Having said that, they are not exclusive in being able to lug around a family of 4 as you mentioned in comfort. There are a few mid sized cars that can do that also as well as having a bigger boot than a Commodore to carry all the family’s gear on a holiday. Two examples of this are the Ford Mondeo and Mazda 6, especially the diesel versions that can overtake on the highway just as effortlessly as the big aussie 6s etc and not to mention handle just as well if not better when comparing the ‘cooking’ versions. Also in my personal experience the Falcon is not the most comfortable car over long distances from the driver’s seat. The large transmission tunnel forces you to skew your legs to the outside causing lower back pain in some people on longer drives. I have experienced this myself as well as quite a few other people I have spoken to at work etc.

Sorry for the belated reply,

Apparently my post had something in it that needed to be moderated hense wasnt posted at all hehehe..

Nevermind!
The point i’m making in regards to the Cars, Holden have a global platform, global engine (used in Alfa’s, SAABs etc.)
The Falcon is unique in the way that the whole platform, engine etc has been locally built and devloped as was the turbo variant. This was all done by Ford Australia, not GM-Daweoo, not GM America, Local Australian Ingenuity.
To me, that translated to being very Australian.

This doesnt take away from the Fact that Holden have a very good thing in a global platform. It makes it easier to export and the rest.
I’m not a one eyed fan boy but I do look at the facts and this is how I interpret them.

The competition is very close Ozzie, Holden have a fantastic engine in the 3.6 SIDI Mill (i’ve been debating the true economic return of the 3.0L SIDI vs. the I6+ZF Gearbox…not the 3.6 SIDI).
Having said that, this is why an aging exterior and interior have let it down. As CA said, in isolation, its fine but in comparison- its aging.

The A-Pillar is no small thing. A lot of people I’ve spoken to have come close to having accidents because of the excessive blind spot it creates. Good thing its got a 5 Star safety rating

As for the supposed ticking time bomb that is Falcon, we don’t know what lays in the pipeline for them. Alan Mulally has managed to keep Ford Global afloat with out taking Money from Obama, Ford will have access to a Twin Turbo 4, 6 and Supercharged V8 with in the next year or two so I will wait and see.

As for the remark about Cutting the power back in the 3.6?
I’m not talking about the SIDI, I’m talking about the VE pre-SIDI.
Holden cut the power/torque back last year to make it look more economical. I think it worked out to be $80.00 a year. It was already an inadequate unit yet they go and to this?
I think its easy to see why I wouldn’t agree with that. Talk about cutting corners. Look it up, It did happen.

During my days at Uni I had a 84 Toyota Corona and the difference the air-con made there was power for going up hills… I’d turn the air-con off for going up a big hill lol

Of course manufacturers who calculate they have a good chance of winning would have nothing to lose by entering. I put all the blame on the GGC organisers for creating such a ridiculous set of rules. Far from green. And surely Australia is being laughed at by the rest of the world today. Shameful.

News flash: Falcon and it’s high-rise derivative is the last remotely Australian thing in Ford’s lineup and that’s it. And sorry, but the Holden SIDI 3.6 is a better thing than the Ford non-turbo equivalent…this wasn’t previously the case, but it is now.
Sorry that you appear to have such a chip on your shoulder about Holden. As with the other fanboys on here, you seem totally blinded to anything that does not have a Ford badge.
I’m happy to acknowledge my love for Holden, but i’m also happy to acknowledge that Ford has a good thing in the Falcon. The difference between the two is so miniscule that purchase comes down to personal preference, and anyone buying either can be confident of buying a quality car. It’s just that all the rice in China would not get me into a Ford.

I think the open hatred towards Holden in these comments is nothing more than sour grapes of disgruntled Ford fans jealous of Holden’s achievments. What achievments? Getting the G8 program up and running – unfortunately meeting a premature end – replaced pronto by the new USA cop deal. Exporting to China and middle East – cars and engines. Introducing the Cruze, a sales success, and soon to be manufactured here in Australia. Holden is the division even Obama could not get GM to offload…and why would they?
Oh but it’s all marketing, it’s all fleet sales, excuses excuses Ford fans are running out of excuses when all they have left to pick on is a thick pillar.

What has Ford done? ummmmm? hmmmm? Local Focus production? Your beloved Ford is a ticking time bomb in this country. They can’t be bothered exporting…where does that leave them? Toyota, for all their blandness and boringness has their act together way more than Ford.

Confused about how you say they cut back the power of the 3.6 and use a 4 speed transmission? Last I checked the 3.6 has 210kw and 6 speeds?

They cut back the power back of the 3.6 to try and be more economical only to the detriment of drivability and a terrible 4 Speed transmission. How is showcasing the brilliance of Holden? Please enlighten me. Marketing makes all the difference. In a lot of ways, Joe average’s entire lifestyle is a creation of clever marketing.

Holden’s Image is the selling point Ozzie Cars. Their marketing conjures up Images of the great Australian dream, let’s face it, they do Market very well.
Credit to them, they have done very well at maintaining that image for so long.
Their Main rival, Ford Australia have won more awards and collected more Accolades with both their Large cars, SUV’s and Small Cars in the last decade yet they still don’t sell more than Holden save the Territory and some BA’/F’s..
The commodore is the last remotely Australian thing left in Holden’s line up and thats it. A Majority of people believe that Holden are still an Australian company and the rival, Ford Australia are American when in reality, both are owned by Massive Multi-nationals. How does this work? Why its quite elmentary…Marketing. Surely Holden wouldnt pump so much money into it if it didnt make such good returns would they? I dont post on here hoping it will sell another Falcon or whatever. Simply to Discuss ideas and opinions with others.

If People really still believe a small block 3.0L SIDI in a 1.8 Tonne car can be that much a significant difference to a better engineered Engine Gearbox combo from Ford or any other product in the same segment for that matter, then so be it. I’m asking people what is the better overall package Ozzie Cars.

The Commodore is an Joint American-Australian developed platform running an GM designed Engine that in some form is used in Alfa Romeo’s and SAAB’s (pretty sure) just to name a few; Developed to some point here in Austrlia but that is where it ends. Marketing sells the Product as Australian. At the end of the day, I’m happy it means Jobs for Australians but I’m still critical of the product. So what? I’m sure you’ve got your doubt about others too

These are simply my observations. I’m here to discuss cars and all aspects of the industry.

PS. I do have a life, I’m just a fast typer