HSV Gen-F2 Maloo R8 review: The humble ute is now a supercar slayer

[Express]

A tow away because of a flat tyre on a lazy Sunday, my, my.

HSV Gen-F2 Maloo R8 review: The humble ute is now a supercar slayer



13 December, 2015



Not a bad looking ute.


Harry Tucker
news.com.au


HOW the humble Holden ute has changed in its 54 years of existence. What was previously designed for “the man on the land” to be a small delivery vehicle is now a full-blown sports car. It even has maps for race tracks in its navigation system.

HSV’s final dig at the Aussie ute is now far less ute and far more sports car than ever. While you still have a tray on the back, you also have a supercharged V8 engine that puts out 400kW of power and 671Nm of torque. To put that in context, Ferrari’s F430 Scuderia which was only discontinued in 2009 had 375kW of power.

This humble ute is more powerful than a darn supercar.

That engine itself is sublime, from the lower rev range right to red line there is always an abundance of power. The automatic gearbox with which our review car was fitted with worked well enough, and while it was no AMG dual clutch, it still felt sporty and fast.




That tray can fit a lot. Source:news.com.au


After driving the Clubsport R8 with the same engine and exhaust set up though, it felt like the automatic in Maloo compared to the Clubbie’s manual took away some of the V8 roar you got from revving it when taking off. Lucky that initial pop, crackle and big soundtrack is still there when you turn it on.

Once you’ve hit a straight, the big supercharged V8 has more power than you’ll ever need on tap, with buckets of it coming on from fairly low in the rev range. If you take it from a standstill and want to launch it off the line, the 671Nm of torque sends those rear wheels spinning before propelling you off the line with serious pace. But really, if you turn the traction control off, it turns into a burnout machine whether you like it or not.

But with all that power, comes some serious fuel usage, and premium 98 unleaded petrol at that. After a week with the car, with a mix of city, highway and spirited driving, I finished with figures of 17.2l/100. But if using lots of fuel bothers you, a big V8 is never going to be the right car for you.

Having never driven a Maloo before, the way the car handled around corners was genuinely mind-boggling. This thing ate corners up, despite being a wide, long ute that had a barbecue stored in the tray. I was having a blast transporting goods — who would have thought!

If you’ve ever been inside a VF Commodore, the inside of the new Clubsport will be very familiar, with only a few little HSV inserts and sports bucket seats to set it apart. It’s not a bad interior, and is certainly very comfortable, both in the front and back seats, but it is by no means up to the same quality as European rivals.




Race tracks included. Source:Supplied


However, one feature I was able to review with the car which I never thought I would have to is Holden’s Roadside Assistance. I became stuck in the unfortunate situation around 20km outside the Bathurst CBD with a flat tyre and a car with not only no spare tyre, but no tyre repair kit either.

I was forced to ring Holden’s Roadside Assistance then, where I was stuck on the phone for nearly two hours trying to get help. They were very friendly, but didn’t quite seem to know how to handle my situation. I eventually got a tow truck to take the car away, which because it was a Sunday was taken back to their depot. After numerous attempts to try and get a hire car on a Sunday afternoon failed, I had to get myself back to Sydney. But that was after hours of waiting to hear back from Holden Roadside about the status of a hire car, which if I was a paying customer, I would be very disappointed.




Always remember a spare tyre. Source:news.com.au


But really, the lesson here is to always make sure you have a darn spare tyre.

It’s a shame my time with the last Maloo got cut short, because it’s truly the quintessential Aussie car. It’s a bloody ute that has a 400kW supercharged V8 under the bonnet and I think that’s fantastic.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/in...3c7f29f5bb75&=

[mik]

what a dillberry , no spare or repair kit , tisk tisk.

[Windsor220]

Surely that isn't a normal thing?

[Wretched]

I was forced to ring Holden’s Roadside Assistance then, where I was stuck on the phone for nearly two hours trying to get help. They were very friendly, but didn’t quite seem to know how to handle my situation. I eventually got a tow truck to take the car away, which because it was a Sunday was taken back to their depot. After numerous attempts to try and get a hire car on a Sunday afternoon failed, I had to get myself back to Sydney. But that was after hours of waiting to hear back from Holden Roadside about the status of a hire car, which if I was a paying customer, I would be very disappointed.

Process failure right there. I'd be really unimpressed paying for the car and the service but not getting the latter properly. It doesn't matter the price of the car, if you're offering a service with it, make sure you have it all sorted before a customer calls.

[Peter B - CV8]

I thought they had that "goo in a can" stuff - probably behind one of the seats....

[Smoke Pursuit]

Yes it seems there's no spare on GENF2 supercharged utes.

[T3ts50]

Originally Posted by Smoke Pursuit

Yes it seems there's no spare on GENF2 supercharged utes.

I'm pretty sure it's an option an all LSA HSVs, an option which takes up the majority of your boot space.

[wicksy]

Originally Posted by T3ts50

I'm pretty sure it's an option an all LSA HSVs, an option which takes up the majority of your boot space.

Spot on, because of the Diffs they use, they take up the spare wheel well, so if you get a spare its just sitting in your boot with a carpet cover over it

[Express]

Originally Posted by Smoke Pursuit

Yes it seems there's no spare on GENF2 supercharged utes.

There is no spare with the VFII Redline Utes either, just a can of goo.

I asked the Dealer if I could purchase one rim to fit over the front brakes and was told there was no carrier under the Redline to hold the spare if I did.

I’ve now decided on a different course of action and will now be fitting aftermarket rims and I'll place one of the OEM rims in the tray for when I’m driving out of town.

[vztrt]

I thought commercial vehicles had to have a full size spare?

[blackf6]

Huh. What a joke. No meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars. Just stranded with the Roos.

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by vztrt

I thought commercial vehicles had to have a full size spare?

You could probably carry more in a hatchback with the seats down than a Maloo

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by vztrt

I thought commercial vehicles had to have a full size spare?

Nope.

Prime movers typically don't when they are bobtail.

[Express]

Obviously they don’t want to sell any to the boys in the bush.

No amount of goo will fix a tyre with the wall ripped out.

[superfly]

Originally Posted by Windsor220

Surely that isn't a normal thing?

I read this morning in the RACQ magazine that the editor too was stuck with a flat tyre in her Toyota 86. Turns out, no spare tyre (only a cardboard cut out) and no goo.

Seems to be a normal thing now.

I'll stick with the space saver.

[arronm]

"Obviously they don’t want to sell any to the boys in the bush.

No amount of goo will fix a tyre with the wall ripped out."



Exactly. And the same thing is going to happen to new mustang drivers. Wonder if they are aware

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by arronm

"Obviously they don’t want to sell any to the boys in the bush.

No amount of goo will fix a tyre with the wall ripped out."



Exactly. And the same thing is going to happen to new mustang drivers. Wonder if they are aware

I'd be keen to see how many people would go bush bashing with a Maloo or a Mustang.

[Iggle Piggle]

Originally Posted by Wretched

I'd be keen to see how many people would go bush bashing with a Maloo or a Mustang.

Guess it depends on if any of the hire car companies add them to their fleet

[arronm]

Originally Posted by Iggle Piggle

Guess it depends on if any of the hire car companies add them to their fleet

Others have posted the GT mustang can't have a spare. No room

Originally Posted by Wretched

I'd be keen to see how many people would go bush bashing with a Maloo or a Mustang.

Easy to get a puncture that can't be fixed with goo. Don't have to go bush bashing

[pwr4ce]

Kind of used to it - motorcycles don't have spare tyres either

[Express]

Originally Posted by Wretched

I'd be keen to see how many people would go bush bashing with a Maloo or a Mustang.

Country boys buy high price muscle cars too.

One spare is a minimum requirement.

I always carried two when I lived out West and I never go home for a visit without still carrying two.

I’ve been caught once and that is enough, five or six hours wasted while trying to track down some rubber in a town that only opens once a year and then having to stay overnight to wait for a Monday morning opening is a major holiday killer.

[nstg8a]

Can you imagine how different the headline would be if it was a falcon ute that left the tester stranded...

Also, comparing the power to a long discontinued supercar? That's drawing a pretty long bow.

It's a great ute, hell I'd own one in a flash if I could but jeez he laid it on a bit thick.

[Cobra]

I'd happily sacrifice a spare to have a tough rear end in place of the Control Blade junk if it were a Ford we were talking about. Given that it's a ute, you've got plenty of room to fit a spare in the tub. That's what I'd be doing.

[99AUXR]

Had a customers redline VF SS in today, great bit of kit and loved the interior think good on holden. Only thing I didnt like is think it needed a bit more bark, it was auto.

[Whitey-AMG]

2 doors , 400kw supercharged V8 and close on 700nm twist in a factory offering and some on here are quibbling over a spare tyre.......

FFS , go and get an RACV , NRMA or some other road side assist membership to deal with it.

If you're at Summernats and you blow both rears in the burnout comp, you still only have 1 spare...this thing is built for recreation not haulin tools in the back or does it haul tools in the front seats..lol

Kudos HSV. Luv your work.

[PepeLePew]

The overcooked plastics are still an acquired taste. The VFII Redline actual looks better to my eyes. Been that way for a while with the Maloo. I WANT to like it, it's a serious option for my next vehicle if I continue with my current ute habit. Though helluva lot of nice Ford offerings if I switch back to 4 doors ;)

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by Express

Country boys buy high price muscle cars too.

One spare is a minimum requirement.

I always carried two when I lived out West and I never go home for a visit without still carrying two.

I’ve been caught once and that is enough, five or six hours wasted while trying to track down some rubber in a town that only opens once a year and then having to stay overnight to wait for a Monday morning opening is a major holiday killer.

May be I misunderstood the definition of "out in the bush."
I define country (farming) as different to bush (the actual bush land, i.e. where ppl going 4WD'ing).

[b0son]

Originally Posted by Express

I’ve been caught once and that is enough, five or six hours wasted while trying to track down some rubber in a town that only opens once a year and then having to stay overnight to wait for a Monday morning opening is a major holiday killer.

Ditto. Had a spare, but it was a space-saver, hardly practical with 500km of freeway to go. Town was Albury, even they didn't have any rubber in a 235/35/19.

[Express]

Originally Posted by Wretched

May be I misunderstood the definition of "out in the bush."
I define country (farming) as different to bush (the actual bush land, i.e. where ppl going 4WD'ing).

Out around Goodooga is what I call the bush.

Lust green farming land is just outer suburbia.

But I get what you mean, it depends on where you are to how important and how much impact not having a proper spare or two becomes.

I have goo with the BMW (plus run flats) and with mainly City and Central Coast driving I’ve never needed to used it and when my Redline arrives I will only be throwing the spare in when I’m travelling back home, I’ll keep the goo or roadside assist if it gets that bad for urban cruising.

Still I believe a Ute should have a spare or a space saver as a minimum and as for the big brakes and staggered fitments making it difficult to cater for and the diff not allowing enough room they are just excuses as neither the Redline or Maloo come with one and the Redline has smaller brakes and diff plus there is nothing small about my AMG apart from the body and MB has managed find room for a space saver that fits big brakes.

[PHawk]

No spare in the 300 SRT, just an air pump and a goo pak.