - as has been mentioned the Holdens use IRS, the Fords Leaf. This means the Fords carry load better, the Holden are faster at track days. In everyday driving I personally think it makes bugger all difference.

I'll add more if I think of it.

Yeah, the supercab is a huge deal. I still can't believe how little room holden have left behind their seats.

And on the stereo, I think that alpine now offers a reflash system for the factory unit, so that you can customise the stereo whilst mainatining the factory unit and screen.

The ford also has the option of replacing the tub with a tray, as the ford is a cab chassis setup. The holden on the other hand, your stuck with the styleside and a lower carrying capacity.

I think both are great. I prefer the holdens on aesthetics, but the fords have to win out on versatillity i think.

personally I would wait for the arrival of the VE if you are looking for a ute that is more 'play' than 'work'.

 

[cam-o]

And on the stereo, I think that alpine now offers a reflash system for the factory unit, so that you can customise the stereo whilst mainatining the factory unit and screen.

They do, it's called "Vehicle Hub Pro". The trouble is that you can only install it on the Premuim stereo with the colour ICC, so in order to get it you need to option up the stereo and then add Vehicle Hub on top. A very expensive way to achieve what $300 at JB HiFi would get you in any other car.

I've got the Premium sound and it's a pretty good thing. What pi$$ed me off when shopping for my current car (2nd hand) was that if the car had the standard signle disc then there's nothing you can you about it.

Regarding the Supercab, I'm actually driving a borrowed '97 XR6 ute at the moment without the supercab and it's driving me nuts. When I drive my son to school the poor bugger is snowed under his school bag and my laptop bag, we barely fit in the car.

 

[Ivan]

I've got the Premium sound and it's a pretty good thing. What pi$$ed me off when shopping for my current car (2nd hand) was that if the car had the standard signle disc then there's nothing you can you about it.

HAHA, Time for the dremel and a custom touch screen install? Jam a Mac Mini in there!

But seriously, that would put a lot of people off.

 

[dynobike]

fords

holdens are great running cars with little problems. however i have heard from a mate that he has never sen a holden last over 300km but he has seen a ford last over 800km fords generally have more power as well.

hope this helps.

 

[W2ttsy]

holdens are great running cars with little problems. however i have heard from a mate that he has never sen a holden last over 300km but he has seen a ford last over 800km fords generally have more power as well.

hope this helps.

are there more trees between his house and the holden dealership than his house and the ford dealership?

seriously, if you are comparing tank capacity then depending on the driving style, anywhere from 300km to 800km on a full tank is achievable. if im having a heavy foot night i can waste an entire tank in 4 hours, but on a country run i can get close to 900km per tank. i drove from hobart to brisbane on 2.5 tanks.

if you are comparing engine life, then 300,000km is more than achievable. most of the VN series holdens as well as the old fords are still ticking over and have 300,000+ on the clock. 800,000 may be a little over optimistic.

the only power gains the ford has over the holden is when you get to the xr range. the xr6 has a 4.0ltr engine, and the VZ holden has a 3.6. the xr8 on the other hand is 5.7 iirc where as the SS runs a 6.0 LS2, so you may find the holden etches out the ford in the 8 category.
of course the xr6turbo is a whole different game, and unless you compare a turbo'd holden or even a super charged one, its not going to be a fair fight. that said i raced an xr6t the other week and lost by half a length.

W2ttsy