|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
17 April 2006
King
of the new car market for many years, Holden's Commodore is ideally
suited to Australian driving conditions, not to forget drivers’
desires. Strongly built and engineered for running on country roads as
well as city streets, Commodore has an excellent reputation for being
able to stand up to the harsh world of daily running on bush roads. As
well as the just as tough commuting work in ever-thickening daily
traffic.
The current Commodore body began way back in August 1997 with the VT
series; it received a minor facelift and mechanical changes to become
the VT Series II in June 1999.
Commodore VX of August 2000 saw more appearance changes and the VX
Series II arrived just 12 months later, the real changes to the VX II
were to the suspension, especially the rear. These further improved the
stability and handling.Commodore VY was launched in October 2002 and
carried substantial appearance changes, it too was facelifted, this time
to become the VY II in August 2003. Finally, the VZ arrived in September
2004 and is still current. The big news with the introduction of the VZ
was a completely new six-cylinder engine, more about it in a moment.
The VZ Commodore is due to be replaced by an all-new VE Commodore
somewhere in the second half of 2006.
Ride
comfort is very good, even on rough roads and this is a genuine
five-seat car, though the traveller in the centre-rear seat may find
foot space compromised by the transmission tunnel. Boot space is good in
the sedan and excellent in the wagon due to the latter’s longer
wheelbase.
The Commodore model range is large: Commodore Executive, Acclaim and
Berlina. Strictly speaking the most expensive of the lot isn’t called
a Commodore, simply a Calais. The latter has almost invariably belonged
to a private buyer, while there's a real risk the lower cost variants
may have begun their lives as company cars.
On the sporting side are the Commodore S and SS with firmer suspension,
tauter steering, revamped seats and body kits. Not as hot as the HSV
Commodores, these Holden models do provide a lot of driving pleasure at
a moderate price.
Holden
frequently does runs of special editions, the best value of these is
arguably the oft-recurring Vacationer series.
Most
Commodores prior to the VZ range have a pushrod V6 engine of 3.8 litres.
There's also a supercharged 3.8-litre V6 with added torque, but it never
found any real adherents and was discontinued in 2004. From the VZ range
all-new twin-cam V6s of 3.6 litres replaced the aging 3.8-litre engine.
Sold in two formats, one with variable valve and intake timing for a
greater spread of torque and improved power, it’s a modern engine. On
the other hand it’s not as smooth or quiet as many of its
competitors’.
There
were two V8s in the pre-VZ Commodores; one an old Australian design of
5.0 litres, the other a Chevrolet unit adapted to Holden specifications
with 5.7 litres. This Generation III Chev V8 is much better than the old
Holden on, so much so that resale value of the Holden 5.0-litre suffers
in comparison.
Gen
III has recently been replaced by a Gen IV with 6.0 litres, these are
still too new to have made an impact on the used-car scene at this time.
Almost
all Commodores come with a four-speed automatic transmission. Five-speed
manual gearboxes are on the crude side by today’s standards. So it’s
no surprise to find that they are rare. Manuals could be difficult to
resell so unless you do a lot of country running or really enjoy that
extra bit of control they are possibly best bypassed.
These
are easy cars to work on with plenty of access to most mechanical
components. The good amateur mechanic can do most of their own repairs
although it’s best to leave safety related items to professional
mechanics. There are numerous electronic components that also require
specialist knowledge and/or diagnostic equipment.
Spare
parts prices are generally reasonably priced and we hear very complaints
about availability from Holden’s widespread dealer network. A network
that’s as prevalent in the bush as in the ‘burbs.
Insurance
is pretty cheap for a car of this size and performance, though there can
be a significant extra slug for the sportier models, especially if they
have supercharged or V8 engines.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Be wary of a Commodore that has been a taxi: look for where signs and
meters have been removed and for paint respraying. Severe wear in the
cabin and boot is another indication of an ex-taxi; though it could also
mean the car has been a hard-working commercial car.
Check
for brake fade by doing a succession of hard stops and feeling for a
pedal that gradually has more and more travel – don’t forget to
check that mirror first…
Look
for oil leaks at the rear of the engine sump and check the dipstick
level as some early units had high oil consumption problems.
Automatic
transmissions are generally OK, but one that is slow to go into gear
and/or noisy and harsh in its operation should be treated with caution.
Rust
is seldom a problem in later model Commodores. But look at the lower
areas of the body, doors, tailgate and rear windscreen surround to be
sure. Rust is more likely to be caused by poor quality panel repairs
than any other reason.
Beware of vehicles that have been used commercially when you’re
checking out big Aussie six-cylinder family cars.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
|
