Naked pleasure; It’s flashy but fun
0 Comments | Taranaki Daily News; New Plymouth, New Zealand, Jan 7, 2009 | by MAETZIG Rob
This vehicle might be a bit silly, but it’s also a tonne of fun. ROB MAETZIG reviews Ford’s V8-powered Super Pursuit ute. ———– ——— ONE can never accuse the Australians of being backwards in coming forward with their flashy high- performance rear-wheel drive utes.
From the point of view of utility — which years ago was the whole point of these utes — they are next to useless. In theory they might be capable of carrying half a tonne of cargo, but a combination of wide wheels with ultra-low- profile tyres, very low ground clearances and flash tonneau covers over the rear trays mean they are not designed for a lot of hard work.
But from the points of view of street-wise looks and performance – - which these Ford and Holden utes have evolved into — then they’re great. Testosterone-charged males on both side of the Tasman love them. So does notorious Kiwi naked newsreader Lisa Lewis; she owns one.
Earlier last year Holden set the ball rolling with the latest generation of performance utes when Holden Special Vehicles launched the Maloo R8, a big V8-powered ute with out-there looks and the claim that it was less of a ute and more of a two- door sportscar with a tray out the back