The Ford BA XR6 was a better car than the ZB

[87VLCALAIS]

Yep. It was.

Which by default means the BA XR6 was also better than the VF.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Wash your filthy mouth out! You can’t just say things like that. The VF was a fine motor car. The finest. The way they shine in the sunlight, the way your hair flows when the window is down, even the way people of the opposite sex flock around you when you get out of a VF says it’s a better car than both the BA and the ZB.

 

[87VLCALAIS]

The VF is indeed a fine motor car. My wife has a 2013 Z series VE SV6. The VF is just a tweak of the VE, same platform and engine with electric power steering and upgrades to the infotainment etc.

As well as the ZB RSV I also have 2003 VY S. To be honest I think the VY handles as well if not better than the VE. There's no doubt the VE has much better performance and more room inside especially in the boot. However for pure handling the I think the VY is better. The front suspension of every VE and VF I have driven has a squirmy juddery feel on certain surfaces when turning compared to the VY which feels more planted.

There are areas where the VE/VF are definitely better then the ZB in my opinion. I like the VE/VF body styling, and there's more boot space. Space isn't an issue for me.

Over all I think the ZB is a better car than the VE/VF particularly when comparing the V6 models. The nine speed auto is streets ahead of the six speed in the VE/VF. As a result performance is better in the ZB. While the VE/VF handling is excellent for a largish car, the handling of the ZB is brilliant and several rungs ahead of the VE/VF.

For the every day driving I do the ZB fits the bill and is a brilliant car. Time will tell how it measures up against the likes of the VY and VE/VF for reliability etc. It has LFX V6 which is a later version of the LGX V6 fitted to the VF, the gearbox is from GM. Two major components are well known quantities.

Would I be happy owning a VF? Most definitely. Am I happy owning a ZB? You bet I am. Both are good cars, and I'm going to keep on enjoying driving my ZB.

To finish, one persons perspective on the BA XR6 and the ZB. Someone I know had a BA XR6 and bought a ZB. He says the ZB puts a smile on his face every time he drives it.

 

[Fu Manchu]

I’d be careful having your wife drive the VF. Every time she gets out of that car, dudes will be hitting on her. Pull up at the lights and people will be looking across and winking. You’ll need to take care as well. Bet her hair looks fabulous. It would because of how the air flows around the VF. It would style it with the window down as the air sculpts and shapes the hair because everything about the VF is stylish.

Get in feeling fine. Looking good.
Getting out of the ZB, you’d have to spend some time to straighten yourself.

Would look like you’ve had a big night. Disheveled even.

 

[Brettly-2008]

Here you go!!!View attachment 222414

Honestly, whoever did this is making a point, rather than it being a superior engine choice over what VE already came out with. Better than an Alloytec, sure, but not better than a boosted 6.0. And bugger me dead, look how high and forward it sits! I bet that's thrown the VE's sweet chassis balance out of whack. It's a no from me, but credit where credit's due.

 

[J_D 2.0]

Honestly, whoever did this is making a point, rather than it being a superior engine choice over what VE already came out with. Better than an Alloytec, sure, but not better than a boosted 6.0. And bugger me dead, look how high and forward it sits! I bet that's thrown the VE's sweet chassis balance out of whack. It's a no from me, but credit where credit's due.

Not better than a boosted 6.0 but a darn sight cheaper! I might be a Holden man but the Barra is the best bang for your buck money can buy. You could buy a N/A Barra from a clapped out taxi and rebuild it as a turbo for less money than it costs to buy a clapped out 6.0 with a quarter of a million kilometres on the clock.

 

[Brettly-2008]

Not better than a boosted 6.0 but a darn sight cheaper! I might be a Holden man but the Barra is the best bang for your buck money can buy. You could buy a N/A Barra from a clapped out taxi and rebuild it as a turbo for less money than it costs to buy a clapped out 6.0 with a quarter of a million kilometres on the clock.

Yeah, nah, while we all know there's a lot of cost involved swapping an SV6 to a V8, the Barra is from a completely different car. I cant even begin to imagine the electronic compatibility dramas involved without mention of k-frames or engine mounts. What trans is he running? Custom exhaust and tailshaft too I'd imagine. There's nothing cheap about this.

 

[mpower]

Yep. It was.

nah all fords are ****. the zb was not a commodore that's it's biggest fault.

 

[87VLCALAIS]

nah all fords are ****. the zb was not a commodore that's it's biggest fault.

If the name of the ZB is its biggest fault, I guess that's very high praise indeed coming from some of the parochial posters on here.

 

[J_D 2.0]

Yeah, nah, while we all know there's a lot of cost involved swapping an SV6 to a V8, the Barra is from a completely different car. I cant even begin to imagine the electronic compatibility dramas involved without mention of k-frames or engine mounts. What trans is he running? Custom exhaust and tailshaft too I'd imagine. There's nothing cheap about this.

I agree it wouldn’t be a cheap swap into a VE. I’m just talking about the direct comparison between the two engines. If you have a car that your going to do a transplant on anyway then the Barra is the pick between the LS and the Barra as a second hand N/A Barra motor can be had for a few hundred bucks whereas the LS is few thousand dollars.

Comparing the 6 cylinder Commodore to the 6 cylinder Falcon, the Falcon has a lot cheaper/easier power upgrade path than the Commodore as the N/A Barra can put out massive power reliably with a rebuild for turbocharging whereas the V6 Commodore basically has to be converted to a V8 to get decent power out of it.

Just buying a LS conversion kit (used engine, gearbox and wiring loom etc) is hideously expensive compared to rebuilding the Barra and you don’t even get a “new engine” You pay probably around $3000 just for a long LS engine and then you’ve got to rebuild it into something better unless you want to go to the trouble of putting a clapped out LS into your conversion car.