diff --git a/modello-maven-plugin/pom.xml b/modello-maven-plugin/pom.xml
index 74303e089..d8e1fc030 100644
--- a/modello-maven-plugin/pom.xml
+++ b/modello-maven-plugin/pom.xml
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@
               <localRepositoryPath>${project.build.directory}/local-repo</localRepositoryPath>
               <debug>true</debug>
               <filterProperties>
-                <plexusUtilsVersion>3.0.22</plexusUtilsVersion>
+                <plexusUtilsVersion>3.6.1</plexusUtilsVersion>
                 <junit4Version>${junit4Version}</junit4Version>
                 <java.version>${java.version}</java.version>
                 <jdom.version>${jdom.version}</jdom.version>
diff --git a/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/features/pom.xml b/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/features/pom.xml
index 1f5123683..9edb6c115 100644
--- a/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/features/pom.xml
+++ b/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/features/pom.xml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.codehaus.plexus</groupId>
       <artifactId>plexus-utils</artifactId>
-      <version>3.0.24</version>
+      <version>@plexusUtilsVersion@</version>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.codehaus.woodstox</groupId>
diff --git a/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/maven-model/pom.xml b/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/maven-model/pom.xml
index 0a52fd390..fa7b10b63 100644
--- a/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/maven-model/pom.xml
+++ b/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/maven-model/pom.xml
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.codehaus.plexus</groupId>
       <artifactId>plexus-utils</artifactId>
-      <version>3.0.24</version>
+      <version>@plexusUtilsVersion@</version>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>junit</groupId>
diff --git a/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/maven-model/src/test/java/org/codehaus/modello/xpp3/Xpp3ParsingTest.java b/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/maven-model/src/test/java/org/codehaus/modello/xpp3/Xpp3ParsingTest.java
index abaa4f824..3d8c009ed 100644
--- a/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/maven-model/src/test/java/org/codehaus/modello/xpp3/Xpp3ParsingTest.java
+++ b/modello-maven-plugin/src/it/maven-model/src/test/java/org/codehaus/modello/xpp3/Xpp3ParsingTest.java
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ public class Xpp3ParsingTest
     public void testXpp3ParsingWithModelWithWrongRootTag()
         throws Exception
     {
-        thrown.expectMessage( startsWith( "Expected root element 'project' but found 'model' (position: START_TAG seen <model>... @1:7)" ) );
-        
+        thrown.expectMessage( startsWith( "Expected root element 'project' but found 'model' (position: START_TAG seen <model>... @1:8" ) );
+
         File model = new File( System.getProperty( "basedir" ), "src/test/models/model-with-wrong-root-tag.xml" );
 
         MavenXpp3Reader reader = new MavenXpp3Reader();
@@ -36,21 +36,21 @@ public void testXpp3ParsingWithModelWithMissingElements()
         throws Exception
     {
         thrown.expectMessage( startsWith( "Unrecognised tag: 'groupId' (position: START_TAG seen ...<dependencies>" ) );
-        
+
         File model = new File( System.getProperty( "basedir" ), "src/test/models/model-with-missing-elements.xml" );
 
         MavenXpp3Reader reader = new MavenXpp3Reader();
 
         reader.read( new XmlStreamReader( model ), true );
     }
-    
+
     @Test
     public void testXpp3ParsingWithModelWithPostTags()
         throws Exception
     {
         // internal message from MXParser
         thrown.expectMessage( startsWith( "start tag not allowed in epilog" ) );
-        
+
         File model = new File( System.getProperty( "basedir" ), "src/test/models/model-with-post-tags.xml" );
 
         MavenXpp3Reader reader = new MavenXpp3Reader();