GM Holden's VE SS Ute has claimed the 2008 Drive Car of the Year's Best Ute Award for the second year running. The ute won the award for its car-like driving dynamics, high-performing engine and competitive pricing.

Throughout the judging process, the SS ute was put through its paces during six days of non-stop testing.

Drive Car of the Year judges rated the 42-car field based on a number of criteria, including performance, price, quality, comfort and safety.

National Drive Editor and Drive Car of the Year judge Toby Hagon said the Holden Ute demonstrated outstanding performance during testing.

Holden VE SS Ute

"The overall design of the Ute shows genuine understanding of the target market, especially inside where there are some handy storage options," he said. "The Ute makes a great dual-purpose vehicle, fulfilling work duties during the week and recreational needs for the weekend."

GM Holden Director of Marketing Philip Brook said winning back-to-back Best Ute awards recognised Holden's ability to deliver on value, style and performance.

"This is an award for local ingenuity," Mr Brook said.

"The SS Ute continues Holden's proud 60-year heritage of designing, engineering and building cars for the Australian market

"We are very proud of the SS Ute and it continues to be a top-performing model for our brand."

Launched in October 2007, the VE Ute range is well equipped with standard features including Electronic Stability Control (ESC), dual-stage driver and passenger front airbags and Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity.

It is powered by Holden's 6.0 litre Gen IV V8, delivering 270kW of peak power and 530Nm of peak torque and is matched to a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission with Active Select.

Completing the SS Ute package are 10-spoke,18-inch alloy wheels, sports body kit with fog lamps, sports seats, quad exhausts and six-disc, MP3 compatible CD system.