The King is dead. Long live the King! RIP Commodore :-(

[Doc59]

I'm not keen on SUV's or trucks. I do like Aussie utes though, had a BA XR6 ute for 10 years or so before I bought the Monaro. I could have been tempted into trading for a Falcon FG-X XR ute but unfortunately they are now 5 year old too. Think I bought my Vz Monaro at the bottom of the curve so I'll stick with it and hope they go up until either fashions change to real sedans and wagons or I buy an electric car.

 

[Calaber]

I'm not keen on SUV's or trucks. I do like Aussie utes though, had a BA XR6 ute for 10 years or so before I bought the Monaro. I could have been tempted into trading for a Falcon FG-X XR ute but unfortunately they are now 5 year old too. Think I bought my Vz Monaro at the bottom of the curve so I'll stick with it and hope they go up until either fashions change to real sedans and wagons or I buy an electric car.

Interesting point about your ultimate replacement. Fashions will change and SUV's and four door utes will go out of fashion eventually. In my time I've seen the panel van craze of the 70's, the family van craze of the 80's and the current trends to SUV, s etc. None of the earlier fads ever achieved the extent of the current one.
I think electric vehicles will be the next growth area and many members here will be faced with a choice they won't like. The day of the limited utility level of sedans is gone. They are too restricted in their flexibility to ever make a recovery. Keeping an older performance car will still have a strong appeal to many but as they wear out and parts become unattainable, what's the option?

 

[mpower]

The day of the limited utility level of sedans is gone. They are too restricted in their flexibility to ever make a recovery. Keeping an older performance car will still have a strong appeal to many but as they wear out and parts become unattainable, what's the option?

i've never understood the mentality of buying a vehicle that compromises so much because "sometimes I move heavy things".

If I want to move heavy things i hire a ute or get it delivered.

3D printing will save the day when needed parts down the line. It's already happening.

 

[Zehq]

I don't understand how people can't comprehend why dual cabs and SUVs are popular. It's pretty simple once you take out performance (like 99% of drivers on the road).

A sedan does nothing great, only everything well.

If you want fuel economy, and don't carry passengers often, you buy a small car (e.g. i30, with the seats down it has more boot space than my Commodore). Disadvantage being you get half the boot space of a sedan when you have rear passengers.

If you want to carry people, you buy an SUV. They're also quite fuel efficient now with the I4 turbos, despite weighing 4 tons. They are usually comparable to a V6 Commodore, some of them are actually better... and the downside is the fuel economy.

If you need a tray, buy a dual cab. You can still carry 4 passengers with quite a lot of room, fuel economy is about the same as the V6 Commodore's too, if not less such as the Ranger... why is the sedan needed again?

In all three situations you have the boot space, the fuel economy and the passenger carrying capabilities of the sedan... except it's better. Why would you go for the technically inferior car when performance means sfa to you? I say this as someone who has only ever owned Commodore's and Falcon's. The sedan is pointless in an era where engine bays are tiny and engines are very efficient, that's why they're a dying breed.

 

[losh1971]

Dual cab utes are 50% good & 50% bad. They are too short for long loads and too little leg room in the rear. They are ok at both passenger carrying and load carrying but a Commi ute is far better at carrying long loads than a dual cab. If you want to load a bike you have to lower the tailgate, which after a while causes problems for for your tailgate as they are not designed to carry weight.
If you use a ute for work like i do and the type of work i do a dual cab would be a PITA as it just doesn't hold enough.
Therefore like you mentioned above a dual cab does both but neither well. A Commi ute does one thing well but passenger carrying is poor as its three max, with the third person ideally being a child.

 

[Zehq]

Dual cab utes are 50% good & 50% bad. They are too short for long loads and too little leg room in the rear. They are ok at both passenger carrying and load carrying but a Commi ute is far better at carrying long loads than a dual cab. If you want to load a bike you have to lower the tailgate, which after a while causes problems for for your tailgate as they are not designed to carry weight.
If you use a ute for work like i do and the type of work i do a dual cab would be a PITA as it just doesn't hold enough.
Therefore like you mentioned above a dual cab does both but neither well. A Commi ute does one thing well but passenger carrying is poor as its three max, with the third person ideally being a child.

Exactly, if your needs require long loads, you get a single cab ute. Working vehicles generally benefit from the raised height of the vehicle too. Explains why the Hilux is the top selling car in Aus. Versatility of the platform.

I love Falcodore's but they just aren't good enough in the modern era.

 

[lmoengnr]

Hands up! Who wants to be a rear seat passenger, on a long drive in a dual cab pick up truck?
The rear seats are only suitable for little kids, even then it comes close to being child abuse...

 

[Calaber]

Thank God, some common sense comments at last. Thanks to the last few posters.

Every vehicle is a compromise and the car you have loved and which has met your needs perfectly for years will probably fail to meet them at least once. V8 sedans perform, handle, stop and transport 5 adults safely and in comfort. The boot is usually limited in what you can fit in it. If it's a wagon, it carries a reasonable cargo as well.

However, modern cars have been getting lower in ride height and our population is aging. Getting in and out of modern sedans or wagon's is damned hard with weak knees or bad backs. For older drivers, the higher seating of SUV's makes a lot of sense but younger, fitter motorists don't feel or appreciate this problem.
Personally, I don't understand the trend to four door utes. Far too many compromises. Cramped rear seating, inadequate cargo tray, crude and inefficient rear suspension and sheer bulk should turn people off but the compromises of seating for 4/5 and a cargo tray seem to appeal. 76% of new vehicle sales are now LCV's or SUV's. Large sedans are absolutely nowhere. Can all 76% of the market be ill-informed, brain-dead or don't give a sh1t what they drive? I don't think so.

 

[VS 5.0]

Can all 76% of the market be ill-informed, brain-dead or don't give a sh1t what they drive?

Maybe not all three aspects, but a large number of that 76% would likely fit at least two of them.

 

[stooge]

https://www.hsv.com.au/see/silverado/

Has the v8 and turbo choo choo sounds, heaps of legroom and a large tray.
It can tow heaps has power/torque and goes anywhere.


You just cant park it anywhere lol