2008 Holden Berlina Sportwagon review

By Karl Peskett | November 13th, 2008

2008 Holden Sportwagon Berlina review & road test

Model Tested:

2008 Holden Berlina Sportwagon Automatic – $ 41,790 (RRP)

Options:

Full size spare alloy wheel – $250
Leather inserts – $2500
Metallic Paint – $400

Stylish, spacious, comfortable, practical

Coarse engine, fuel consumption

CarAdvice Rating:

- Photography and words by Karl Peskett

A little while ago, CarAdvice’s Matt Brogan took the Calais Sportwagon for a spin. He was impressed with the room and looks, but the drivetrain left him a little wanting.

With that in mind, I headed off to Holden to pick up the Berlina Sportwagon. It’s one rung down the ladder from the Calais, so surely this is going to be torture, isn’t it?

Not quite. The Berlina is priced more cheaply, so you’d expect that on a spec-per-dollar basis, the Berlina should at least match, or better the Calais. What do you get, then for your $41,790?

Well, you get six airbags, rear parking sensors, ESC, heaps of room, an excellent Bluetooth system, dual-zone climate control and a four-star safety rating.

So, it’s not too bad in the pricing stakes. The immense room is something that really helps, though. Front, rear, boot, everything is big. That means comfortable travel, too. In comparison with the SS version we also tested earlier, though, the Berlina’s seats are quite flat.

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Not only is there almost nothing in the way of shaping or bolstering, being covered in leather, as was the test car, the seats also tend to be a little slippery. The Berlina is not a sports car, so it’s more suited to taking it easy, but cruisier cars than the Berlina have better seats. They will probably soften up with a bit of use, though, meaning you’ll sink into them, rather than sit on them, as you start out.

Something that does feel a bit better in the Berlina than the SS we tried recently, is the brakes. As the speed potential of the V6 powered Berlina is nowhere near the SS, the same brakes feel a whole lot stronger.

When we say that the speed potential is nowhere near the SS, we mean it. The Alloytec V6 is sadly lethargic when mated to a four-speed automatic and stuffed into a 1800kg car. It’s also not the smoothest, either.

In the sedan, there’s sound deadening which is consequential. The rear seats meet up with the rear windscreen, and it divides off the boot. In the Sportwagon, it’s all open. That means exhaust noise comes into the cabin, and there’s a scratchy tinnyness, from which the sedan just doesn’t suffer.

As a result, there’s a coarse, whirry sound, which for the newness of the engine, just shouldn’t be there. It only pulls from around 4000rpm, too, which means it has to work very hard, only to be undercut everytime it changes gear, and drops below the 4000rpm mark. A couple more ratios would be nice, to keep it in its sweet spot.

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That said, the only complaint about the ageing four-speed is the lack of ratios. It kicks down fine, it is smooth when shifting (yes, you did read that correctly), and it proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Gone is the driveline clunk and shunt that used to plague the 4L60 boxes.

But in context of 2008 product, it’s definitely getting left behind. The fewer ratios also mean that fuel economy is compromised to an extent as well. Holden’s official ADR figure is 11.1-litres per 100km, however it’s more common to see two or three litres added to that figure. Blame the weight. It takes a fair effort to move off the line, which is where the Berlina gets slugged.

Across our typically broken bitumen, the Berlina acquits itself well, providing a niceish ride in the medium to high speed bracket. At lower speeds there’s a little bit of thump, but the test car was certainly damped better in the rear than the SS Sportwagon.

The steering is also aligned with its siblings, although the extra feedback could be due to the initial scrub in harder cornering. It is, after all, a big car. Don’t expect sports car peformance. It’s best to accept the Berlina for what it is – an upgraded reps car.

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The problem with the Berlina Sportwagon, is it’s a bit bland. It’s likeable, but there’s nothing really to love about it. The space is excellent, the ride is nice, and overall it drives okay. It just doesn’t have the cachet of higher level Holden wagons, it doesn’t have the refinement of other brands, it’s not sporty in any way, nor does it give you outstanding fuel consumption.

Sure, it’s a step up from the Omega, with its front fog lamps, excellent Bluetooth, six-disc stacker, and dual-zone climate control. That makes it worth the extra $3500, including the fact that you go up to 17-inch wheels, as well.

However, the interior just lets it down. It’s just masses of grey, with a very cheap silver plastic surrounding the automatic and centre console. Sorry to say it, but if you used a silver spraycan, it would look better.

Still, it is better value than the Calais, and it will eat up the kilometres with little effort. As a spacious cruiser, it’s not bad. For someone who needs to cart around a bit of gear, and still have a couple of luxuries, it’ll do the job quite well.

CarAdvice Overall Rating:

How does it Drive:
How does it Look:
How does it Go:

Specifications:

Engine: 3564cc, north-south V6-cylinder
Power: 180kW @ 6000rpm
Torque: 330Nm @ 2600rpm
Induction: Naturally aspirated multi-point injection DOHC
Transmission: Four-speed automatic
Top Speed: N/A
0-100km/h: 10.5 seconds
0-400m: Not tested
Fuel Consumption: 11.1L/100km (Combined)
Fuel Tank Capacity: 73 litres
Fuel Type: 91RON petrol
ANCAP rating: Four star
Airbags: Front, Side, Seat & Curtain
Safety: ABS, DTCS, EBA, EBD,
Spare wheel: Space saver
Tow capacity: 2000kg (braked)
Turning Circle: 11.4m
Warranty: 5-year/unlimited
Weight: 1800kg
Wheels: 17-inch alloy

George

Good review
acfsambo

It would be a good car if you were looking for a family station wagon, but still only 330NM of torque. Come on Holden, the falcon has more torque with enough to spare to pull the Holden as well.
V2

Ummm, Where is the ‘sport’?
http://honda mrs wright

Over weight ,boring looks , no go , just a luggage lugger, wheres the sport
WVB

$42k for a 2008 VN commodore wagon seems a little ripe.
Wispy

Easily the nicest looking wagon on the market at the moment, looks a lot better than all the European models out there. Well done holden.
Adam L

0-100 in 10.5 seconds????

Geeeeze….

I know it’s a heavy car with only a 4 speed auto, but I would have expected something low to mid 9′s, taking into account there’s still 180kw.
Reckless1

I think it is worth more than 3.5 stars in the looks department. They look great in the flesh. It looks as good as any wagon can, and even better than that. 5 stars for looks.

But in the value for money stakes it just can’t measure up to the competition –
Poor fuel consumption
Poor transmission
Poor engine
Elitist

Holden is like that guy in the Simpsons with 1001 different uses for those candy lips…
BJ

Wispy – the BFIII Wagon looks better and can carry/tow more
Wheelnut

Quote [BJ]: Wispy – the BFIII Wagon looks better….”

BJ – so I take it that going by your comment that a Model T Ford looks “Aerodynamic” and a Cobb & Co Coach looks “Futuristic”?
Tom

The 4 speed auto really kills the 0-100 acceleration times, particularly in second. It would still have good roll times.
Loaf

Wheelnut I tend to agree with BJ. The BF wagon is a nice looking car and when you compare the overall practicallity of the two cars the Ford wins hands down.
sean

Good review – thanks for the honest, unbiased opinion.

I agree that overall the Berlina SW is a 3 1/2 star car. But after two years in a BFII wagon as a work car, I’d take the Berl every time.

Even with just a driver most of the time and the occasional passengers, the BF is showing real signs of wear in the interior – our VE Berlina sedan (same age, same Ks, more passengers) still looks fairly newish (just dusty! the dash grain traps dust and should be redesigned and yes, the silver console surround could be cosmetically enhanced as well)

Both cars have been back to their respective dealers several times for small things that have been annoying rather than functionally challenging. The BF paintwork has dulled, it uses more fuel (per passenger per km) and its transmission clunks and whirs and is less smooth than the VE.

The Alloytech in the VE sounds like a Hoover but is not thrashy or really coarse like the old Ecotech. The Ford straight six sounds better by comparison, but that’s kind of like saying Kylie sounds better than Dannii.

Overall, the Ford has not aged as well as the VE. I don’t mean in design or appearance – I’m talking endurance. Bits have fallen off (door pulls, rear trim in the cargo area, loose carpet) and the interior (seat trim, carpet etc)looks like it has had 5 years of wear rather than two. Believe it or not, the VE scores much better in this regard. Much, much better.

The VE facelift coming in 2009 will make the Berlina a Car Advice 4 star rated car. It will still be a big, heavy beast. But it will have a more refined version of the Alloytech AND it will have a six speed auto as standard.
Milar

I need a new family wagon and I would love this to be a contender for us to avoid being another soft roader driver. But there are too many down sides, not least being that transmission.
Bret

Sean,
That’s a bery long winded way to say that you have a bias towards Holden. Next time just say it rather than making things up. Guess what we have the same, BF11 wagon (e-gas) VE sedan(dueal fuel), and I can tell you reverse everything that you said, particularly paintwork and trim.

JEYKL & HYDE, the berlina IS the highest selling private model in the range – fool.

The VE WAGON is quite a reasonable car, but the styling is somwhat slab-sided in real life (looks great in photos) and the driveline is way out of date.
The BF111 is also a reasonable car for what it is, but it suffers from, now, aging styling and a drivetrain at the lower end of the spectrum.

Mind you, there is little else to choose from if you want a largish wagon short of $45K.
BJ

Wheelnut – so “aerodynamic” is the only prerequisite for good looks is it? Geez, lucky you told me I had better lay off the potato cakes for breakfast then.
VW Freak

Where’s the “Sport(s)” some of you ask? Just another great idea by Holden’s idiotic marketing department. The advertising of these things in Wheels and the likes is bad enough – with the starting caption “Yes, it’s a wagon”. Talk about dribble…
http://caradvice.com.au OSU811

yaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwn, very boring car all in all, not sporty, fast, or full of features, or even good looking with those horrible wheels, definately worth spending extra to get sv-6 or calais or ss version. Also get better engines/g,box and way better looks..
Tack

Easily the dummest, fat ugly looking (and slow?) wagon on the market at the moment, looks a lot better than all the Chinese models out there. Well done Holden.
absi

I would rather buy the Mazda 6 wagon instead of either this or the ford …
Sam

41k is waaaaay too much. I’ll take a Suzuki SX4 for half the price, lets face it, they both seat 5. I could rent a big car for the one or two times every year I might need it. Yeah I know, I know, apples and oranges but the price is insane really when you think about it. Just wanted to highlight it in a different way.
Edaw

excellent Bluetooth?

You have to be kidding me don’t you? As far as factory kits go, this is the most basic and crap that they come. Sure it works(most of the time) but that is about it.
sean

Bret

Not my intention to communicate bias, long or short winded.

We must have had a Friday Falcon and a Wednesday Berlina. Your two must be the reverse. Tell you what, you can have our Falcon wagon and the box full of bits that keep falling off, the shoddy carpet, the dull paintwork, the flaring, growling auto and the heavy fuel consumption.

And, you can keep your Berlina as well!!!

As I said, from my experience, I’d take the Berlina every time. I just wouldn’t want two of them.

PS Bret – If I had made anything up, I’d have at least made it interesting. How about something like this?

The Berlina’s Alloytech is so coarse, it has a XXX rating. It’s silver console surround is scratched beyond belief by the dust mites migrating from the dash grain to the carpet. It drinks more than a Catholic and its 4 spd auto gets Christmas cards from Methuselah.

Our Falcon’s build quality is so bad…(how bad???)…that it may as well have been a flat pack from Ikea with a set of Allen keys. The paintwork has faded so much that the car is almost invisible. And lets not even talk about its fuel consumption – it drinks so much that it makes a Catholic look sober. Its 4 spd auto is lumpier than Jordan and it changes about as smoothly as Sharon Osbourne.

Sorry Bret – is all that too long winded for you?
Frosty

Well said Sean, through my work I have driven many makes of cars and by far the Calais V Sportwagon I have bought is better in most ways than all of those work cars rolled into one and that includes the Toyotas, Fords, Mitsubishi and Nissan. Have not driven any Mazda’s at work as they are not generally used in Fleets but no joke I am glad I bought the Sportwagon Calais V because it has all I ned in a car plus more.
Bret

Sean, much better.
BTW You must have the only BF11 in history with “badly faded pintwork”, ’cause I’ve NEVER seen one.
Sean

Glad you liked this one better, Bret. I always aim to please.

Not sure I actually said anything about “badly faded pintwork” – perhaps you mean paintwork. And I only said it was dull.

But, also glad to hear you have a sense of humour when it comes to never having seen a BFII with your aforementioned “badly faded pintwork” – of course you’d NEVER see one – because its faded so badly the car’s invisible!!!
http://deleted Alex

Well it isn’t “5 stars for looks”, it isn’t “the best looking wagon on the market at the moment” and it certainly doesn’t “look alot better than all european rivals out there”. The Audi A4 Avant looks better, The BMW 3 Series Touring looks better, The Mercedes C Class Estate looks better, the Volvo V50 looks better, The Volkswagen Passat looks better, The Peugeot 308/407 wagons look better, the Citroen C5 Wagon looks better – do I have to go on? All of the previously listed cars go a lot better too. And nobody can call these cars unreliable next to the Holden becasue it’s not as if Commodores have the best long term reliabilty. You can’t really even site load space anymore.

PS – the reason why I list more expensive rivals is because if you can afford an SS wagon (and they are EVERYWHERE) you can afford one of these. New Commodore owners often seem to have money to spend, so they may as well get a better car.
Realcars

Wake up Holden and make at least the five speed auto standard with the higher output engine.

Spend big to come up with a sensational looking car then let it down with the aforementioned components.
Wheelnut

Quote {Alex]: “The Audi A4 Avant looks better, The BMW 3 Series Touring looks better, The Mercedes C Class Estate looks better, the Volvo V50 looks better, The Volkswagen Passat looks better, The Peugeot 308/407 wagons look better, the Citroen C5 Wagon looks better….and nobody can call these cars unreliable next to the Holden because it’s not as if Commodores have the best long term reliabilty.”

If the Commodore was as unreliable as you appear to think it is then why was it the best selling passenger car in Australia for over a decade? Because it has been and still is affordable practical and reliable

As for those who buy a sportwagon having the money to afford a better [european] car.. the majority of wagons are traditionally bought by fleets and therefore; companies are unlikely to spend $60k+ on a rep-mobile used for lugging around merchandise and promotional items despite the huge discounts etc

BTW the Commodore could go close to regaining the number one position off the Corolla by the end of the year… thanks mainly due to sales of SS Utes and [ironically] the Sportwagon.
Wheelnut

I believe the Sportwagon is the perfect car for Holden to turn into the new Sandman Panelvan..simply weld the rear passenger doors shut and a couple of panels where the side windows were and voila!
Frenchie

Haven’t seen too many people in wagons/sports wagons wanting to drag someone off at the lights. So the 0-100km is a little irrelavent. Especially in a Berlina.

A little noisy at 4000rpm? Of course it’s noisy, it redlines at 5500rpm.

If you said it is noisy at 2500rpm then I’ll be worried.
http://integra Greeny

wagon looks good but thats about it really. Crap driveline crappy cheap plastic interior small load space (why call it a wagon?)poor auto, engine and woeful fuel economy that bloody handbrake is a disaster and the wheels are too small for those oversized arches and poor build quality……..just a typical VE really !!!!!
http://deleted Alex

Wheelnut, a lot of people on this site included say things about the Corolla being the best selling car for so long because it’s bought by boring people that only want reliability and don’t go past a Toyota dealership. Well all I can say is that the Commodore is bought by people who want power and won’t go past a Holden dealership and the “Australian” badge. Especially since alot of people said after the current generation came out that all the previous generations were (and I am paraphrasing here) basically crap. And all over car user review websites there are people complaining about the long term reliability of Commodores. Infact, I see current ones struggling to start and when they do, they sound old and used and ratly. Please though, I do want to emphasise that I am talking long term reliabilty, not immediate.
Wheelnut

That’s my point exactly Alex… long term reliability.

Go to either an all Holden day; car show or even the Summernats and you will see that there are still a s–tload of 20 year old+ commodores [VC-VL] still going around.. some have been enhanced whilst others have been maintained or restored to factory condition

and by maintained I don’t mean rebuilt from the ground up or anything like that I mean kept as the daily driver.

The reason there are so many old Commodores out there could be because [overall] the VC-VLs were reliable to begin with and have served their owners well with very few mechanical problems and so their owners have decided to maintain them keep them going as the repairs are infrequent as well as inexpensive

You don’t see many Euros or Japanese Sedans/Utes on Australian roads that are 20+ years old now do you – particularly out in the bush where reliability is a big factor in peoples decisions… they stick to what they know and what has proven to be reliable > the Commodore
Martin

How does a car have a “…in-line V6-cylinder”
http://deleted Alex

Wheelnut, you do see a lot of old European cars in Australia and if you don’t see many maybe it’s because even now European cars are only just starting to be bought in really high numbers in Australia. And I don’t know about old Commodores but the ones I see a lot of having trouble were ones from early nineties onwards.
BOSSCR

I have an Omega Sportwagon on order, until it arrives, Im driving an FG XT rental. I havent even driven a Sportwagon, yet I am already regretting the decision. Load space isnt really much bigger than an XT sedan, although it is more accessible. No MP3 playback. Basic A/C, no climate control and the Omega wheels are the ugliest wheels on the market, even worse than the XT rims. Arent the VE’s in production now coming with 175kW? I wonder what that 5kW and 5nm loss will do to the 0-100 time? Add some cargo/passengers and it will be laughable.

If i was buying a wagon privately, I couldnt go past the Territory SR2. Unless i had the $$$ for a Passat R36…
Wheelnut

Quote [Alex]: And I don’t know about old Commodores but the ones I see a lot of having trouble were ones from early nineties onwards.

Well seeing that Commodores have been around since the late 1978…. that’s 30 years; you can’t really comment about long term reliability because 10 years isn’t that much – 1/3 of the Commodores life

Hey the Falcon has been around since 1960s.. 20-40 years+ that’s reliability

Since the late 90s the number of Commodores being sold has gradually declined [not because of reliability issues but competition and choice] therefore; the number of Commodores from 1990 onwards makes up a relatively small portion towards the overall number of commodores sold and it’s the VC-s to VLs the ones built before 1990 and are more than 20 years old that I am talking about..

However when you look at the build quality performance and handling of the early model Commodores and Falcons and compare them to the current models.. even Euro-Lovers would have to admit that both Holden and Ford have improved.. although Toyo-philes would still find it hard.

You’ve got to remember that its all relative – Australia is a much smaller market than Europe.. we sell less cars here.. therefore it takes longer for Holden and Ford to recover the money spent on capital investments for a particular model than it does BMW or Audi [who also sell to a much larger international market].. which also has an impact on Holden and Fords access to high tech resources etc. So whereas Europe would have a completely new model; we simply have a minor face lift or upgrade

Sure the European cars are among the best in the world in terms of design performance and safety etc [with a few exceptions] but I would love to see Merc-Benz [for example design and build a completely new car with the same budget and same resources etc that Holden built the VE with – bearing in mind that almost half of the $1b budget was spent on the new robots.. I doubt it would still have all the luxury safety features they are known for
Wheelnut

Although Alex; even I as a Holden fan am willing to admit that the VN-VS series of commodores did have their problems mainly oil leaks and auto-gearbox problems but nothing major that would stop them from starting nor any real safety issues

The VT-VZ was a intermediate transition model as Opel had stopped building the Rekord on which the Commodore was based so Holden designers and engineers toyed around with various things and despite what you might think about Commodore it still looked good sold well and won awards

However; the current model – the VE was Holdens first attempt at a 100% Australian designed large family car on a completely new platform. When you consider that not only was the project done during the midst GMs Financial crisis but look at the car that GM wanted Holden to use – the Pontiac Sigma; you would see its a much better looking much more refined much more reliable car.

I mean At the time of the VE project Denny Mooney was the Boss at Pontiac and he couldn’t understand why Holden engineers decided not to use the Pontiac Sigma as a basis for the new Commodore…. then when he became the boss at Holden he could see they made the right decision.
http://deleted Alex

Wow, I didn’t realize Commodores had been around so long! Still early nineties could be a car that is actually almost twenty years old so ten isn’t quite right. Oh well. I don’t care anymore Wheelnut – you have your opinion and I’ll have mine.
Phil C

Holden are automotive equivalent of the NSW Labor party. Spin, spin, spin.

They just DON’T go better… It’s a reasonable vehicle with great dynamics, but let down by a woeful engine and gearbox.
Al Juraj

Maybe if the parent Ford company gave an exclusive badge for Australia like GM assigned Holden downunder, the Falcon would easily outsell the Commodore.

The wagon may look good, but isn’t fantastic anywhere else. Class-struggling engine and stone-age gearbox give off pathetic 0-100 times. As usual, you also get the boring, poor quality dash, and to accomplish that sporty look, storage space isn’t that great either. But still, it sells very well – proof that an ‘Aussie’ moniker works better than anything else to get a car into a garage.
Wheelnut

Al Juraj: giving a make of car a name that is unique to a particular country like Holden is to Australia has got SFA to do with sales.

The thing is MOST people buy the car which they believe is the most suitable to their needs and is the best value for money.

First they look at the type of car be it a sedan coupe ute or sportwagon.. then they look at the car[s] and their direct rivals with the features they want such as Auto/Manual; 4/6/8 cylinders RWD/FWD/AWD.. workout the budget and in the end.. the make of car is purely incidental that it happens to be a Holden Ford or Toyota

Because even though some may have a preference for a particular make/model of car there are times when no matter what you like to think about your beloved Holden Ford or Toyota – that the most suitable/practical car may be made by someone you never even considered [such as VW]

However; there a few image conscious poseurs out there who buy a car based solely on the exclusivity of the badge or if a particular type of car is trendy [Large 4x4s for example] – despite whether or not they can actually afford them let alone know how to drive them

Then there are those who place the results of the ANCrAP tests above everything else
Wheelnut

Al Juraj: One of the reasons the Commodore regularly outsells the Falcon is due to Holdens History..

Holden was established [from scratch] in Adelaide back in the late 1800s early 1900s whereas Ford were no more than a 100% owned/run subsidiary of a international company already established in the USA and Europe..and Therefore; was believed [by some] to be Less-Australian

Because at the time any profits etc made by Ford were sent back to the USA [as they are today] yet any profits made by Holden went straight back into the business which enabled them to develop quicker and employ more people

Even though Holden is now a 100% subsidiary of GM.. GM didn’t officially take full ownership/control of Holden until the 1970s..

For more information read – Holden Heritage available from Holden
BOSSCR

Wheelnut, that may be how you would buy a car (and myself for that matter), but it isn’t the only way people buy cars. There are many people who buy with blinkers – Re Corolla sales. Whilst I dont agree with Al Juraj, I understand the coment to an extent. Australians are a parochial bunch, and I buy Aussie where possible. Marketing means a great deal to Australians.

On a side note, Electrolux have just bought back the Kelvinator brand in a bid to sell more Airconditioners. Their reasoning is that Aussie’s still think the Kelvinator brand is Aussie, even though the A/Cs are made in China….

Aussie’s love an “Aussie” product. I just wish more people bought Commodores and Falcons.
Frenchie

The reason why commodores and falcons don’t sell as much as they use to is due to the reduction in tarrifs.

European models are more prevalent now than they were 10 years ago and government fleets have relaxed the rules so that they can lease just about anything.

So as a buyer or leasee you might start to think, well I’ll give that other car brand a go.

Holdens and Ford were lazy during the 80′s as the high tarrifs protected them and the industry. They eventually got better, but for past buyers of these vehicles that had a badly built or poor customer relation with there dealer they went elsewhere.

So for bloggers to compare say a 1994 VR Commodore to a later model vehicle is really not fair.

The new VE wagon is not for everyone, it was aimed at the person that wanted to carry more in the back than a sedan(especially with the rear seats down). It is not design to take sales away from the Falcon wagon or the Territory, the second is in an entirelly different class(size).
Bret

Wheelnut,
Just a little correction on the history: Ford Australia actually started out as a subsidury of Ford CANADA.

As automotive entities, Ford (1904) predates Holden (1914 first motor body built).
First car built: Ford 1925; “Holden’s Motor Body Builders” registered 1919, and became sole GM body builder in 1924, at a time when only half of their production was for GM. The first “Holden” badged car was produced in 1928.

“General Motors – Holdens” was created in 1931 when GM bought out “Holden’s Motor Body Builders”

So as you can see, there is little to the claim that Holden is more Australian than Ford Australia.
Chyeah

Did any one else notice the first page of the review was titled: 2008-holden-berlina-sportwagon-review, but every other page was titled: 2008-holden-berlina-sportwagon-review-not-for-publication/2?
james

lol wheelnut
Although Alex; even I as a Holden fan am willing to admit that the VN-VS series of commodores did have their problems mainly oil leaks and auto-gearbox problems but nothing major that would stop them from starting nor any real safety issues

i had a VR… oil leaks none, gear box was trashy but worked for the 50 000 kays i had it… starting was the problem, in that 50 thou kays.. i got stuck 12 times with ignition issues..
james

Al Juraj: One of the reasons the Commodore regularly outsells the Falcon is due to Holdens History..

nah buddy… i would just put it down to the AU being ugly as and the VT being “the hot one”
Al Juraj

Wheelnut, you do make a good argument but honestly, I don’t see how a Commodore is best value for money. Pick any variant from the VE range and I could easily name a better alternative.

Going to history now, so yeah, Holden may be its own company decades before, but come the late 70s, they became less Australian, with components coming from God-knows-where (even Nissan was outsourced for engines for a time). Quality is becoming dubious, from electrical glitches to leaking fuel. These are such inexcusable blunders yet Oz continues to buy these cars. I admire Australian food and other products for their stringent standards, but unfortunately, the story is the exact opposite automotive-wise.
Andrew M

J&H,
is the 60th wagon under 30K drive out???
thats bloody good buying. my bet is you would almost squeeze another 2K off of that too.

Yep,
ill be interested to hear what Al Juraj names as better value than that……..
Andrew M

ha ha ha ha
in trying to think of what is better value than that, I’d have to say the territory SR2 (yep another aussie made) is right up there too, but im not sure what they are running them out for
JEYKL & HYDE

andrew m,

sorry mate,thats the sedan.i have seen the wagon at 33.5 drive away on carpoint though
Andrew M

ah ok,
i had a quick look,
is it an actual holden deal,
or a deal one specific dealership is doing.

the best i saw was demos for 36K drive out
Dlr1

and in the coming days… VE SS ute 33990 drive away… memo faxed to Holden dealers today!
JEYKL & HYDE

sorry andrew,

don’t know where it went,but its ridgy didge.$34990 driveaway(with room to move).dir 1 is right too.and sv6 sedan(manual)$34990 driveaway.colorado dual cab down 2 grand.holden have got this “sale”to reduce plant stock,and it’s allready worked(lots of car carriers leaving adelaide soon)…
Andrew M

J&H,
shortly after i posted i found it on the holden site for 35K.

from their previous Promo……..
wont be long before those on the 99c fuel plan start to owe holden some money with petrol predicted to hit below $1 ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
“We guarantee you will pay 99cpl ha ha ha”

on another note,
how is the wagon moving numbers wise???
is it meeting their targets, or is the financial doom seeing it fall a little short??
Karl

I think the Berlina is the weakest model in the range.
I’d go for the SV6 – better 5 speed auto, more power and looks much better for similar money.
That 0-100 time of 10.5 seconds doesn’t sound right at all.
I’d be thinking low 9′s.
Anyway, they’d be alot cheaper then 40k now.
Al Juraj

Well, the Commodore’s value for money is just superficial. For me, value is more about substance than looking good on paper. The testers have given the pluses for the Sportwagon, handsome and spacious, but that’s about it. Let’s see if all those goodies still work after a few years.
Andrew M

Karl,
i wouldnt be surprised if holden drop the berlina in the near future.

Ford did it with the Futura which was the equivalent of the berlina.
its pretty much a child with out a real identity
Fred

It’s all about quality V quantity. On paper, a Commodore really sounds good, but value is also considered through factors that aren’t shown on brochures, such as build quality and reliability.
Duck

^Reliability!!!!!!?????????!!!!!!!!????????

Commodores have are generally very well known for reliability!
eh179driver

I will add a penny’s worth to this discussion as a Berlina Sportswagon owner. Why did I buy such a car when so many people a writing such negative comments? Well let me explain as briefly as I can. I wanted a wagon for personal use as well as needing one for business purposes. I looked at Sante Fe, Tiguan, Mazda 6, X trail, Passat, Skoda and Forester. The Forester and Sante Fe don’t have enough drivers seat travel to accomodate my 6’2″ frame. Tiguan and Passat were both nice but the service costs of both are simply out of this world with some services being over $800 as quoted by 3 dealers. Insurance costs are also a fair bit higher (close to double). The Mazda 6 is a nice car but for some reason that I can’t explain, it fails to grab me. I don’t know why but in some ways I prefer the previous model.
When I sat in the Berlina I found plenty of seat travel and room all over (naturaly as it is a bigger car than all the others) it has enough power, handles well, the service costs are the lowest of all of the cars, most of the others demand a service every 6 months or 10’000klm’s which ever comes first, only needs 91 octane fuel (most of the others need 95 or 98, has reasonable resale value (52% at 3 years which is similar to the Passat and Sante Fe) has a great dealer network Australia wide and they are reliable.
I had changed to a Rav 4 and then an Aurion over the past few years and had nothing but poor reliability as well as water leaks, squeeks, rattles and electrical problems with both. The Aurion was so bad I cut short the lease. This is not uncommon with Aurions. Just drive a few rental cars or speak to honest owners.
I the past I have had VK, VR, VT, VX, VY commodores and have had a great run.
Most owners don;t know or care if it has 180 or 195kw or has a 4 or 5 speed trans. I venture to guess that the vast majority wouldn’t even care. The car is quiet, comfortable, a good size (yes it does not carry as much as a VZ or BF but I don’t care) looks great, is Australian built and is ok on fuel. In my 4 months of ownership I have averaged 12.2l/100 around Melbourne. On longer trips it drops to low 8′s and I have seen high 7′s on runs interstate. Problems? None. Issues? None. Happy? 100%. Yes I would have liked a Calais but is a 5 speed auto, a few more Kw’s, leather seat bolsters and a few other bits worth close on 10 grand. In my opinion not. The resale is not going to be 10 grand come trade in time and I can buy a heap of petrol over the next 4 years for 10 grand. I can also convert the lower spec engine to LPG when a kit becomes available (i am told mid 09) but can’t convert the high spec engine without voiding the warranty.
My last note is the so called dinasour 4 speed auto. Yes it has only 4 gears, but so have other cars (some Sante Fe’s all Rav 4 4 cyls come to mind) but so what. Mine is super smooth, changes at appropriate points, does not “hunt” and really if you compare the fuel economy it is miniscule between 4 and 5 speed.
It all comes down to what you want from a daily drive. The Berlina meets all my needs. Besides I have an EH with a 350 Chev under the bonnet to have fun in on the weekend!!!
Mike

These fat things with their fancy ‘Alloytec’ V6 are slower than a 3.5L SOHC V6 automatic Magna because I dragged some tailgating tosser who was driving one last weekend off some lights. As soon as I was in the upper range of 1st I was pulling away whilst his Alloytec sounded like it was going to have an asthma attack. He had his wifey or gf with him which made it even funnier. Typical Holden wanker.
Duck

^^^^^^^^We’ll your a typical Magna dickhead! Magna’s are/were shit.
Shak

we had the VZ Berlina and were very happy with it. It pulled cleanly from stop and has very nice quality. I actually reaaly enjoyed the drive from the engine. and the looks were on the spot. This on the other hand is Holdens first product that they entirely made bar the engine. Good try but not on the spot.