2009 Large Car Comparison
October 13, 2009 by Paul Maric
Ford Falcon vs. Holden Commodore vs. Nissan Maxima vs. Honda Accord vs. Toyota Aurion vs. Skoda Superb
Models Tested:
- 2009 Ford Falcon G6E Turbo; 4.0-litre, six-cylinder, petrol; six-speed automatic; sedan - $57,490
- 2009 Holden Commodore Calais V-Series; 3.6-litre, six-cylinder, petrol; six-speed automatic; sedan – $56,790
- 2009 Nissan Maxima Ti; 3.5-litre, six-cylinder, petrol; CVT gearbox; sedan – $46,990
- 2009 Honda Accord Luxury V6; 3.5-litre, six-cylinder, petrol; five-speed automatic; sedan – $49,990
- 2009 Toyota Aurion Presara; 3.5-litre, six-cylinder, petrol; six-cylinder; six-speed automatic; sedan – $49,990
- 2009 Skoda Superb Elegance V6; 3.6-litre, six-cylinder, petrol; six-cylinder automatic; sedan – $56,990
Words Paul Maric Pics Pavle.com.au
Our Mums told us that if we didn’t have anything good to say, then we shouldn’t say anything at all. Unfortunately, we’ve gone against their advice and stuck two Aussies, three Japanese and one European car into a room and interrogated them until we found one worthy of your money.
We’ve spent the best part of this week shuffling through six vehicles from the top selling manufacturers in the sub-$60,000 large car segment. The segment is loaded with in excess of 100 models from eight manufacturers – it’s any wonder people get confused when it comes to purchasing a large car.
With a maximum price tag of $60,000 (plus on-road costs), we selected the top model from each of the top six manufacturers, ending up with an even spread of the large car market.
From the Aussie camp, we have the new Holden Commodore Calais V-Series V6 (SIDI) and the Ford Falcon G6E Turbo. The Japanese aim to retaliate with the Nissan Maxima Ti, Honda Accord Luxury V6 and the Toyota Aurion Presara. Our lone European contender is the all-paw Skoda Superb V6.
Ranging in price from $46,990, through to $57,490, the battle is on and there can only be one victor – let the war begin.
Sixth Place – Holden Commodore Calais V-Series V6 (SIDI)
Released in 2006 as Holden’s answer to the Australian car market, the VE Commodore fired off the blocks with the greatest intent in mind. While it had a phenomenal start, things began to stammer when Ford released their FG Falcon.
While the dated styling still leaves a lot to be desired, Holden’s new SIDI range of engines promise to offer Commodore drivers a brand new driving experience. The Calais V-Series now receives a 210kW 3.6-litre direct injection engine. In addition to the engine upgrade, the Calais is also fitted with a six-speed automatic gearbox.
After opening the driver’s door and jumping inside, the commanding driving position, in addition to the masses of leg and head room allow the driver to feel right at home.
Rear seat passengers are also graced with a generous amount of leg room, catering for both adults and children. Our passenger test indicated that even with a load of five adults, there was ample room to feel comfortable.
Road noise has also been dramatically improved with beefed up door seals. They helped bring the interior noise levels at 100km/h down to 68dB on test, bettering the line-up of competitors. The interior noise on gravel jumped to 85dB, suggesting the underbody buffering remains unchanged as it’s still relatively high in comparison to its competitors.
The only downside to the beefed up door seals was that the doors have become harder to close. Instead of a regular shove, the doors now require a sure-footed jolt to shut correctly.
At $56,790, the Commodore is the third most expensive vehicle on test. Unfortunately, the feature list doesn’t match the Commodore’s rather hefty price tag. The Commodore misses out on a reversing camera (instead featuring front and rear parking sensors), seat heaters, satellite navigation, sunroof and auto-dimming rear vision mirror.
A desirable trait – especially for Australian sold vehicles is decent high-beam headlights. Second only to the Falcon’s headlights, the Commodore packed a decent throw when the high beams were engaged. This helps with country driving and spotting rogue animals.
Holden’s new SIDI engine is far punchier than the outgoing offering, but is totally let down by the confused six-speed automatic gearbox. Whenever the driver demands power the gearbox always needs a moment to think the process through before handing over the correct cog. The end result is driving filled with jolts and shoves as the gearbox attempts to predict your next move.
Once it’s in gear and is holding a gear, the engine provides ample torque for tasks like overtaking. It no longer feels like it’s being held by the throat.
Brake pedal feel was the worst of the bunch. The driver needs to push the pedal three-quarters of the way to the floor before the brakes are engaged. From there on the pedal remains firm and requires plenty of boot to stop the vehicle.
The initial highway stretch to our test ground had the Commodore using 9.9L/100km – placing it fifth overall. Including performance testing on the day and the final city and highway loops, the Commodore returned to the office consuming 11.9L/100km – placing it fifth again.
Unfortunately while Holden’s Commodore is still great in isolation, the dated interior, exterior, transmission and unrealistic price have landed it with the wooden spoon, placing it last. When placed against its natural rival, the Ford Falcon G6E, the Commodore is $7300 more expensive and doesn’t offer any extra features that yield such a large price difference.
Fifth Place – Toyota Aurion Presara
If this comparison didn’t take into account a car’s soul, handling, practicality, drive or style, the Aurion would win hands down. Unfortunately, with the way people buy cars, each and every one of those factors is taken into consideration, putting the Aurion at a disadvantage.
Although the Aurion doesn’t fail in any particular field, it manages to fly under the radar most of the time.
From a driver’s perspective the interior looks nice, until you start poking around. Each of our test passengers agreed that the materials used throughout the cabin felt cheap. The faux wood was hollow and the half-wood steering wheel looked far too tacky even to consider as a style statement.
While the cabin feels low class, passengers are graced with more than ample leg room. The seats are also very comfortable (both front and rear), but don’t offer much side and bottom bolster, sending the driver and passengers travelling around the cabin on several occasions during the five-passenger portion of the test.
An advantage to the cheap looking audio and navigation controls is that they’re incredibly easy to use. There’s no confusion when a driver sets out to increase cabin temperature or adjust the volume, it’s almost an instinctive process and goes to show how much Toyota spends on ergonomics.
Visibility from the driver’s seat is great in all directions. The vehicle comes standard with front and rear parking sensors, along with a reversing camera.
An array of standard features has the Aurion missing out only on heated seats, auxiliary input and DVD player. Satellite navigation, auto-dimming rear-vision mirror, sunroof and Xenon headlights are standard features.
The Aurion’s Xenon low beam doesn’t include a Xenon high beam, making the high beam on the Aurion appalling for country driving and made it difficult to see far ahead due to the narrow high beam.
Priced at $49,990 (plus on-road costs), the Aurion was equal second with the Honda Accord Luxury V6 on price.
Driving the Aurion is pleasing until you deviate from the norm and attempt to overtake or drive on unsealed roads. The front-wheel-drive Toyota torque steers frantically under full throttle (say during an overtake manoeuvre) and doesn’t give the driver any confidence while driving on unsealed dirt roads due to the narrow tyres and comfort-oriented suspension.
The stability control removes nearly all throttle response when provoked and doesn’t release the reigns for several seconds afterward. This type of intervention removes the perception of control and can be disorienting.
The slightly jarring ride over bumpy roads becomes frustrating after a little while, but in general the ride is very compliant and responds well to a full complement of passengers.
Cabin noise at 100km/h on sealed roads sits at 73dB, placing it equal second with the Ford Falcon G6E Turbo. On gravel the value jumps to an audibly noticeable 89dB, 4dB better than the nearest rival.
Its 3.5-litre, 200kW V6 is mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. Where the six-speed automatic in the Holden was its major downfall, the Toyota gearbox is very responsive and always manages to select the correct gear chosen for the prevailing conditions.
If you take a look at the performance figures, the Aurion’s comparatively light 1625kg mass and rev-happy 3.5-litre engine makes it fast in the 0-100km/h dash, completing the sprint in just 6.77-seconds. 100-0km/h on the other hand was the Aurion’s main downfall, pulling up in the longest distance of 40.39m.
The initial highway stretch had the Aurion averaging an equal best 8.9L/100km. By the time we’d finished performance testing and the final highway and city segment, the Aurion consumed 10.9L/100km on average.
While the Toyota Aurion performs okay when limited to city driving and open highways, it begins showing its flaws upon closer inspection. Sub-par perceived quality, under-the-pump performance, dynamics and head room see it take a lowly fifth place.
Fourth Place – Honda Accord Luxury V6
The other two Japanese contenders in this comparison – the Honda Accord Luxury V6 and Nissan Maxima Ti –are more than often overlooked when Joe Bloggs wanders out to buy a new car.
Honda’s Accord is available in both four-cylinder and six-cylinder form. While I don’t really rate the power lacking four-cylinder variant, the V6 brings the Accord back into contention with great pricing and a great drive.
Released in early 2008, the Accord features love it or hate it styling. The exterior’s multitude of angles are a total contrast to its Accord Euro sibling, but still see Honda move around 360 units per month.
I’m not sure what it is about the Accord V6, but everything feels solid and very well built. When you open and close the doors, they open and close like the doors of a BMW 7 Series, while the cabin plastics feel soft to the touch but firm to the blow.
Large wing mirrors and small A-pillars make forward visibility brilliant, while rear visibility is somewhat hampered by a rising boot line.
The leather-clad interior adds an element of luxury to both front and rear seat passengers. Leg room is impressive throughout the cabin, but shoulder room is limited due to the narrow width of the vehicle.
Brace yourself if you need to adjust any temperature or audio settings and heaven forbid having to use the satellite navigation. There are no less than 45 buttons scattered over the centre portion of the dashboard. They become confusing and frustrating if you need something in a hurry and are better mastered before setting out on travels.
An impressive list of standard features makes the Accord a value proposition, missing out on front and rear parking sensors (using a reversing camera instead), auto dimming rear vision mirror, DVD player and Bluetooth compatibility.
The sporty ride is a little firm but helps the Accord feel in-check during tight corners and twisty sections of road. Our five passenger test left all passengers happy and comfortable, although a little bit cramped.
Road noise at 100km/h on sealed roads was 79dB; placing it fourth, while noise on gravel roads increased to a third place getting 84dB.
Under the bonnet, Honda’s renowned 3.5-litre V6 produces 202kW and sends torque to the front wheels courtesy of a five-speed automatic gearbox.
Steering the Honda is a truly pleasant task. The relatively light steering is accurate and provides great response, while the brake pedal feels on task to pull the car up when required.
Due to the nature of the i-VTEC engine the torque doesn’t show its head until around 3500rpm and reaches its peak at 5000rpm. As such, it’s relatively gutless below that magic figure. From there on, it just seems to keep pulling until the next gear is called to continue acceleration.
Overtaking is handled with ease. Unlike the Aurion, there is little torque steer to contend with and the Accord pulls in a straight line during overtaking.
Honda uses Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) which allows the engine to shut down up to three cylinders in a bid to reduce fuel consumption. You can feel the system kick in when lifting off the throttle and although it doesn’t work wonders for fuel consumption, every little bit helps.
Fuel consumption during the first highway stretch saw 9.3L/100km on the dial, while the final reading after performance testing and the final city and highway stretch read 11.0L/100km.
It’s hard to fault the Honda Accord. Unfortunately its competitors simply offer better value for money, more features and better gearboxes. It only just lost out to its nearest competitor and in isolation is far from a bad purchase choice.
Third Place – Skoda Superb Elegance V6
A limousine sized European car with a V6 motor for under $60,000…you’re kidding right?
Wrong.
Skoda has managed to offer their flagship Superb to the Australian public for a couple of thousand dollars short of the $60,000 cut-off.
Skoda’s reliability and customer satisfaction is amongst the best in JD Power surveys, continuously placing in the top five.
Jump inside and you’ll see what all the fuss is about. Every component of the interior feels well built and extremely solid. The driving position is superb (pardon the pun), while the position of controls and ease of use is second to none.
Visibility from the driving perch looking forward is great. Looking back on the other hand yields a large blind spot about the C-pillar, while the lack of reversing camera makes parking a bit tricky in tight spaces (although rear parking sensors are standard fitment).
Possibly the most surprising part about the Superb is the front and rear leg room. Leg room easily exceeds all competitors in this class and even challenges the likes of the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes Benz S-Class.
The easy to use touch-screen multimedia system controls audio, climate and the optional satellite navigation.
Leather clad seats provide great side and bottom bolster for passengers and are very comfortable and supportive. During the five passenger portion of the test, the middle seat passenger experienced a very firm seat and lack of head room, hinting that the Superb is built mainly for four passengers. Front passengers and the two outer rear seat passengers get heated seats to help with frosty mornings.
The somewhat firm suspension was surprisingly compliant over sealed and unsealed roads, offering the perfect compromise between handling and comfort.
The intuitive boot opens as either a hatch or sedan style boot by virtue of twin servo motors that alternate boot hinges.
At $56,990, the Superb is the second dearest car in this comparison and contains the least number of standard features. Satellite navigation, electric seats, front parking sensors, sun roof, reversing camera, Bluetooth and metallic paint are optional.
Cabin noise at 100km/h on sealed roads is 74dB, placing it fourth overall. Noise on gravel increases to a comparison leading 82dB.
While the Superb lacks standard features, it most certainly doesn’t lack grunt or handling prowess.
Powered by a 3.6-litre V6 producing 191kW, torque is directed through an all-wheel-drive system. Mated to a six-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), the Superb is capable of shifting up gears in a mind numbing 8ms.
The punchy and sonorous V6 engine is very capable and pleasing during normal driving and during cornering.
The all-wheel-drive system which uses a Haldex coupling offers precise torque distribution and brilliant surge from a standing start. The steering and brakes are also standout, offering superb (there it is again) response and pedal feel.
Our brake test indicated that the Skoda’s 100-0km/h brake distance of 36.34m was over 2m better than its nearest competitor, the Ford Falcon G6E Turbo.
During the initial highway stretch, the Skoda returned an equal best fuel economy of 8.9L/100km. At the end of the day after performance testing and the final city and highway stint, the Skoda consumed 11.2L/100km on average, placing it fourth.
The Skoda Superb was a massive standout during the comparison. The space on offer, along with the superb (okay, I’ll stop now) drivetrain were undoubtedly one of the best. Unfortunately, the pricing and lack of standard features dragged it down, placing it within a bee’s wing of the Nissan Maxima, which bet it by the closest of margins.
Second Place – Nissan Maxima Ti
Snatching second place from its European competitor, the Nissan Maxima Ti was able to do no wrong.
Nissan has attempted to revive the Maxima with fresh styling and a perky engine straight out of the outgoing 350Z.
The styling may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the pricing and jam-packed level of features certainly will be.
Extremely comfortable seats offer masses of leg and head room, in addition to adequate side and bottom bolster. Heated front seats also warm bums on cold mornings.
Visibility from the driver’s seat is fantastic in all directions. Rear visibility is helped during parking with a reversing camera and rear parking sensors.
An easy to use multimedia interface and intuitive satellite navigation can be controlled by both driver and passenger and are easy to figure out once used a few times. The sound system, which includes Dolby surround sound for DVDs, is phenomenal.
At $46,990, the Maxima Ti is the cheapest vehicle in the comparison. It’s loaded to the hilt with features, including satellite navigation, auxiliary plug, leather, seat heaters, electric seats, sunroof, reversing camera, Bluetooth connectivity, DVD player and rear parking sensors. It only misses out on an auto dimming rear-vision mirror and front parking sensors.
A nuisance attributed to both the Aurion and Maxima is the foot operated park-brake. While it may save room, it’s an absolute pain to deal with each and every time you enter and exit the vehicle.
During the five passenger portion of the test, there were no complaints about comfort. Suspension over country roads is very compliant and reacts well when treated to both gravel and sealed roads.
Cabin noise at 100km/h on sealed roads was 80dB and 83dB on gravel, placing it last and second respectively.
Producing 185kW, the 3.5-litre V6 engine is fitted with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The pulley based CVT is capable of infinitely varying ratios, opposed to pre-determined gear divisions in a regular automatic gearbox.
This helps by allowing the gearbox to keep revs within the engine’s peak torque range and negating the need for gear shifts. While it takes a little bit of getting used to, it propels the Maxima in great haste when required.
As one of the best cars to drive in this comparison, the Maxima’s acceleration is very impressive. The engine note is also noticeable and pleasant to listen to.
Steering and brake feel is impressive to say the least, obviously taking inspiration from its sporty 370Z cousin.
Fuel consumption during the first highway stretch was 9.8L/100km, placing it fourth. At the end of the day though after performance testing and the final city and highway loop, the Maxima returned 10.0L/100km, placing it second.
The Nissan Maxima Ti was well and truly surprising when stacked up against its closest rivals. While it couldn’t match the overall winner in terms of performance, it didn’t put a foot wrong throughout the rest of the comparison.
It was a very tight tussle between second and third, with the Maxima eventually clawing its way to the top. We would love to see more of these vehicles on the road as they are outstanding value for money.
First Place – Ford Falcon G6E Turbo
I can just see the complaints flooding in now.
“Where’s your credibility CarAdvice, another biased win for Ford!”
“Get with the times CarAdvice, the taxi shouldn’t be anywhere near this comparison!”
When Ford set out to develop a competitor to the VE Commodore, they didn’t stop at the design or technology front. They went one step further and produced a car which could perform when it needed to and use little fuel the rest of the time.
From the moment you open the door and sit down in the driver’s seat, you are impressed with the layout of all the controls and the marked build quality and trim improvement from the BF Falcon. The Onyx leather interior and charcoal trim surrounding the centre facia give you the impression you’re driving something much more enticing than the humble Falcon.
Extremely comfortable seats both front and rear offer generous side and bottom bolsters and allows the passengers to sink in and become relaxed. Rear seat leg room is the least accommodating of all competitors and could certainly be improved.
The five passenger portion of the test revealed a set of happy passengers. Leg room was a bit tight in the rear due to the protrusion of the driveline down the centre of the cabin. Cabin noise at 100km/h on sealed roads was 73dB, placing it equal second with the Aurion, while on gravel it rose to 85dB, making it equal fourth with the Commodore.
The standard features list is impressive, with the Falcon only missing out on heated seats, satellite navigation, DVD player and front parking sensors.
The commanding driving position has the driver sitting high with an uninterrupted field of view both out the front and rear of the vehicle. The reversing camera is also the best out of this bunch, offering great clarity during day and night.
At $57,490, the Falcon is the most expensive car of the comparison. The G6E on the other hand is priced at $49,490, but doesn’t receive the stellar turbocharged engine.
Producing 270kW of power, the 4.0-litre inline-six-cylinder turbocharged engine is mated with one of the best gearboxes on the market – the six-speed ZF Sachs automatic gearbox.
The intuitive gearbox is constantly in the right gear and when a boot full of throttle is unleashed, the turbocharged six begins moving – seriously fast.
The fighter-jet style induction noise is seriously addictive and is unlike any other car on the market.
Steering is brilliant, with direct feel and responsive feedback. The brakes feel okay, but could do with a bit more pedal feel.
Handling is the Falcon’s downside with a considerable amount of body roll hampering overall performance. The body roll does allow the ride to be more compliant through, soaking up all types of roads thrown at it.
CarAdvice also managed to record a blistering 0-100km/h time during performance testing. The G6E Turbo managed to cover the stint in just 4.97-seconds and went on to finish the quarter mile in 13.25-seconds.
For such a heavy car, it is seriously fast. As you can imagine, overtaking is completed without even a consideration for space.
The Falcon consumed 10.2L/100km on the highway stretch and finished the day at 12.6L/100km after the city and final highway stint.
The world class engine and gearbox combination was absolutely unmatched in this comparison. At $57,490, you will not find anything that matches it in terms of performance, luxury and space.
Performance Tests –
While performance isn’t at the forefront of most purchases, it is a benchmark which allows drivers to compare braking and acceleration.
All tests were performed with two passengers on board (driver and front passenger) using a Racelogic VBOX. Each vehicle had three-quarters of a tank of petrol. Ambient temperature was 17-degrees Celcius.
Equipment supplied by Applied Measurement.
Ford Falcon:
Nissan Maxima Ti:
Skoda Superb Elegance V6:
Honda Accord Luxury V6:
Toyota Aurion Presara:
Holden Commodore Calais V-Series V6:
Scoring Regime and Vehicle Specifications–
Conclusion –
With that, CarAdvice is pleased to award the Ford Falcon G6E Turbo with the award for the 2009 Large Car Comparison. Well done Ford, this is a car which Ford should be sending overseas with great haste, it would be a certain sales success given the opportunity.
While the Falcon took the award for best car, each of the other vehicles is a sensible and good value purchase option. Most have their individual flaws but none of the vehicles featured in the comparison had glaring omissions.
Money talks, so haggling and test driving the lot are the only way to find which vehicle suits your situation the most.
Print it: 
C/A – Paul Maric:
On the Superb, the electric front seats with memory are standard on all Elegance models. As are puddle-lamps in the electric-folding mirrors and doors, a touch-screen audio system, the projector-beam bi-xenon headlamps with AFS and the rear-window roller-blind too with the side windows so in actual fact the Superb doesn’t look too skimpy on equipment now does it!?
Aussie Cars – an Aussie-made Ford won this whole test so how can you whine and bitch about Paul Maric having a preference for the 3rd-placed Superb? Maybe your display name should be Holden Cars as it’s very clear that’s all you like in the car world.
Jake02:
Unless Skoda has recently changed specifications, the side rollers are optional and the rear roller is electric.
We analysed the features which we believed most consumers would be interested in and the features that were available on all models either as standard or option.
The Skoda does come with an impressive amount of kit, but when you consider the competitors (such as the Maxima), equivalent options are all at an additional cost (Sat Nav, no reversing camera available, sunroof, DVD player).
The 2.0TDI on the other hand which is lower in the range offers the same kit as the V6 and would be a much better cost proposition. But, for this comparison we went with the cars closest to our $60,000 cut-off.
I ponder whether testing the 2L TDI DSG optioned variant would have changed the outcome.
That given, a good outcome for the Skoda and again thanks guys for including in the test.
I mentioned twice that I am happy with the winner… Also said its the one thing they got right. As many people have said the G6E non turbo could have taking this out easily.
Lol about all thats in my car world. Unlike you I like 4/6 cars on this list. You like one. (If you read my list I posted I actually put the Calais 5th)
The only reason I seem to end up defending Holdens more on this site than other brands is the constant bashing that seems to go on here.
To compare turbo Falcon with the others was wrong. Different performnace all together. At least they should of used V8 Commodore to keep it fair.
Sumodog:
We would have used the Holden Commodore Calais V-Series V8 but it was well and truly outside the $60,000 cut-off for the comparison.
Calais V8 non V spec could of been an option. Noone in their right mind will shop G6ET versus V6 Commodore or any of the other cars in the comparo. They are just not in the same class. Price is one thing,but there are many other factors that define class – i maintain that G6ET buyer will compare it to V8 Calais regardless of price. RRP’s are just that, not many actually pay those.
Completely disagree Sumodog.
Price is the main determinant for most car buyers. Caradvice were right to group these cars in the one sub $60,000 segment. They are all direct competitors, and the Falcon, even though it is may be in the same category in terms of price and size, is in another league altogether in terms of performance and as a complete package. Well done Ford! Yes, they should export this amazing piece of Aussie engineering quick smart. I was thinking that the other day with the Caprice’s trying to win the cop car tender in America. The G6E Turbo would be nimbler, cheaper, and less expensive to run.
why would you have a classy looking car like the g6e turbo laying rubber in the filthy back streets of la
If price wasn’t such a determining factor, then why do people buy a Barina when for a few thousand more they could get a Jazz or Fiesta?
Could’ve used a G6E and it still would’ve beaten the Commodore *shrug*
because in that class a couple of thousand dollars is a lot and if you don’t have the money, well you just don’t have it. Or you want to stick to a strict budget
Because people think they are buying Australian when purchasing a Barina?
How can a car that finishes dead last in almost all areas, is dated compared too it’s competitors in everyway go on too absolutely slaughter all of them in the large car segment in sales? Add the aurion and falcon sales together and the commodore only trails by a couple hundred units or so. We all know the sector sucks in sales, yet the commodore in a small car market can still hold on too number Please some serious reponses and the not the same old fleet argument. According too Vfacts, ford is running at 85% fleet, holden 70% and toyota 60%, so fleet does not answer the question!
It comes down to marketing. Ford’s marketing is piss poor, whereas Holden is great at conning the consumers (I meant, how many Koren Barinas do you see driving around, courtesy of dumb consumers?!).
Agreed!
AND
Australia has this holden bogan mentality. They could make a falcon thats the best car in the world, does 4L per 100km 500kmh, look like a ferrari, come with naked porn stars, etc… but itd still suck, coz its not a holden.
I don\’t understand the ford fans double standards.
Holden are bad for selling korean barinas but ford wasn\’t bad for selling korean festivas in the 1990s???
ford fans have short memories
how dumb where the consumers who bought festivas?
Just to answer that question, REALLY DUMB, but that was the past, FORD have quality small cars now, Holden don’t.
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
double standards are live and well in fordland
And the African made Focus is a quality unit….yeah right.
Same goes for the Taiwanese made Escape quality unit …yeah right.
What about those Mazdas badged as Fords and vise versa
considering you cant use where and were correctly dont think you should really be in a position to comment.
Nice one. lj
Not sure where you see (actually see yourself not the rumours) about the fleet split of the manufacturers. Vfacts reports on registrations and does not seperate fleet retail or dealer demonstrators. Falcons actual fleet percentage (since FG) has been around the 48%. By that I am counting the Govco, and National Companies like the mines and Coca Cola Amatil etc. Commodore is currently running at 78% Toyota at 84% Oh and by the way, I work for a company that sells all bar the Skoda in the above list and that is where I draw my figures from, the manufacturers!
How many commodore Taxis do you see?
Ive seen one VE, its in my Home town of Goulburn which is a small place and the driver bought it purely and simply because he prefers commodores. i often drive to Sydney and Canberra and i am currently living in Wagga, im yet to see another VE taxi, Ive seen plenty of FG, in fact i rarely seen A VZ, or VY.
Taxis drivers if owner operators would be a private sale.
Hmmm we sell a lot of used Falcons to Taxis up here, and the larger najority come form Pineapple Street (sorry ex Govco Fleet Aution) so doesn’t really help Ford. For the record, the main vehicle that gets sold new to Taxi Fleets is teh E-Gas Wagon, because they can’t get enough second hand….
One of the main reason you saw so many Falcon Taxis over the years Andrew is because a few years Ford were one of the only manufacturers here that made a taxi spec car straight out of the factory ie vinyl seats etc etc. This saved the Taxi companies HEAPS on not having to modify ‘other brands’. As many people would know, in a cut throat business like taxis, time and money is everything. However a couple of years ago Ford stopped making the Taxi specials and what do you know, there are less and less NEW Falcon taxis getting around. How many FG taxis do you see? I know I hardly see any, even when I visit a capital city for work. Don’t get me wrong, the Falcon is well suited to being a taxi WRT size, ease of getting spare parts and simplicity etc (easy to fix when it does break down), but it is not necessarily only picked as a taxi because ‘it is the most reliable car around’.
For some background information the city where I live (over 150-160,000) has hardly ANY Falcon taxis at all, they are actually the minority. You mostly see a Toyota Prius with quite a few old Avalons and new Camrys. I even see more VE Commodores than Falcons, even though you only see the odd VE here and there.
I read that the percentage of FG XTs (base model) is under 5%, and I haven’t seen one FG taxi yet.
I have a couple of things to say! If Ford had Holden’s “ice chest to Eskimos” marketing team, the Falcon would be the highest selling car in Australia. Ford can’t market to save themselves. Holden on the other hand… For John a few posts above, try and find a sales by model breakdown. I don’t know if that will answer it fully, but it may help. It would be interesting to find out how the G6E is selling compared to the Calais.
Now I have a question for many of the posters WRT one of the common themes above. I would LOVE to know the thoughts of people on this.
WAS THE COMMODORE FROM VB TO VZ (ie pre-VE) AN AUSTRALIAN CAR?
I await the response! :-)
Oh, BTW I forgot. Congratulations to Ford. They sure have produced one killer drivetrain with the help of ZF. I also thought the Calais would have rated higher, even though the interior has the plastics fit and finish of a Korean $15,990 drive away car.
opel rekord, vaxhaull senator :) opel omega!!
even their version of the VN has a nice twin cam straight six!
the VT was nearly all Australian, the VZ and VY are, and were made here and sold else where.
The VT only shared two components with its original cars, the outer door handles and the the black shinny strips on the windows on the middle of the doors.
The VT (which also includes the VY/VZ as they are based off the SAME platform with a different nose and tail panel work/interior, underneath not a lot had changed other than some minor suspension modification that can normally happen with any mid cycle model update) shared many floorplan hardpoints etc with the Opel Omega. Not to mention it is more than just the door handles and ‘window stip’. There may be some slight differences to pillars etc externally (not hard to add your own ‘garish’) however structurally ie underneath the superficial panels, there is not much difference. Yes, there was a lot of local engineering work done, but essentially Holden modified an Omega in this case by adding a little metal in the floorplan to give it a longer wheelbase and track, making it’s own interior and changing the external panels on the front and the rear over what is essentally the same basic structure underneath ie strut towers etc. I am NOT saying there is anything wrong with that, it is still an Australian car with all the input made by locals to modify it. But I can’t understand why people say a Camry/Aurion is not Australian because it is an overseas designed model modified (by local engineers as well) for the local market when any Commodore pre VE was BASICALLY the same thing, an Opel Rekord/Omega etc modified to suit our local market. I know many of those same people saying the Camry/Aurion is not Australian would also say the Commodore is. To me that is hypocritical.
Why can’t people be happy that there are 3 car manufacturers in this country that make 3.5 (Camry/Aurion = 1.5!) excellent value for money large cars that also employ thousands of Australians. I am sure if some posters on here went up to an employee at the Altona factory and said they are not building an Australian car may have to duck!
Yes it is heavily modified but parts were not interchangeable, you couldn’t build them down the same manufacturing lime, and the VT cost $600 million dollars, its Australian.
Oh a fair bit changed like new engines to . . .
The re-engineering from VN on was extensive. Enough to call it a different car.
Aurion, on the other hand is a minor cosmetic restyle to a few bolt on bits, with virtually no serious engineering changes at all. That does not classify Aurion as an Australian car.
I just went through the spec sheet and found something interesting. Only the ‘3 Japanese’ cars have full size spares. Very interesting that the ‘locals’ have space savers considering they are designed for Australian conditions and IMHO, space savers don’t suit Australian conditions considering how much distance there can be between towns out in the country… Not good enough Ford and Holden.
P.S. I know you can OPTION a full size spare in the Commodore, however it shouldn\’t have to be an option.
It was my understanding that in the MY10 Commodore you could choose between a full size steel spare or a Tyre repair kit, both being no-cost options
IIRC pre-MY10 it was a no cost option on the Calais, but a couple of hundred dollar option on the low spec models. Personally I think it shouldn’t be an option, free or not, in the first place. Not sure what they do now, but if it now either includes a steel spare or a tube of goo, it is getting even worse. We are in AUSTRALIA, not Europe! :-)
Good point. Does the weight difference between them really matter when the cars are the other side of 1750kgs anyway?
I’d be interested to see what the percentages are on the options
Hey All,
I’m sure SatNav is an option on the Calais? Also the G6E has to run on 95-98ron along with the Skoda and Maxima… Doesn’t this affect the scoring at all?
Dennis:
Satellite Navigation is an option on the Calais V-Series.
The G6E Turbo can run on 91RON fuel, likewise with the Skoda.
yeah, Skoda has bugger-all brand presence in this country. in europe, they’ve been the poor-man’s VW for a long time and have built their reputation on providing (almost) VW quality at a lower price.
here, on the other hand, people go “skoda? what the hell’s that?” and then look elsewhere. that’ll (hopefully) change soon enough, as they establish more of a presence in our market.
but in the meantime, they’ll make a killer second-hand purchase.
The ford and the holden are by far the best looking cars here.
no matter how good it is, i couldnt own the maxima!! its horrible. The model before it was NICE… what happened there? japanese designers have lost the plot! take subaru for example!
commodore does look dated and will age rapidly now, BUT i recon it will be easy for it to be refeshed with a makeover, as holden are very good at. i still think the grille on the VE series is ttoo high, giving it a one tonne ute looking front on a sedan? the ve2 senator grille has the right idea for this cars shape.
the skoda, as great as it is, looks a bit gumby, especially around the back door, which i know, is designed like that to have a larger door opening. falcon finally has the rear door opening it deserves! my sis has a BA and as great a car as it is, i dont know how many times ive bashed my head into the roof getting in and out of it!!
personally i agree with g6e winning, ive been in one, and im still STUNNED, but i wouldve rated calais higher, even if it were just above aurion. Afterall, Aurion is still just a more powerful slightly less pensioner ( only slightly! ) camry.
Aussie Cars:
At what point did I mention my dislike for the other 5 cars? I mentioned the Superb because there was something in the article that I was confused about. And for god’s sake, the Commodore IS dated. It’s dated because it hasn’t changed in form since it’s 2006 release (and yes I know the facelift is soon but we’re not there yet so don’t even bother). If this test was done with the facelifted model next year then maybe a different result would’ve been had, I’m not sure.
It’s good to see the G6ET winning, especially for Ford. The way the Commodore outsells the Falcon confuses me and this result shows that it should be the other way around. The Maxima is a good car for it’s jaw-on-the-ground standard equipment list. CA says it’s alright to drive but I’m not so sure. It’s a Maxima, so it’s bound to be soft somewhere (apparently the steering is weightless everywhere according to Wheels).
The Superb as third disappoints me abit, simply because I know it’s a better car than that. It’s safer than the others (AWD as well as 9 – not 6 like the others – airbags) and that wasn’t even mentioned! The Accord I think deserves it’s place. I know it’s chockers with kit but it doesn’t drive well (and yes I’ve driven it). It’s better than the Accord Euro though!
The Aurion should be last for me. It’s so boring to look at and the interior isn’t on par for around $55k on-road. At least the Presara isn’t regarded as a stand-alone model on toyota.com.au anymore. Worse still, it’s a Camry in Asia (I got back from Hong Kong yesterday) and yet Toyota Aus doesn’t export them, but they’re made in China! The Commodore as sixth should be at least a fifth. I know that Calais is jolly expensive but the dynamics alone would be better than the Aurion. There’s my two cents.
There you go Aussie Cars, I’ve mentioned them. See, I’m not single-minded like you suggest.
Not to mention the Aurion is one star behind in the safety results, and living in the safety conscious world we do today that reinforces why the Calais shouldnt be dead last
@ Jake 02
Who needs to watch comedy on TV to get their daily laughs all i need to do is read comments like yours. So you think the Calais is dated because it hasn’t had a facelift since 2006 so whats your opinion on the Territory??. Only a minor cosmetic change to the front since 2004 only a Ford fanboy would notice. If any car needs an update it would be the Territory. And what about all the other cars that go through an entire life cycle without major changes you don’t seem to have a problem with that. Most Jap cars (NOT ALL) go through life & only get a few new colours.
Jake02, you’re right the Aurion is sold as Camry in many Asian countries, however there is a twist here. Our camry was first designed and with Japanese and US market in mind. Toyota Australia then resigned it slighlty and sold it as Aurion, many Asian countries then started producing our Aurion and sold them as Camry in their countries. So Aurion is indeed designed in Australia, although only some changes (cosmetic and suspension/drivetrain setup), then many Asian countries adopted our Aurion design and sell them as Camry. Hope that clears things up a bit.
Aussie Cars: Ever driven an Accord?
Your whole post reeks of non-knowledge (aka BS) unless it’s a Ford, because you are a Ford Fan boy.
Trust me, the Territory is so modern and fresh, it’s like a revelation of automative creativity and engineering when you drive it. How is awesome is a car that looks pretty much the same from when it went on sale 5 years ago? Notice my sarcasm?
Not Aussie Cars, I meant Jake02.
Apologies Aussie Cars
This is a typical review one has come to expect from caradvice…..seriously you love your Fords ….and controversy gets you attention !
yeah right, just like the daily telegraph love holden; well done ford, & well done caradvice you made the right choise
How did you conduct your handling assessments? Every time I’ve seen a large FWD car take on the Falcon or Commodore in previous tests they are much inferior (on race circuits especially).
Quite frankly for the Falcon to get only get 3.0 and Commodore 3.5 and both cars would be far better balanced than all the FWD cars, (not sure about the Skoda) I find this part of the results as, well…BS!!
there are many factors
Wheels mag WASP 2008 had the FWD Aurion doing a hot lap faster than a RWD BF Falcon
Ok,
I’ve looked at your data:
The Skoda and Accord are the best handling cars out of all of them? Seriously?
Another journalist actually has driven exact same Calais at the Holden Drive Day and got better figures than Car Advice did. Suspect driving maybe?
I agree,
Ca tested the Commy, Falcon and Accord a while ago, and the result of that didnt place the Accord at the top
I’m a Holden fan but the Turbo 6 in the Falcon is a cracker, 6 cylinder economy when you want it or V8 beating performance if you like.
This motor is truly the best of both worlds, like having two motors in one.I have driven one and the power delivery is quite linear and deceptive unless you keep an eye on the speedo, and relise that you are hauling.
well done, an unbiased opinion.thank you
Well done Ford. Why on earth would you stick a cheaper G6E in the comparison, when the better model still meets the criteria of sub 60K? Calais still wouldn’t have got theirs in as it’s over 60K with the V8. Not only that, it still wouldn’t have won because whilst the engine is good, the rest of the car is still crap. Sucked in Holden, should of spent your money on fixing the flaws rather than wasting it on stupid engines that have failed to deliver anything of which you promised. That and the ghey fairy lights on the higher spec models.
The Maxima is a very ugly car. I want the real Maxima, not the Teana (our Maxima is called the Teana in Japan and they have another car they all the Maxima (also the North American Maxima) which is much nicer). The REAL Maxima is much more pleasant to look at and I’m sure drives way better than this ridiculous thing. Look at it! Those huge front and rear overhangs, hideous styling, what were they thinking?
Indeed, the Oz Maxima is one ugly car.
I’d put that to the side and still buy one, if it came in a wagon.
Unfortunately Nissan don’t have a wagon in this space.
I’m Confused Caradvice.
The November Edition of the MOTOR Mag clocked the 3.6SIDI at 6.48 secs 0-100km/hr. How can the identical engine, in a nearly identical car be 0.7seconds slower. It does not make sense….
Also, there opinion on the new 6-speed is that it is very slick shifting and responsive, which differs from your opinion. Not saying yours is wrong, just wondering how it can be so different?
For the record the test conditions and passenger loads are (generally) one up with less Fuel in the Motor Tests (they say so themselves). Also depends on the vehicle, this is the Fastest I’ve read for a G6E turbo, but it is also the only test I’ve read with a relatively old (11,000km) Press Car. Most press cars have been flicked by around the 6k until the last year. We have had some that were 15k and nicely freed up! :-)
The Calais V natural Rival is the G6E T, which is more expensive, the Calais Natural rival is the G6E, your forgetting that the Calais has the high end engine in the range.
SO THE CALAIS V ISN\’T 7300 more expensive, its actually cheaper then its main competitor, the G6E T its actually a little bit cheaper.
The G6E T and The Calais V (6 and 8) sit atop of the local range so they are pegged at each other.
Does the Calais V not also come standard with front and rear zoned parking assist, not just rear park assist like mentioned in the test?
Who said that large cars are dead?Judging by the amount of comments,there well and truly alive.
ha, just read that there was 204 responses to this article…. clearly a few have been edited prior to me reading through.
Paul – seen you replying earlier to some posts, great to see mate, think it would go a long way with the people who think this is just pro holden, ford or even aust if they understand the reasoning behind your own and other judges views.
Do you think it is possible to quiz ford at their next monthly, fortnightly or weekly press meeting why they are not participating in export markets when they clearly have such a great product. I mean we have all seen the recent pump up about the caprice cop car contract…. did ford us even have a showing after the crown was discontinued…. if not did ford aus get given the option to put something forward like GM Holden? just would like it explained.
Echoing some of the comments by people ford Marketing department does need a rev up (no pun intended), the lastest territory ad with the kid was a nice touch but the rest of them are very sedate and “safe” ads….. i mean a xr6 towing a jet ski is hardly thought provoking for your sports sedan buyers!
I’ve seen a few of the Ford US ads on Youtube and they are so much better than the Ford AU ads. Whats with the new Falcon ads… you see more of a guy sweaty after his run and photographers than you do of the car. And more backs of fake photographers than the car and sweaty guy combined.
Only good thing is some consistency with the music and the end of the ad showing the cars parked and the price… same thing is done in the Mondeo & Focus ads. The Fiesta ads, even though not done by Ford AU (Ford Europe?), were pretty bad too. Compare the TVs to Holden’s ads for the Cruze, where you actually got to see the car inside and out.
It sure frustrates me to see good products undersell due to crappy marketing (and vice versa)
@Captain Nemo
Awww thanks. I feel loved! Yes I do feel the Commodore is dated (also because it looks similar to the VZ) and the Territory goes without saying in datedness (especially when the facelift looks desperate and slightly tacky).
The reason why I don’t complain on entire lifecycles without facelifts is because most of those aren’t dated in the first place! As I said, VE looks like VZ (as does FG to BF) and is therefore dated. Happy? Random thing to comment on there!
Looks similar to the VZ? ARE YOU KIDDING?
If you think that, you must think the FG is identicalto the BFII,….
@Alan
Thanks for that. I don’t care that much for Toyotas so that’s why my knowledge is limited. Hopefully some tool doesn’t have a go at you for apparently being wrong!
I don’t care that much for Toyotas either, but was intrigued when i saw Aurion(Camry) everywhere when i was in Asia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Aurion
That will tell you i’m not wrong
Thanks for clarifying that the Aurion is NOT an Australian car, but just a slightly restyled V6 Camry with minimal bolt differences.
Oh look even the wiki article Mentions Aussie designer Nick Hogios as the chief designer, hmmm, Aussie Chief designer former Ford Australia employee, I guess that makes the Aurion Aussie enough, I mean half the country claim Russell Crowe simply because he lives here.
Convenient that you left ou the bit about Nick Hogios working in JAPAN.
Minor styling changes to a few bolt on bits does not constitute a new car.
Aurion is NOT an Australian car, but just a slightly restyled V6 Camry with minimal bolt differences.
Well theres to many comments on here for mine to make any impact but ill have a go anyway. Im a Holden fan and this time Ford deserves to win because they currently have the best large car out there. I say currently because Holden will do what they always do and leapfrog Ford with their next gen Commodore which will have addressed its flaws.
Thats the good thing about having two fierce competitors like Ford and Holden… they keep leapfrogging each other with new improved models and we enjoy the results :D
I’d to see either the Commodore or Falcon stop production and end this setup. Imagine if the Falcon was cancelled… with no Aussie competition the improvements in the Commodore would slow to a crawl (and vice versa)
Wow, is there enough shiny hard plastic on the fords interior? …and the colour combo it utterly horrid on the Commodore and falcon.
Sounds as though the reviewer was impressed with the fords performance more than anything. Other than performance and the Skoda’s apparently “lack of standard features” which were never listed anyway for any of the cars, the Superb and falcon seem are pretty much on par with eachother, with the Skoda being better in some places (braking, interior; space, quality) and vice versa for the falcon (engine, transmission, pricing).
Each to his own…
Really burns you up to see an Australian made car beat your Eurotrash eh Martin
So “Eurotrash” was awarded 3rd place by CA? (only just beaten by maxima).
The Ford is good no doubt but so is the Superb.
It’s still miles ahead of some white bogan trash.
A quick check of Carsales shows a 2nd hand ZR6 asks the same as a 2nd hand XR6.
The only thing that seperates them is that the Falcon is 3K cheaper to buy, and the Falcon would sell quicker which to me concludes Toyotas resale aint anything to brag about
A quick check of Carsales shows a 2nd hand ZR6 asks the same as a 2nd hand XR6.
The only thing that seperates them is that the Falcon is 3K cheaper to buy, and the Falcon would sell quicker which to me concludes Toyotas resale aint anything to brag about….
I wish you CA guys would do a big POSITIVES and NEGATIVES like the people mover comparo.
This was a forgone conclusion. The G6ET is so far above the other cars it’s not funny.
All those Japanese FWD cars are completely non attractive. In this segment you want a car that expresses a quasi luxury feel… I don’t think a hopped up Aurion does that… the Skoda to me seems a tad try hard Euro.
I hope the G6ET has an option for an LSD…
The only thing I will say about resale is that Skodas are unknown quantity but the market absolutely loves Holden V8s and turbo Falcons for obvious reasons.
So saving your money on the V6 Calais is a false economy.
And FWD Japanese cars? Who really cares? Go get some good fuel economy or something.
damn
6GET 0-100 in 4.97 seconds
everyone else in the high sixes, low sevens
that’s pretty much game set match
this is like an all out pub brawl and the Ford cleaned house with those pretenders lying in the gutter wondering what happened… sorry but the LOSE is strong with the FWD Japanese and the quasi Euro… the Holden gets a pass because it should have come with the LS2 V8 and was sadly hobbled this time
I don’t like Holdens too much but you guys made it fight with one arm tied behind its back.
Great comparison, CA.
A very enjoyable read, including the comments. If you are indeed guilty of Ford ‘bias’, you are more than compensated by other media outlets out there.
Overall, your results confirm my suspicions as a recent model Ford owner. The cars are well built, reliable, economic, feature power, have a most appropriate ride/handling balance and are attractively priced. In some areas such as ride and real world overtaking, they are far superior to much more expensive marques in this country.
What gets my goat is that these facts do NOT seem to be advertised by Ford of Australia. If I were them, I’d scream it from the rooftops, in very simple language… like the Red Team (who have far less to shout about, as it turns out).
It is left to passionate owners and supporters to point these attributes out online, perhaps read by a few hundred people. While hundreds of thousands hear the latest patriotic Holden ad.
Perceptions are slowly changing, however. Thanks for helping; my experience with FG Falcons backs up yours.
Cheers
Jack – why do Commodores outsell Falcons? Or any other large car? Seriously, I’m trying to find a good reason. Anyone?
because you could label dog excrement with a holden badge and they would line up to buy it
brand loyalty, holden’s got bucket loads of it, my outlaws love them, I call them christmas presents because they last just as long
Why is the new Liberty missing from this test?
Technically likes to call itself a Mid-sixed car.
Would the Liberty qualify as a large car? I might be wrong but I always found them smallish inside.
Was fascinating to read the SV6/XR6/Liberty comparo in the new edition of M*t*r.
The comments made by the testers there in regards the Commodore SV6 engine and auto box contradict in rather stark terms the ones made in the comparison here…in fact, the comments in the comparison here on CA contradict every review i’ve read on the VE2 mechanical improvements.
Which makes the results of this CA comparison rather questionable.
i nearly put pen to paper yesterday over the same question.if you flog a new sv6,then start driving very steady,the transmission can get a tad confused(it has quite a number of different patterns which follow driver behaviour).thats what i reckon happened to the tester of the calais…
Ok if your referring to Wheels, name anymore than 2 covers all year when there isn’t a GMH product on the front? CA test’s appear to be real world type and not just the basic couple of lap times around the block. It’s about time journalists exposed what a crap car the Commodore really is. However it does cater for the bogans who end up upside down or rapped around trees, because they are driving a car that is way too fast for what it is. We can only hope they don’t hurt anyone else in the process. Skoda is a bit of a surprise and only because it different.
No I’m not a Ford fan at all as I dont need a big six, but drive a german two door.
Oh Brett,
We were referring to the ‘other’ publication if you would care to take a re-read.
As your hate of anything with a lion badge, regardless of merit, has been noted on a regular basis, if I were you I probably wouldn’t comment on bias.
Also as has been stated by Wheels staff, Commodores and Falcons on the cover sell magazines.
They’re hardly going to put a ‘German two door’ on the cover if nobody is interested are they lol
I’m with you Brett. Call me a hater of GMH – I don’t care.
Read my experience with the VE below. I don’t read Wheels out of principle for the same reasons. If they need a Falcodore on the cover to sell it says a lot about their target demographic.
I often pick up a copy of Top Gear. Now that’s a good read, amazing cars and the Clarkson/May/Hammond antics.
Someone mentioned something about Falcons and rental cars and taxis.
I have been to Sydney airport on a regular basis, and have noticed that in the car rental carpark you will find mode Aurions/ Camry’s, Commodores than any other make. There are a few Nissan Tiida’s and Mitsu Lancers.
It’s not to say there were no Falcon’s but the rental car arguement isn’t valid.
I only saw a Falcon in Europcar and hardly any other rental company has it on their lineup. In Avis, I was ‘upgraded’ to a Commodore Omega for no extra charge because the Corolla that was due for return didn’t turn up. I really wished I were given an FG because that VE really proved how much rubbish it was to support my claims.
Great Article; Good to see a review which takes so many things into account. Good call on the G6E Turbo; what a package! Oh, and the (2 valve per cylinder/14L-100km…ahem?) LS2 V8 wouldn’t have been able to hide the fact that the Calais is just a generation behind and just a wee bit ugly in and out (bad genes). FWD is poo on everything bar A-B econoboxes, kudos to skoda with the 6spd DSG; Surely Dual-Clutch is the way of the future, i’d take the ZF for now;)
Great Review!
The engine V8 engine in the Commodore is a L98 the LS2 was exclusive to HSV.
I spent last week in an Omega hire car. I haven’t driven the Calais or a commodore with the new SIDI engine.
Can anyone explain how it is possible that the commodore is Australia’s most popular family car!?!?
The car I had was lethargic for a big 6, its interior was uncomfotable, I had difficulty getting in and out without ducking my head. The dashboard was designed by aliens with their green glow wand. Steering was heavyish and with little feel. Power window buttons in the centre console. Boot release button in the glove box. Stereo had no bass and needed to be fully cranked to hear any music detail over the road noise. Wind noise loud through windows – I needed to check them a couple of times to make sure they were fully shut!
Thirsty around town.
Ok so I’m highly critical – I was looking for something – anything positive and was dissapointed that I couldn’t find any. Well ok, there was one positive – it wasn’t a Camira, but certainly showed it’s family relations.
I had no idea that the VE was such a piece of trash. I’m hurting my head thinking about why people would buy it. The only thing I can think of is they probably buy it because of brand loyalty or they seriously haven’t driven any of its competitors.
Perhaps, as the reviewers said, the new SIDI and 6 speed are improvements, but despite that they still only rank 6th??? Holden – what is going on?
Simon, I’m not arguing your point at all, but isn’t it funny how you could have subtituted “Camry” and most of your points would still be valid.
Hi Steve, you are probably right but I’m not sure that the camry would have been any worse. In all honesty I wouldn’t want either.
Another point I forgot to mention is the fat A-pillars on the Commodore meant I needed to move my head a lot just to make sure I wasn’t going to hit anything “obscured” behind it.
it is interesting, i own a stock XT BA and it does 7.0 to 7.02s 0-100km/h and its a base model 4 speed auto 4.0L 182kW/380Nm tested 15 times and every time on average it achieved 7.0-7.02s while my business luxury car 2006 BF Fairmont GHIA 5.4L 6 speed ZF achieved 6.13s 0-100km/h being tested 8 times and the same time was achieved fastest being 6.11s zero to one hundred in D mode. I’ll like to test a new G6E Turbo some day, perhaps when a new 330kW/750Nm Direct Injected 4.0L I6 comes out in December 2010. cheers
No wonder why an old BA XT Wagon overtakes those overrated pimped and ugly Calais badged omega commodores ah ha ha ha! + run for its money. Money vs Performance, take away the luxury of course.
which means that the old 4.0L mill still has lots of potential in its 2Lx2 massive 4.0L engine.
Holden should really introduce a stroked 4.0L V6 and make it exactly 3984cc like Ford and then we should compete head to head, perhaps a twin-turbo 4.0L V6 Calais would change my mind and go for a holden.
Ford rules!
Interesting reading,
the only thing that surprised me, are the pictures of car interior with unfinished tins/bottles, crumpled papers, grubby carpets and luggage space cluttered up with some clothing. Never seen this in car test made in Europe ( a few months ago, in Russia they made similar test with luxurious Toyota, Nissan, Skoda cars etc. the cars were shiny clean, even when tested in deep Russian winter on ugly Russian roads.)
Looks like somebody took the cars and went to visit grandmother together with the whole family during the test.
It wouldn’t be a CarAdvice article without an error :) Regarding the Aurion “On gravel the value jumps to an audibly noticeable 89dB, 4dB better than the nearest rival.” Gents higher (+4dB) in this case isn’t “better than the nearest rival”.
Bit of a worry when journos base fuel consumption conclusions solely on dashboard readouts. Some cars are hopelessly overoptimistic and in any comparison of this nature, to report on road test fuel consumption without calculating all cars between two fills, is cheap and sloppy at best …
Bit of a worry when journos base fuel consumption conclusions solely on dashboard readouts. Some cars are hopelessly overoptimistic and in any comparison of this nature, to report on road test fuel consumption without calculating between two fills is cheap and sloppy at best …
Notice how the G6ET is the only car that fails to show the full rear seat out of all 6 cars. May it be because in 2009 its the only top of the range car not to add anti whiplash centre rear headrest for the middle seat occupant who mayjust happen to have a head higher than the actual bench? How could a car worth the amount the Ford cost not have such a feature. For heaven sake you can get a bargain basement cost Holden Commodore international based on the Omega with such a important feature. As far as many people are concerned how is a Car without such a feature awarded a 5 star rating when a car with a passenger seat belt reminder does get it? Oh sorry about the neck injury sir/madam, oh well at least the car told you to put your seatbelts on. What a joke. The only thing that really costs the Holden in this test is the fact that its a car first released in 2006 and as uch has a few things they need to catch up on which will no doubt be rectified with the VF. In the meantime their 2006 released car still has important bsafety features that the Ford released a couple of years later doesn’t have. It appears that safety is not as big of a issue for Ford when they don’t think that 6 airbagss, rear centre headrests etc are either not important to the people who want a base model but also deserve the same safety concerns without paying extra cost for it and then claim in their research that not all people have it as their priority. Safety not a priority to everyone over other things? What a joke, the Falcon maybe a safe car but it could be a lot safer with the features I mentioned standard on the whole range just as Holden have done and the others.
So you went through the whole article and thats the best barb you could get the falcon with, you should have just ranted about holden ruling, it not having the v8 sound, and brocky and stuff, would have been better.
I agree, plus I can’t remember the last time I had a passenger in the middle rear seat of any car I’ve ever driven.
I’m a Commodore man from way back. I’ve owned a VB SLE, VH Vacationer, VL Station Wagon, VN Sedan, VP Station Wagon and a VX series II SS. So when I wanted to buy a new car last year I again went to look at the Holden – a V6 Calais. It’s a nice car, but much to the utter disgust of my family I did the research and ultimately walked into a Ford dealer – just to see what all the fuss was about. Almost 12 months down the track my G6E turbo has now done 25,000 km. It really is a great car to drive. Quiet, comfortable, the engine is brillient, transmission superb, handles beautifully. Australia really does make some great cars and whilst my blood probably does still run red (with Holden colours), you must recognise that Ford have really got it right with the G6E Turbo. On the highway it delivers excellent fuel economy but delivers the power when you really need it. I do still own a Commodore – I have an old 1978 VB in the garage I’m restoring but hats off to Ford for delivering such a great family car. The only gripes I have with the G6E Turbo are that I’ve already replaced a set of tyres and the fact that the passenger seat has a manual rather than electronic adjustment.
due to decibels (dB) being measured via a logarithmic scale, calais 68dB is considerabley quieter than the rest.
What? Honda accord treat as large car in aus?
pretty funny.
Interesting results. I love Holden. The Commodore is one fine car. The interior of the cabin with the optional leather looks heaps better than the standard black dash. Commodore is starting to age & i hope a facelift is due within the next few months. It has aged well since it’s August 2006 launch, better than some other cars. Interiors of all models do look dated & the exterior doesn’t help. Still love Sportwagon regardless of it’s look. I’m always looking for the SIDI badges now on Commodores & thats the only way to to tell old from new.Lol. Once the facelift is done inside & out, Commodore will once again become a sucess. Go HOLDEN!
Hello everyone :D love reading through all your reports very interesting and very exciting seeing how heated these debates become. Look im a young kid in other words the next generation. However ive already driven all these cars on show lol ok one thing cant you guys test drive manuals for once plzzz damn lazy old farts in auto’s! Young people want manuals and look the Fords win with the car hands down its a mind blower for the powero it really is :D. The comodore sure needs a face lift but however just you wait give them a year or two and they will leapfrog Ford maybe… who knows. With Aurions sorry to say this but id prefer one lol fuel economical, drives well and you know it wont brake down easily :D. and um oh yeah i fogot look Holden and Ford are always at eachothers throught and atm Fords Winning but give Holden a year to kick Ford in the guts. Ok and with resale prices PLZ Asian cars normally win Hands down!. Look Toyota normally has a better record for resale values and stil seems too. Ok my family owned a Ford Falcon Futura in five years it went from 43,000 to 14,000 in five years so ive got to think resale for Fords and Cmmodores seems to always be lowest. However hmmm it floged most Comodores at the lights. it may of been a 2005 model but it Owned SV6’s Omega’s Commodores plz lol then gain 3.6 litres vs 4.0 youd wonder why…..Look the maxima it does deserve second its a good car to drive and the souns system standard is amazing :D. With the Honda yeah it deserves its place. Look however these ppl didnt put in the maintenance cost or insurance costs as well, hmmm nor how good it looks or even how good resale value is at lets say 10,000 or w.e if this was a good car tester it would have more then interior speed and extra’s sorry but *thumbs down* as well as maybe look at some more cars in that range hello! Look im no Holden or Ford fan however for the thrill for younger people they are the better cars lol and honda and Aurions for that fact can take a backseat and THE Maxima lol had soo much fun in that as well. Driven them all and for overall Ford wins for most but loses heavily for resale value ouch.. sorry! Thanks for all your infomation and imput. Im just saying from a Young persons point of view sorry…. if that offends and anoys you. AND YES IMA P P PLATER xD (revs engine) (races the cars on street) (does burnout) yeah and i dont wonder why people hate us we destroy cars… well my mates semm to go through cars like a fat kids eating chocolate mud cake… Luckily i aint them and own a Subaru Impreza which thank god can be modified a bit. lol thank god for asian Nerdy engineers who make Subaru boxer reliable engines. cause if i had an old v6 id of broken the engine to bits by now… hehehe
I’m curious. The target audience for this kind of test is mainly those looking for a car. I wonder why CA didn’t take into consideration depreciation/resale value or running costs?
I’m curious. The target audience for this kinda review are the car buyers. So why did CA exclude depreciation/resale value and running costs in the equation?
Great read. Those Turbo FG Falcons are blindly fast. Wasn’t too long ago that a sub 5 second 0-100 was supercar territory but now can be done in a family sedan Falcon. People don’t realise how good this Aussie Turbo inline 6 really is.
On the export front, other than those with vested interest it doesn’t really benefit the local buyer to export our cars. Tell you why. I’ve owned s1, s2, s3 & VZ Monaro. Once Holden started mass export to the US and were running 24/7 shifts at the plant in Adelaide to get the Monaro and GTO’s (US version) out to the states quality control went out the door and I really noticed the build quality had gone bad. I don’t think our car industry is equipped labour skill wise to build massive amounts of cars. You have to remember more coupes were built and sent to the states in a couple of years than all the coupes built for Australian buyers. If you rush an Australian worker they will build rubbish. Also no matter how you dress it up working the grave yard shift at any job produces poor results, our bodies just weren’t meant to be up at those ours.
So I say no to export and I’m glad they aren’t. Keep this goodness of Aussie boosted 6 here.
I still can’t get over how fast these things are. I recently took an F6 FG auto for a test drive (Thompson Ford) and it blew me away at the savage acceleration of this car. This coming from a VE GTS LS3 manual owner. For the Toyota fans whinging please if all you can crow about is capped servicing costs, pack it up and go home. Toyota produce white goods on wheels these days, bland, boring and feels like cardboard. Also no one can dispute the performance test results as they were done using Vbox, probably the most accurate performance recording equipment available to motoring journos today.
Also noticed no mention of resale value. As this should be an important factor when buying a car.
“john” that is a very important factor and this is where the “aurion” shines! the skoda will be worth nothing in 12 months time and that’s if you can find a buyer for it, the honda will be not much better and we all know commodores are terrible maybe the new falcon will be better than the last model but the winner in resale value is the “aurion”.
The thing is, if any of you can tell us what a car will be worht in 3 years time, please step up to the plate. Resale CANNOT be guessed particularly in the current climate. Right at the moment nothing (except an F250 4×4 7.3 dual or super cab) has resale. 12mth old Aurions ZX’s are on the lots for under 24k whilst same vintage XR6’s are 29k (both ex hertz) yet the XR’s are moving and the Aurion are stagnant. That is our current experience. Maxima’s haven’t been treated kindly (actually rather unfairly) by the depreciation monster as they always have been a good car and Honda’s fare okay if you keep them at under average (20k/annum) mileage. I would expect (at this point) Skoda to be like Citroen.
Anyone who buys a vehicle with a view to resale is kidding themselves. Buy the car you really wnat and enjoy the drive, if it costs you more in the long run then you will probably enjoy driving it better. Supposed high resale cars have always been the least enjoyable to drive.
The Aurion and Accord should hold their value best.
I hope the Skoda is worth nothing in 12mths, it makes it even better buying.
the Aurion would have better resale because old people can afford more.
seriously though, resale is slowly swinging against toyota if you notice.
Thats because old people can afford more.
Seriously though, resale is starting to swing against Toyota if you notice.
Not according to the second hand prices advertised in the paper, internet and wholesale yards.
Aurion does no better
In europe Skoda has one of the best resales, I don’t know why Australia should be any different! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVG_PEAHrLs
Umm, the Aurion will not be any better than the rest, neither will it be any more appealing in the used car market!!
That’s because Skoda is still a relatively new brand to the Australian market, so it will take time before the resale value picks up. Afterall, an average joe with little knowledge of motoring is likely to stay away from unknown brand like Skoda with unknown (to him) reliability and cost, and stick with well known ones when looking for a second car.
I’m sure thats the view someone who buys a Jeep or Saab has. Any Toyota enjoys good resale. Certainly the Falcon has better resale then a Commodore until the cars is over 5 years old the the Commodore starts to even out. It’s mind blowing to see people grippe over $500 but not consider the cost of ownership or resale value. I imagine the maintenance costs on the Skoda would be through the roof. And yes I’m pro Toyota and yes I work for a Toyota dealer but I have also worked for Ford and know both products pretty well.
Well written and true comment. Cheers mate!
ZX? don’t you mean ATX? If you are talking about Sportivo ZR6’s you are way off the mark, you only need to look at Carsales on the net to see ZR’s are fetching 35 to 36 K and XR6’s are fetching low to mid 20,s. Where the hell did you get your information from?
Couldn’t agree more – buy a car to enjoy it today. If you buy a car you enjoy the smile on your face when you give it a good spanking is worth more than any loss in resale. Thats definitely the case with mine anyway :D
Toyota no longer enjoys the resale advantage they once did.
Good point that people dont consider maintainence/servicing costs.
Hondas are typiclly the most expensive to buy parts etc for whilst the higher selling commodore and falcon parts would have to be the cheapest
Servicing costs for my Skoda are actually around $100 less than my old Subaru Liberty (which, I know is known for high costs for the AWD system and the hill-holder clutch on the manuals which gave me alot of hell around a year before I got rid of it) but I was really suprised. The only reason Toyotas cost less is because they generally break down less than other makes and they also have that Fixed Price Service Plan. DO many people get that when buying it?
Yes I meant ZR and no they aren’t fetching that sort of figure from and I got the info from my front door!!! Also Carsales doesn’t actually tell you what people are buying! RRP of a ZR is 42990 +orc take away bonuses and you can have one for high $30’s new and you honestly believe that punters will pay that for a usedy???? Please send ‘em my way, I’ll make a killing because they ain’t moving at $24k… People look, drive, get out and walk straight over to the FG.
For the info I sell three of the 6 brands mentioned here so I guess I might have a little incling.. (BTW it’s lunch break time)
I work for Toyota in Carinbah ( yes that massive complex that takes up half the suburb), so I might have a little incling as well…. to the figures that NSW Toyota dealers are selling their cars for. I can assure you ZR’s are going for mid 30’s. a small percentage will go for low 30’s and it’s very rare unless it has a lot of K’s on the clock that you can get an 08 plated ZR6 for under 30,000.
Let me guess you work ofr a car dealership? You probably have figures for all the cars your dealership sells? Hmmm, that somehow doesn’t compare to having the figures for the whole of NSW for one brand now does it?
Firstly, we are talking used examples, because that was in reference to resale values? Secondly, so you work at the manufacturing plant for the distributer? I have never told the distributer, nor has any distributer cared, what I sell used cars for!! As for the mid thirties, closest I’ve got to that on a used Aurion is an 08 Presara 28k @ $32400.00 drive away and it is hitting 90days. Haven’t got anything in either Falcon, Commodore Accord or Maxima that gets close to 60 and we get more money for them… oh and if you knew anything you would know that because i have access to the three brands I can get the same figures you look at……….
Carfanatic/Thomas79
You must be ripping people off in NSW plenty of V6 Camrys sorry Aurions in other states going for under $30K most with low kays.
Firstly, Altona is the manufacturing plant, Caringbah is the main office for NSW and we monitor all car sales New and Used in NSW. Knowing what people are trading in assists Toyota in keeping an eye on the market and planning for the future. You get the figures for a dealership, three cheers for you, I have access to far greater information than you Mr Salesman. I’ve also noted with salesmen, Toyota dealership or not, you are all arrogant know it alls, that actually know very little.
WHAT A LOAD OF! “safety first” you are full of it! my brother in law is a auctioneer for a major vehicle auction house in brisbane and everything you are saying is not one bit true! The aurion is the best resale value in this class and you are trying to tell us that a commodore and maxima are better? I had to pick him up off the floor when i told him that one, and you stock accord’s as well as maxima’s tell us another one!
How is the Janitor job going at Toyota H.Q Car Fanatic?
Sounds like cleaning the salesman’s toilets are getting to you!!
……..The selfish, inconsiderate non – flushing bastards they are!!
Yep that’s me Arrogant know it all, and i really know nothing (Roflmao) you just continue playing in your own little world having your conversations with your friends the tank engine wanna be and the fig……
Don’t forget that without sales staff all if you did work for Toyota you’d be on the dole… Oh and we know nothing?? (laughing uncontrollably almost urinating) Just wait till the next get together / training course / drive day and spruke that out… Mr Okada’s boot would be so far up your &^%$ that you would have to cough for him to tie his laces……….. Now go back to your gate and talk to the truckies as they come in , you might learn something…. Oh and have a nice day, thank you for making mine brighter…….
It’s great Hung Low, we dragged your sister out of the ladies yesterday, she still had the needle in her arm when the Paramedics arrived. Oh and say hi to your mum for me.
I didn’t know we were brothers ‘bro’
I think you should be banned car fanatic, you just an idiot with nothing to offer.
Thank you for your clarification figjam! You want to spout more crap Safety First?
So what you don’t think that a dealership wouldn’t stock Maximas and Accords in their used car section??? What we only deal in one brand of used cars?? Let me guess your brother in law works for the Auction house that handles the TFS Repo’s???? Tell him to contact me and come and buy my cars… he’ll make a killing then and I will still go home happy…………. I didn’t (learn to comprehend what you read becasue your life will get easier ;-)) say Commodores or Maximas retained greater value, I said that they SELL better.. ie “WE HAVEN’T GOT ANYTHING IN FALCON COMMODRE MAXIMA OR ACCORD THAT GETS CLOSE TO 60 DAYS” in other words they sell quicker AKA the public want them over the Toyota…… sorry to hurt your feelings but that is fact but please tell your brother in law to come and see me… :-)
would be nice if Commodore and Falcon also had the $130 service cap (Aurion)
Maybe they are put off by your negative attitude toward a certain brand? Plus you are talking one dealership, he is talking an Auction house which would see loads more cars go through their doors than through yours. I’m talking an entire state, that’s over 70 dealers bud, now go wash a car.
teccky,
1 service for say $200(then maybe $300 the next year),verses $130 every 6 moths for a toyota…much the same final result…
When I first had my Golf the service costs were reasonable. But after 3 years they just get really expensive to keep on the road…with Skoda’s sharing the same parts bin as VW your running costs will get very expensive
I know I’ve had 3 new VW.
6 months or 7500 kms, so if you do 30,000 a year you pay for 4 services.