2007 Holden VE Omega Ute review
December 9, 2007 by Karl Peskett
2007 Holden VE Omega Ute review
CarAdvice rating: 
Recommended Retail Price: $30,990 with aircon (and who wouldn’t option aircon?)
Options Fitted: Metallic Paint – $400
- by Karl Peskett
“Oh my goodness!” he said.
“What is it?” I replied.
“That is amazing.”
“What is?”
“I can’t believe it.”
Frustrated, I implored my passenger. “Could you just tell me what you’re on about?!?”
“I can’t believe I can stretch out like this.” Okay then. Finally we get to the bottom of it. But the reason it was such a surprise for him, is his height. You see, Ian is 192cm tall. His seating position normally is so far back he drives from the rear seat. Well, almost. But his comment is a common thread when people jump into the VE ute.
Just about everyone has driven in a ute. And just about everyone realises that there’s only so far back you can go with your seat. Then, of course, there’s no room behind the seats for anything except a couple of post-it notes. Folded in half. And even that’s pushing it.
But this time, the VE has been designed to have room and Holden’s designers have been very successful. Succesful to the point that my passenger could not shut up about the space. So, what’s the trade-off? Surely it can’t be all sweetness and light.
Tags: Holden VE Omega Ute
LET ME JUST HAVE THE FIRST WORD, “DAMN YEAH” IF THIS IS THE BASE MODEL I LOVE TO SEE THE OTHERS!!! ANOTHER QUALITY HOLDEN PRODUCT….
It is better than fords XL ute, alot better! (At the moment).
Another quality Holden product… thats a laugh.
You do live up to your name dont you loser!
Leaving a comment before mass Holden vs Ford idiocy.
Day of worship for some I guess.
They forgot the one true test that really defines how good a ute is, the ‘cases of beer’ capacity test.
i think the Falcons win that one hands down ;-)
What about trailer load test comparing to the Falcon. But plese keep the Holden v Ford on the race track.
i think the holden is a good ute for people who just want a ute for looks, it goes and stops good, but thats where it ends.
At least you can towna dn put a load in a falcon, yes i do have a BA XR8 ute in our family business, my dad drives it, and its due for lease, so we went to look at Ve, impressed with fit and finish, and it rode nice, but even look at hooking something on the back ( boat) and the thing failed miserably! isnt that part of the purpose of buying a ute? or has holden forgotten about that?
I was impressed at the space, ride (definitely above par) and yes quality when I drove this, but I must say – this isn’t really a ute anymore.
It’s effectively a coupe. In order to give space to the passenger, they’ve sacrificed carrying capacity. It’s a case of practicality taking a backseat (mind the pun) in a vehicle who’s purpose for existence is carrying capacity.
No question this is a great ute but i can’t understand why side airbags aren’t available?
I’m neither a Ford or Holden Man, but here’s what I have noticed between the two marquees.
Holdens go better, stop better, handle better and generally do most things better than the blue oval.
Fords are the opposite, except in one department. THey age better. They last longer.
If I were a tradie, I’d get the holden if I leased it and planned on giving it back after 3-5 years. If I plan on keeing it, I’d take the Ford.
Either way. I still haven’t got use to the ugly flared gaurds on the Holden.
Steve
Own question answered!
“Side airbags are not available on the new Holden VE Ute. Why? Because there’s not enough room for them to deploy properly. But Holden is working on a solution.”
(webwombat aug 07)
ANOTHER QUALITY HOLDEN PRODUCT…. BY Speed Freak, yeah I think you are arrogantly blind, I just got a phone call from a mate, saying his Holden is not going the engine blew up and then he replaced it with a new block and that blew up to, I would say that is a perfect crap Holdenwoo just one warning before buying (DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY) on junk..
“Who wouldn’t option air-con?” WHY THE F*CK SHOULD YOU HAVE TO?????? Even bloody Korean cars get air con as standard…It is absolutely insulting and insane the VE range does not have air con as standard!
Top Gear described a VE HSV as having a home brand stereo quality inside and moronic looks so what hope does this have?
Also why not mention the countless recalls and technical problems and the incredibly low build quality that is found in Holdens and Fords
Nick, the Omega model is about offering the lowest entry price into the Holden ute range. Having aircon as an option is just another way to keep the price down. They could have just as easily made the aircon-optioned $30,990 price tag the entry level price, but having it optional offers better value.
As for the Top Gear comment, Clarkson’s first impression of the HSV were positive and actually came way back in season 9 episode 2, “fantastic looking thing” is an exact quote from Clarkson. He also commented that whilst the interior was relatively cheap – thats because it is a cheap car, you would be hard pressed to find any car with the same kind of performance for the same price in the UK.
Feels like a 350Z? wow, can’t say i’m with ya there, i’d prefer an ecotec engine, anything, to that bloody alloytec thing! Yeah it makes 195kw and 340Nm, but the power is at 6000rpm! who drives there everyday in a ute? and correct me if i’m wrong, but 340Nm@4500? the falcon makes that at 2750rpm! no wonder its hard to pull away with tall gear ratios!
Yeah I’m not sure about the 350Z bit either. The rest of the article is good, but I think that’s a bit far-fetched.
Pat E maybe you should look beyond the figures and actually drive these cars. Just because a figure says MAXIMUM torque at 4500RPM doesnt mean that it doesnt have 90% of it down even lower.
REPEAT for the millionth time….
Where the f&*k is the BENCH-SEAT???
Cheers,
F-0
**VOTE-NOW!**
greg, i thing your *mate* doesn’t know how to drive a car…
The VE ute is the most pathetic attempt by holden to make a proper ute. They basically made a stupid monaro. For the reasons described already, i bought a EGas XR6 ute, only difference to the petrol version is the higher rear ride height, i optioned up with a XR luxo pack with premium audio and leather seats and got the 18’s XR8 rims fitted, it looks sh!t hot!, i got a tranny cooler fitted enabling it to tow 2300kg and a LSD, and can take a little over a ton on the tray. All while costing about 30 bucks to fill up! Having a IRS on a ute… obviously for metrosexuals, ford makes the real ute! Holden ute drivers are tools.
Steve, agreed on most of your points however after having owned both with leases (BA XR6 Turbo Ute for 2 years and a VZ SS Ute for 2 years) I would say the Ford was a better all round vehicle. Performance was pretty much on par but the Ford braked much better and handled like the Holden. The quality was higher in the Falcon and felt like it would last alot longer. Come resale time the Falcon also paid off with getting just under the payout figure and only having recently sold the SS I lost ALOT more $$$. I am currently looking for my next vehicle and do like the Holden but am waiting for the new Falcon before making my decision.
Shane
Glad you agree. Though your however part doesn’t make sense to me, as you are also agreeing with me.
I think what you’re getting at is to buy a Ford anyway. It’s a win-win situation and you have made a perfect example of how.
I guess I can come to this conversation without any bias to one or another brand because my preference lies in one or two other marquees that don’t directly compete with each other.
Cheers
Steve
Buy a Falcon, Commodore or HiLux base vehicle
They cost around mid $20k’s each
Resale:
1st.HiLux
2nd.Commodore
25th.Falcon
Yeap appaling resale in the Falcon, better than a Proton Jumback though!!
Cheers
F-O
**VOTE-NOW!**
i do actually drive the cars FordFutureDriven, i sell them too, my last car was a VT s-pack manual – 3.8L, i test drive the SV6 with a 190 engine and the Aisin 6spd manual, the lack of torque down low was hopeless, even compared to the ecotec engine – a forty year old design – let alone compared to a Barra 182 engine. Holden have made a simple mistake with the ratios on this vehicle, imagine trying to tow a 1500kg load if its hard to get off the line un-loaded.
My guess is that the long final drive ratio is there to keep fuel consumption down, this will work, however it just isn’t practical, in what is supposed to be a practical vehicle.
I admit it looks good, but appearance seems to be all holden are investing in at the moment
frugal,
Beg to differ, i go to auctions all the time, falcon and commodore utes retain exceptional resale, for mid 20’s you only get a 2.4l hilux, and resales is not light years infront of the aussie commercials!
at the auctions, falcons have retained better resale than commodores i have been too lately! re sale whise there much of a muchness.
I agree there is not a better looking ute on the market than the commodore! but i think they have forgotten the principals of a ute
Uteopia,
i agree too.
can some one please explain to me why the ride height rises in the XR6 E-Gas falcon ute?
i currently have an E-Gas ute and i am around due for upgrade.
the thing is when i purchaced mine you could get it in a manual and it still retained the same XR suspension.
now you can only get it with the 4sp Auto (i can understand that as people dont know how to drive) and the ride height is increased and you cant have traction control.
i would have purchased another E-Gas one already but i still cant get my head around these 3 factors. the no manual box is the main thing that will keep me hanging to see what the orion offers though.
Frugal One,
i agree with Tonyn,
you have no idea on resale values.
the falcon resales better then the commy and the Hilux isnt the same price new like you suggest (unless im reading you wrong)
Frugal One,
i agree with Tonyn,
you have no idea on resale values.
the falcon resales better then the commy and the Hilux isnt the same price new like you suggest (unless im reading you wrong)
BLIND LEADING THE BLIND>>>????
http://www.redbookasiapacific......;id2=57652
i am correct,,,,,as always, ford resale suxs, now and forever
Cheers
F=O
Tonyn Says:
December 10th, 2007 at 9:54 am
frugal,
Beg to differ, i go to auctions all the time, falcon and commodore utes retain exceptional resale, for mid 20’s you only get a 2.4l hilux, and resales is not light years infront of the aussie commercials!
at the auctions, falcons have retained better resale than commodores i have been too lately! re sale whise there much of a muchness.
BLIND LEADING THE BLIND>>>????
http://www.redbookasiapacific&.....;id2=57652
i am correct,,,,,as always, ford resale suxs, now and forever
Cheers
F=O
Q. GM can you bring these to Europe please. they are much better than the ridiculous 4WD pick-up the brawny builders like to drive round here. Who needs 4WD when theres only about 2miles of off road track in the whole of the UK.
A smart one of these will sell with a diesel engine in.
You Aussies are all mad. Pure entertainment.
Andrew M, the Egas utes are made higher because of the size of the gas tanks. i assume you have an AU ute? Which was a duel fuel? This means smaller tanks. When running dedicated gas, the consumption is higher, therefore bigger tanks are needed.
Due to the fogger type gas system that Ford uses, there are no injectors, and this makes it very hard to use traction control. The gas vehicles already have a small issue with back-fire in the intake, so cutting the gas delivery intermittently under traction control would increase this, and everyone would have busted air filters!
Hope this helps,
Pat E
Judging by the photo the dash kind of looks like a astra and loaded with plastic
No it does not, liar!
Frugel one…
well firstly if you go off what you presented the commy actually beats the hilux on resale not the other way as you said, so you are not right as always
mate trade in figures are nothing to go off. the trade figure varies depending on what you trade it on and how much the dealer wants to sell what you are trading on. i know some one that got $8 K on an EF falcon with near 400K’s on it 2 yrs ago. why? well the toyota dealership who they bought off obviously wanted to sell them a new camry.
if they traded on a 2nd hand car where the dealer had bugger all margin they would have gotten only around 3-4K
you can keep looking at you redbook if you want but i wish i could pick up a falcon for the prices they seem to sell out the commys at.
i catch a lot of news paper listings and visit carsales etc every now and then and i see quite the opposite of what you are trying to say.
for eg 2nd hand SS’s sell a lot cheaper than XR8’s from what ive seen
thanks for that Pat E,
but i actually do have the dedicated model and there was obviously no need for the rear height to be higher.
ah yes i see the traction control point, i didnt think about that long enough otherwise i would have figured what you said about it too. makes total sence.
after having the manual version i can see why it is only now offered in the auto version……peoples inability to understand their vehicle
commodore utes have allways been more looks than practicality.
3 people seem to drive them…..
1. light tradesmen
2. egotistical heros ( theyd even race a pushbike for a win)
3. bouncer types combined with option 2
The entire E-series ute range r pretty bad (except pmega it can do what it made 4) The sports models r nothin but show ponys
I have just ordered a ve manual ute ,hope it is better than my BA XR8 but wouldnt be hard after 6 diffs broken cruise, door locks,spare winch,timing chain rattles grating second gear. I am not buying for looks just hoping I get a car that works
The only decent Hilux is the top range dual cab 4 wheel drive. The two wheel drive variants look shit and drive shit.
How badly do the base hilux ride/handle. Better get to know your Chiropractor.
Yeah realcars, the base model Hilux are very cheap. But they are great for workmen that want a new work ute dirt cheap.
__________
JBOT IS THE NEW TOYOTA PAUL!!
Ancient 4-speed auto, like in the Omega sedan, is a big letdown on an otherwise promising Commodore range.
Me,
the Hilux’s arent a dirt cheap ute!!!
compared to the prices of the BT50 and Triton which are ranked to be better than the hilux, the hilux offers very poor value
No, I don’t mean no other ute is cheaper than a Hilux, I mean it’s popular to workmen who just want a basic ute which is cheap. ALLTHOUGH as you say the Mazda’s price is lower and a better truck.
NO,
the hilux sells well due to the perception that has been created that if you need a work ute it has to be a hilux. and then couple that with their MASSIVE fleet sales for it
Toyota’s brainwashing power Andrew.M?
Well, It must be brainwashing power, because some buy it just wanting a basic ute.
Go KIA!
My brother isn’t impressed with his Hilux. He needed a 4WD twin cab for work but his situation has changed so he’s planning to get rid of it.
Very firm (bordering on harsh) suspension both ends. Not nearly as capable in rough going as our mates Landcruisers and Patrols. We’re always the first to get stuck despite everyone having similar tyres. Lately we spend most of our camping time on the bikes so the 4WD’s are just transport to get us in.
So he’s hoping the Orion ute comes in RTV and E-gas. If not he’s going to get a 2nd hand BF RTV.
A commodore is out of the question. Coil rear end, low ride height, etc rules it out.
Yeah and RTV Falcons would have to be good over the rough roads with high ride suspention and all.
I remember the BA RTV TV commercial – A silly ad that was.
Do you mean the one where two mates took their dirt bikes out, one bike wouldn’t start so he jumped in the RTV and went around the track?
I liked that ad ;-)
thats it where the bike rider falls of the bike in the water and says, “Flooded it mate?” Yes, It was funny.
Yeah, that’s the one :-D
Car ads usually have to be funny to make an impression on me. I’m indifferent to Toyota but I liked those “bugger” ads.
very nice car..
The 2nd picture on the 2nd page doesnt look like its from the omega.
Joe Says:
December 19th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
“Go KIA!”
Yes…………….that was VERY random comment there Joe! :)
Hey Uteopia, the egas Xr6 is a real show pony bud, what with ur 156kw!! please why have the looks if you dont have the power. for the record I have a Egas sedan XT (bog standard) and an SS VE ute with real power u battler. Its laughable that you call yourself a ‘real’ ute driver, oh dear…
funny thing, i had this old 2002 XT BA, 215000ks on clock, and it bet my work colleagues VZ wagon and a VE Omega 2008 by 4 car lengths! and its the very 1st BA XT 4.0L 182kW/380Nm, or regular RON91 of course, using higher octane gives ya around 191-192kW/402Nm roughly!