Morley says...

YOU’RE RIGHT, Steve. A BA/BF automatic (my preference for towing) can indeed tug along a 2300kg braked trailer. Thing is, I don’t need that much capacity and the 1600kg braked load the VY SS can haul should be more than enough for my needs.

Beyond that, having owned one years ago, I was tempted by the Falcon XR6 Turbo but I just reckon the normally-aspirated, big capacity V8 is a better bet for towing in a hot climate. And at that point, all roads led to Holden because the LS1 is a simpler engine and makes its torque in a better spot than the DOHC Ford that arrived with the BA. And, to be honest,

I just couldn’t go back to the plain-Jane Falcon interior and the driving position that never, ever felt completely `right’ to me.

Also, wrecking yards are full of shunted VX and VY Commodores with perfectly good engines in them for not much money (should the unthinkable happen) and there’s a whole parts and tuning industry that’s sprung up around the LS1. Either way, though, I’d still have an Aussie car-based ute over pretty much any of the current crop of dual-cab four-wheel-drive utes, none of which, in my humble opinion, rides properly.

But don’t get me wrong, I’m not a total LS1 fanboy. Fact is, I still reckon the old Iron Lion in my VN SS has way more character than the LS. But you can’t argue with horsepower numbers and efficiency.