I will never buy a new Holden again "ever"

[Tezza's ZB]

Thanks tezza.
I am looking at a zb to buy so your feedback is good.
The lumbar support is a must for me so your comments steer me towards an rs 2 litre.
How much do you expect to pay for your upcoming 12 k service.

Thanks RSV for your comment yes 2 litre zb runs 18,s.

I got 3 years free servicing when purchased at Patterson Cheney Vermont Vic. but it's not a lot ..service intervals are 12 months about 320 dollars for each... I wanted to service it earlier so in June 19.. first service was done ( would have been due in Aug)... I have only done 11800. Good luck with the RS ..as I said I don't like the very disproportionate and ugly cosmetic or fake ' air intakes' below the front headlights

 

[kos]

Yeah agree with you on that but I think that silver chintzy bar in the grille of the zb is the ugliest design bit I d probably black that out.
That 2 litre motor is what grabs my attention the output is not far short of the Aussie ford 6 cyl Barra motor.

 

[Tezza's ZB]

Thanks tezza.
I am looking at a zb to buy so your feedback is good.
The lumbar support is a must for me so your comments steer me towards an rs 2 litre.
How much do you expect to pay for your upcoming 12 k service.

Thanks RSV for your comment yes 2 litre zb runs 18,s.

are you getting the RS 4 cyl 2 litre petrol turbo.. my plea to you is drive the LT .. it's much lighter than the 6. It truly is a goldilocks car .. the 6 reviews were nowhere near as good as the 4 cyl

 

[Tezza's ZB]

Yeah agree with you on that but I think that silver chintzy bar in the grille of the zb is the ugliest design bit I d probably black that out.
That 2 litre motor is what grabs my attention the output is not far short of the Aussie ford 6 cyl Barra motor.

the 2 litre 4 cyl petrol is a dream. overtaking is a rush .. to me anyway .. 80 to 140 or more.. the car is very solid on the road too..

 

[kos]

Yes 2 litre rs
I don’t want a high revving v6 or the complexity of awd etc etc

 

[arsevee]

as I said the engineers were quite clear that these tyres made a difference for the better in handling, exposing that fact that wider tyres are not always better

I'd love to know where you got this information from, because it would be the only car where this would be the case - wider tyres give a bigger contact patch, therefore better grip, lower profile tyres give more lateral strength, reducing slip - the only advantage to a narrower tyre is reduced rolling resistance, which is only of any real use on an EV. The only advantage to a higher profile is a softer ride at the expense of handling...

the 6 reviews were nowhere near as good as the 4 cyl

Links please. I've driven both the four and six-cylinder engines in both liftback and wagon variants and the six is far more drivable, the fact there's no torque-steer on take-off makes a huge difference.

Yes 2 litre rs
I don’t want a high revving v6 or the complexity of awd etc etc

There's far more complexity in a turbocharged four than there is in a naturally-aspirated six; more wear on the oil, more stress on the engine. The four-pot also requires premium unleaded, which adds up over the life of the vehicle. The AWD isn't overly complex; it uses the Twinster system as used in many other marques and is a simple twin clutch pack arrangement - there's no differential, so it's far less 'complex' than a continuous AWD or Haltech system and has proven to be reliable.

Also, there's a massive difference in dry-handling when cornering and greatly increased safety in the wet.

Buying the base-model in any vehicle opens you up to reduced resale value as you're competing against huge numbers of fleet vehicles - always go for a mid-range model for the lowest losses.

The warranty is the same on both vehicles at five years, so 'complexity' isn't really an issue either way, and the AWD system is used in far more 'performance-oriented' vehicles than the V6 ZB.

Kos, I'd strongly suggest you drive both vehicles back-to-back before making the decision.
Keep in mind that an RS-V only costs around $5k more than an RS and the seats are another step-up in comfort & there's a whole host of extras for the money...

 

[kos]

Thanks for your comments RSV.
How does my local independent go with the ZB AWD at 120,000kms? That's whats in the back of my mind. FWD are everywhere -simple mechanics understand it.
The V6 revs to a ridiculously high rpm number. Where does it develop its torque.
I like to drive on maximum torque 2000/3500 rpm which the 4 provides. My days of wringing cars out to 5000+ rpm are long gone.
Having said that your comments on the V6,s driveability its ability to take 91 or e10 is a big plus and your comment about seats in the RSV noted.

 

[Mike Lowry]

Hi all
Just want to let people know how lifetime loyal customers get treated by customer assistance when you have an issue . I recently purchased a new zb vxr commodore my 5th new Holden) which has now got 8000 Kim on it , great car but with a major issue ie I took the car in for early service as the oil condition light came on recommending an oil change so decided to get it done at the selling dealer ( supposed to be 12000 Kim between services) when I went to pick up the car after service I was informed that all 4 tyres needed replacing as they were scuffed out on the inner edge when asked why they could not explain why the premature wear was happening and was told to call customer care for help . Customer care wanted the wheel alignment to be checked at Holden dealership , results were sent to Holden customer care and few days later customer care rang and informed me that the wheel alignment results are fine and the tyres were worn due to normal wear and tear and closed the case with no assistance whatsoever, can anybody tell me how I could possibly wear out a set of tyres in just 8000k in a v6 awd commodore , when my previous car was a vf ssv which the tyres lasted 40000 k (the only possible cause is wheel alignment or a suspension issue ) but Holden are offering no help in the matter but they do expect me to fork out $2000 for tyres every time the cars due for an oil change . Not got good enough Holden therefore I will never buy another Holden product , just in principle

I noticed massive tyre wear on a ZB VXR Demo with only 7500Ks on it. Asked the sales guy, he evaded the question (saying not sure..). The Mustang forums are also getting poor tyre wear from these MPSS tyres - My VFII has Bridgestones, already done 27000Ks on it and only around 50% wear.
Definitely look at a reputable tyre shop to check the camber and options for longer life tyres. Bridgestones have 3 for 4 deals _ I usually grab these when they come around.

 

[TeePee53]

Thanks for your comments RSV.
How does my local independent go with the ZB AWD at 120,000kms? That's whats in the back of my mind. FWD are everywhere -simple mechanics understand it.
The V6 revs to a ridiculously high rpm number. Where does it develop its torque.
I like to drive on maximum torque 2000/3500 rpm which the 4 provides. My days of wringing cars out to 5000+ rpm are long gone.
Having said that your comments on the V6,s driveability its ability to take 91 or e10 is a big plus and your comment about seats in the RSV noted.

As others have suggested, drive both. The V6 is a much smoother and alive to drive, I don't know where you heard the V6 needs high revs, at 115 it is doing less than 1500rpm and if you need to accelerate to pass at any speeds it just goes with no lag.
The RSV interior is also much nicer and I find the infotainment system good to use, fm radio reception is surprisingly good over long distances, the screen resolution is much better than LT and RS. Fuel consumption is also pretty good on trips , 7 to 7.1 L per 100km, much higher on short trips.

 

[Tezza's ZB]

As others have suggested, drive both. The V6 is a much smoother and alive to drive, I don't know where you heard the V6 needs high revs, at 115 it is doing less than 1500rpm and if you need to accelerate to pass at any speeds it just goes with no lag.
The RSV interior is also much nicer and I find the infotainment system good to use, fm radio reception is surprisingly good over long distances, the screen resolution is much better than LT and RS. Fuel consumption is also pretty good on trips , 7 to 7.1 L per 100km, much higher on short trips.

The LT is very very smooth and very alive to drive too. It’s overtaking is scintillating and all you need, and you notice the benefit of much less ‘Fat’ (kerb weight) of the car compared to the six. I call that sweet spot joy, and great balance. As I said earlier the 9 speed transmission is seemless and whisper quiet. In my humble opinion, there is no greater existential experience in having more bells and whistles, indeed what makes life better in having them? What are they, over and above the LT? I am fortunate in not having a back issue, and the seats are excellent with heaps of electric adjustment.
I’ll conclude by saying again that the 4 cyl 2 litre petrol turbo is a goldilocks car, and in fact a true saloon despite its modesty at first glance. I was staggered and overjoyed to find the car was loafing along with a mere 1400 revs at 112 kph. This factor, together with the available ‘pop’ of the 2 litre make it a great choice, a great drive, superb value for money.