Where have all the Commodores gone?

[Fu Manchu]

Kind of wild to think a VE is to us now what a HQ was in the early 90’s. VY or early VZ could be like a HT or HG was in the early 90’s when we were driving kind of new VN’s.

(Assuming many of us started driving around then)

You get the idea though, and I hate it.

 

[Fu Manchu]

I love my commodores, I'll always have a shed full of them. But I really hate the aussie pride mentality of shitting on something because it's not a Commodore/Australian made without the facts.
… The SUV movement isn't going away, so it's not worth fighting, this is the new normal.

Amen.

Our Santa Fe is faster, more comfortable, cheaper to run, better handling than the VE Calais V ever was and we had that from near new.

 

[Derekthetree]

HR Holden 186S wagon > 108Kw > 249Nm > 1250Kg > 9.4L/100 (based on what I used to get from my HK 186S on a trip last century )
Mazda CX-30 2.5L SUV > 139Kw > 252Nm > 1565Kg > 6.7L/100 ( based on what my daughter's new car got a couple of days ago.)

Pricing for a HR 186s wagon back then $2,600 ??? , about $37,500 now.
Her CX- 30 $41,000 drive away.

There you go. Gadgets and safety will account for some of that. CX 30 is not a big floorplan though. CX5 would weigh a whole lot more.

 

[figjam]

Back when I got my license, a new car was a HR, an old car was a FJ, and there was only 10 years between them.
Now, a VN still looks new(ish) to me, even though it is 30+ years old.
Overall exterior designs have not changed much, but engine management, current interiors and tech were science fiction / luxury 30 years ago.

 

[Fu Manchu]

 

[Fu Manchu]

Fixed it

 

[someguy360]

Amen.

Our Santa Fe is faster, more comfortable, cheaper to run, better handling than the VE Calais V ever was and we had that from near new.

You can often tell tell ones that have only ever owned/driven commodores and falcons their whole life because they think that because a car does something "without a fuss" like 300,000km worth of driving and reasonable fuel economy that makes it as good as a car can be and then questions why people would buy anything else.

The second you start driving something else you really start to discover how far behind the 8 ball Holden was.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking on commodores, once again I still own a few.

But......it shits me when people start acting all high and mighty like they were world class cars just because they got from point a to point b reliably.

If the Mrs is home I'll quite often take the Sorento when I go out as it's just such a nicer place to be and a more comfortable drive. The VE just feels primative and unrefined in comparison.

 

[Commo64]

You've clearly not driven any SUV other than a 30 year old Landcruiser etc.

Modern SUV's are 10x more comfortable and have a much better ride than a VE Omega.

My other halfs Kia Sorento (which is a specced up 7 seat SUV, woodgrain, leather etc) is 10x better on the road than my VE Ute. It soaks up the bumps like no tomorrow, 6.1L/100km on the highway, tows my car trailer with ease.

Pretty much any SUV on the market today would out handle and be better equipped than a VE. They aren't built on 4x4/truck chassis like the days of old, they are all running the same kind of unibody chassis as your average sedan and usually are pretty well sorted in the suspension department.

I love my commodores, I'll always have a shed full of them. But I really hate the aussie pride mentality of shitting on something because it's not a Commodore/Australian made without the facts. Just because we all grew up with the roads being 100% Holden or Ford doesn't mean that in 2022 those cars are better.

Go drive some decent SUV's and you won't want to get back in your omega I assure you.

The SUV movement isn't going away, so it's not worth fighting, this is the new normal.

This statement isn't really correct, body on frame SUV's are always going to be more rough riding than a monocoque chassis... I've also driven many of these decent SUV's and have found that sedans handle much better, more fuel efficient and are more comfortable when compared to SUV's...

And no, I'm not dissing something just because it's not Aussie... Even if the Ranger was made in Australia, I'd prefer a passenger car...

This is just my opinion btw...

 

[someguy360]

This statement isn't really correct, body on frame SUV's are always going to be more rough riding than a monocoque chassis... I've also driven many of these decent SUV's and have found that sedans handle much better, more fuel efficient and are more comfortable when compared to SUV's...

And no, I'm not dissing something just because it's not Aussie... Even if the Ranger was made in Australia, I'd prefer a passenger car...

This is just my opinion btw...

EDIT: I think I used the wrong terminology.

I meant monocoque not unibody.

Aka integrated chassis

90% will not be body on frame, and hence they won't "jiggle" like the OP said I think he thinks all SUV's are like landcruisers that are built on essentially a tractor.

Hence why I believe most that **** on SUV's haven't actually driven one.....they just assosciate them with 4x4's of the 80's and 90's that drove like a mack truck.

 

[Commo64]

This is what's happened to them: