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VE sadness.... electronic throttle +

br14nh

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I'd be interested in other's opinions of VE Sportwagons, particularly if anyone has had similar experiences.

I know the following sounds like a whingefest, but as a staunch Commodore fan, I never expected I could be so disappointed in a Commodore.

I have a VE Omega sportwagon - Auto 6 sp. SIDI 3.0L which is a work vehicle, I took delivery in Feb 2010.

The power is OK, considering we only get issued the base models, overall it has some nice touches and modernisations - the digital speedo is helpful, generally it's a nice car with potential to be a really good car.

The gearbox while generally being smooth, often hunts through the gears during acceleration in an annoying fashion.

Above all, I find the throttle lag so irritating with a 1 sec. lag under all circumstances, whether in auto or Manual modes. There's no sense of precision at all with the throttle and in some circumstances I expect it could be dangerous - you couldn't rely upon it to provide power when needed in an emergency. Of course you don't drive in a way that puts you at risk , but if it were to happen, you'd be stuffed.

In "Manual" mode the response is almost, but not quite, totally unlike driving a manual. I've had the car for its 3000K service & had the dealer check the throttle response, but no problems found.... "Have you driven a VE before? it's only got low K's, it will change with more K's on it"... yeah right. I think they mean that I will just get used to it & stop complaining. It's such a shame because it could be so much better to drive if there was just a decent connection between the pedal & the engine... I'm talking about that subtle level of control you normally get with the small movements of the throttle here, not just flat-to-the-boards acceleration.

The Air Con is a joke, I had that repaired (thermistor issue)
and it went from unacceptable to barely adequate, thank god the hot weather is pretty much over. Not what I'd expect from a car supposed to be designed for the Aussie climate.

Visibility both front right (that bloody thick pillar) and rear is pretty poor also, not what I'd expect from a modern vehicle.

Steering is OK, I haven't been in a sticky enough situation to test the handling but road feel isn't anything out of the bag.

A minor but perplexing issue is the air vents. Apparently on the pricier models, they allow you to direct the air upwards.... not so the base models, the little plastic "fork" behind the direction tab prevents upward deflection and only allows you to adjust the air between level & down - now that's just cheap.

I am so glad I've kept my VX manual wagon, it is such a joy to drive by comparison. I'll be hanging on to that for sure.
 

wild13bt

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Throttle response is becoming a common complaint with some customers reporting up to a 4 sec delay int. Apparently its a software mismatch between engine and transmission. No word on any fix as yet, and yes can be quite dangerous, especially if your rolling into a round about, try accelerate and you have nothing for 4 seconds!
 

Reaper

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Visibility both front right (that bloody thick pillar) and rear is pretty poor also, not what I'd expect from a modern vehicle.

Get used to it. Most modern cars are getting thicker pillars over time to get the cars up to the top tier of crash regs. The Commodore is bad however and surely visibility must be incorporated into future design standards.

Reaper
 

SV6SidiUTE

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i haven't noticed any delay in throttle response..... mine's an sv6. I find visibility is good with the front pillar, try driving a ute with the a pillar, but you get used to those things. I find the gearbox very good, very responsive which IS what you want, you don't want to be stuck in third gear while trying to accelerate do you? It would contradict your point of throttle delay being dangerous.
Air vents are a bit annoying yes as you can't point them all the way up, but even if you can't put them up all the way, due to the sitting distance, they tend to hit in your face anyway...if you want the a/c to go over your head then point the zone to windshield, which should deflect the air above your head and cool off the dash radiating heat at the same time. I do thinkl thought it could have cooled the air bit faster though.It takes a while to get it going.

All are personal opinions expressed here except the throttle bit, as said I am unable to relate to that in any way as I have no such issue.
 

bbb

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Sorry but wouldn't agree, well not with mine anyways.

I have a 2010 Sv6 wagon, and the responce is pretty bloody good its not a V8 and nor did i want one one but for what it is i think the responce is great.
I haven't had any delay i agree the changes are sometimes harsh but only when in sports mode....I like using the manual change and helps alot
 

Homer's HSV

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Well i think some ppl have a problem and others dont just cant understand mine is a vess and it sometimes just doesnt no what gear to take (auto) it stutters and sometimes u put ur foot down and nothing fault was there when i drove with the service department hooked it up to the computer and said nothing wrong holden say the same thats how the car is so in other words DEAL WITH IT.
I no alot of ppl with v8 with this problem yet my mate has the same car and has never done it at all (mite swap my plates to hes). and apparently its all because theres no fly by wire all electronic simply as that.
 

UFO

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I got a SIDI 3L Sportwagon (but not Omega, it's the International), so virtually identical to yours.

Now, I know you dont seem too happy with things... but I cant say that I agree (or can say that I've experienced even once) any of the complaints you have.

Throttle Lag:- My car has done just over 11,000km now, and even at new with less than 1,000 on the clock throttle response was fine.

Manual Mode:- Of course it isnt like driving a real manual, but no auto is. But I will say that when I drive I've driven in manual mode there is NO delay whatsoever unlike previous models (which change when THEY want to, not you). If the car is 'hunting gears' in normal drive mode, leave it in sports mode if it annoys you too much. But really for me, the only time mine hunts for gears is when on hwy cruise control, and there's a steep hill or 2 to navigate.

Air Con:- Absolutely terrific! I think I read somewhere in the past about people having air con problems. Have a look in recall notices in this section (or search!) to find more info. Some people have had issues with air con, but its a known fault and its obvious to the owners when there's been an issue- by the sounds of it, you are one of the unlucky ones. But my air con is sweet.

Visibility:- Yes, front pillar is thick- but so are a lot of other cars with curtain airbags. I know you'ev been given the car for work so doesnt apply to you, but for most other drivers they can test this out for themselves during the test drive prior to purchase. I noticed it during test drive, but to be hoenst doesnt bother me to much- but maybe because I'm a little used to it. My mrs old car (Honda Jazz) had a thick A pillar too that pissed me off at roundabouts. It's the only thing that I reckon Holden could have done better at- but realistically they wouldnt have made it that thick without good reason. It's a safety reason for sure (ie the thicker pillar is safer or contains goodies that make things safer), and for the minor inconvenience it causes I'm not too fussed its there.

Steering:- The omega (and any standard car on high profiles and floating 'cloud like' suspension) goes for comfort first, then response. I have lower profile rubber and pedders suspension dropping ride height by an inch and a bit, and I am very happy with steering.

Air vents:- ?? I dont fid these an issue. Ok, on the drivers side when you dont want wind blowing on your hand you normally aim vents up- but it works the same by pointing down too. Air is aimed down past the side of the seat into the back. Not an issue for me. Are you saying you want to aim air towards window or something? Why would you do that?

VX over VE wagon:- ??? no way man :). I think you've had a bad run of luck with the car you have been given for work, but they are SOOOOO much better than you describe. I've been a Forester fan for many years, and just prior to xmas I was just about to sign up to another one, but then thought I'd try the sportwagon because of the International 'special'. I havent looked back mate... very happy. I'm disapointed for you that you dont feel the same, but dont write it off mate... they really are a good car.
 

br14nh

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I take on board all the positive comments posted about the model. I know I sound a bit over the top, I guess my disappointment comes from having high hopes that the model would meet all my expectations - and for some people, obviously it does meet theirs. All things being equal, most of the issues I have reported I could live with..... I think the thing which makes me notice all the other issues is the throttle lag - which, as a problem, seems to depend on the individual vehicle. I know several colleagues who report the same issue, and from the posts here, some who don't have the problem at all. I'm aware the lag also affects my opinion of the gearbox, I think it probably wouldn't hunt so badly (or wouldn't seem to) if I had as much control with the pedal, and that's in both normal and sport shift.

As for road feel, the car is supplied with 16" alloys and lower profile tyres as standard (work values our safety on the road - thank heavens), and my VX is in about the same boat. On this count I'm comparing both cars to my old VP wagon, which despite being a bit tail happy, gave such good road feel - I'm no stunt/rally driver, but in the VP I was able to correct wild fishtailing with ease (not through hooning mind you, I had to take drastic evasive action once when someone changed lanes on top of me without looking). Maybe not a fair comparison of models, but I don't get the same "feel" from either the VX or VE, and they may be just as good, but I just hope I never get the chance to carry out the same road test in real life. (....anyone got a skidpan I can borrow? :) )

Anyway, my main aim wasn't to annoy anyone, I was just interested to see how many others had had similar experiences with their cars. When it comes to the Air Con, they fixed the thermistor problem, but it still isn't very cold, and a few colleagues have that issue also - obviously another issue that varies with individual vehicles.

Cheers,
Brian
 

jasonsv6

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if you ever have to take evasive action in the ve you will find out just how good the esc is on these models and never question it again.
i have had the pleasure of giving mine a burl on a piece of circut and you can rely on it to get you back straight.
and the car is very controlable with it off two
 

UFO

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Anyway, my main aim wasn't to annoy anyone, I was just interested to see how many others had had similar experiences with their cars. When it comes to the Air Con, they fixed the thermistor problem, but it still isn't very cold, and a few colleagues have that issue also - obviously another issue that varies with individual vehicles.

Cheers,
Brian

Hey mate, hope you didnt take my previous post as being 'annoyed' as it wasnt my intention! Just trying to break things down point by point as you raised. I was just trying to convey my experiences as a direct comparison to each point you made, to highlight that I think it's more the exception than the norm that all these issues exist on every VE. Obviously people have personal preferences and all, and that's cool. But I just dont want anyone else reading this thread (who may be considering a VE to buy) to be swayed too much by what's been said. At least test drive the car and give it a chance.... especially the SIDI's. You wont look back, seriously.
 
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