ZB v ?

[Badgerdog]

Kia Stinger GT. I test drove both and came to the same conclusion.

Kia Stinger is faster on paper, faster in the real world, has more torque and more power but I still preferred my Holden Calais V. It felt lighter and more nimble, and is, I preferred the AWD, the nine speed auto is light years ahead of the 8 speed in the Kia and the to me the interior of the Kia felt....well, really dirt cheap and nasty, much like any other Kia.

For me the best deal I could get on a brand new Calais V was $10,000 less than the Kia Stinger. If they were exactly the same price it might have been a harder decision.

What did you test drive and compare your ZB with before you bought one ?

 

[Panzer23]

Before I bought my RS 3.6 I hadn't tested any other car but could directly compare it with the 2015 VF SS Redline which I had purchased brand new, that car was never abused or thrashed, the 6 speed auto in the Redline had a poor 1st to 2nd change, it felt like the transmission was flaring, not very satisfying, also the kickdown on mine was not very responsive. I find that a decent transmission like the 9 speed auto in the ZB makes for more satisfying driving.

The 9 speed feels better than the 7 speed dsg I had in my VW Golf Mk 7 1.4, the changes in the 9 speed feel as quick as the dsg but without the now and again erratic performance that the dsg had.

Also compared with other Commodores I have had, the addition of a grab handle above the driver was a real revelation in the ZB.

 

[MattSAU2XR8]

I had a VE SS sedan before the RSV wagon. Probably my favorite car (that I've owned) of all time. Low mileage, nice and straight, lowered on Pedders and Koni's, staggered Simmons FRC wheels, Brembos, CAI and stainless x-pipe midsection but stock rear mufflers to keep it quiet. Main reason that I moved it on was that I was moving to Alice Springs and the 55,000 km auto transmission was flaring into third and I was worried about the cost of getting something like this fixed in the middle of nowhere...

RSV is a much better day to day car although without the emotional connection. Things that are better with the RSV:
- Warranty
- Likely no major outgoings for 4 or 5 years
- Bluetooth means I can chat on the phone while driving
- Quieter and smoother and so less tiring to drive
- In general seems better screwed together, although a lot of the exterior plastics feel a bit light, eg. front bar and grill made of very thin plastic
- Interior quite nice and modern, even if magazines say it is bland or whatever
- Uses a little less fuel (probably only $15 per week) and is only a little slower in the real world
- Able to trim down my collection of tools since don't need to anticipate spending weekends fixing things
Not as good as the SS:
- Not as good looking in my opinion, I really like the early VE body shape, and the VE really hammered, first car I've owned where I didn't feel a like it could use a little more engine
- Seats aren't quite as comfortable, VE cloth seats are very comfortable AND supportive
- Headlights not as good either, not sure how headlights can go backwards over a decade, ended up fitting a light bar in the grille...

In a perfect world I'd have spent the changeover money on a complete refurbishment of the SS and probably still have come out ahead, but a bit time poor to do this.

As regards other things I considered:
- RS wagon a very close second, the 4T engine is pretty good, if a really low mileage one came up in a few years I might swap the RSV for one of these
- Mondeo didn't really do anything for me, although the Ecoboost cars are apparently quite good, and popular
- Stinger would have been nice but given I got the RSV for $33k with 8 kkms, a Stinger would have been and extra $15k, and not worth this much more to me.
- Drove an Aurion a few years previous and found that it was well made, powerful, steered poorly, ergonomics not great (steering wheel to far away, presumably for airbag safety, but very uncomfortable), and dash and interior in general looked a bit dated. Although probably reliable enough.
- New Camry V6 only just released and apparently a very good car overall, but apparently the front end bottoms out on rough roads and the brakes are only 4 cylinder size
- SP25 Mazda probably a good car but would cost as much as an RS hatch which would be way more fun to drive
- Considered a VF SS as well but then I'd be buying back into the transmission rebuild process, and sad to say flaring at 55,000 kms in a pristine and apparently well looked after car is just ridiculous

So the ZB in my case won out by offering a fair bit of everything without any obvious downsides - fast enough, comfortable enough, and hopefully proces to be reliable enough

 

[tuckerbag]

I had a VE SS sedan before the RSV wagon. Probably my favorite car (that I've owned) of all time. Low mileage, nice and straight, lowered on Pedders and Koni's, staggered Simmons FRC wheels, Brembos, CAI and stainless x-pipe midsection but stock rear mufflers to keep it quiet. Main reason that I moved it on was that I was moving to Alice Springs and the 55,000 km auto transmission was flaring into third and I was worried about the cost of getting something like this fixed in the middle of nowhere...

RSV is a much better day to day car although without the emotional connection. Things that are better with the RSV:
- Warranty
- Likely no major outgoings for 4 or 5 years
- Bluetooth means I can chat on the phone while driving
- Quieter and smoother and so less tiring to drive
- In general seems better screwed together, although a lot of the exterior plastics feel a bit light, eg. front bar and grill made of very thin plastic
- Interior quite nice and modern, even if magazines say it is bland or whatever
- Uses a little less fuel (probably only $15 per week) and is only a little slower in the real world
- Able to trim down my collection of tools since don't need to anticipate spending weekends fixing things
Not as good as the SS:
- Not as good looking in my opinion, I really like the early VE body shape, and the VE really hammered, first car I've owned where I didn't feel a like it could use a little more engine
- Seats aren't quite as comfortable, VE cloth seats are very comfortable AND supportive
- Headlights not as good either, not sure how headlights can go backwards over a decade, ended up fitting a light bar in the grille...

In a perfect world I'd have spent the changeover money on a complete refurbishment of the SS and probably still have come out ahead, but a bit time poor to do this.

As regards other things I considered:
- RS wagon a very close second, the 4T engine is pretty good, if a really low mileage one came up in a few years I might swap the RSV for one of these
- Mondeo didn't really do anything for me, although the Ecoboost cars are apparently quite good, and popular
- Stinger would have been nice but given I got the RSV for $33k with 8 kkms, a Stinger would have been and extra $15k, and not worth this much more to me.
- Drove an Aurion a few years previous and found that it was well made, powerful, steered poorly, ergonomics not great (steering wheel to far away, presumably for airbag safety, but very uncomfortable), and dash and interior in general looked a bit dated. Although probably reliable enough.
- New Camry V6 only just released and apparently a very good car overall, but apparently the front end bottoms out on rough roads and the brakes are only 4 cylinder size
- SP25 Mazda probably a good car but would cost as much as an RS hatch which would be way more fun to drive
- Considered a VF SS as well but then I'd be buying back into the transmission rebuild process, and sad to say flaring at 55,000 kms in a pristine and apparently well looked after car is just ridiculous

So the ZB in my case won out by offering a fair bit of everything without any obvious downsides - fast enough, comfortable enough, and hopefully proces to be reliable enough

Bloody hell. Can’t believe what I’m reading

 

[StrayKiwi]

I recently drove a Stinger GT, and I agree with Badgerdog. The best part of the Stinger is the engine, the rest of the package does not live up to it.

 

[Stroppy]

Interesting comments. Can you imagine how much better the ZB would have been if the original plan to build it here and widen it slightly (like they did when they took the Opel Omega body and widened it for the VN) and add a V8 option had gone ahead? (Thanks Tony Abbott!). Holden's chassis engineers are the best in the world and they would have made that mooted car brilliant. As it is they took the Opel Insignia and tweaked the suspension to give us Aussies and NZrs the finest handling cars of all the Insignia variants.

 

[Badgerdog]

Interesting comments. Can you imagine how much better the ZB would have been if the original plan to build it here and widen it slightly (like they did when they took the Opel Omega body and widened it for the VN) and add a V8 option had gone ahead? (Thanks Tony Abbott!). Holden's chassis engineers are the best in the world and they would have made that mooted car brilliant. As it is they took the Opel Insignia and tweaked the suspension to give us Aussies and NZrs the finest handling cars of all the Insignia variants.

That would add a lot more weight to the car and over the nose which would probably be counter productive to your last point.
The 9 speed auto is a real gem and its always in the right gear. 235 kw's on 91 Octane fuel, AWD, 9 speed auto, all that tech and the superb handling makes for a very good overall package, one that's not too hard on your wallet at the point of purchase or at the petrol bowser.

 

[Brettly-2008]

That would add a lot more weight to the car and over the nose which would probably be counter productive to your last point.
The 9 speed auto is a real gem and its always in the right gear. 235 kw's on 91 Octane fuel, AWD, 9 speed auto, all that tech and the superb handling makes for a very good overall package, one that's not too hard on your wallet at the point of purchase or at the petrol bowser.

The LS engines aren't very heavy relatively speaking and where Holden positioned them in Zeta (well behind the front axle line) means weight "over the nose" wouldn't have been substantial in a similar arrangement Stroppy mentioned above. Zeta weight distribution was near 50-50 in VE-VF even in the V8 models. I think a ZB with AWD across the board with V6 and V8 and a north-south 9-speed auto would've been a cracker.

Wouldn't have changed the outcome though, unfortunately.

 

[tuckerbag]

That would add a lot more weight to the car and over the nose which would probably be counter productive to your last point.
The 9 speed auto is a real gem and its always in the right gear. 235 kw's on 91 Octane fuel, AWD, 9 speed auto, all that tech and the superb handling makes for a very good overall package, one that's not too hard on your wallet at the point of purchase or at the petrol bowser.

But we all know what ya mates would carry on if you were caught with a goat