Who'd buy a Commodore??

Pedro · 28-10-2008, 11:10 PM

As some of you know, my F6 has gone to rest.

While waiting for the insurance payout I hired a VE Commodore from Avis.

Now you may think I'm biased towards the Ford product, but truthfully I would buy any other brand if I thought it was better within the price bracket.

Ford aficionados, breathe easy. What a piece of crap that Commodore was. I can't believe people plonk down good money and buy them.

I drove from the Gold Coast to Noosa last week to look at a Mustang and after the 500kms round trip it took 3 days to get over the back ache.

The V6 engine is agricultural. It sounds like a chaff cutter ... sorry you younger guys don't know what that is but think - using a dremel on a thin sheet of metal.

The cruise control is hidden under the steering wheel and so requires it's function to be committed to memory and it also has a mind of it's own and doesn't always carry out tasks put to it.

If I thought it had any good points I would say so, but I honestly can't find any.

I suppose the only good thing it did was convince me to buy a new F6 which I pick up tomorrow.

73XBGT · 28-10-2008, 11:32 PM

Hahahaha...holdens are so S*#@, you should of thrashed the c**p outta it and then return it to Avis lol

Falc'man · 28-10-2008, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedro

As some of you know, my F6 has gone to rest.

While waiting for the insurance payout I hired a VE Commodore from Avis.

Now you may think I'm biased towards the Ford product, but truthfully I would buy any other brand if I thought it was better within the price bracket.

Ford aficionados, breathe easy. What a piece of crap that Commodore was. I can't believe people plonk down good money and buy them.

I drove from the Gold Coast to Noosa last week to look at a Mustang and after the 500kms round trip it took 3 days to get over the back ache.

The V6 engine is agricultural. It sounds like a chaff cutter ... sorry you younger guys don't know what that is but think - using a dremel on a thin sheet of metal.

The cruise control is hidden under the steering wheel and so requires it's function to be committed to memory and it also has a mind of it's own and doesn't always carry out tasks put to it.

If I thought it had any good points I would say so, but I honestly can't find any.

I suppose the only good thing it did was convince me to buy a new F6 which I pick up tomorrow.

I have to agree 3254% with you Pedro. My Futura is getting a respray and I ended up with a Hertz rental VE Omega. What an absolute joke. I have been thinking the EXACT same thing as you "WHO WOULD BUY THIS POS?"

The motor; hahahaha... lets move on shall we..

Interior; I rate the BF better. The feel of the plastics isn't up to scratch in the VE, nor is the general ambiance. The seats offer little lateral support. As you say, the cruise is nowhere as easy to use as in the B-series.

Solidity; It's good, maybe on par with BF... can't decide.

Steering is good, direct.

Handling is better than the stock suspension in an XT, but at the same time it's not inspirational as it gives the impression of being quite oversize. But not bad for a stocky. But on the flipside, is it too firm for a stocky? I remember the Futura pre-suspension mods, it would absorb the nastiest pot-holes without too much fuss... but not as good on the twisties as the VE.

ECONOMY; this is the interesting bit. After 2 weeks I haven't gotten any better than 14.0L/100km. Even driving sedately. The Futura, driven on the same routes, will get low 13's, high 12's, with alot of "spirited" driving, and 180rwkw.

The Alloytec is the most disappointing thing about the VE range. Gutless down low, and rough all the way through the rev range. The tranny is a lot better than the days of the VY but still behind the BF 4sp.

DoreSlamR · 28-10-2008, 11:42 PM

And it still outsells the Falcon..........................

Falc'man · 28-10-2008, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoreSlamR

And it still outsells the Falcon..........................

Because "Holdens go better".
Ever since I can remember, the Commodore, with the help of the media and Brocky, has been hammered into the Australians public's heads as "Australian". This alone sufficed.

DoreSlamR · 28-10-2008, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falc'man

Because "Holdens go better".
Ever since I can remember, the Commodore, with the help of the media and Brocky, has been hammered into the Australians public's heads as "Australian". This alone sufficed.

Yep, they must go better, just coz the ad says so I guess. It's a shame really.

uranium_death · 29-10-2008, 12:04 AM

Holden also means a lot to Australia...

XR6_190 · 29-10-2008, 12:26 AM

As usual, misinformation beats facts, and reality, sad but true

GSH · 29-10-2008, 03:22 AM

I would get a clubsport if ford didnt exist....beautiful car

AMT · 29-10-2008, 03:47 AM

If i didn't have a ford I would have a Honda or Subaru B4....

timmy1300000 · 29-10-2008, 04:02 AM

my dad got a ve sv6 in august 2007..... i was so devistated at how horribly weak, uncomfortable and poorly thought out it was made.
so i bought an au falcon in october as my 1st car it deffinatly changed my life lol.
im never looking back down that dark path again
it seriously felt like driving a tank in an alley and the vision in the rear view mirror is horrible.
i guess all they got goin for them is looks... but then i remember the f6's exsist and think nahhhhhhh they got nuthin but idiots who just rkn "they go better"

burnz · 29-10-2008, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedro

As some of you know, my F6 has gone to rest.

While waiting for the insurance payout I hired a VE Commodore from Avis.

Now you may think I'm biased towards the Ford product, but truthfully I would buy any other brand if I thought it was better within the price bracket.

Ford aficionados, breathe easy. What a piece of crap that Commodore was. I can't believe people plonk down good money and buy them.

I drove from the Gold Coast to Noosa last week to look at a Mustang and after the 500kms round trip it took 3 days to get over the back ache.

The V6 engine is agricultural. It sounds like a chaff cutter ... sorry you younger guys don't know what that is but think - using a dremel on a thin sheet of metal.

The cruise control is hidden under the steering wheel and so requires it's function to be committed to memory and it also has a mind of it's own and doesn't always carry out tasks put to it.

If I thought it had any good points I would say so, but I honestly can't find any.

I suppose the only good thing it did was convince me to buy a new F6 which I pick up tomorrow.

i know exatacly what you mean,
i drive a 427 powerd commodore and i rented a base model falcon and it was gutless in comparison,
i rented it from buget and it felt like a million ppl had driven it before me, really loose.
(end sacasm)

The Monty · 29-10-2008, 08:33 AM

He didnt say anything about it being slow. But I will. It does 0-100 in over 9 seconds. Its official fuel figure is in the mid 10's. My 9 year old lightly modified AU uses 9.7L combined, does 0-100 in 6.6 at the track, and all with over 260 000k's on the clock, lol.
Lucky they changed to that new, less powerful engine.
Actually even the SV6 or whatever it is slow. Great sports model.

But in saying that, even though they cant make a decent 6 cylinder, they sure do make an awesome V8 (yes I know its from the states, Im not stupid).
If I was to buy a V8, it would be a Holden, but as for a 6, it will always be a Ford.
What they should do is let Holden buy Ford Australia, keep the falcon straight 6 for the 6 cylinder models, and the Holdens 8 for the V8's. Use the best of both the dynamics, and they would have one company, selling one hell of an awesome car, that would sell nearly 9000 units a month. Bring in a diesel version, a dedicated LPG version, a Hybrid version, shed some weight and take on the world.

Pedro · 29-10-2008, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burnz

i know exatacly what you mean,
i drive a 427 powerd commodore and i rented a base model falcon and it was gutless in comparison,
i rented it from buget and it felt like a million ppl had driven it before me, really loose.
(end sacasm)

By the way, I wasn't comparing an F6 to a base commodore, but I have previously hired a base XT Falcon and the difference is like chalk and cheese.

The writers of those two pathetic magazines Motor & Wheels (from the same publisher) are so biased towards Holdens one could suspect they're on the GMH payroll.

I bet your 427 is a different story burnz. I assume they have good seating and the engine puts out some pretty impressive numbers, but then it should for the price. Do you do track work with it?

FalconXR6 · 29-10-2008, 09:05 AM

Agreed.
I've driven several V6 VE Commodore's and can not understand for the life of me why anyone would lay down their hard earned for one.
Also can't understand why, assuming they took both the VE and a BF/FG for a test run, that they chose the VE over the Falcon.

Classic case of marketing and public perception sh*tting all over the facts!

LTDterri · 29-10-2008, 09:17 AM

I think the simple reason more crapadores are sold than Falcons is the old ford v holden rivalry and the fact there are more of them ( Holden Fans ) than us...

banarcus · 29-10-2008, 10:16 AM

I've driven both base models for work and I've found that the Ford is better. However I would consider a sportswagon with the V8 or a GTS, especially over the FPVs.

dannyxm · 29-10-2008, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoreSlamR

And it still outsells the Falcon..........................

And thats what frustrates the hell out of me.

Ford have a great product to sell, yet the VE outsells it.

I remember my uncle (a mad Ford nut) used to always say to me when we saw a old XR Falcon driving past -

'When they came out, the HR Holden outsold it'

Seems as though little has changed.

Holden marketing is very smart.

XR Martin · 29-10-2008, 11:33 AM

There are parts of the VE interior that look cheap, like the Atari LCD displays, but the overall interior feels more classy that BA/BF IMO. The Rhinosaurus nut sack skin patterned dash and door trims in BA/BF is nasty
BF interiors feel cheaper than my EL in most parts.

Mid and upper VEs look good, and would certainly buy a V8 one before a Falcon V8.

Walt Kowalski · 29-10-2008, 12:02 PM

Despite my name "Munroman" I would never buy another GMH product....Unless they sell the Efigy.

Dezza · 29-10-2008, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmy1300000

it seriously felt like driving a tank in an alley and the vision in the rear view mirror is horrible.

Totally agree. I drove an SV6 last year and visibility out the back was shocking! The high back end combined with the spoiler made it nearly impossible to see out. It wasn't bad to drive, but of course it should be nicer to drive than my nearly 19 year old EA. I've driven a number of BA/BFs and I prefer their engines over the alloytec.

barra240t · 29-10-2008, 12:24 PM

Agree with you, not just because I work for Ford. I drove the VE on the FG launch and it was a horrible car in comparison. It has nothing against the FG. I cannot comment on the V8 powered commodore's however since I haven't driven a VE in one of these. A good test with the 6 cylinder engines is drive up a range and the torque from the Falcon really shines through. I'm going to miss the I6!!

Wally · 29-10-2008, 12:29 PM

Might be an idea for one of the mods to make a sticky for Holden bashing so that the endless threads like this one unclutter the forum.

Getting support from fellow Ford enthusiasts is hardly going to influence consumer behaviour. The experts here foretold of how the Orion was going to blitz Holden, but instead the model has been an expectation fizog. Why? A simpleton would probably put it down to a docile public, but in reality it's more than that and often mere subtle aspects aggragated into an overall perception.

It could be as simple as brand leakage e.g. the the "Built Ford Tough" campaign was highly successful for the commercial vehicle market, but because it was so in the face the rugged no nonsense message is probably being associated with the Falcon by farmers and executives alike; disparate groups who have different perceptions. In contrast Holden have for years, pitched their commodores at the youth market and the baby boomer segment. They have successfully managed to create brand within brand awareness.

While Ford have stuck with the "build it and they will come" strategy, Holden have employed a consumer driven model with tactical subsets within the overall strategy.

Cabbage · 29-10-2008, 12:39 PM

Drive the VE Calais V8 at work and I have to say its a nice car, handles well, engine is quick, nice interior and very comfortable. Exhaust note is awesome too. Base models might be a different story though as you say.

Darkr · 29-10-2008, 02:32 PM

I would also consider a clubsport if ford didn't exist.

They are pretty fun to drive.

Biggav · 29-10-2008, 06:29 PM

well when time comes to get rid of the G220 and feel like a LWB to replace it with im sorry but over to the general i go for a Grange cant fault em hey nice jigger that is.

Cabbage · 29-10-2008, 08:06 PM

Having said that about the Calais, no one loves fords more than me.

Daymoe · 29-10-2008, 08:14 PM

I haven't driven either a Falcon or a VE Commodore, but i can tell you this crappy thing about the VE Commodore.

The Bluetooth enabled stereo in the VE, doesn't require the stereo to accept an incoming stream request from a phone sending media over bluetooth, it does it automatically as long as you know the code, which default is an extremely hard matrix of numbers to crack, its 1234 which is the DEFAULT code.

So next time you drive up next to a optioned up VE, get into your phones media player, open up some hardcore porn and play it via bluetooth and turn up your phones volume, the driver and passengers are in for one hell of a suprise.

I got as far as pairing my phone with the BT enabled stereo in the VE Commodore which we were stopped next to at the lights on the way home from work, so the code is indeed 1234.

irlewy86 · 29-10-2008, 08:21 PM

Who'd buy a VE, probably the majority of people who owned VR-VZ and found the VE to be an all round better car than the one they owned.

TOM-CAT · 29-10-2008, 08:24 PM

Ive driven in several commodores aswell as falcons and i must say i think alot of what you are saying is complete foolish bs :P dont mean to be a here... ill admit i havnt driven a VE but a VT, VR/VS, VX, VU ute....

And i cant say one bad thing about any of them. all loud when exhaust is done, quiet before. never had an accident in one. and i recently had the pleasure of driving my brothers Manual v8 Senator (94 VR).... it was an absolute dream. nice heavy clutch, was a rocket off the mark and on the stretch, comfortable and not that harsh on petrol...

I appreciate all nice cars, even some tuners (thats a big thing to say for me) and i think holden + ford both make nice cars... that being said i do drive a ford =]