Holden Adventra News

What have been the most significant Australian cars since January 1, 2000 so far? With the first 25 years of the 21st century now out of the way, we rate the 10 most important models that left their mark, or came into their own afterwards.

Following on from our last list of future classics – featuring up-and-comers like the Ford Territory Turbo, Holden Crewman and Nissan Skyline wagon ­– here are four more emerging Aussie greats we reckon are destined for far-bigger things. A word of warning, as usual: Don’t delay!

As Holden continues to fade from the automotive landscape in Australia, with dealerships transitioning and GM Specialty Vehicles stepping up, it's timely to remember the golden days for the brand.Back in the early 2000s Holden was riding high on the succe

There has been a rash of locally developed high-performance off-roaders such as the Ford Territory FPV F6 and Toyota's HiLux TRD. Now Holden Special Vehicles is looking to get in on the act.It is considering the idea of an HSV-inspired Captiva but HSV boss Scott Grant is wary of building an HSV Hummer, saying HSV had no plans to do so. However, the HSV Captiva could be a goer, he says.“We don't have any specific programs on that model,” he says. “But since I arrived at HSV, one of my big focuses is trying to expand the relevance and choice within the HSV brand. And the SUV 4WD, all-wheel drive category is too big to ignore.”Grant says HSV has been looking at Captiva but “we're not close to doing anything just yet.”He also believes the new Holden Sportswagon could form a solid base for a HSV-inspired wagon.“That's another opportunity for us,” he says. “But at the moment we've no plans there either.”Despite Ford and Toyota going in hard with their performance off-roaders, Grant says there is no urgency for HSV to get into the segment.“We'd only enter it if it made sense for our core credentials and brand,” he says. “It's obvious the other local players have strategies to expand into performance off-roaders.”However, he says HSV has to consider whether the brand is elastic enough to work with AWDs.The last HSV AWD was the $73,900 Avalanche launched in late 2003.The Avalanche was based on the Holden Adventra AWD which failed to reach sales targets locally despite a price cut and hard-sell by the company.HSV also built a performance XUV ute based on the Crewman.The company spent $4.5 million developing the 270kW 5.7-litre V8 Avalanche, which used Holden's Cross-Trac 4WD system. 

DarrenWe had a Mitsubishi Lancer and Daihatsu Terios when our first child was born (we chose these mainly due to low fuel consumption). We used the Terios as our family car & were so desperate for more room we went out and looked for a cheap second hand station wagon or compact 4wd to replace it. We got a great discount on a brand new Ford Escape (over $8500 off retail) and simply could not turn this down. We couldn't even find a second hand one at this price! We are extremely happy with our purchase and are so impressed with our new car that we now want to replace our Lancer as well for another brand new compact 4wd. We are hooked.KeithI Up sized from a lancer to an outlander both mitsubishi's an the extra room is fantastic and it is a lot quieter on the roadLeanneWe have recently gone from a vt commodore sedan to a v6 adventra. We are both really happy with the car, its a pleasure to drive. I didn't want a 4wd ( brick as i call them ). It has proven itself quite apt in all road conditions. Hubby took me bush bashing & it went to places i wouldn't dare take the sedan with no problems at all. This car is the best of both worlds. My husband is happy & so am i :)WillI have owned a SB barina, a TS astra, then a XC barina. One year ago I upgraded to a Honda Jazz VTi-S as we now have a baby. I enjoy not being stressed about petrol prices when I watch 4WD and large car owners screw up their faces in anger and look over at me as I drive off again whilst they are still filling up their thirsty cars. Large cars just don't make any sense anymore, people need to take another look at what they drive now.LeeYes. To a new Commodore Equip for $32,500 plus $2,000 free fuel and $4,000 off the price with my Holden Card from Westpac, I'm stoked, what a deal!PatrickJust traded my Ford Falcon on a new Holden Adventra V6 and couldn't be happier. The comfort, power, equipment and build quality are a big improvement, but what is really surprising for a vehicle this size is the fuel economy, very impressive.MichaelWe upsized our second car from a Hyundai Accent, to accommodate our two teenage children. We chose one of the most overlooked cars on the market, the amazing Suzuki Liana hatch. This car is like a compact people mover and yet is still nimble and economical. We are so pleased with the room, that we often use it in preference to our main car, our excellent roomy Toyota Avalon. The reason for this is the lighter steering and ease of parking the Liana, plus the extra seating height.BillNope. Downsized. We have 2 kids and traded a VT Commodore on a Mazda6 Hatch. It has more legroom than Commodore, but a bit less width which doesn't matter with 2 kids. More boot space even without taking into account the fold down seats. The Mazda is more fun to drive, has great fuel economy, is much better built. It meets our needs perfectly, and shows that a good family car doesn't have to be boring (Take note, Toyota) and doesn't need to be 2.5 tonnes of clumsy 4WD!Geoffmy wife has updated her hyundai elantra gls which was an excellent car to a hyundai tucson. tucson is perfect for us. she loves it and so do i. great vehicle and highly recommended.PeterWe upgraded from a Subaru Forester, to a Toyota Prado, and just recently to a Ford Territory. The best by a country mile-safer, most comfortable, best handling, most useable space etc etc.R Got a Land-Cruiser. 7 good seats with Head restraints, Lap-sash belts, Easy access. Best people mover on the market, and can go places on holiday

Eventually, every serious Australian carmaker will be running a vehicle like the Territory down their assembly lines, all aiming to use a "blue sky scenario" to fill a growing gap between traditional big-six family cars and the motoring needs and dreams of the 21st century.Holden has already had a dabble with the Adventra, and Toyota is working on a Camry-based all-paw family wagon, but Ford is there first.It spent $500 million and four years to hit its target, after winning approval for the program direct from blue-oval headquarters in Detroit, with a vehicle that's built side-by-side with the Falcon at Broadmeadows.It has done an impressive job of pumping and fluffing the BA Falcon into a flexible family machine that looks like a four-wheel-drive, drives like a car, can carry seven people and still costs less than $40,000.If you want all-wheel-drive it is available for $4000, but Ford has also built the Territory with a traditional rear-drive package, which it says will be the first choice with about 40 per cent of customers.The importance of the Territory is obvious, even if its father – former president Geoff Polites – was promoted to Europe weeks before its unveiling."It is critically important to us," says Polites' replacement, Tom Gorman."We want to get two home runs in a row. It shows our ability to do something beyond a large family car."The Territory is shorter, taller and wider than a Falcon but still has obvious ties to the family Ford.It has the same six-cylinder engine and (outdated) automatic gearbox, the same dash and the same basic mechanical package, though Ford has developed an all-new "virtual-pivot control link" front suspension system and the all-wheel drive package, which uses intelligent control of the anti-skid brake sensors to force drive to the wheels with the most grip.But everyone sits higher by more than 150mm, the tail end is much more flexible and the list of gifts in the Territory includes twin airbags with an optional side-curtain system, aircon, CD sound, electric windows and power seats with power-adjustable pedals.There are more than 30 storage compartments and the seven-seat cabin, complete with a fold-flat rear bench, costs $1500 with fabric trim and $1700 in leather.There is a massive list of options that includes everything from a $175 fridge and a $100 waterproof seat cover to a $3285 DVD entertainment system.What the choices mean is that it's easy to build a Territory Ghia all-wheel-drive with a price tag of more than $50,000, even if the TX starter price is $38,990.There are also plans, not yet confirmed by Ford, for a sporty Territory with a turbocharged six-cylinder engine from Ford Performance Vehicles. It should be out before the end of the year.There are no plans for a manual version."The punters told us they don't want a manual. It's not even on their radar," product development vice president Trevor Worthington says.The on-sale date for the Territory is June 1, though the advertising buildup will begin soon and vehicles will be available at dealerships for test drives from mid-May.Ford has set its sales target at 2000 vehicles a month but admits it can, and will, build more than 2400 Territorys if the vehicle goes as well as it hopes.And it is easy to get enthusiastic about the Territory, even with all the build-up hype and the competition it will face from the Adventra, the Toyota Kluger and all the other potential rivals.It is easy to argue that the Territory is the most-significant Australian-developed car since the original Holden 48-215, if only because it is the first genuine local response to the influx of imported four-wheel-drives.It also offers the benefits of all-wheel-drive, with only rear-drive if you want, and it can be an affordable people mover without the stigma of driving a bus.The Territory is heavy, it is thirstier than an equivalent Falcon, and the automatic gearbox needs to be replaced, but there is plenty to like.On the RoadWe expected the Territory to be good. We didn't expect it to be as good as it is.It tackled a huge range of roads and tracks in New Zealand, and did it with the comfort of a passenger car. A little nicer than a BA Falcon, to be honest.There was little to pick between the two and four-wheel-drive versions, and we would advise most people to pass on the all-wheel-drive pack unless they intend to get serious in sand or dirt.The Territorys we drove had the sort of minor glitches and squeaks you expect from pre-production vehicles, and we're reserving final judgment until we get a production car on home ground.But the only real shortcoming was the four-speed automatic gearbox.It is nicer than the auto in the rival Adventra, but still off the pace for this sort of vehicle and a new contender.One big advantage over the all-paw Holden is the Ford's driveline refinement, which comes thanks to dynamic balancing of the driveline.It also has the sort of cabin flexibility you usually expect from a people mover.What's to like about the Territory? Almost everything, from a tight turning circle to suspension that makes driving enjoyable on twisty roads but also defeats all sorts of bumps without rattling your teeth.The Territory, like all the best big vehicles, shrinks around you after a few kilometres and leaves you to get on with enjoying the ride and the view.We'd have preferred to turn the benchmark new Ford into the Outback, but the run on the South Island gave us everything from a suburban shopping centre to country runs and testing tracks over rocks, stones and grass.The Territory was stopped only once, when an all-wheel-drive model needed a longer run-up on a grassy hill.There will be a fuel penalty to Territory ownership – about 2 litres/100km, taking consumption to a claimed 13.5 litres/100km from 11.5 for a Falcon – but the increased flexibility will be compensation enough for most people.It's easy to gush after a few days, particularly with beautiful scenery on near-deserted roads.But the Territory deserves a gush and will be a hit. No question.