About the Holden COMMODORE
Karl purchased this Holden Commodore new with additional options for $37,600 (including all on-road costs). Karl would buy this car again because: “Absolutely. It’s been a great car and I’m glad I bought one while I had the chance. At the time I test drove an FGX XR6 which offered an excellent drivetrain, but it was obvious Ford had given up on the interior of the car a long time ago.
Once I’d settled on the VF, the conversation with the salesmen went like this:
Me: I want an SV6 in a manual, can I test drive one?
Salesmen: No, there aren’t any available to test drive, but we have an auto.
Me: Can you get a manual from another dealer for me to test drive?
Salesmen: No, I meant there are no manual V6s to test drive in Victoria. If you want one, you’ll just have to order it.
So I signed on the dotted line. In retrospect it was very good value (maybe too good considering the closure of local car manufacturing). Buying the manual was the best $2200 I’ve ever saved as resale values of the manual are better than the auto.”
How reliable has your car been? Tell us about any issues.
Reliability over the last seven years and 120,000km has been good, although there were some issues. The biggest issue I’ve had was a small knocking at low speeds which developed at the at the 110k mark. It turned out to be a sway bar link pin which was replaced by a local mechanic.
There was some abnormal wear on the driver’s side interior door panel, and flaking paint on the edge of the bonnet, both of which were fixed just before the five-year warranty ran out. I also replaced one headlight globe (well, two globes if we include an encounter with a kangaroo which claimed a headlight).
There were a few recalls over the years which was done at service time. This car has seen more dirt roads than a lot of LandCruisers but I haven’t had any rattles or squeaks.
It’s still on the original battery and brake pads (yes, they have been checked by a mechanic recently). I’m very happy with that!
What do you think of the ownership experience with your car?
Overall, I’m very happy with it as it offered something unique in the market. The combination of large, RWD and manual with well-sorted dynamics in affordable package makes it difficult to replace. I wanted something which could be entertaining to drive and could tow (more on that later), while also having reasonable fuel consumption on the long commute to work.
Since I’ve owned the car, my commute has gone from a cross-Melbourne peak hour grind (mostly why I didn’t buy the V8), to a 150km round trip through regional Victoria, and now working from home with the odd very short trip into the office.
The economy is very reasonable considering the size and performance. It did benefit from the weight saving program of the VF including aluminium bonnet, boot, suspension components. The turning circle is pretty good for a large car.
The seats are very comfortable on long trips. Passengers often do a double-take when they see a self-shifter in the centre console. A major gripe with the car is the poor outward visibility due to the large A-pillars. This is made worse by the small mirrors. So much so, that I’m weary of an approaching VE/VF Commodore if I suspect my car is obscured by their A-pillars.
The position of the cupholders were clearly designed for the 95 per cent of people who bought the auto. Any drinks in the centre console result in an awkward elbow-up manoeuvre to change gear. It features an electric handbrake which generally works well, the roll-back prevention is a bit too intrusive.
Being a Commodore, servicing is cheap.
How has the purchase and aftercare experience been with your car?
I paid $37,600 on-road with a black rear spoiler and tow bar (RRP was around $36k). A search of the vehicle inventory revealed the spec I ordered was sitting at the manufacturing plant in Adelaide. Delivery took about three weeks. The car came with five years of capped-price servicing at $170 for a minor service at the dealer which was reasonable.
I also suspect being a regular face at the service department make it much easier at warranty claim time.
It’s well-equipped including sports seats, self-parking, and dual zone climate. Disappointingly, optioning the manual did delete the remote start feature which would be useful on those cold mornings. I also should’ve ticked the box for the sunroof.
This was partially due to not expecting to keep the car as long as I have due to difficulty finding a replacement.
Are you happy with the price and features of your car?
Yes it was very good value at the time and well equipped. I paid $37,600 on road with a black rear spoiler and tow bar (RRP was around 36k). I really like the interior which was heavily updated and improved in the VF. It’s well-equipped including sports seats and self-parking and dual zone climate.
It has automatic parking which will steer itself into a car spot, but you still need to operate the accelerator/brake/clutch when it prompts you. It aligns the car very well in a car space but it’s slow, I’ve used it barely a dozen times in seven years.
The only disappointing thing is by getting the manual, it deleted the remote start feature which would be useful on those cold mornings. I also should’ve ticked the box for the sunroof. The six-speaker sound system is decent for the price but I would’ve liked an option to upgrade.
What do you think of the performance and economy of your car?
The LFX 3.6L V6 is both overshadowed by the wonderful sounding V8, while also dealing with the legacy of earlier engines which loved to munch on timing chains. Outputs are 210kW at 6700rpm and 350Nm, and on road performance is quite punchy with some revs onboard, best performance is in the mid rev range.
It’s quite tractable (peak torque is 2800rpm). Despite improvements to the engine over the years, it still doesn’t sound great. At cold idle the very noisy injectors make themselves known.
Long-term fuel consumption in mixed conditions is around 10.4L/100km (ADR 9.0L/100km) which I think is good considering the size and performance. I mostly use 95 RON. There is a small but detectable improvement in economy and performance on 98. Disappointingly, the E85 compatibility was removed on the MY15 models.
I’m glad I held out and bought the manual as it really improves the level of engagement with the car. The six-speed manual is notchy and has very clear gates between gear shifts. First gear ratio is short, while the rest of the ratios are quite long meaning gaps between rations are fairly large.
It prefers fast, flowing country roads to hairpins. The clutch is light even in traffic, but it should feel more linear.
The brakes are okay, not particularly good or bad, just effective.
Despite the insistence by some a graded dirt road or towing anything requires a 4WD adorned with every conceivable bit of bar work from ARB, I have done plenty of towing with box trailers, mid-size caravans and even a small excavator.
I am consistently impressed with towing performance. Fuel economy with a 1.6 tonne caravan in tow sit around 15-16l/100km. The excellent reverse camera makes hitching up very easy.
What do you think of the technology in your car?
The SV6 was well equipped considering it was second from the bottom of the range. Due to criticism of poor visibility in the VE, Holden added lots of driving aids to the VF.
The reverse camera is clear and high res, even compared with newer cars. The rear cross-traffic alert is great, especially when you’re reversing out of a park with two high vehicles on each side. It’ll even detect pedestrians. It has blind-spot alert which works well.
Occasionally the Bluetooth will drop out and the screen has temporarily frozen 2-3 times.
What do you think of the ride comfort and handling of your car?
The ride and handling are a real highlight of the car. It settles quickly over undulations at speed and body roll is well controlled, while still offering decent compliance. The chassis feels well balanced and planted. Holden advertised the car as having a near 50-50 weight distribution (which annoyingly is why the battery is in the boot).
The SV6 has the same suspension and tyres as the V8 equipped models, it’s clear the chassis can handle more power than the V6 produces.
Stock tyres were 18-inch Bridgestone Potenzas which were very good, I managed about 70,000km out of the original set (running about 39 PSI). The ESC allows a surprising amount of slip before intervening (…or so I’ve been told).
The feel of the brakes is okay, not particularly good or bad, just effective.
Do you have any additional comments about your car?
The SV6 certainly doesn’t command the attention or admiration of the car enthusiast. Well, there was that one time I caught up with a mate who looked at my car and said (non-ironically) “Whoa, nice car!” But to be fair, I had just detailed it, and he knows nothing about cars.
It has the basic ingredients of a driver’s car; a great chassis which handles well, a naturally aspirated engine with enough power to be fun, mated to manual gearbox, driving the rear wheels – just as god intended.
The SV6 will always be overshadowed by the V8 variants, although viewed on its own merits, it represents a great example of what Australian designed and made cars were all about. A solid all-rounder for both someone who enjoys driving, but also can tow when required without needing to resort to a 4WD.
I have considered updating the car, but it’s difficult to replace. The most promising option was the future RWD Mazda 6 in a wagon which seems to have faded away. Maybe a 3 Series touring? Maybe I will skip straight to an EV one day? I’m not sure. In the meantime, I think I’ll hold on to the Commodore just a bit longer.