Holden Commodore Sportwagon Sydney Motor Show
October 11, 2007 by Alborz Fallah
Update: Read our first steer of the Holden Sportwagon.
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Holden Commodore Sportwagon Sydney Motor Show
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[...] can only be a Holden employee’s home, the new VE Wagon is a little less spectacular than the Sportswagon we saw at the Sydney Motor [...]
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looks very european…but still looks strangely similar to a territory on the back…hmmm…
Nothing like a Territory at the back. The Sportswagon looks much more classy and with a full compliment of models Omega, Sv6, Berlina, Calais, Calais V and SS and SSV Holden will massively increase its marketshare over all cars below it.
Looks like they are aiming at a different market. Hard to say without seeing it in the flesh, but it looks like it has FAR LESS rear cab room than the old model.
I’d say Telstra, etc, will turn away from it for that reason because they have a lot of crap they need to carry.
its a clone of the 300C. same thing they have done tih the new ute. go for sports not practicality. it looks like a mazda 6 has more boot space.
Nice job OPEL, woops i mean Holden, LOL :-)
Very classy design, be huge too
SS Wagon, yes please!
Cheers
F-0
Telstra only buy Falcon wagons and Ford Oz designed them to suit Telstra (Telstra is the single biggest buyer of Falcon wagons). The Falcon wagon will continue to appeal to Telstra and tradies, and this new Commodore wagon will appeal to people who want something more stylish.
I reckon Holden are on a winner here – Good work.
looks nice, but as with all the VE’s, poor fit n finish and stupidly over flared gaurds will see it fail.
This will be interesting for ford to see what they do with there wagon. I dont know but there is something about this wagon that i dont like but there is good points that i really like with the V8.
I have seen Commodore wagons used by Telstra, not many tho I guess. It does look a lot more sporty. Without know what the Orion will bring, it does look like Holden are aiming for sporty (if slightly impractical) wagons and utes vs. Fords appeal with tradies. Both have their good points.
So does this mean the death of the LWB wagon?. Although I’m not Holden person and this car is obviously aimed a sports tourer market rather than the family. It could also be Holdens drive to boost Captiva sales and a family wagon. Something I believe ford should do with territory
It looks like a winner to me. Regardless of what else it may look like, it’s done properly and has a great stance. If you want something that doesn’t look like another car in this day and age, then it has to look like a Yeti. I like that one, too.
Frugal One, you’re not serious about the Opel thing, are you? I mean, you HAVE done your VE research, haven’t you? Hopefully? Seriously? :)
sorry frosty it does look like a territory…when will holden become original?
It looks like a saab from the rear 3/4 and the flares remind me of the opel omega. i personally think that the VE is rather boring style-wise and this is probably the most interesting interpretation of the VE style so far.
Looks like a Territory, John? OMG, I SEE IT NOW!
Yes, the sedan-style wrap-around tail lights are IDENTICAL, I can’t see any difference between the height of the two whatsoever, the tailgate wraps around into the roof just like a Territory’s and the tapering, sloping rear is a Canon-perfect copy…even the rear passenger doors with their little quarter lights are near INTERCHANGEABLE!
DAMN! When WILL Holden do something original?
ur funny! can u be my friend?
Aww shucks! Any time, John.:)
oh man can you feel the love in this room? hahahaha! you guys are cool…no matter what…i love you holden people…even though you drive inferior cars…hahaha!
LOL, John. You’re being wicked, now. I’m Astrayan, so I love my Holdens and Fords, but drive a Golf diesel. There’s a can of worms, conceptually and patriotically, if ever there was one!
I’m Strayan too! but I’d rather be driving an audi…although i own a focus…hahaha!
hey John, is your Focus built in South Africa, same as my Golf? How much MORE love can we cram into one room!
What would REALLY work for me is a Golf in Morpheous metallic and a V8 soundtrack (R32 comes close) or one of these new Sportwagon jobbies with a Turbo Diesel.
Is someone from Holden reading this? I said, a SPORTWAGON with a TURBO DIESEL. Hear it, guys!
Well done to Holden for using euro design cues for the Sportwagon. For me, this looks better than the Calais V sedan.
Have to agree with the TURBO DIESEL comments. Holden, you need to lift your game & get a TDI engine for the commodore range. Stop using costs as an excuse. The GM world is your oyster, use it. Finally, give us back more Opel sourced cars.
hey golfschwein…man…we have so much in common…maybe your my soulmate…hahaha! and yes my focus is SA built unlike my previous focus with was belgian…good chocolates from that country.
It looks ‘o.k’for a Holden and I agree with Peter Micahels that the styling from the three quarter rear looks like a SAAB. To be exact it looks like the 2001 – 2007 SAAB 9 5 Sportestate. I wouldn’t mind betting that the dash layout as with the current Statesman is similar to the SAAB right down to features such as the nightpanel. It is a shame really that Holden can’t come up with a design of their own rather than use something the Swede’s thought of in early 2000.
Additionally it is disappointing that GM have left SAAB in a dark corner and done nothing with them or their cars since they took a financial interest in SAAB in the late 1990’s.
Still, I guess that is how the motor industry has evolved to some extent by de-evolving some of the lesser known brands and pump out generic models for the masses. Why can’t the masses just ride bikes and vote for Bob Brown and leave the interesting cars for people who are passionate about their cars?!
Yes, yes, it looks EXACTLY like a 9-5. I particularly hate the way Holden’s designers copied the Saab’s thick, sweeping body-coloured C pillar (that’s the one behind the rear passenger doors, right) and the way they stuck half of the tail lamp block onto the tailgate. The Saab’s long front overhang looks incongruous on the rear drive Commodore.
Ahh, so much anti-Holden vitriol.
Well I’m gonna say it – that’s a very good looking wagon. I can’t bag Holden for wanting to lift their game here, and this is definitely far classier than the outgoing VZ wagons.
“looks nice, but as with all the VE’s, poor fit n finish and stupidly over flared gaurds will see it fail.”
Just like the VE’s failed now eh? Ridiculous comment. This wagon won’t fail, certainly stacked against the VZ it won’t.
Yeah, it won’t fail because Holdenwoo will spend alot of monney on it. Even thought it looks crap.
That is a fabulous looking wagon!!
some clearer photos would have been nice.
it seems holden has left ford with the job of building practical cars.
oh and it looks like you have to be 8ft tall to close the rear tail gate too.
i actually think it will sell alright. people seemed to like the earlier sported up ss wagons that holden released in VY VZ.
holdens got a prob…………too many people love em but theres not enough competition..end of story !!
Very nice. I can’t stand the current model Commodore and Falcon wagons, so i’m looking forward to see what the Orion wagon looks like.
One of the two will be my next car, unless I go the used car route and get a S4 Avant. hmmmmm.
For me this is easily the best looking Commodore I’ve seen in a long time. Wagons have always been cooler than sedans and utes, and this one’s definitely right up there. If it wasn’t for the fact that my own Commodore is an unreliable, poorly made, wallet-draining piece of crap I’d seriousy look at one of these for my next car.
looks a bit like the Jag X-type estate wagon from some angles. Seems all manufacturers are going sporty rather than practica nowadays. I’d say my Vectra Wagon can carry load more clobber.
Would say this is better then Sedan as back wheel arch goes not only the way down to bottom of rear bumper as wagon rear bumper sticks out further from car by the look of these pics which give car better look then stupid sedan.
I don’t think closing the tailgate would prsent to much of a problem. Because going by the photos:
The roofline appears to drop off towards the rear.
Which means even though the hinges are in the roofline they would be around the same height/level as a wagon with a normal squarer rear end.. if not lower
Then there’s the angle of the rear windscreen.. It seems that when it’s closed the angle isn’t really that sharp
and given that the windscreen has a slight arc/curve in it.. when the tailgate is open the “rake” would still be fairly low.
This would mean that the bottom section of the tailgate; which I assume would have a grab handle in it would be easier to reach. Infact it appears that the bottom section seems to tilt downwards whereas the tailgate in older wagons tended to be more Horizontal
So even though the tailgate goes up a fair way to create a greater opening.. I believe that the bottom edge of the tailgate would be at roughly the same height as that on a regular wagon – which most people were/are able to reach
yeah im sure you would be able to reach it i doubt they would design something you cant use easily.
but just to look at it the bottom of the tailgate seems to be say half the height of the vehicle again above the roof line. and also it finishes flush with the bumper meaning people folding up prams etc would get wet if it were raining. just wait till someone that has a pram and upgrades from a previous wagon to this, it will be the first thing they miss
Maybe..But they would also get wet whilst they were belting up the kids.. I mean standing on the footpath and leaning into the cabin to secure them in their booster seat/safety capsule.
However; having a slightly shorter tailgate makes some sense in the fact that so many people park so close to the car infront.. in a normal wagon you’d have problems getting the tailgate open
[Which is the main reason you're s'posed to leave a 1m gap - for pedestrians as well as un/loading of vehicles]
Yet with the hinges in the roof the pivot point means the tailgate lift up before swinging out in a slightly tighter arc making it easier to open in tight[er] spaces.
ah good point on the opening arc
hey i hope you dont “belt up your kids” he he he you can though buckle them from leaning back from the front seat
i dont leave it to chance if i need to load the boot i wont back in
Really great looking wagon, well done Holden. The sedan is affronting in any form but SV6/SS, but this is great! For all the wagon buyers out there, you’ve been spoiled. And I’m a Ford fan, so when Orion is released and is fleet oriented, the temptation is there! This would rocket with the grommets to the surf!
Both companies: How about a 6 seat Column shifter? Why not use all the available space to seat people in a full size Australian car?? Come on, you can do it! That way 3 can sit on the front seat and the back can be full of boards and camping gear!
It looks like a 300C with a VE front and tail lights adapted into it. No way is this an original design by any stretch of the imagination, but it does look good, cos the 300C looks good!
Ive waited 18months and I am not dissapointed by what I see.
If its as good as my last 7 holden wagons then I,m on a winner.
The proof is in the pudding not the cake tin.
The proof of the pudding is in the taste…………. Guess you won’t know till you have a taste!
Andrew – “Belt Up The Kids” was part of an [short-lived] road safety campaign in the 70s/80s. At this stage I don’t have any kids which is why I am looking at the new Ute – as our second car.
I also think; looking at the lines of the wagon it would make a great Sandman. The only modification needed would be for the rear widscreen to either open independently of the tailgate or; retract into the tailgate.
can anybody tell me can you fit 2 rotty sized dogs in the back part back seat to tailgate
Can anyone tell me when I can buy this machine and what colours it comes in?
Do u really want to buy a car that uses 10 year old tehcnology in about half of the cars Holdenwoo sell’s to the public, only one colour Holdenwoo’s come in now, hazy Black these are dark times for a company that did reincarnate from a weet bix box…
Look, Holdenwoo Dunnydore slogan is “SH*T, SHOT, SHATTERD”
When are people going to get the message that Holden is SHIT from overseas, I know that Ford is every where, but dumbarses think Holden is “Austraila’s own car” and Ford ain’t.
The reason some people still see Holden as Australias Own is because Unlike Ford Holden originally started in Australia building coaches; then car bodies before coming out with the 48/215 a car which was moresuited to Australias unique conditions compared to the US imports – which could explain why there are so many old Holdens still going today.
At the time the 48/215 was released GM had a minor shere in Holden.. it wasn’t until the mid-late 70s that GM finally bought the remaining shares in Holden. So up until that point it could still be called “Austrlais Own”
Yet; I believe that even though Ford and Holden are 100% foreign owned they are still “Australian” the same way that Lamborghini is Italian even though it’s owned by VW
Woz – incase you havent noticed its not Holden or Ford Oz that are in trouble its their US based parent companies. Infact compared to the parent companies nearly all of GM and Fords susidiaries are doing well.
The reason being: the old farts in Detroit are too scared to bite the bullet and streamline their operations as well as axe a couple of the slow selling cars in particular SUVs..
As well as the other “similar” cars accross their range with “similar” features etc which are competing against themselves {Chev vs Buick vs Pontiac] – Even though they know it has to be done to stay in business to compete against the Europeans and Japanese products whcih are increasing in popularity. [and the same applies to Ford]
GM for example has approx 12+ assembly plants in the USA almost half of which are operating at less than 75% capacity. In some cases one plant is making the same cars as another just a couple of 1000 miles away. [and the same applies to Ford]
Yet Holden is set to put on another shift so it will be at close to 100% capacity as they increase production of the Sedan Statesman Ute and the upcoming Torana [which are being/will be exported] plus the wagon
Plus the Fact that both Holden and Ford Oz have recently been declared Research and Development Centres for future RWD projects indicates that the locals will be here for some time to come..
Who knows it could get to the point where “Detroit” shuts down completely and all Chevs, Buicks and Fords etc sold in the USA are imports – Large RWD cars form Oz and Small cars form Europe even China or Japan
I have a 2005 VZ sedan thats done 225,000kms and have had no problems with it, however my sister in law has a new Omega Sportswagon company car and has had heaps of trouble with it after doing 30,000 kms. She had the preivious VZ executive wagon before and it was sold after hitting a huge 350,000kms with no problems (it was just 3 yrs old). She has also said that the space is horrbile as well as the blind spots compared to her VZ wagon and would prefer to drive a 350,000kms VZ executive before jumping happily into the new sportswagon. I have to purchase a wagon myself, in order to care for my grandmother, but I am definately going to look for a VZ executive wagon before even going into Holden to purchase a new sportswagon.