Holden Commodore One Tonner ute used car review
No prizes for guessing that commercial vehicles are a huge and growing part of the local car market.
When two of the top selling cars (one of which is THE best seller) in the land are dual-cab utes, it’s easy to see that the commercial vehicle now plays a huge part in things.
Of course, much of that is now down to the dual-purpose nature of such vehicles, with many families opting for a work-truck through the week that doubles as family wheels on the weekends.
And that duality of purpose will always impose compromises on both roles, leaving it to the true workhorses out there to appeal to those for whom an extra row of seats is a waste of cargo space.
A great example of the latter type of vehicle was the Holden One-Tonner based on the VY and VZ Commodores built from 2003 to 2005.
While Holden was happy to proclaim the Commodore Ute as more of a lifestyle vehicle, the One-Tonner was all business.
And it wasn’t just a cosmetic re-hash of the Ute, either, as the very structure of the vehicle was very different.
It’s also worth remembering that this was a point in time when Holden was very serious about offering lots of choice in the commercial market, with not just Utes and One-Tonners, but also the Crewman dual-cab.
Those differences started from the front seats back, and while the One-Tonner used the engine box and outer front sheet-metal of the Commodore, the rear end was all its own thing.
That amounted to a bolt-on rear sub-frame made up of proper, old-school chassis rails that also mounted the equally tradesman-spec leaf-sprung, live rear axle instead of the Commodore Ute’s coil-sprung independent rear end.
The aim was the give the One-Tonner superior load carrying and towing abilities, and it worked.
While the basic Ute was limited to a payload of around 700 to 800kg (it varied according to specification) and could tow a braked load of 1600kg, the most basic version of the One-Tonner could cart closer to 1.3 tonnes in its tray and tow 2100 braked kilograms.
Okay, so that towing limit is still well short of the 3000 and 3500kg towing limits of modern diesel dual-cabs, but it was still enough for a lot of tradies.
And even though the leaf-sprung One-Tonner wasn’t as smooth riding as the regular Commodore Ute, it was still a more refined thing on the road than even the latest crop of body-on-frame dual-cabs.
In fact, you can actually see and feel where Holden’s 55 million development dollars went into the One-Tonner as it’s a completely different beast to the conventional Commodore Ute and appeals to a distinct type of buyer.
When shopping there are a few things to watch out for. That starts with how the vehicle has been treated up to this point. Not too many people bought One-Tonners for their prestige or luxury, so the majority of them have been put to work from day one.
That said, there’s work and then there’s work, so try to find an example that has been on light duties for the most part, rather than one that has towed a tandem trailer and backhoe at freeway speeds every day of its life.
While the S V6 and V8-powered models were a bit more glamourous (unlike the Commodore Ute, the V8 One-Tonner was an S V8, not as SS) a lot of One-Tonners were trimmed in the most basic way, with Holden making even air-conditioning optional on the base-model version.
That appealed to the fleet customers out there, but a car without factory air-con speaks of a life of not being driven by the person paying the bills, so presume it’s been a fleet rig that has probably been driven by everybody within the company. Including, unfortunately, the apprentice.
If you’re buying a V6-powered One-Tonner, then the trade reckons the earlier, VY model with the 3.8-litre Holden V6 is the superior version.
The later VZ with its 3.6-litre DOHC engine seems like a more high-tech proposition – and it is – but the engine doesn’t seem to have the low-down grunt of the older, pushrod design V6.
Also, the later V6 is prone to premature wear in its timing chain assembly, often leading to a fairly expensive replacement. This wear will be accelerated by poor servicing, so make sure you check the service record for any signs of missed maintenance.
In the case of the earlier V6, the big danger is a slick of oil leaks that will render the car unroadworthy. So check carefully underneath and try to find where the car is parked at night for the tell-tale drips on the driveway.
In the case of the V8 versions, the good news is that the VY Commodore came about just when General Motors started getting the 5.7-litre alloy engines right. Even so, we’d check for oil leaks and signs of oil burning, but largely these problems were banished by then.
However, you still need to listen for noisy lifters which are a common replacement on these V8s.
The conventional wisdom also holds that if you are going to the trouble of changing the lifters, you might as well replace the valve springs and rocker-shaft bearings while you’re at it.
All these V8s contribute a little piston-slap noise when started form cold, but the noise should have stopped by the time you’re in second or third gear. If the slapping noise prevails, you’re probably looking at a V8 with a fair bit of wear internally.
These cars were also prone to warping their front brake rotors, so any shuddering through the car or the brake pedal under brakes suggests this has already happened.
Many owners who towed a lot changed to a superior aftermarket brake rotor to prevent this happening again.
Turn the steering form lock-to-lock with the engine idling. Can you feel or hear a shuddering? If you can, the vehicle probably needs a new high-pressure power-steering hose that was being fitted as a factory replacement back in the day.
Oh, and on the drive home, don’t trust the fuel gauge; on these vehicles it’s about as trustworthy as a politician in campaign mode.
If you're looking for a second-hand Holden Commodore ute, check out all the models we have for sale on Drive here
Holden Commodore One Tonner Nuts and bolts
Engine/s: 3.8-litre V6 / 3.6-litre V6 / 5.7-litre V8
Transmissions: Four-speed automatic / Six-speed manual, RWD
Fuel economy (combined): 13.4 litres per 100km (V6) /14.7 litres (V8)
Safety rating (courtesy of www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au): Not listed
Our rating: 3.5 stars
Likes:
- A specific layout for those tough jobs.
- Light weight means good performance.
- V8 version is properly quick.
- Better to ride in that even new dual-cab utes.
Dislikes:
- V8 can be thirsty.
- No rear seat or even storage shelf.
- Many have been worked to death.
- Later V6 is trouble-prone.
Competitors:
- Holden Commodore Ute – The more car-like version of the same thing with a smooth looking integrated tray. Independent rear end with coil springs helps with ride quality, but limits load carrying. 4 stars
- Ford Falcon Ute – With a live rear axle and leaf springs, the Falcon Ute is another great workhorse. Find one with the turbocharged six-cylinder engine and you’re on to a terrific vehicle. 4 stars
- Holden Crewman – The option of a dual cabin with a rear seat will work for some, but severely limits the size of the tray. V8s are thirsty thanks to high kerb mass. 3 stars
What to pay (courtesy of Glass’s Guide):
Model | Year | New | Now |
One Tonner | 2003 | $26,210 | $3,400 |
SV6 | 2003 | $31,920 | $4,100 |
SV8 | 2003 | $36,150 | $4,600 |
One Tonner | 2004 | $26,790 | $3,600 |
SV6 | 2004 | $32,450 | $4,400 |
SV8 | 2004 | $36,770 | $5,200 |
One Tonner | 2005 | $27,490 | $3,900 |
SV6 | 2005 | $33,590 | $5,000 |
SV8 | 2005 | $37,120 | $5,500 |
One Tonner | 2006 | $27,490 | $4,100 |
SV6 | 2006 | $33,590 | $5,300 |
SV8 | 2006 | $37,120 | $5,800 |