K.C.

Why drastically alter a formula that has worked for 50 plus years? It makes no sense. Thank goodness its not true.

I am concerned about all of the news being leaked about the Volt. I wish GM would keep it more of a secret so they could have the market all to themselves for awhile. The progress they are making is amazing, and if they can produce 60,000 a year, that will be a true feat.

Oh well, a man can dream. Maybe there is a customizer out there who can take care of that for me.

I prefer to be in the dark about studies like this.

================================================================================I really like what you have to say here. Character education is very important, however, it is not the schools sole responsibility to teach a student how to behave, its the parents job to SHOW their child how to behave, and to direct and redirect whenever necessary. Teachers are busy enough teaching curriculum that character education should be secondary and only enforced when a student breaks the code of ethics in the classroom. At least, that is how I would run my room if I were a teacher. I just think that parents depend on schools to educate the child on everything, and that isnt true. Parents are teachers too. The only difference is that you do not need a certificate. I am new to Great Falls. I recently moved from Canuckistan and have only had the Av serviced once at a local Chevrolet dealer. I found them to be very curteous and professional, and they returned the AV clean inside and out. I was very impressed with their service. I think all dealers should offer luxury level customer service. All cars are expensive and the buyer deserves to be treated like a with respect, and their vehicle treated with respect.

cracker

The "Crunch" color kills me. Love the name, love the color. I don't know if I could actually own one that color, but it would be cool to say, "I own a "Crunch" Maloo Ute. I'm feelin a little verklempt

A trip to Australia sounds awesome. I think it would be cool if there was an Australian delivery program for vehicles sold in the USA that were made in Australia. I'd consider something like that.

Same here, that would be perfect to replace my Av. Great article Fly. Interesting read.

Greek food is awesome. I love all the fresh flavors in that and Italian. A Gyro does sound good.

Usonia, you are absolutely correct. I grew up in a house where it was more important to show emotions than simply tell them. I mentioned my thoughts about that to my son and he said thats not the way this family works, its all about showing, and that is more important. For a young man in his 20's, he's pretty with it. Thanks everyone again. I appreciate it.

cliff

===============================================================================I agree, once you are an adult you don't need to tell them everything about you and everything you do. We certainly don't know everything about our parents. I have recently found out some things about my father I had never previously known, and had I known as a kid I would have been shocked, but thats life. "Blu, don't beat yourself up over it. You can't take it back, but what you can do now is enjoy the time you spend with your dad. Guilt is an ugly cloud that hangs over your head only if you let it. Don't let it because it gets in the way it will tear apart the closeness between you and your dad.

I concur, does anyone have any information about the VE Crewman? Will it be debuted after the wagon? With two kids, one still at home, and two huge dogs, this is the one that has a spot in my garage.

I'm curious about this as well. If you are as in tuned to the auto U.S. auto industry as you represent, then lets hear it.

Gosh guys, around here I just crave the usual Mexican. There is a dish called "cincronecatas" that is like a quesadilla with a corn tortilla. Its filled with ham, jack cheese, onions, and tomatoes. Very good!

Anyone but the Mets and Yankees. I can't stand the Mets or the Yankees. Last month I took a trip to Milwaukee to watch the Brewers play the Mets. What a nightmare. The Brewers lost to the Mets both games, and both games we all sat next to a bunch of Mets fans. This group of fans were the rudest I had ever met. Brewers fan have always been friendly. Anyway, I hope the Brewer's will make it, but they are such a streaky team and lately they haven't been doing so hot. I wouldn't mind seeing Seattle in there either.

Fart Breath! I love it! Thanks for the laugh. I needed it!

Its impolite to ask me how much junk I got in the trunk of my Ute. I'll take mine my SS-V in Phantom metallic

meander

Merry Utemas! Full Range Image Galleries (Omega | SV6 | SS | SS-V) In Motion Image & Video Gallery Concept to Production Image & Video Gallery Holden Ute History, 1951-2007 HOLDEN'S ALL NEW VE UTE RAISES THE BAR GM Holden today unveiled its all new VE Ute range - the latest iconic model in a line-up that spans almost 60 years of Australian motoring. VE Ute is Holden's first completely new ute design since the VU series in 2000. It offers more features, more useable interior space, greater storage flexibility and more performance than any of its predecessors. Holden invested an extra $105 million on top of its $1 billion VE Commodore sedan program and carried out more than 650,000kms of reliability testing on the new VE Ute. Launching the new range in Melbourne today, GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Chris Gubbey said almost 60 years of history had established the Holden Ute as a true Australian icon. "The ute's development tells the story of Australia. Today's ute is about working hard, playing hard and enjoying an active lifestyle," Mr Gubbey said. "VE Ute raises the bar in this segment and sets new standards in safety, comfort, flexibility and performance, and all at the great value price you'd expect from Holden." Holden's world-class design and engineering expertise has created a vehicle that successfully integrates sports car performance, ride and handling and workhorse practicality. Sharing the same genetic make-up as the multi-award winning VE Commodore sedan, the all new VE Ute was designed, engineered and built in Australia. It will be the first locally produced ute to offer the acclaimed Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) crash avoidance safety technology standard across the range. High levels of safety carry through to the vehicle's structure which incorporates the same high-strength steels introduced in VE sedan. VE Ute's interior offers increased cabin comfort and significantly increased storage space. The tray has a new cargo liner fitted as standard. Performance is stepped up and there are wider wheel and tyre combinations across all models. A new-to-the-range SS V model marries 270kW of V8 power with high-level features. These include 19-inch wheels, dual zone electronic climate control, Bluetooth phone connectivity, alloy pedals and a premium audio system, setting a new standard in the ute segment. Introduced in July 2006, Holden's VE range has won a host of accolades including Wheels Car of the Year, News Ltd's Car Of The Year, MOTOR's Bang For Your Bucks and Drive.com People's Choice Award. Design Overview Holden designers captured the dual role of today's ute as a practical workhorse with recreational sports car credentials. A priority was to create more practical cabin space and storage flexibility. Like its sedan sibling, VE Ute has authoritative stance and poise. The signature raked bodyside and distinctive flared wheel arches feature prominently. The silhouette features a coupe-like integrated roof-line and retains the classic Holden Ute proportional trait with the tray perfectly balanced above the rear wheels. The clean presentation is aided by the use of a single piece body side outer which runs from the A pillar to the tailgate. The new one-piece side structure delivers significant quality improvements through dimensional stability and repeatability. There are unique wrap-around tail lamps and tailgate hinges are now fully concealed. Dual and quad exhaust systems enhance the VE Ute's sports car appeal. Interior Features VE Ute introduces several design solutions that increase interior storage space, improve rear compartment access and add more convenience features. The cabin interior draws on the award-winning VE sedan, with individual treatments increasing buyer choice. Specific centre stack features, mouldings, displays and illumination colours create maximum differentiation between variants. The aggressive quality standards applied to VE sedan were also applied to ute, with critical areas such as part-to-part fit, material surfaces, storage openings and other treatments reviewed to the tiniest detail. Rear seat access has been opened up with a quick release seat latch now standard. Storage volume behind the seats is now 245 litres, a significant increase over VZ Ute's 90 litre space. There are two storage compartments beneath the load floor and all models except Omega and SV6 have dual cargo nets in the rear panel. A new rear centre T-panel provides a striking visual element. Exterior Features While the new ute takes many of its design and styling cues from the successful VE sedan, its body structure has more than 60 unique panels. The rear structure has been significantly reinforced to accommodate the load-carrying capacity and robustness required for a light commercial vehicle. The cargo area is more functional and versatile. A heavy duty moulded cargo liner is now standard fitment. It helps protect the tray space and load materials from damage. Floor corrugations allow water run-off and easy cleaning. The flush-fitting soft tonneau cover (all models except Omega) features Holden's unique 'snap lock' clipping system. The six cargo tie-down hooks have been redesigned for improved functionality. Safety Technology VE Ute incorporates more standard safety features than its predecessor and benefits from the largest crash modelling program Holden has undertaken. The focus was on crash avoidance and providing optimum occupant protection should a crash occur. Safety technologies were benchmarked against the world's leading brands and major engineering programs delivered a stiffer body structure and significantly increased usage of advanced strength steels. Seventy seven per cent of VE Ute's structure is advanced strength steel. Load path strategies established for VE sedan have been adapted for VE Ute with a focus on side and rear impact. Structurally optimised crush zones help absorb crash energy. VE is the first locally produced ute equipped with the acclaimed Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) safety technology standard across the range. This integrates traction control, anti-lock braking systems, electronic brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution to help prevent skidding in critical driving situations by applying corrective braking to different wheels and reducing engine torque. New dual-stage driver and passenger front airbags, which inflate in two stages according to impact severity and respective seating positions, further enhance occupant safety. Other protection features include a steering column ride-down mechanism and breakaway brake pedal. Performance The new VE Ute is all about performance, whether as a day-to-day commercial workhorse or a two-door sports car in its own right. The Omega Ute offers a four-speed automatic transmission paired with Holden's locally built 3.6 litre V6 Alloytec engine, delivering 180kW of peak power and 330Nm of peak torque. The six-speed manual Omega has the more powerful High Output V6 Alloytec, delivering peak power of 195kW and peak torque of 340Nm, with dual exhausts added. SV6 utilises the same combination of High Output V6 engine, six-speed manual transmission and dual exhausts but adds sports suspension. Five-speed automatic transmission with Active Select is optional. The SS and new high-end SS V Ute models are powered by Holden's 6.0 litre Gen IV V8, which delivers 270kW of peak power and 530Nm of peak torque. It is matched to a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission with Active Select. Wheel and tyre packages are larger across the range. The entry level Omega ute moves from 15-inch to 16-inch steel wheels. At the performance end, SV6 and SS utes move from 17-inch to 18-inch alloys as standard and the new SS V boasts 19-inch alloy wheels. Quad exhausts add to the performance package on SS and SS V models. Ride and handling Holden's chassis engineers have translated the luxury smoothness, great linear handling and steering feel of VE sedan into the ute driving experience. At the same time, they have maintained the ride comfort characteristics and sporting appeal of the successful VZ Ute. The result is a balance between passenger car comfort, sporty handling and the practical requirements of a load-bearing commercial vehicle. Rear suspension was a primary focus for change and the new ute delivers even greater lateral grip and linear response during cornering. VE Ute also benefits from larger fade resistant brakes and larger wheel and tyre packages. Further Feature Highlights All-new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system - 20 fan speeds High quality instrument clusters with larger dials and displays, night mode dash illumination, 16 personalisation options, multifunction driver display All models satellite navigation and telematics capable Blaupunkt audio systems Six disc CD player (SS and SS V) Sports-contoured seats (SS and SS V) Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity Euro-style flat blade wipers Locking fuel filler door One touch lane change indicator LED high-mounted stop lamp (SS and SS V) Dual zone electronic climate control (SS V) Projector headlamps (SS V) Alloy faced pedals (SS V) Accessories include: Super Box Hard tonneau cover Cargo tie-down rails Sports bar Ladder and roof rack Sports decal kit Interior luggage organiser Colour selection A varied and expressive colour palette emphasises ute's sports persona. Three exciting new colours - Atomic, Crunch and K-Pow - are included in a total of nine exterior colour choices. Available on all models Heron White - solid white Phantom - metallic black with silver highlights Redhot - highly chromatic solid red metallic Nickel - mechanical dark silver with coarse metallic highlight *K-Pow - highly chromatic metallic blue with purple undertones Additional colours available on SV6, SS and SSV Ignition - chromatic red orange metallic with fine mica gold highlight *Atomic - metallic green, bright and packed with chroma *Crunch - a green-biased metallic yellow Morpheous - purple metallic * denotes new colours Holden VE Ute Range: Omega (new) - 3.6L V6, peak power 180kW, peak torque 330Nm, four-speed automatic and 3.6L V6 195kW peak torque 340Nm six-speed manual; SV6 - 3.6L V6 195kW peak torque 340Nm five-speed automatic and six-speed manual; SS - 6.0L V8 270kW, peak torque 530Nm six-speed automatic and six-speed manual; SS V (new) - 6.0L V8 270kW, peak torque 530Nm six-speed automatic and six-speed manual; Fuel Economy Omega (auto) - 11.3 L/km - (21mpg) Omega (manual) - 11.4 L/km - (21mpg) SV6 (auto) - 11.6 L/km - (20mpg) SV6 (manual) - 11.4 L/km - (21mpg) SS & SS V (auto) - 14.0 L/km - (17mpg) SS & SS V (manual) - 14.5 L/km - (16mpg) Recommended Retail Pricing (Australian) (Excluding delivery and government charges) Omega (6-speed manual) V6 - $30,990 with air conditioning Omega (4-speed automatic) V6 - $30,990 with air conditioning SV6 (6-speed manual) V6 - $35,990 SV6 (5-speed automatic) V6 - $36,990 SS (6-speed manual) V8 - $39,990 SS (6-speed automatic) V8 - $41,990 SS V (6-speed manual) V8 - $44,990 SS V (6-speed automatic) V8 - $46,990 Leather smart pack (SV6 and SS) - $1,250 On Sale: October 2007 ----------*****---------- I found some pics of the new Ute on car spy shots. Here's the link Official Holden Ute Pics More Ute Pics Even more Ute Pics

It's like he has some kind of collection addiction with children, or with putting his mark on as many bed posts as he can. I don't get it.

Man, aint I the old married man? I am the only one who choose a practical family vehicle. The rest of you are smart with you Z06s and Solstices.

Thanks guy. I appreciate the comments. Thankfully C&G has been here all day and I've been posting on it all day to keep my brain going in a somewhat constructive manner.

A Corvette with a 6 cylinder engine? Thats unAmerican. Shame on you!