Road test: Sports Utes - Holden vs Ford

By Feann Torr

Over the years the trusty utility has grown in stature from a dusty country cargo hauler to a fast and flashy lifestyle vehicle. Granted, there are still heaps of one-tonne workhorses out there, but the humble ute is fast becoming a more sporty proposition.

For a bit more than 40-grand, you can pick up either Ford or Holden's most powerful V8 engine, encapsulated in svelte two-door bodies, with both vehicles offering plenty of go and show.

As far as factory-standard models go, the big utes are quite possibly the most cost effective ways to get into either the General's or Henry's big-ticket V8s, so we put two practical (and purple) utes to the test.

In the blue corner sits Ford's contemporary Falcon XR8, while in the red corner Holden's brawny, but somewhat less sophisticated SS Commodore ute waits for the bell to ring.

Can the mechanically superior might of Ford's new 5.4-litre Boss 260 engine put Holden's tried-and-tested 5.7-litre Gen III V8 to shame? On paper, the Ford wins hands down, with more power and torque, but on the road things aren't so clean-cut...

Drive

BA Ford Falcon XR8 ute (front) and VY Holden Commodore SS Ute

The first thing we wanted to test was to see which ute was quicker off the line to the legal 100km/h limit.

But when we realised the only way we could get both Holden and Ford utes at the same time for a comparo was to have one auto and one manual, things didn't look so good.

At the end of the week though, it proved that while Holden's auto gearchange is slow, clunky and largely offensive, that Gen III engine is still one mean piece of kit.

Anyway, the SS Holden Commodore came with a 4-speed automatic gearbox, while the Ford XR8 arrived with a shiny Momo shifter linked up to a 5-speed manual.

Thinking the XR8 would dominate in a straight-line, based on transmission type alone, we reluctantly lined the utes up at our secret testing location in Wombat Gully.

Interestingly the SS snuck ahead in the first round, by a good half-a-car length, after loading the torque converter up with with liberal applications of both the right and left foot.

Push the XR8 too quickly and, as we found out, grip goes bye-bye, even with the optional 18-inch 235/40 rubber - testament to the Ford V8's wide spread of torque (but not exactly a useful feature unless you have an unlimited supply of rear tyres).

Holden's SS ute tips the scales @ 1624kg

Round two was a similar story. The XR8 snuck ahead to about 60 km/h this time, but when the manual gear change occurred, the SS kept on going before it asked for another cog, extending its lead thanks to longer ratios, a lighter kerb weight and its high-revving Chevy engine that outputs peak power at 5600rpm.

The third run was in Ford's favour, however. Getting used to the incredibly heavy gear change was probably the deciding factor, and rather than the acrid smell of burnt rubber and scorched clutch, the XR8 lightly chirped at take off, then again into second as it just edged out the SS.

After a dozen runs, the SS proved to have the XR8's measure, which was quite surprising, but it was always close, and will really depend on the driver.

For all intents and purposes, both the XR8 and SS in stock form have remarkably similar (and impressive) straight-line performance.

Taking the utes for an early morning cruise down the Victorian coast proved that while both are more than capable of dealing with curves in the road, they don't like changing direction at speed.

Ford's XR8 ute weighs in @ 1800kg

On longer, less acute corners, both utes would hold their line, while putting the power to the ground efficiently.

The XR8 felt a little tighter around most corners, and its 5-speed manual transmission (Tremec T3650) made it much easier to control mid-corner. The automatic transmission (Hydramatic 4L60-E) found in the SS left a lot to be desired.

The Holden gearbox would chop and change when you're trying to dial in power mid-corner, which unsettled the vehicle's stance, and the lag between shifts would saw the XR8 take off into the distance.

GM's new 5-speed auto-slusher can't come soon enough, and will see the Gen III posting even quicker straight-line times too.

Even when engaged in one of the first three gear ratios the transmission would ask for the next cog if you hit the redline. Forgive the transmission issues however, and the SS did well.

It's lighter kerb weight afforded it a bit more room to move at the limit, and it wasn't quite as skittish as the XR8 when putting high-level Newton meterage to the ground when exiting corners.

The GM engine, while technically inferior, gave the 'Boss' a good run for its money

The heavier steering in the Holden didn't offer as much feedback as the Ford, and this resulted in a slightly less confident feel round tighter corners, though the Ford would react more vehemently to mid-corner pot holes and other road nasties.

Both utes tended to oversteer slightly under acceleration, and while neither had particularly rapid turn in (look at those overhangs), they still made for extremely quick point-to-point vehicles, and had a lot more grip than this driver was initially willing to exploit.

Suffice to say, I was very impressed with both, but the Ford gets the gong when it comes to slicing apexes, and it's a slightly more rewarding drive because of this.

When cruising through the suburbs, apart from the all the looks we got from seeing two purple V8 utes rumbling along, the SS was the preferred steed, thanks to its more malleable ride.

The heavier XR8 gets a perceptibly stiffer suspension tune that sets it up well to deal with twisty roads, but in town this advantage is nullified as the front end jostles and the rear bumps over bigger pock marks in the road.

Ford's 260kW 5.4-litre V8 made better music though

The automatic of the Holden ute was also preferable to the heavy shift in the XR8 in stop-start traffic, but the extremely generous spread of torque meant that the Falc's 2nd gear was very useful in such situations.

Engine

If you were to put both the Ford and Holden V8 engine into two identical chassis, the Ford unit would most likely perform better.

It certainly felt more lively than the 351 cubic inch Holden engine, and this could be attributed to its lower power and torque peaks - which are, in turn, a direct result of more advanced engineering, quad overhead camshafts and so forth.

The shortcomings of Holden's low-tech, 2-valve per cylinder, OHV V8 are forgotten when the utes line up on the drag strip, but even when the SS and XR8 are so close in straight-line acceleration, there are a number of differences in the way the respective powerplants earn their keep.

The 5665cc Gen III V8, which has 257cc more capacity than the 5408cc Ford engine, generates 245kW of power @ 5600rpm. The Boss260 V8, meanwhile, churns out 260kW of power @ 5250rpm.

Peak torque for both engines is listed below, along with the powerband:

Despite the Ford engine having a shorter powerband, it felt stronger and more willing on the road, and this could be put down to the fact that it has variable cam phasing and doesn't have to rev as hard to squeeze out its maximum power.

But it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to say that the reason the SS pipped the XR8 in acceleration was due to its longer powerband, and its 35Nm disadvantage is cancelled out by the Holden's 1624kg kerb weight, compared to the Ford's hefty 1800 kilograms.

Vital statistics are as follows:

At the end of the day, the Ford engine was the pick of the two, as it involved the driver to a greater degree, and was just more rewarding to work. The engine never felt out of breath like the Gen III would sometimes, though to the Chevy donk's credit it was reliable and put under much more stress due to the gearbox's indecision.

Though Holden has gone to great lengths to make the Gen III in 245kW guise sound better - and it does - the Ford engine is the more evocative engine.

The SS ute's front end is all angles, broken up by the smooth bonnet

It's louder, lumpier and generally meaner sounding, where the Chevy motor doesn't sing until the techo needle passes 5000rpm.

As far as fuel efficiency goes, the Holden fared better than the Ford, averaging 9.0-litres of fuel per 100km while cruising on the open road, where the Ford managed about 10-litres per 100km. Put that down to weight. Again.

Exterior

This is where things get tricky. For me, the SS had the smoother lines and the new VY II front end is a really nice piece of work that got better and better the more time I spent with it. Others felt that the XR front end had the mustard, with its headlights cutting into the front bumper structure.

I will admit that the XR8's power bulge on the bonnet is a very tasty design feature, and one that gives Ford's V8 ute (and sedans) a really menacing look. One admirer called it the "nouveau bonnet scoop," but whatever it gets called, it certainly communicates its big V8 credentials to the world.

The XR8 had a better stance than the SS - it sits slightly lower (on the optional 18-inch five spoke alloys) and looks a little bigger, because it is.

The Commodore ute is 1845mm wide, and the Falcon 1870mm, and measured from nose to tail, the Ford is also 28mm longer. In fact the Ford is slightly bigger in every department, but can only haul 500kg of cargo in the tray, compared to the Holden ute's 650kg payload.

The interiors for both models were very good for $40k vehicles

From behind, the SS looks more sophisticated, and despite both having chromed dual exhaust pipes, the SS gets a fancier brake light cluster, more akin to the 'jewelled' aftermarket items than the utilitarian lights on the Ford.

The rear end of the SS, however, looked boosted, and the clearance between the top of the rear wheels and guards isn't exactly in accordance with its sporty pretensions.

Interior

Both the Holden and the Ford offer a fairly good ride, and ergonomically speaking they do an impressive job.

Both the XR8 and the SS are at the top of their respective model line-ups, so they get the good stuff, like embroidered sports seats, fancy instruments and shiny gear knobs and so forth.

The end result is actually quite effective, and though the Ford we tested was upholstered in leather, the cloth seats of the SS were probably a little more comfy over the longer haul.

Both model's seat's have good side-bolstering, which comes in handy when the lateral Gs kick in, and both have technical instruments (speedo, tacho), but the SS with its colour-coded dash and chrome-rimmed dials gets the nod here.

The Ford has a more intuitive centre console, with easy-to-use dials for the stereo and heater that felt nicer to touch than the Holden's, and the cruise-control mounted on steering wheel was preferred to the General's stalk-mounted job. That said, the better steering wheel belonged to the SS, which had more supple leather.

The Momo shifter in the XR8 ute has fairly short throws between gears, but the low-lying shifter meant that elbows often rubbed with the central central storage bin. Also, the Holden seat backs sit almost flush with the aft wall of the cabin, while the Ford ute offers a space for sports equipment or a couple of small rucksacks.

Overall: 4/5

Despite having a 15kW power deficit and falling 35 Newton metres short of the Ford ute's engine specifications, the less bulky SS ute did remarkably well, and let's not forget that auto transmission handicap either.

As lifestyle vehicles, the SS and the XR8 utes excel, and they both deserve the 4/5 rating. While you'll only be able to carry around one other passenger (legally), they more than make up for this by their ability to transport a couch, some lumber, or a dirt bike to wherever you want to go, and camping is too easy with these brutes.

For the money - both fetching about 40 large - they are arguably the most cost-effective way to get into both Holden's and Ford's most powerful V8s. They deliver effortless power and mountains of torque, and if you want more power, you'll need to upgrade to FPV and HSV, and splash out another $10,000 to boot.

At the end of the day, the call is very close - either one of these utes does a great job at hauling light loads and sprinting down winding coastal roads. But if one ute had to be chosen in favour of the other, it would go to the Ford Falcon XR8 by a cat's whisker, based on its more involving drive, it's more assertive V8 engine and practical interior.