Holden Commodore 1997 News

It is safe and sure, this purple kilometre eater, as it sweeps past slower travellers. Now it settles back into a loafing run, swallowing up the lumps of highway. With the going down, out through Goondiwindi and down the Newell highway, onto the Oxley, into Dubbo for the night, there is the anticipation, the dreaming of The Great Race. It is some 1100km from the centre of Brisbane to the hallowed Mount Panorama at Bathurst, 210km west of Sydney. There are truck stops – with dining rooms for professional drivers and prints with campfire Indians dreaming of buffalo. There are wide open plains, stands of cypress pines and tidy country towns. There are the spring-green paddocks of Bathurst, dotted with sheep. And then there is the Mountain, home since 1963 to the greatest of Australian motor races and now the domain of Australia's V8 Supercars. It is the old argument, handed from father to son, Ford versus Holden. This is a solid 12-hour run from Brisbane without red flags and with a co-driver. It is a run through the heartland in a V8 Falcon and V8 Commodore, a run through places where these sedans can stretch out a bit. Out here a V8 tourer makes sense, for comfort, safety and fuel economy. The 5.4litre, Ford V8 returns 12.4litres per 100km going south. Holden's 5.7litre comes in at 11litres per 100km on the run back. The big V8s are strolling here, the Commodore running just over 1500rpm in sixth gear for 110km/h. The four-speed auto Ford is running closer to 2000rpm. Neither car is stressed, not even when the taps are opened to flow past slower-moving machinery. There is need to sweep past, with hard acceleration and some V8 authority, as a little Korean machine is tucked between an interstate trucker and caravaner struggling uphill at 90km/h, and all nose-to-tail. Maybe the Ford or the Holden, slip briefly into the illegal zone. This happens from time to time, for it is a far safer option than hanging out on the wrong side of the bitumen. Tell that to the judge. And tell it on the Mountain, this big lump of hill that rises out the central western plains of NSW. This is a sacred place and on October weekends an extra special place for rumbling and roaring V8 Holdens and Fords that share body shells and some other bits with these road-going SS and XR8 warriors. This year it was again Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly's KMart Commodore at the end of a long day, 161 turns up and over the mountain. Then the tribes disperse, back to all corners of the country. The return is a bit more of a drag, more traffic, more tired. The sandwich stops are quicker, less fun. Up and back the red SS Commodore attracts the most attention. This is the VZ with the fake air-intakes on the flanks. The XR8 is a more subtle purple and there is less detail work. It is bold in the bonnet, the power bulge standing tall and proud. That minimalist feel is carried through to the cabin. It's simple and workmanlike, yet comfortable and more spacious than the SS. The Holden cabin too works well. It is a bit busier and bolder in detail work, with shades of grey, silver and red instrument dials. The SS has more sporting ambience; the XR8 is more sombre in its approach. The Holden turns in a little sharper and the ride is a little edgier. Here with the six-speed manual there is the chance to run up and down the gearbox for maximum effect and best use of the 470Nm of torque for the best chance of getting away from trouble. It may be a little notchy but the six-speed manual is tops for touring. Drop back to fifth for the uphill climbs or a gentle pass, back to fourth for a quick and hard run around another convoy of trucks and trailers. Sixth helps with highway economy. The Ford XR8 is that bit smoother over this 1100km run to the top of the mountain. This is a more gentle tourer, the ride more compliant, the four-speed auto less work. Never be fooled, for when the lever is flicked to sport and revs lift, the 5.4 litre Ford rises to the occasion with a full-throated bellow. There's a little extra, and earlier, torque here over the Holden. And here the Ford recognises its connection to those Falcons running up Bathurst's mountain straight. Neither Ford nor Holden put a wheel wrong over the Brisbane-Bathurst haul. Both cabins are quiet and comfortable, packed with bits from six-stacker CD players to airconditioning and cup holders. Both run with good economy, stress free. Both these heroes can run hard to stay out of trouble on the wrong side of the road. These are fine road machines that pay homage to those mighty V8 Supercars and they still make sense on these long runs.

The VT was the clear winner in a new poll of the motoring editors at Australia's most popular daily newspapers.The Commodore was the top choice from the class of 1997 with three of the five voters, while the Subaru Forester 4x4 and Lexus GS300 took the other first-place votes.The Toyota Camry ranked second overall, ahead of the Forester thanks to a string of second-place points, with the Lexus and Mercedes-Benz SLK next.The Commodore clean-up was led by Wayne Webster of Sydney's Daily Telegraph, who was joined by Bob Jennings of the Adelaide Advertiser and Paul Gover from Melbourne's Herald Sun.But it wasn't a clean sweep, as Bruce McMahon, the motoring editor at Brisbane's Courier Mail, rated the Forester first and Mick Glasson from the West Australian in Perth gave top points to the GS300.The five testers who decided the first Star Car winner have more than 100 years experience in the motor industry and each test drove all the major new-car arrivals of 1997, from the Audi A6 to the Volvo S40.Four of the five have been honoured as Australian Motoring Journalist of the Year and all but one have combined their writing with motor racing.They make a powerful new team in the motor world, combining experience and enthusiasm with the knowledge which comes from reporting cars and the automobile industry for more than 10 million Australians each week."The VT Commodore was the stand-out new-car introduction this year with plenty of clever, in-house engineering and design work, and introduced with competitive pricing," said Bob Jennings of the Adelaide Advertiser.But Bruce McMahon, of The Courier Mail, believes the Forester goes one better."It has a surprising combination of on and off-road ability," he said. "The standard setter for this new generation of light utility vehicle."Glasson had high praise for the high-performance new Lexus."The GS300 is close to the perfect package of size, style and performance with a generous dose of luxury thrown in for good measure. All this at a sensible price," he said.The five judges each cover more than 100,000 kilometres a year in dozens of new vehicles, from micro mini cars to massive four-wheel drives.They were each asked to name the three best new cars of 1997, in order, from the 50-plus showroom debutants.Their first-place choices were awarded three points each, with two points for second and one for third.The VT Commodore scored 13 points, from the Camry with seven and the Forester with four.The Commodore's clear win was no surprise to Jennings."It sets high standards of passive safety thanks to the team under Laurie Sparke, and the active side of the equation is improved with sharper handling - especially on rough roads - due in part to the standard use of independent rear suspension," he said."Despite its bigger bulk, it's a smart-looking thing, and the wagon is a huge carry-all, offering more sensible transport than many four-wheel drives."The second-placed Camry was very highly rated, but couldn't match the size, impact, or home-grown appeal of the Commodore."In any other year the Camry probably would have been the Star Car," Wayne Webster, of the Daily Telegraph said."This year it is only just beaten by the Commodore. The Holden is more significant and will have more appeal for more ordinary Aussies." 1. Holden Commodore VT 13pts2. Toyota Camry 7pts3. Subaru Forester 4pts PAUL GOVER, Herald Sun, Melbourne1. Holden Commodore2. Toyota Camry3. Subaru ForesterWAYNE WEBSTER, Daily Telegraph, Sydney1. Holden Commodore2. Toyota Camry3. Mercedes-Benz SLKBRUCE McMAHON, Courier Mail, Brisbane1. Subaru Forester2. Holden Commodore3. Mercedes-Benz SLKBOB JENNINGS, The Advertiser, Adelaide1. Holden Commodore2. Toyota Camry V63. Mitsubishi MagnaV6 SportMICK GLASSON, West Australian, Perth1. Lexus GS3002. Holden Commodore3. Toyota Camry