Epic finale
1 It costs HOW much?
If you thought $60,000 was a lot of money for a Toyota HiLux with the lot, how about $80,000 for a Holden V8 ute? The Holden Special Vehicles Maloo 30th anniversary edition is $3000 more than the standard model, pushing the price to $79,990 plus on-road costs. The supercharged LSA 6.2-litre V8 gets a power bump from 400kW to 410kW and a torque boost from 671Nm to 691Nm, “torque vectoring” tech from the GTS sedan (to make it more stable in high-speed corners) and a bunch of 30th anniversary labels. The massive six-piston brakes normally reserved for the GTS are a $3495 option. All up, this ute is nearly $90,000 in the traffic — and the even more expensive $96,990 GTSR Maloo is around the corner:.
2 It’s fast but not quick
The HSV Maloo goes as you’d expect a supercharged ute to perform: like a rocket. Just not from a standing start. It can’t get all its power to the ground because there’s not as much weight over the rear wheels compared to the sedan. Which is why, despite being lighter than the sedan overall, the HSV Maloo has slightly slower 0-100km/h times. The best we could get is 5.0 seconds; the sedan stops the clock in 4.7 seconds. Once on the move, though, it feels epic.
3 It rides like a limousine
It feels like a luxury car over bumps. This may be hard to believe but, despite riding on massive 20-inch wheels, the HSV Maloo is no bone crusher. It glides over rough roads, in part thanks to the soft sidewalls of the Continental tyres. HSV’s better tuned and better quality shock absorbers should also take some of the credit. Holden gets a nod, too, for basing the ute body on the underpinnings of the luxury Caprice sedan. The only way you can tell you’re in a ute is the bulges in the hard tonneau cover in the rear view mirror.
4 It’s the last of the breed
Once the Commodore factory shuts in October, cars like this will be gone forever. The automotive world may still produce rear-drive V6 and V8 sedans — but this is the end of the car-derived highperformance V8 ute. No wonder they’re being snapped up.
5 Get a move on
If you want one, better be quick. Only 200 or so Maloo 30th editions will be built between now and the end of production, as the company ramps up production of its flagship GTSR models (including 600 GTSR Maloo utes). Beyond that, HSV will be working its magic on General Motors’ imported products.