2008 HSV Maloo Review
7 Jan, 2008
59 Comments 
2008 HSV Maloo Road Test
CarAdvice rating: 
Recommended Retail Price: $59,990 (6sp Manual), $61,990 (6sp Auto).
Options Fitted: Performance Pack ($3,750).
- by Paul Maric
Dinner with a lady friend and then back to my place for…drinks. That was the plan anyway. As simple as it had seemed at the time, I wasn’t prepared for the Maloo intervention. Dinner was said, done and paid for, so it was onward to my place. As we reached the Maloo – parked in rock star position out front of the swanky restaurant – three burly gentlemen were hunkered over the car, observing every minor detail from the badges, right through to the faux air vents on the side skirts.
After a passing “Sick car, bro” comment, the biggest of the three men walked over to my lady friend and started talking – seemingly like they had known each other forever. It didn’t take long for me to realise that it was in fact her over protective brother that she was speaking to – about me. He didn’t seem all too impressed with my several attempts at wit, so as a last resort, I offered to take him for a spin around the block.
We climbed inside and I turned the key, bringing the 6.0-litre V8 behemoth to life. The number plates summed things up pretty nicely – “UTE307” – that’d be 307kWs…in a ute. It’s a recipe for opposite locking and plenty of tyre smoke in the regular HSV sedans, let alone in a ute with barely any weight over the rear treads!
Location: Home / Behind the Wheel, Car Reviews, Holden, Holden VE Commodore / ...
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January 7th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
You could go buy a Proton Jumbuck to get the same amount of load carrying capacity. And you get a free 50cc quad bike thrown in :)
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Beatiful car, good review. I just love the look, the Yanks are going to love it.
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
its all good and well planting ur foot and going fast…but give it a week and that’d die off…then all the problems rear their ugly head and a simple task like parking becomes a chore…It’d get pretty bludy annoying..all in the name of POWER. For me just a big waste of money…go for the cheaper ss..at least u can see out of the bludy thing.
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I just hate the name Maloo, the rear end, the tub design and the cheap looking interior, everything else is ok but should only suit Holden enthusiasts, my choice still Ford FPV Tornado ute hands down…
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I’m not a fan of the black outline of the rear lights… although obviously this isn’t a problem for black models.
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
That was an excellent review! (Just had to say it!)
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I hate you so bad right now Paul – dream car right there! :P
I have to say though a concept of the rear end I’ve seen looks much better than the production version, but still an animal nevertheless!
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I’m amazed these have a market.
It’s a two seater Ute that can’t pull, (I would laugh so hard if the Jumbuck had more pull but I would not know)
It’s $60,000 odd
It’s stereo is lame
It’s interior is lame
It’s thirsty
The only thing it has going for it is the V8 RWD.
Seriously if this did not say Maloo, would this feel like a $60,000 Car?
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
this yrs super pursiut ute will eat the maloo ute up with 320kw of burt power n then the tornado will eat both them up ford will own again n be king of the road!!!!
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
OOOOOH Mr Mal-goo where are you.. sorry just had to say it.
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I think its pretty pointless as a ute, its basically a 2 door sports car, they should do a VE monaro
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Will the El Camino Have an SS back end or the HSV back end. Hopefully the HSV.
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
This ute would be a good fun car not practical but fun
not worth 60k though
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I don’t really see how reflective strips are automotive erotica…
The whole thing just looks so cheap and bad. For example, what exactly is the purpose of the extended c-pillar. It just looks like its been stuck on with glue. The rear lights wrap around too much. Also, the test car seems to have been damaged just in front of the rear wheel. Then you’ve got everything infront of the doors, that I’ve never really liked anyway. Not bad, but not good either.
As I’ve said before “You can say it looks aggressive, but then so does a wild boar”.
It seems that the HSV designers are simply the ones not good enough to get into Holden. It’s such a shame that they can’t make a package look as good as it goes.
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I agree with Mitch…..but from what I have been told by other Uterus lovers……they all seemed to be the same!
Sports car with a big boot…..that you don’t use…..cause it will get scratched!!!!!!!!But then again I guess sports cars cant have tow bars……so they do have a purpose!
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
It won;t be called the [Chev] El Camino; it will be Called the Pontiac G8 ST – Sports Truck. and it will be based on the SS not the Maloo
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
John Bowe called the Pursuite the “2 door sports car with a big boot” But realy it’s this new HSV which is the “Car” out of the two.
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Thanks for that Wheelnut, the yanks are going to miss out on something great.
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Mitch,
incase you havent noticed utes are the new age 2 door sports cars.
i dont like it in black though. it hides the black highlights elsewhere on the vehicle such as the wheels
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Greg,
Vote:Are you a ford person?
January 7th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Some things i like about the maloo is….
- Great Looks
- Performance
- Bloody Fast
- Performance
Some things that i am dissapointed about the maloo is….
- Holden And HSV build quality (interior) isnt terrific, but getting better (slowly)
- Car Badge is cheap and can come off easily
-Button for the Ute lid make not work all the time
-Rear Vison (can deal with that)
- Fuel Consumption ( i can get over that too!!!!!!!!!!!!)
So HSV and Holden can fix a few minor problems to make the car better! But at the moment it isnt too bad! (I would’nt worry about the fuel Consumption or Rear Revision to fix……im sure that HSV and Holden wouldnt worry much about it either!)
I ve also noticed with the VE Commodore is that when you lock or unlock the car it makes an unpleasent noise, which i dont like and some people may agree with me!
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
“Sick car, bro”, sounds like a New Zealander!!!!!!!
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
And also dissapointed with the maloo is that the stereo is average sounding! And i thought that the Caprice had good speakers why doesnt the maloo?
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Even though it’s a reasonably decent looking Ute.. I believe HSV should have made it look more like the VX HRT Concept froma couple of years ago – as that’s what the designer used for inspiration
I’ve never really liked Hard Flip Top Tonneau Covers.. I’d go for a Remote Controlled Roll-A-Back which can lock in 3 positions.. then add an HRT decklid to it
All car badges can come off easily – if you have a screwdriver or a bit of wire. Therefore I’d get the Logos Airbrushed on [like a holograph]
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
So how did you finish up with the girl?
Oh, and no benchseat, NO-SALE!!
Cheers
F-0
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I agree with you about the HSV Maloo (HRT Edition concept). HSV should have made the Ute but it whould have costed them too much money or made the current Maloo look like it! And the HRT 427 was great concept!
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Frugal One,
Vote:I could not see HSV make a bench seat and put it in the ute or in any of the other commodore utes and ford would not put them in a falcon ute or a FPV Pursuit or a F6 Tornado Ute
January 7th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
The Caprice features a Premium 12 Speaker [incl sub] BOSE System.. Whereas the Ute has a 2 or 4 Speaker Blaupunkt system.
The main reason The stereo doesn;t sound as good in the ute as it does in the Caprice is most liely due to the size and shape of the cabin.
Apart form the Fact Bose have directional speaker Technology derived from their Lifestyle Home entertainment systems which in itself makes the sound sharper
Sound is essentially varying airwaves. The more space you have pin the caprice] the more room you have for the airwaves to travel and reach the right pitch resulting in better sound.
When you reducee the amount of space there is less room for the airwaves to fluctuate and therefore they become compressed and the once clear sound becomes more of a muffled dromne
sing a song then as you do place your hands over your mouth.. or platy a song on your home HiFi themn place a bowl over the front of the speaker – same thing
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
um Duck…………
Vote:sorry to burst your train of thought but ford does actually offer the bench seat in its falcon ute
January 7th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
From the doors back, it is shockingly ugly. IMO the SS-V looks way nicer. This looks like a backyard project. To top this off, 60K+. No thanks. HSV just loves bogans, and the love is reciprocated I guess.
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
So would it be better if the maloo had a bose sound system instead of a Blaupunkt
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Why doesnt the commodore offer a bench seat?
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Duck ,
Vote:No it wouldnt be better because then we would be able to hear the sound even further due to the way the typical window down holden ute driver likes their volume
January 7th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
So will most people finding a pratical ute they would buy the falcon benchseat XL Ute, but if people were going to buy a falcon XR8 ute they probaly whould’nt buy the optional bench seat, because they want a sport ute not a ute for working (practical)……………..am i right?
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
commodore wont do a bench seat cause heaven forbid they should sacrifice a bit of style for practicallity.
also they would have to develop a column shift for them. its prob not worth while because they dont really attract people who are chasing a real work ute due to many other factors about the commy utes
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
right,
you beat me to it
also you cant option for the bench seat in the XR8. once again to do with the column transmission (i assume)
Vote:and no one would want it
January 7th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Wheelnut that is the dumbest explanation I have ever heard of soundwaves lol ;-) The difference between the performance of the two systems has nothing to do with pitch as you have explained, incorrectly. Soundwaves are created at the source (i.e. speaker) and remain constant throughout their travel through the air.
The differing performance is for more obvious reasons. One system is a premium system made by Bose and the other is a piece of sh!t made by Blaupunkt. These are in a completely different price segment and the Bose system would almost certainly run better electronics in the headunit, superior speaker cone material and stronger speaker magnets that also have a higher power rating giving greater ‘headroom’ to the system.
But most importantly of all the main reason for the difference is the soundstage. The ute is a much smaller cabin than the Caprice and likely to suffer from a lot of reverberating soundwaves. The Caprice also wins the soundstage stakes by incorporating a much larger number of speakers allowing the designers a better chance of placing the passengers in the so called ’sweet spot’ of the soundwaves. Hence why nearly all budget car sound systems sound ordinary compared to your home stereo – they’re mounted pointing towards your legs, not your ears lol ;-)
Vote:January 7th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Hey Jason from what Wheelnut has told me about the sound system in his car……I doubt its budget!!!!I guess he will give you a reply tomorrow when hes back!
Vote:January 8th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Ford fans who tell you the Maloo looks crap are lying – they secretly love it too.
righto?!?! whilst i will admit it does arouse a second look, i quickly get over it as the rear end passes me by – rather ugly. The front end of these combined with the vz rear end ould have been a very good looking car. i sometime wish that ford forgot completely all about practicality (as hsv obviously have) and =created a wilder version of the super pursuit. perhaps the orion will deliver
Vote:January 8th, 2008 at 11:50 am
JP, practicality? Sorry but i’ll take the facts thanks.
Vote:January 8th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Jason – My main point was that as sound-waves are a form of energy.. Therefore designers opt for the system which is most suited for the limited space.
If you went to a car audio installer and wanted a pair of 12 inch subs they would tell you you need an enclosure of approx 200-250 litres.. any smaller and the soundwaves would be compressed and become a noise as there isn’t enough space for the sound to disperse.. otherwise you would probably have to go for 10 inches – it all depends on the size of your cabin/boot
Hence the Bowl over the speaker analogy.. Alot of sound but nowhere for that energy to go
Mind you the guy who installed the ICE system in my Subie at Tonkins car audio doubts the Caprice needs 12 speakers particularly after experiencing the surround sound you get from the 4 crystal cube speakers of the Lifestyle sytem..
The most likely reason Holden went for Bose for the Caprice is unlike some manufacturers they upgrade their features as you go highrer up the range.. [inside and out]
I mean they could have used Blaupunkt – which aren’t SHIT as they are used by a number of German and Japanese manufacturers. but when you’re paying 70K for a car I doubt you’d want a Radio from Tandy?
By the way I have heard some pretty crap High Quality Premium Brand car stereos [when played at 11].. because of the size of the cabin.
It’s all relative
Vote:January 9th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Ha ha ha, the following statement is hilarious
“It’s a recipe for opposite locking and plenty of tyre smoke in the regular HSV sedans, let alone in a ute with barely any weight over the rear treads!”
Check your details mate!!! The Maloo utes weigh 50kg more than the sedan!!!
Vote:January 9th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Mark:
He doesn’t need to check any details.
The ute has less weight over the rear wheels than the sedan, despite its extra overall weight. When you drive the car, you immediately notice less grip due the lack of weight over the rear wheels.
A bit of forethought before posting is a good idea for next time Mark.
Vote:January 10th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
oz – the facts? the fact is since when is a ute with only a 500kg payload practical – theres a fact for u
Vote:January 11th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
You are the third motor Journo I,ve read, who can,t see out the back of the Malloo.If you look closely,on each door you will notice a shiney thing called a “MIRROR”. If you look closely into that you will notice you can actually see things behind you. I drive B-Doubles for a living, and I have found this practice to be quite helpful when driving and especially when reversing.My private ride is an HJ ute with a full canvas canopy. I also use this ‘mirror” technique in my old girl.
Vote:And you put yourselves up as experts!!!!!
Unbelievable. Trevor Sullivan. Shepparton Vic.
January 11th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Benjie Everton:
The front of a HSV R8 Ute weighs exactly the same as the R8 sedan – they are identical from the B pillar forward.
The difference is ALL from the B pillar rearwards
CHECK YOUR FACTS!!!!
Vote:January 11th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I might be ford/fpv mad but this ute is just sweet as! I hope the new fpv utes r like this n i hope they get the same rear end. The cobra utes r nice but they dont look as good as this. But i dont like the rear tail lights. Come on for, make ur utes look as sweet as this one…. even better.
Vote:January 12th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
It wouldn’t have cost them that much more to make the Maloo look more like the HRT Ute..
Compared to the $1250-1500 for each of the 20 inch wheels -which would’nt have made it to production as they were one offs; the cost of the bodykit is relatively low.. and I’m pretty sure the moulds would be lying around the worksop in Clayton Somewhere.
Otherwise they could use a similar machine to the one which cut the flares into the panels for the AWD Coupe 4 a couple of years ago
Vote:January 13th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Mark, Paul’s comments are indeed accurate, his first comment outline his initial expectations regarding the tendency for oversteer as the stereotypical nature of most high-performance utes – he then remarks at the Maloo’s uncharacteristic sedan-like handling on the following page due to its terrific weight distribution.
Believe me you will not fault Paul, he is without doubt the next big thing in Australian motoring.
Vote:January 13th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Geez George, plenty of praise for Paul…but i do agree, he always produces good reviews!
Vote:January 17th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
look at the sexy curves
Vote:January 20th, 2008 at 11:34 am
The wheels are crap. It’s over priced by about $10,000.
Vote:April 7th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Those (fake light) tailgate decals are absolutely awful !!!
Was behind one today…
I would peel them off !!!
Vote:April 25th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Dumb name but WAD A CAR!
Im a Fordie but I’d go over for this and the HSV Senator.
Vote:Would hate to get the side panels scratched tho, thats a one piece mold innit?
April 26th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
another naff HSV. WHat were they thinking with those stick on taillights…..looks like something you but at Autobarn!!! HSV have never designed a body kit that looks integrated with the crs body..they always look tacked on. It is way overpriced for a mobile glovebox. And those bloody front wheel arches……..talk about overkill !!!!
Vote:April 26th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Maloo is an aboriginal word for Thunder.. .There are those who like to chase Thunder Storms which is lucky that FPV make the Pursuit ute
Vote:May 26th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
hi all i have one of these fantastic machines
i have done 17000 kl in 5 months and am scrubbing the new 275 tyres out on the inside
the dealer wants me to pay for new ones
Anybody have some knowledge about rear suspension problems with the ve 275×40x20 tyres and suspension
please get back to me as i really don’t want to pay for them if its a design problem
Vote:regard David
February 16th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I like others waited for the 6.2ltr and ordered mine on the day of release 10 months later and several more dollars at Walkinshaw I picked it up. I have got to be honest I love this car more than anything in the world……..BUT!!! at 600kms it was on the back of a truck Ignition barrel siezed then after the hype had died down and I started to really look at the car the paint was terrible bumpers were a different colour to the panels which was a different colour to the lid and side skirts. Back to HSV my brand new car was at a crash repairs getting the sides resprayed and HSV couldnt care less there after market service was basically non existent. Walkinshaw on the other hand were brillian but had no problems with any of there parts (front spoiler,exhuast,chip and cold air induction)the finish of the car was ordinary the carpet had been badly glued under the pedals and all the little things started to really bug me…I still have my ute and I still love it just cant get the bad taste out of my mouth though!!
Vote:April 13th, 2009 at 7:19 am
I have to respond to the ford freaks, Fore can not build a V8 to beat holden/hsv…. why do you think theyre focus is I6 Turbo (which is also very dated technology, for example, I6’s can not go fast on a hot day….. kinda pointless having an F6 that gets owned by a SV6 0-80k’s on a 37c day in north QLD… after the 80k mark there is no point continuing due to limits and then the turbo finally kicks in.)…..
To everyone else bitching about it being a pointless ute…. Its not supposed to be a work ute. Its supposed to be a show ute – for the blokes the actual men with hairy chests and penis’s – the guys who love utes but dont love to mess them up with dirty old ladders and pipes hanging off them….. fark if we want a work horse – we would buy an F-truck or a rodeo/colarado even a hilux for god sake…. Theyre a novelty ute…. theyre supposed to be rediculasly good looking (which they do) and theyre supposed to be excellent handlers and fast (on hot days) … which they also succeed at…
IMO – This is an awesome car, however, I wouldnt own one due to lack of MRC *sadface* – however, that also has its pro’s, thinking easy suspension upgrades.
Vote: