2004 Holden Utility SS review from Australia and New Zealand

Occasionally it used to idle at 1800 rpm, this was fixed by the dealer with a software update.

The fuel tank will not fill completely within a reasonable time. It only has a 70 liter tank and the last 5 liters take some minutes to fill.

The Gearbox can be difficult to get into gear for the first couple of gear changes in the morning. It also has to much for my liking noise when idling in neutral.

The rear tarp can easily scratch the top of the tub when it is being clipped into place. Some care is required to ensure it is clean and the anti scratch pad along the edge is placed correctly.

This was my first brand new car and I was surprised at just how well it was put together. After hearing horror stories about some peoples experience mine was great. The car had some very minor issues with the paint work, but these were attended to by the dealer after a couple of weeks (I only had to point these out for repair).

The SS Ute has some genuine performance. It will lay rubber in the first 2 gears if you are not careful with the throttle. Holden should implement Traction control in these models. It can break away at 1200 rpm in second gear on dry roads and this can catch you by surprise if you are not ready for this. Less than 1/8th throttle. There is a plus with this though it is very easy to steer with the accelerator.

I was very surprised with the ride and handling of the ute. It has quite a firm ride, but it is still comfortable. It corners very well with almost no under steer when really pushed. It brakes very well for such a large car and the ABS does a great job of keeping things in a straight line, at first I didn't have any confidence in the brake pedal because it was so soft, but after a couple of test stops I can't fault it's braking performance.

The interior of my SS was optioned with cloth and I would say that it is not standing up to well wear wise. The dash looks great day or night. The Air conditioner is very powerful. During very hot days it brings the cabin down to temp very quickly.

The biggest surprise was just how little fuel it uses. My average consumption with a 60/40 highway city mix is around 13.5 - 14.5 liters per 100 kms. On the open road at a steady cruse of around 100 km/h it drops to around 8 - 8.5 liters per 100 kms. 5.7 liter at 35 mpg is crazy, but after the trip this is what it calculated at.