Holden Commodore 2004 News

The choice, price, equipment, security, safety and quality is better in 2004 than it has been at any time in the history of the car Down Under.It sounds like a big call, but it's not.Australian cars have been getting better and better for more than 15 years, and apart from such blips as the AU Falcon, improvements have delivered never-better showroom deals. Sales of the big Aussie sixes have fallen a bit, mostly because families have migrated into four-wheel-drives, but the cars themselves are world-class machines.And with starting prices just past $30,000, or even less at the moment for a Mitsubishi Magna, they are also world-class bargains.The real proof of the improvements is the growing number of Australian-made cars being shipped overseas.The Toyota Camry is a huge success in the Middle East, Holden is building support for its Chevrolet-badged Commodore exports, the Monaro-turned-Pontiac GTO is finally starting to fire in the US and Mitsubishi even had a short-lived run with Magnas in the US.It should only take time, and the next all-new models in late 2006, before the all-wheel-drive Ford Territory and Holden Adventra, and perhaps even the work-and-play Crewman Cross8, also set sail overseas.Picking the best of the best from the local crop is tougher than ever.The Mitsubishi Magna is a good car, and a worthy family friend, but only runs fourth in today's rankings. It beats the Toyota Avalon, which is looking more and more like a taxi-only champion, but cannot match the all-round strengths of the Camry, Commodore and Falcon.The Ford, Holden and Toyota have all been updated this year.Taking a broad sweep through the locals, we rate the Falcon first. It's a close call, but in most cases it's the one we'd recommend to our friends and family.And the Falcon-based Territory is a winner. It's a Falcon with attitude and a high-rider cabin for families.The latest Commodore is a top car, and the new Alloytec V6 does a good job in the VZ model, but it doesn't ring our bell. We love the sporty V8 SS, the Caprice and the HSV hero cars, but Holden is just a couple of points behind in the overall scoring.The Camry? It's a classy car, and ruthlessly efficient in almost every area, but doesn't have the personality or punch of its rivals. That's why Toyota is pushing the Sportivo model, and working on a 2006 model that will have more personality than any previous Camry.Our ratings look at the individual star cars, some of the class champions and give an overall ranking of the Australian heroes of 2004.1. Ford Territory RWDLowdown: The rear-wheel-drive (RWD) is the first local to fill the gap between family car and 4WD. A Falcon wagon in disguise but more than a short-term fix.Verdict: Heavyweight off-roader that drives like a Falcon, with a friendly turning circle and punchy six. The rear-drive TX is the best value and drops the all-paw drive most people will never need.Plus: Light and easy to handle, with a big wagon body.Minus: Not as capable as a LandCruiser in the bush. Comes as a six-cylinder auto only.Rating: 18/20Former boss Geoff Polites had to sell the project in Detroit to win $500 million to make the $38,990 car in Broadmeadows alongside the Falcon. The Territory should ensure the Falcon's survival by giving a double-edged return on future investment.2. Holden Commodore SSLowdown: The best-value sports sedan on Australian roads. It has even forced HSV to rethink its Commodore performance cars, and is first choice with police pursuit drivers.Verdict: The one to have when you want an Aussie V8 muscle car with real driving enjoyment.Plus: Punchy 5.7-litre V8 with sporty handling, but still with Commodore comfort.Minus: Not as refined as an XR Falcon.Rating: 17/20If any car sets the standard for performance motoring in Australia, it's the SS Commodore at $50,990. It is more raw than an XR Falcon, but delivers the sort of stonking punch owners expect when they dream of a hot lap at Mount Panorama.3. Ford Falcon XTLowdown: The starter car in the Falcon family reflects all of the BA update work at a value price and with plenty of gear.Verdict: Tough but surprisingly refined. Punchy 4.0-litre in-line six has the edge over the Commodore's hi-tech Alloytec V6.Plus: Elegant styling with a rugged and well-proven mechanical package, plus good-value equipment.Minus: A bit rugged in some areas, fuel economy not great.Rating: 17/20When Ford decided to dump the Forte from the AU family it knew the BA base model had to hit all targets. The XT does the job well from just $34,255 with aircon, airbags, CD sound and electric mirrors. Ford has also stopped painting Falcons yellow to discourage their use as taxis.Ford Falcon GT 18/20Price: From $61,000Engine: 5.4-litre quad-cam V8The born-again GT is very quick and very refined. The loudest thing about it are the racy stripes being chosen by most owners. But when the going gets tough, it's going and gone.Ford Falcon 17/20Price: From $34,255Engine: 4.0-litre inline sixThe latest BA looks surprisingly elegant over the unloved AU basics, but it's the solid mechanical package and punchy performance that gives the Falcon a narrow edge over the Commodore.A six-speed manual gearbox is new in the BAII but the rest of the deal is more about value.Ford Territory 17/20Price: From $38,990Engine: 4.0-litre inline sixRated as a complete range, the Territory is very good but not quite great. The four-wheel-drive package costs an extra $4000 but you cannot get a V8 or manual gearbox. Still, a better choice for anyone looking at an imported 4x4.Holden Caprice 17/20Price: From $69,650Engine: 3.6-litre V6The long-wheelbase flagship has benefited from a makeover that gives it sharper styling and more driving enjoyment than the Statesman. Needs a V8 to do its best work, but the best choice for Australians who want everything in a local car.HSV GTO Coupe 17/20Price: From $78,690Engine: 6-litre V8The latest Z-Series Monaro from HSV has moved the bar on local muscle. The bigger V8 developed for the US Pontiac GTO is a welcome addition and restores bragging rights to the hot Holden shop. A bit raw but very quick.Ford Fairlane 16/20Price: $55,500Engine: 4-litre inline sixReversing the Holden deal, the Fairlane is better than the LTD. It has been tweaked for drivers but still feels a bit old and clunky compared with the Caprice.Holden Commodore 16/20Price: From $33,160Engine: 3.6-litre V6The VZ Commodore update brought the new Alloytec V6 and a considerably more refined car. But the value is not as good as a Falcon's and you have to pay extra for the power-up engine and five-speed automatic. That's enough to push it back behind the Falcon.Toyota Camry 15/20Price: From $32,000Engines: 3.0-litre V6Still operates like whitegoods on wheels, as efficient as a fridge with similar personality, and that's its greatest strength and weakness. Needs more visual punch and driving personality, which Toyota promises (once again) is coming with the new model in 2006.Mitsubishi Magna 13/20Price: From $33,210Engine: 3.5-litre V6The unloved local was done no favours by its nose job in 2003 or questions about Mitsubishi's future in 2004. Still a good car, but looking very dated. Mitsubishi is doing great deals to get cars moving, but the all-new 2005 Magna can't come too soon.Toyota Camry Sportivo 12/20Price: From $38,500Engine: 3.0-litre V6The Sportivo is proof Toyota wants a performance car, but also proves how far it is off the pace. It has a wonderful chassis and a spirited V6, but not nearly enough muscle or impact to compete with HSV of FPV.Toyota Avalon 11/20Price: $30,990Engine: 3.0-litre V6The plain Jane of the Aussie car family. Nice enough, but bland and boring. Has never delivered the promised challenge to the Falcon and Commodore and now doing very good business as a taxi. That says it all.Mitsubishi Verada 11/20Price: $42,950Engine: 3.5-litre V6The Verada highlights the shortcomings of the Magna range, despite impressive equipment and a refined cabin. It comes in only one body style, doesn't have enough style for the luxury class, and takes a heavy hit on the second-hand scene.

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 company now has the power to take on the BA Series II Falcon as well as covering its ground in the run-up to the all-new VE in 2006.Its latest hero is the VZ – even Holden's American chief, Denny Mooney, calls it Vee-Zed and not Vee-Zee – with a new heart, improved mechanicals, quality upgrades and some cosmetic tweaks.The biggest news for the VZ Commodore and the WL Statesman/Caprice family is the all-new Alloytec V6 engine, which finally gives the car a modern motor after more than 15 years with the old six-pot banger. It is smooth and powerful, with 175 or 190kW, depending on the model.Few people outside the Holden family and fans will pick the VZ changes at first glance, but a quick drive will win over almost anyone.The Alloytec V6 makes a world of difference, but there's also a smoother-shifting four-speed auto, a more compliant ride, sharper handling and extra equipment.The long-running S-pack car has been replaced with the SV6, which will go head to head with the Falcon XR6 that has been crushing the Commodore.Crucially, Holden has fitted the first electronic stability program on any locally made car and held price rises to less than 1 per cent on most models.And there is a giant digital speedometer front and centre in every dash to prove the VZ was developed in the age of speed cameras."This is our lifeblood," Mooney says. "We have to get this right and we think that we have."Holden spent $189 million on the upgrade, a job that took nearly two years and included building 46 test cars for 1.6 million kilometres of trials. There were trips to Sweden for tuning of the electronic stability control system. Work on the brakes involved trips to Germany and Korea.The result is a car that Holden claims is the best Commodore yet, though the VZ is only marginally better at the petrol pumps and doesn't look much different from the VYII or even the VX.STILL, the value is good and there is a lot of detail work on things such as the automatic gearbox and front suspension tuning. Value-added extras include the latest Bosch anti-skid brake controls, a tyre-pressure monitor on some models, LED tail lamps in the Statesman and Caprice, and front-parking radar.Holden has switched the safety emphasis on the new Commodore from passive systems to protect people during a crash to active systems that can help to avoid a smash.They include the stability control, a first for a passenger car, though Ford fitted it to the Territory, and electronic brake force distribution.These features could be a tough sell because they are not as flashy as CD sound or satnav, but Holden has produced educational videos for showrooms.But it's hard to avoid the Global V6 in any discussion of the VZ family, despite Mooney's talk."There is more than powertrain to talk about. We've also made some big improvements in safety," he says. "The average driver is going to be a much, much better driver."ON THE ROADHOLDEN had a full family of Commodores to try at the VZ press preview over a range of roads near Newcastle, NSW.All were good, some were better, and the V8-powered Calais was best, even if the focus was on the Alloytec V6 cars. The only disappointment was the SV6. For us, the front suspension tuning was too sharp, the nose moves too much over broken surfaces and there isn't enough bite when you turn.But the sweet new six does a great job, particularly when you crack on past 6000 revs in most un-Commodore style, and the Aisin six-speed manual gearbox is good with well-spaced ratios. The SV6 is definitely going to make life much tougher for Ford's XRs.We also tried the 190kW six-pack in a Calais, complete with touch-change five-speed automatic. It was much smoother than we remember from early Calais models, with an automatic eagerness that was very enjoyable and refreshing.THE 190 V6 will easily twist the tachometer beyond the start of the red zone at 5500 revs, but it also snaps through the ratios and is quiet and refined, with the instant fuel consumption often below 8 litres/100km at freeway cruising pace. It also responds more eagerly, thanks in part to the drive-by-wire throttle system.The tuning work on the four-speed automatic has paid off and you would barely know the 'box from earlier Commodores. There is barely any flaring on downshifts and it doesn't jerk or clunk the way it did.The ride of all cars apart from the SV6 seemed a little more plush, and the six-cylinder cars felt to be around 50kg lighter over the front axle. That means a smoother ride and more confidence in corners.We had no chance to test the electronic stability system, but the latest traction control and anti-skid brakes are fine if you don't mind a slightly mushy brake pedal.The cosmetic changes to the VZ don't ring our bell, and the cabins seem barely changed at all, but Holden has held the price line and that will be more important to most customers.

At the heart of the new model range is the all-new 3.6-litre Alloytech V6 being built at Holden's $400million Global V6 facility in Port Melbourne.