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Dilemma _ VXR Vs Camry V6

Carborg

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I’m in a dilemma. I’m thinking of getting a VXR however had driven the new Camry V6 and was very impressed.

I’m not happy they killed the local Commodore and they should not have called the ZB a Commodore, although drove a 2.0L turbo and it felt like it drove well, apart from the FWD from quick take off, it felt very zippy.

I’m sure the VXR will be even better, I didn’t expect I would be considering the ZB after the VF. The new Camry V6 is so smooth, comfortable and refined, very Lexus like and a highway cruiser. The VXR seems like it would be fun to drive.

Concerns with imported Commodore is long term reliability and resale. I think Camrys will fair better on resale and definitely have bullet proof reliability.

Have you had any regrets with your ZB?
 

tuckerbag

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I’m in a dilemma. I’m thinking of getting a VXR however had driven the new Camry V6 and was very impressed.

I’m not happy they killed the local Commodore and they should not have called the ZB a Commodore, although drove a 2.0L turbo and it felt like it drove well, apart from the FWD from quick take off, it felt very zippy.

I’m sure the VXR will be even better, I didn’t expect I would be considering the ZB after the VF. The new Camry V6 is so smooth, comfortable and refined, very Lexus like and a highway cruiser. The VXR seems like it would be fun to drive.

Concerns with imported Commodore is long term reliability and resale. I think Camrys will fair better on resale and definitely have bullet proof reliability.

Have you had any regrets with your ZB?
Go the camry. With the camry you’ll get a bit of resale, be more reliable as in no gm pox and won’t have to put up with the finger pointing for driving a shitbox
 

Calaber

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Carborg.

Ignore Tuckerbag. He is utterly biased against the ZB. Get other opinions. I can't help you as I haven't driven either car.
 

Paul Smedley

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Have you had any regrets with your ZB?

No regrets here. We traded our VF Calais V last August for a ZB Calais V - awesome vehicle. Completely agree they shouldn't have called it a Commodore, but do yourself a favour, and at least take one for a drive.

Cheers,

Paul
 

EYY

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Are you buying new? Will you keep the car for longer than the warranty period?

If purchasing new and will sell before the end of the warranty period, give the zb a go.

If wanting to keep long term, I’d be going the Camry for sure. Likely to be better spare parts availabilty in years to come, better resale, less likelihood of issues arising due to excellent quality control and design simplicity.

The European cars are nice to drive, but not so much to get replacement parts for and to work on and service. Some people don’t mind spending extra on servicing for added luxury of many European models.

Personally I’d go the Toyota. Who knows whether Holden will be around in 5-10 years...
 

Pablito

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Buy the Camry if you're happy with how it drives.
Brand v brand, Toyota is a head with product quality, customer service and resale value.
Plus the VXR is 13 grand more than the top spec Camry.
There's only 10kw in power difference between the two. Camry has a better interior, the ZB is bland as. They have basically the same kit inside so you need to decide whether AWD, fancy seats and Brembo brakes are worth spending all that extra money.
Personally I think the VXR is over priced and all the extra performance parts are wasted on a car with no actual extra performance..........
Calais V or RS V are the best offerings in the ZB range. But again price wise...... the top spec Camry wins.
Really you need to drive a few ZB's and see how the driving experience differs to the Camry.
I guess what I'm saying is the Toyota is the smart choice...........
And yet I'd probably buy the Calais V! :oops:
 

gwog3

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Had my vxr for six months now after trading my vfssv and not one regret ignore tuckerbag , they are a great car
 

kos

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A nz news motoring site (Driven I think part of stuff.co.nz) did a comparison of VXR vs top line Camry.
The concensus was if you push hard the Commodore is miles better and the AWD is terrific in the wet.
So if you use windy hilly roads in a rainy area well Commo is the go. If its flat straight metro work camry is cheaper and fine.
 

MattSAU2XR8

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Here's a good article that compares the two...

https://www.drive.com.au/new-car-co...si-sportline-new-car-comparison-review-117371

Lots of things to consider assuming you want a near new and fairly luxurious V6 engined car. I'd probably also consider Calais, RSV, sedan and wagon variants since all of these have leather (or pleather) interiors, and the Camry doesn't have Brembos or active suspension, hence comparing like with like. The wagons don't weigh a lot more than the sedans, and if you can save close to $10k up front, then this takes care of a lot of depreciation, and would permit the car to be turned over more easily in four or five years...

1. Power - both are fast enough but slower than an SS or a Stinger.

2. Drivetrain and handling - Commodore certainly better given AWD and torque vectoring and no torque steer. Although 20 inch wheels and adaptive suspension is a complicated and potentially expensive solution down the line. 18's and normal suspension on RSV or Calais makes more sense in real world. That said I'm sure a VXR would be quicker point to point if one was really flying...

3. Brakes - Commodore VXR better given Brembos.

4. Interior comfort - Commodore seats seem to be preferred to Camry, even in V6 Calais form, see below... Note Calais doesn't have under thigh extension as per RSV... Camry does look quite nice inside. Presumably you'd be looking at the Camry SL for an even match?

https://practicalmotoring.com.au/comparison-tests/holden-commodore-calais-v-vs-toyota-camry-sl-v6/

5. Cost - at this point I'd actually be aiming to bit lower, here's an example of some prices from Carsales, WA excluded as too far to travel:
- 2018 RSV sedan or wagon for $32600 driveaway with under 9000 kms
- 2018 Calais Tourer in VIC with 8100 kms for $33600 driveaway
- ZB VXR seems to be around $42k driveaway in VIC
- Camry V6 seems to be around $37k for SX or $42k for SL. Presumably you'd be wanting the SL?

6. Fuel consumption - I note that my RSV uses about 15 litres per 100 km if I do all short trips, eg. 10 km, although it falls well under 10 on long trips. I suspect the Camry would be similar however, just can't expect small car economy from a large car.

7. Resale in say 4 to 5 years time - may well be better as a percentage with Camry, but if for example buy Camry for about $40k and sell for $16k, or buy RSV or Calais for about $33k and sell for $9k, outcome would be the same, except you have an extra $7k in your super. I suspect that if you can entertain the idea of a $40k car then you can afford to turn it over in about 5 years if bought at a good price...

8. Repair and maintenance costs. I'd hate to end up replacing adaptive shocks on any car if kept long enough. Hopefully Koni or Bilstein come up with some passive replacements down the line.

9. Keeping for the long term, eg. up to 200 kkms. Hard to believe any car will be as reliable as a Toyota. And parts will likely be easier to get, although unlikely to have problems before at least 10 years either way.

10. What you actually like - if spending this sort of money it'd be worth driving all four cars and then deciding, since you may decide that you enjoy the Camry or a Calais Tourer more than the others - paper stats don't always give real world enjoyment.

So looking at all this I'd be leaning toward:
- Do you really need Brembos, adaptive shocks, 20 inch wheels, if so buy VXR, otherwise move to next line...

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/Holden-Commodore-2018/OAG-AD-17123989/?Cr=8

- Do you plan to keep the car for around 10 years, as opposed to around 5 years, if so buy Camry, otherwise move to next line... Not a lot around though

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/Toyota-Camry-2018/OAG-AD-17155640/?Cr=0

- RSV sedan or wagon offers a good compromise of comfort and handling at 30 % off retail

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/Holden-Commodore-2018/OAG-AD-16897468/?Cr=4

- Calais tourer offers a similar compromise with a little more ground clearance, and possibly slightly more comfort oriented suspension.

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/Holden-Calais-2018/OAG-AD-17097684/?Cr=1

If you're within striking distance of Melbourne you could visit Brighton Holden in Elsternwick who seem to have all of the cars mentioned except the Camry and drive one of each. Then just buy the one you like best, or the one that offers most bang for buck. I didn't end up buying from them given paint color and locality at the time, but Matt Galea was a good salesman to deal with. He's not a mate or anything, was just helpful.
 

StrayKiwi

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Carborg, my advice to you is to drive them both back to back over the same stretch of road and form your own opinion. That is what I did, and the VXR won.
 
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