The VG Holden Utility - the official name, separating it from the Commodore- was released in late 1990 and the first locally produced Holden utility since the legendary WB finished in 1984. Being purely based on the longer wheelbase VN wagon platform, the only things the VG held in common with the WB were the placement of the handbrake between the driver's seat and driver's door and the location of the spare tyre which was hung under the rear of the ute by a winch.

Mechanically, the only differences between the VG Holden Utility and the VN Commodore was the uprated rear suspension to suit load carrying needs and the addition of a load sensing proportioning valve which controlled the rear disc brakes operating pressure to reduce instances of lock up under light load carrying conditions. The fuel tank was moved forward of the rear axle to allow the mounting of the spare tyre beneath the tray. Again, the Holden 5.0litre V8 and Buick derived V6 were the only engine options available.

Further details of all drive trains offered across the VG range can be found here.

Front end styling was pure VN Commodore with the rear panels incorporating the tray sides and tail gate being specialised stampings. Unlike earlier Holden utes, the VG was not offered in a tray top configuration. Keeping in touch with the old story of the farmer and his wife, many creature comfort options were afforded to the VG including power windows and mirrors, air conditioning and power steering and the interior configuration (obviously minus the rear pew!) was as for the VN Commodore.

The VG was available in two variations from Holden- the Utility S being the upmarket edition and the Utility which was aimed at the tradesman and commercial market. The Utility came as a three seater with a two seater bench and a bucket seat for the driver (omitting a center console) with the handbrake located between driver's seat and door and rearranged radio and heater controls to afford the middle passenger extra leg room. Automatics had the shifter mounted on the column whereas the manual shifter protruded from the floor. The Utility S was more akin to the VN interior, having two bucket seats and a center console. In addition to this, a Formula pack was offered consisting of a different grill and bumper bar air dam.

As for the VN, HSV and HDT also turned their hand at getting more out of the VG. HDT offered the Magnum which featured a kit similar in style to the popular VN Aero including the side mouldings and Starform rims aswell as the 180kw engine package.

HSV released the LS and Maloo packages. Whilst the LS was a simple dress up pack consisting of a body kit featuring SV3800 and SV89 body additions and an SV5000 rear spoiler on the trailing edge of the cabin aswell as interior features- namely the Momo steering wheel, matching gear shifter knob and sports seats- the Maloo was upgraded to include with HSV suspension and the 180kw SV89 5 litre V8 so the go could match the look. The LS was available with either a six or an eight and both could be delivered with various graphic packages.

A full list of models in the VG range can be found here.