By
EWAN KENNEDY
3 April 2006
The runout of Holden’s best selling Commodore ever, the VT to VZ
series, has begun. And to help clear the last of the cars Holden is
offering a special model that gives exceptional value.
Tagged the Commodore SVZ, this model has
a sporting theme and will sell from just $32,990 for a four-speed
automatic sedan with the 172 kW Alloytec V6 engine, and $34,990 for a
station wagon in the same configuration. These prices are ‘driveaway
no more to pay’ deals.
Holden says the added value of the
Commodore SVZ compared with the Commodore Executive on which it is based
is $6000.
This additional equipment in the SVZ
includes air conditioning (would you believe that Holden still normally
charges extra for a feature that you get as standard in cars that cost
less than half the price of a Commodore!).
The Commodore SVZ also receives 17-inch
alloy wheels, though the spare is made from steel. There's what the
company describes as a ‘Berlina-style’ revamp to the frontal
appearance, this includes black bezel headlights, and foglamps. Sedans
have a rear-mounted wing and station wagons receive a dust deflector
plus roof racks in place of the wing.
There's a semi-sports nature to the
Commodore SVZ as the aforementioned alloy wheels are backed up by
Holden's FE 1.5 suspension system. This is slightly softer than the
famed FE2 suspension sports setup so the SVZ retains good comfort but
has a sportier feel than the standard steering/suspension setup in the
standard Commodore Executive.
Inside the SVZ’s cabin there is sports
seat trim featuring leather bolsters, and a leather-wrapped steering
wheel, transmission selector and handbrake lever. An in-dash CD player
with a six-disc capacity is now part of the audio system. Power windows
are fitted on the back doors to complement those already on the fronts.
Is this the swan-song for the VZ
Commodore or are there more special models in the pipeline? There's no
way that Holden is going to tell us during this runout phase, but we
await with interest possible future announcements. Not to mention
announcements from Ford, Mitsubishi and Toyota as they counter Holden's
initiative.
Life has seldom been better for the
buyers of family cars in Australia. If you’re halfway thinking of
buying a new one during the next few months it will pay to keep a close
eye not only on further news as we bring it to you, but also at specific
deals that may be on offer from dealers in your local area.
The date for the introduction of the
virtually-all-new VE Commodore has yet to be made public. All Holden
will say that it is coming in the second half of this year.
