You’re big, strong and tough. You’ve got a demanding physical job. And you need a car that’ll match you down to the ground. Something big, strong and tough that can handle any job you ask it to do. The perfect vehicle for you would be something with good ground clearance to get over tricky terrain. Something that can fit the family (or the work crew). Something with a bit of grunt. Maybe it’s time to take a look at the new look Holden Rodeo and see if it fits your bill.

It’s a matter of debate whether you call it a RO-dee-oh or a Ro-DAY-oh, but there’s no debating that the Holden Rodeo is a tough customer. And there’s a huge line-up to take your pick from. For a start-off, will you need 4×4 capacity or do you only need 4×2 (for example, if you’re a town-based contractor)? And what about passenger size? Single cab, Space Cab or Crew Cab? Once again, you’ve got them all there to choose from.

It’s when you start combining the engines, the model variant, the drive train and the cab style that things start getting complicated. But one thing’s not complicated: you are bound to find the right Holden Rodeo for you. So, to summarise, the Holden Rodeo DX comes in either Crew Cab or single cab, is a 4×2 and has a 2.4 litre petrol engine. The Holden Rodeo LX V6 has a 3.6 Alloytec V6 petrol engine (and you didn’t need to be a genius to figure that one out), and comes with every combination of drive train and cab size except Space Cab 4×4. And the Holden Rodeo LX TD is powered by a 3.0 litre turbo diesel engine and comes in the following body style and drive train combinations: single cab 4×2, single cab 4×4, Space Cab 4×4, Crew Cab 4×2 and Crew Cab 4×4. The Holden Rodeo DX TD has the same diesel engine but comes only in single cab 4×4. The Holden Rodeo LT models are a bit simpler: the LT V6 and LT TD (and you can work out which engine’s in what) come in 4×4 Crew Cab, and the LT V6 also comes in 4×2 Crew Cab.

Right, that’s the complicated stuff out of the way. It’s much simpler to line up the Holden Rodeo engines themselves and compare their grunt. The 2.4 litre petrol engine hasn’t got too much in the way of power, with its maximum being a mere 92 kW at 4800 revs, but the torque’s OK: 207 Nm at 3200 revs. The 3.6 litre petrol has higher maximum power than the 3.0 litre diesel (157 kW vs. 120 kW) but has a lower top torque – 313 Nm to the diesel’s 360 Nm in manual (or 333 Nm in automatic). The diesel engine reaches its top torque at a much lower rate of revs – only 1800 rpm for the manual – as opposed to the 2800 rpm where the petrol finds its top torque level.

Enough technical stuff and let’s get on to what’s going to affect you every day. If you’re driving around on the job, then you’ll want to be comfy and you’ll want to have some decent sounds playing. And you’ll get it. All models of the Holden Rodeo have a CD/radio system – and the LT models have a 6-disc system. And all models come with a handy mobile phone connector. All models except the Holden Rodeo DX have front reclining bucket seats and power windows. Out of all models, the Holden Rodeo LT variants are the most luxurious, having a roof console, a multifunction display unit, cruise control, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear shift knob.

The safety features on the Holden Rodeo are also pretty good, even though they won’t be needed every day. All models have side intrusion beams protecting the passengers from impact. The DX models are somewhat lacking in safety features, but all other models have driver and front passenger airbags. The Holden Rodeo LT has the active safety features of ABS with EBD, and the other models have a load sensing proportioning valve to ensure on-road stability.

And (go on, admit it) you want a car that looks good. The Holden Rodeo certainly does. It’s aggressively styled with lots of masculine angles and squares – even the wheel arches are squarish. The side moulding either come in good-looking grey or, in the LT models, body colour. Body paint comes with a good selection of colours and you’re bound to find something that fits your company colours if that’s what you need.

Does the Holden Rodeo sound like your sort of car – your sort of truck, I should say. Try it and see.

Current model series include:

• Holden Rodeo DX Cab Chassis 2.4
• Holden Rodeo DX Cab Chassis 3.0 Turbo Diesel 4×4
• Holden Rodeo DX Crew Cab Utility 2.4
• Holden Rodeo LT Crew Cab Utility 3.0 Turbo Diesel 4×4
• Holden Rodeo LT Crew Cab Utility 3.6 V6
• Holden Rodeo LT Crew Cab Utility 3.6 V6 4×4
• Holden Rodeo LT Space Cab Utility 3.0 Turbo Diesel 4×4
• Holden Rodeo LT Space Cab Utility 3.6 V6 4×4
• Holden Rodeo LX Cab Chassis 3.0 Turbo Diesel
• Holden Rodeo LX Cab Chassis 3.0 Turbo Diesel 4×4
• Holden Rodeo LX Cab Chassis 3.6 V6
• Holden Rodeo LX Cab Chassis 3.6 V6 4×4
• Holden Rodeo LX Crew Cab Chassis 3.0 Turbo Diesel 4×4
• Holden Rodeo LX Crew Cab Chassis 3.6 V6 4×4
• Holden Rodeo LX Crew Cab Utility 3.0 Turbo Diesel
• Holden Rodeo LX Space Cab Chassis 3.0 Turbo Diesel 4×4
• Holden Rodeo LX Space Cab Chassis 3.6 V6
• Holden Rodeo LX Space Cab Utility 3.0 Turbo Diesel 4×4
• Holden Rodeo LX Space Cab Utility 3.6 V6
• Holden Rodeo LX Space Cab Utility 3.6 V6 4×4
• Holden Rodeo LX Utility 3.6 V6

For anymore information on the Holden Rodeo, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of Holden dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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