2009 Holden Calais Review & Road Test
March 16, 2009 by Karl Peskett
2009 Holden Calais V8 AFM Review & Road Test
Has the luxo-Commodore moved with the times?
Model Tested:
- 2009 Holden Calais V8 AFM, automatic – $52,290
Options:
- Onyx Leather Inserts – $3000
- Sunroof - $1990
- Full Size Alloy Wheel Spare – $350
- Satellite Navigation – $1990
Power, Smooth drivetrain, world-leading ride, space
Cheap, dated looking interior, not as frugal as one might think, satellite-navigation
CarAdvice Rating: 
- by Karl Peskett
A few years ago the moniker “Calais” used to have an air of sophistication about it. You can just imagine the conversation around the barbecue on the weekend.
“What do you drive?”
“A Calais.”
“Oh, nice.”
And the approving nod came with it. However once the VE rolled around, the name was somewhat diluted, because it’s what the Berlina used to be.
So, is it still worth aspiring to? Is it the true luxury Commodore? That depends on whether you call a colour screen and leather seats luxurious. It is comfortable at least; more on that later. Mechanically, though, there are a few revisions with this Calais.
Four, five, six, depending on your specification, that’s how many gears are shoved into your VE Commodore’s automatic gearbox. You start out with the Omega at four, and at the top end, the Calais V8, which we’re testing here, receives six.
It’s amazing the difference that a couple of years of refining has done to GM’s six-speed auto. When I first tested it, in a Caprice, it was clunky, hesitant, and flared all at the same time.
Now it’s smooth, adaptive, and apart from the occasional thunk on a part throttle downshift, it’s almost at ZF level. and that’s saying something.
However, it’s the new engine that we’ll concentrate on for a while.
Realist the same you and I do with M cars…………drive them one would think ;)
Well they get (Holden) get used to the design of the car.
And about the glovebox thing everybodys talking about, I’ll agree. Both my VN Commodore and VT Commodore Wagons glovebox’s hinge thing has snapped resulting to a broken glovebox. But I don’t care. It still goes back in and ‘clicks’ in. But hey they have both done heaps of kilometres with minimal ‘mechanical’ problems so I’m happy.
It’s a very common thing with Commodores. The glovebox. But……..meh!
The VE is allready outdated, and only slightly better than the terrible Aurion.
I’d have a VE Commodore over an Aurion anyday! Toyota’s large family cars have always been crap. Look at the Avalon!
So have the Dynnydoors Duck, look at the VN!
^That’s one model though. Not all of them. My old VN is still reliable.
^Not, not just one. VB, VK, VP, VR, VS, V whatever. Not to mention Camira, as well as the recent Daewoo additions, Epica, Viva and so on.
I reckon the Aurion looks heaps better than VE. If it was only RWD, and not FWD, I might even want to own it…
Duck have you driven an Aurion?
Dan you say that we spam the Toyota threads with un justified ill-informed unsubstantiated comments.. comments that you say are based on nothing more than personal opinion
Yet have you read half of the sh!t that you have left on the other Non-Toyota topics on this site lately?
You are definitely the king of double standards
Yes I have driven an aurion but with a slightly different exterior! ;)
So are you suggesting a Kluger? I’m not sure I get you. Was that a yes or no?
What else! A Camary of course!
Duck Says:
March 20th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
“I’d have a VE Commodore over an Aurion anyday! Toyota’s large family cars have always been crap. Look at the Avalon!”
Yeah, the transmission and engine in the Omega is a class above the Aurion’s isn’t it…
When you tell them that the V8 should only cost an extra $2000, they have every right to say “We can’t sell you the car you want.” Truth is, there are plenty of V8 Calais’ on the road.
I’ve had a Calais V for 2 years now, and the only complaint I have is with the SAT Nav, and the noisy engine.
In a word it is horrible.
Needs to be touchscreen, and mounted higher up, so can follow it without neglecting the road.
Engine is fine but noisy and makes a harsh sound rather than a smooth sophisticated one.
I would buy another.
PS What happems to Holden if GM goes belly up?
Will the move of the GMH design team to Detroit mean a less Australianised Commodore”
Shak Says:
March 16th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
“Hey you can’t really bag Holden for things like quality and fit and finish. The german marques have had close to 200 years of experience and healthy cash flow. they also have many alliances with so many car companies(VW group).”
200 years experience, what the??? Better get your facts straight. A big one is that cars haven’t been around for 200 years so how is that a reason/excuse?? Not to mention, Holden has been involved in the car industry longer than a Euro like BMW (as an example from my 5 minute web search). BMW didn’t start making cars until 1928 however Holden were trimming cars as far back as 1910, 6 years before BMW was even founded! As a company, James Alexander Holden opened his leather and saddlery business in 1856, 25 years BEFORE even Mercedes Benz came into existance. For further information Audi was founded in 1899 and VW not until 1938. So as a company, Holden have MORE experience than BMW, Mercedes Benz and VW/Audi, the very Euros you were referring to. I think you will need to find another reason/excuse. Plus I will not even get started on the alliances in the GM empire that Holden has/had access to… To quote a famous movie “you want the truth, you can’t handle the truth”. Blinkers can do that to some people!! ;-) TIC
I forgot to mention, the only ‘alliance’ that is bigger than GM is Toyota. So in all honesty, Holden has a bigger manufacturer base to draw from than all of the euros. All the more reason why it should be better than it is.
Well said Devil’s Advocate!
Devils Advocate I think you’ll fing that builing a Saddle let alone a Cobb & Co Coach is a little different to building a Modern Motor Car…
I mean going by your “Logic” – if you can build a Dog Kennel then you obviously build a building similar to the Petronas Towers
Ok, I will put it in a more logical way for you. I will add if you read my response correctly and thought about it without emotion you should have picked it up. Here it goes anyway.
One of the main issues people are commenting on is interior fit and finish correct? Well, Holden have been finishing/trimming CAR interiors since 1910. That is still longer than many car companies have been in existance. You would think that a company that has been making CAR interiors for 99 years would have it fairly well sorted by now wouldn’t you? Even if you can forgive them for the occasional poor quality of the plastics due to a limited budget etc, it still doesn’t excuse the poor fit with un-even gaps etc that still seems to afflict the VE.
On a serious note thank you Wheelnut for being on my side however WRT Shak’s comment. Your response demonstrates you agree that any pre-car experience that the “200 year old european car companies” have doesn’t mean squat. :-)
Devil you may not accept Holdens fit and finish as being good, thats your opinion but my opinion is its a whole heap better than its parent company GM.
Not bad considering its coming out of such a small populated Country dont you think ?
I have always believed the Euros set the level of quality decades ago but those like GM and Ford dont choose to compare or sell their cars against them all.
Remember not all of the Euro manufacturers make good quality cars just as all the Japs dont also thats got nothing to do with the age of the companies either,its all about the market each targets.
After all that Im going to say Fords quality is a little better here in Australia and better again in those made for Europe. Doesnt mean Holdens is crap though!
My personal opinion ok……….
Yes but back then the interiors etc were all handcrafted from wood then covered in handstittche leather etc and the bodies/panels were all handmade etc in the one location
Whereas with the majority of Today’s cars the Dash is made by one external supplier; the door inserts by another; the centre console by another; and the seats by another; as are the door panels the gearbox the engine the diff the suspension the brakes etc
In relation to the interior most of the components are plastic which cut formed and made by plastic ijetction vacuum sealed moulding machines.
Plastic which reacts to temperature they expand and contract etc which can have an impact on their shape size etc Therefore; you would expect to find a few gaps etc where parts don’t fit together perfectly.. Afterall we’re talking about a Holden Commodore/Statesman not an Aston Martin.
I agree, the Commodore interior fit and finish is better than many from the US, however IMHO it is still not up to the standard of many cheaper products from GM Europe. Don’t get me wrong, I think that the Local products are some of the best value for money big cars in the world that are as rugged as they come. However they are not the “world beaters” in quality etc that many beat them up to be. It is good to be passionate, but people shouldn’t let emotion get in the way of reality. Sure, cars like the Commodore are some of the most rigid cars around with some really innovative design features, but it is some of the attention to detail where they fall behind. The local 4 are VERY good cars for such a small populous, but they are not the epitomy of automotive perfection that many blindly think they are.
Also Wheelnut, I am NOT expecting them to be an Aston Martin(show me where I mentioned that expectation), or even a BMW (which have gone downhill BIG time of late with their interior plasic quality). There goes the defensive reaction again! TIC. However I would expect them to be at least the equal of cars of similar price/class, or at least equal to cars almost half it’s price (VW Polo springs to mind, or even a Ford Fiesta). Even though the interior is bland and not my cup of tea, the Toyota Aurion interior fit is clearly better than the Commodore. Even Ford is showing Holden the way to fit an interior. It may not be a better design, but it fits together a lot neater. You can’t get any more fair than comparing an Australian made car to another Australian made car. They are even similar in price and in the same class. If Ford and Toyota can improve the fit of their interiors to suit our tough conditions, why can’t Holden?? They have the capability, they have proven it with some of the fantastic engineering work done on their own with the chassis/body of the Commodore. IMHO their popularity have made them arrogant/lazy and seem to rely on their reputation rather than trying to make the best car in the world at it’s price point, which they clearly have the potential to do. Attention to detail doesn’t cost a lot, and if other companies can do it on equal or cheaper cars, why can’t Holden? Being a small local manufacturer (that is part of the second largest car empire with a HUGE experience base to draw off) is no excuse….
Why buy one of these when u can have a G6E Turbo? It got a higher rating in a leading nz car mag then the new XF Jaguar. N its abit off topic, but I cant help myself lol, Ive heard a VZ Calai with a sports exhaust on it, N it litraly sounds like an old EH Holden with a hotdog on it, so horrible. It was a V6 tho, that may explain it. But the G6E Turbo is a much smater buy
Why but one of these when u can have a Mercedes C200 Kompressor or an Audi A4 2.0 Litre in much the same price bracket and get the extra five or more grand back when you sell it years down the track.
I mean who CAN REALLY afford to run a V6 or V8 these days?
I own a Holden Calais, very nice car, Interior Looks good however the quality of interior assembly is terrible. My Calais has travelled 100,000 km’s and it has a range of different rattles in the rear door trim which drives me insaine. I have driven a range of different Toyota vehicles (Standard Aurion, Camry & Kluger). Now, there interior’s may not have everything a Calais or G6 has but the qality is so much better, It feels very solid, Quiet too.
When you consider the amount of money you part with when you buy a Calais or G6 and then compare that to the amount of money you would spend on a base Aurion it doesnt make sence. The base Aurion is so much cheaper yet the interior quality is better. hmmm……… Holden, Ford, Does this make sence to you?
Oh, By the way. Im not saying that Holden is better than Ford or Ford is better than Holden. On that subject I think Ford and Holden are the same.
This is just my opinion.
Daniel – couldnt agree more. I bought a base AT-x because it was $1000s cheaper than the base of Ford or Holden.
It handles good – unless u throw it reallllllllllly hard into a corner – but lets be honest how often do you do that in a new car? Holden and Ford may in some respect do it better but with a harsher ride.
Is rear wheel drive better – sure is. Is it worth $5000 – no! Only people that want to do silly things like burnouts and go sideways really demand it.
On another point, the VE Omega is plain bad value. It has a old crap VT 4 speed auto with updated electronics to cover its bad shift quality and age. It has a 175KW engine which was a cheap of Holdne pushing people int the higher priced modes. It guzzles fuel like an Irishman drinking beer and is over 2 seconds slower than falcon or Aurion 0-100. Only a die hard dedicated Holdne nut would buy a base Omega. It may handle better than an Aurion but he Aurion will be 1km away before you ever realise that – in real life. In perspective – you need to by minimum SV6 and thats big biscuits.
I bought an Aurion for safety as neither Ford nor Holden (even with the $5000 premium on price) offer side and curtain airbags as standard – there an additional $ option. Aurion – std.
All cars have their faults, but no-one can honestly say the base falcon or base holden is $5000 (or more) better than the Aurion.