I agree on the marketing side but I dont understand why ppl are bothered, original VB commodore was based on the Opel Commodore. Commodore was an Opel nameplate before it ever appeared on a Holden and without it we'd have never had the commodore line in aus
It's the way we define it identity. A good car can be called it original model designation regardless of where it's sold. If it kept the model name Insignia nobody would've cared. I've got 2 Commodores myself right now. To me as an enthusiast,Commodore are big dumb RWD,V8 and preferably manual. FWD or AWD V6 and I couldn't justify it as a Commodore. Same as my affinity with AMG. RWD,V8 making the right noises. Hence why the W204&W205 will be my last AMG. They're not the best cars but they're the cars that I prefer.
mate years ago had one of these as company hacker despite being a 4cyl the dam thing went like a rocket don't the acceleration times but I'm confident it was edged the V6 VF Commodore
I purchased the V6 RS Awd 3.5 years ago and it has now just over 100,000kms on it. Its been an exceptionally good car! If you change the diff oil and trans oil frequently you are far less likely to have any of the reported (albeit rare) drivetrain issues. These are a smooth drive and quite powerful too if you run it on 98ron. I've seen 0-100kph verified on a GPS dragy device in 5.7 seconds. The RS V6 is the value pick at around $20,000 as you get most of the driving experience of the VXR for a significantly lower cost. I'll be keeping mine, it's too good a drive to let go and the value is unbelievably good. Keep up the great work Redriven, you deserve all the success coming your way.
Same RS as yours and mine has now done 62,000k and has been perfect apart from some hum noise only when cold for a couple of k,s from the rear end. Changed the diff oil and it has all completely disppeared so its a good tip to keep the oil fresh. Car recently serviced and it was perfect and like new underneath mechanically.
Yep absolutely love my rsv w/48k km. Will definitely get the transmission serviced at next service as I’m getting a slight whine at low speeds, sounds like a 4wd lol. Great car though
My dad had a ZB RS-V and loved it. Called it the best Commodore that Holden never made. And that's coming from someone who's family owned a Holden dealership and had owned Commodores since the VB.
I doubt it puts a massive smile on your face every time you drive it unlike a SSV Redline Series 2 with it's factory exhaust and the SSV has all the same safety tech except for the adaptive cruise which is rubbish anyway.
Love. My VXR, Best Holden I've driven, and I'm an e.x Test Driver for Holden at Lang Lang, I have driven every model Holden ever built, way above any other in all aspects. Forget the name bullshit.
Bought a RS wagon new in 2018 because I wanted a wagon and it was german built. I knew I was buying an Opel. However I didnt expect Holden to pull out of Australia which caught me by suprise. I have had the transmission replaced, AC replaced and body kit come loose. All fixed under warranty. I still have the car and use it mainly to do long distance driving for which it is sublime. It took months to get the transmission replaced (waiting for parts -we could blame Covid for the shipping issues) and about a week in the shop getting it fixed. So all the comments made about the car is pretty accurate. I always get it serviced by Holden as they usually in the know before somethng goes wrong. I learnt that lesson when I owned s Forester. The dealers usually are aware of issues before hand than independant meachanics (my experience). Also the interior in my car has held up well , I have 7 year old boy who shows scant regard to what he does in the car. I think it is a great drivers car and I think the wagon looks better and has copious amount of room. I have transported a large freezer with room to spare.. I like this channel so I thought I will add my 2 cents for anyone thinking of buying one.
Thanks for the info. I'm really interested in the wagon, but as I like to keep cars for 10+ years, the potential problem of sourcing parts is too much of a concern for me :-( Otherwise I'd quite happily own one, I don't care about the name badge dramas, I just want a family wagon not an SUV!
I’m a Holden man through and through. I have the last of the VF v8s. I never thought anything about these, till I drove one. The v6 awd is amazing, especially if you get a VXR or Calais V . If you haven’t driven one your opinion is worth absolutely nothing. I work in the car industry and it’s one of my favourites to drive.
@@LevyHappyClapper About 20 years ago German Engineers sacrificed strength and longevity for low fuel consumption and emission controls. Buying a German car any more than 5 years old is now a lottery on whether you'll get any of your money back, after you've paid for all the maintenance needed to keep it on the road. What Moron puts a Timing Chain with cheap plastic tensioners at the rear of the engine block?
@@tsubadaikhan6332 Yes, was probably just around 2000-01 merc started, to try and keep up with everyone else, to pump out many different models and multiple levels. Well, quality dropped off so rapidly some were lucky to get 15000k's and just as another example simple things like badges, decals and trim were obviously crooked qc had declined so far. Father worked in rental and lease cars and many companies gave up on the once unequivocally highest regarded marque till things improved.
@@jancula9Bought my first new Toyota after owning Holden’s all my life ,best car I have ever owned perfectly built in Japan have never had a problem with it .The build quality is excellent.
I picked up a Holden Demo 2020 ZB Calais V6 Wagon in 2021 at the height of vehicle pricing when everything was stupidly expensive. These were by far the best value car on the market for their features and performance. My idea was to have it as a daily driver for a while and sell it when the car market calmed down, but I still have it I can't justify selling it when it does everything right as a daily driver. It's still in warranty and has heaps of space for passengers and throwing the dogs in the back. The only issue I've encountered was a faulty fuel gauge which is common and was fixed under warranty. The Calais is no performance car, but they are genuinely quick and handles great for such a large wagon.
I think the biggest problem with these was Holden, and therefore GM's cynical attitude towards the Australian public when selling these, and the likes of the Arcadia etc. Marketing them as "Australia's own car" or whatever crap they spouted at the time was poorly researched, and showed that as a corporation, GM was very out of touch with what the Australian buying public were expecting. Truthfully though, that issue went back a long time before this thing was brought out. With cars like the Craptiva, Epica, Cruze and other very second rate vehicles, all wearing the Holden badge, it was only a matter of time before the guillotine came down.
They were only here in Australia due to thr fact that various governments game them millions and millions of $, If not they would have left 20 years earlier
@lukeclifton4392 no, the majority of Australian built Holden vehicles were engineered in Australia, if not modified versions of American platforms. For example, If I remember correctly, the HQ-WB series was based on a GM D-BODY platform, but I can't be 100% on that without researching, which I can't be bothered doing right now, haha.
I bought my ZB RS wagon in 2019, ex demo and paid $28k. The price was the reason I did. I compared it to a VF 6 and preferred the drive so chose the ZB. It has just ticked over 100,000 kms and I've driven from Qld to Victoria twice. I never really loved it until the second Vic trip where we went from Newcastle to the Sunshine coast on one tank (the new freeway helps) and the wagon is so practical! I've chucked a mattress in the back and had a very comfortable nights sleep post festival. The negatives; The side body kit has never quite stayed stuck on properly. The plastic trim around the instrument console squeaks, and has done since new, not constantly though. The AC compressor went. The computer chip in the rear indicator failed and cost me a grand to replace. Recently it occasionally doesn't recognise the key fob and won't start or lock, which concerns me and am now considering trading it in for a WRX or Civic. Hope this information is useful. Thanks for all your informative videos! Love your work.
Bought an Ex WAPOL ZB and my goodness is this car powerful. its just the RS but regardless of what ZB model you get, you're getting a great car at a good price.
Maybe I'll be outcast by fellow Holden fans, but I like the ZB and almost replaced my VF SS-V with one in late 2022. I love my VF for the usual reasons: its super fast, looks fantastic, loaded with tech, and is Australian. But prices on the ZB were so low that it was almost tempting to buy a low mileage wagon. Looks are subjective but I think it still looks good, the interior did still have a Holden feel and was well assembled, it was roomy, and despite not being a rocket, felt very refined on the road. I can't speed often in the SS-V and this ZB was still fun and the fuel economy would be a huge improvement. I decided to keep the SS-V because of the emotional attachment but I dont blame anyone who buys one. Holden was in a tough spot and was screwed either way with the naming of this car. Keeping the Commodore name ticked off the loyalists. But using the failed Insignia name or any other new model name would have no name recognition and this car would ve unheard off. It was an unenviable position
Hi from Alan from the city of Birmingham second city of United Kingdom just to say love your reviews as I’ve got the same car in grey 8 speed automatic Diesel, as I’ve had it for six months now after upgrading from the older model and it’s an absolute superb motor and value for money as it’s two years old the one I’ve got low mileage and i saved myself nearly 10,000 English pounds from what it was brand-new as it still looks as good as a new one, as i would recommend this car to any one 👍
I absolutely loved that car. Such a brilliant thing on the press route from Melb to San Remo. AWD made it a weapon. Those massage rollers can be felt in the seat after several hours behind the wheel, which I know because I drove the sportwagon from Melbourne to Sydney. Also that flip-up cover on a 60thou ZB is actually functioning compared to the POS one in my 2018 Outback at 40thou.
there are 2 reasons why this copped so much flak from the Holden community and they are 1: it was Front-Wheel-Drive! and 2: it didnt have a V8 option anywhere Holden fans were fine with calling a Skunk a Cat until the factory took away the V8 and Rear Wheel Drive.
That wasn’t the problem. The Commodore name was already dead. The only people who bought the previous generation were fleet buyers or the odd Holden die hard. And fleets had already moved on.
I bought a Buick Regal Tour X in 2019. It was a model 2018 but was unsold for almost a year and when I bought it it only had 92 miles. The original MSRP was $45,000 US but I ended up paying $27,500.00. It recently turned 135,000 miles and the only repairs have been a replacement rear wiper motor and a power window motor. Never failed to start or leave anybody stranded.
It's just insane how Opel got mismanaged by GM. They have been ruining the brand for far too long and naming the brand differently in every region has put it in an identity crisis. It didn't suprise me that Stellantis made it profitable right the first year opel got handed 😂
GM were not going to call it an Opel here in Australia when Holden was already an established brand. In fact the Astra was sold in Australia for a short while under the Opel brand and that didn't work.
I have a 2019 Buick Regal Avenir with the turbocharged I4. Great car, a more luxury-oriented trim as opposed to the GS/VXR. Beautiful white leather interior, very pleasant ride and handling. Seems to be the most uncommon trim here in the U.S. on an already very uncommon car. Only issue I've had was the transmission control module needing to be reset due to rough shifting from 4th to 5th gear. A simple plugging in of a laptop and recycling the system took care of that. Other than that, no issues. The door lock thing rattles in its hole sometimes, but that's the only minor annoyance. It only has 35,000 miles (56,000 km), but so far, it's been great.
I have the VXR model it has done around 77k and I absolutely love it, for the first month of ownership I could not keep my foot out of it and it loves to drink gas, the exhaust note on these are fantastic combined with the 9spd auto its such fun to drive. I'm learning to drive a bit more sedately and the fuel consumption is good (around 9.5 -10l /100k). I also notice and this could be because its totally blacked out, wheels, tints, all chrome blacked that it gets a lot of looks from people, a great solid car for $30k nz.
If this was named anything else but the Commodore, it would have been pretty well received, but the fact that it was seen as the successor to the beloved VE and VF Commodores who had the last of the V8’s many die hard fans (including myself) felt that this tarnished the Commodore name. It had nothing about it to be named a Commodore, it was just a European import slapped with the Commodore name badge, and on top of that it was only available with a 3.6L V6 and a 2.0L turbo 4 banger with no V8 in sight which also caused controversy amongst the Holden fans. If Holden named this with another name and let the true Australian Commodore’s go out with a bang with the VF model then this as I said wouldn’t have copped so much criticism.
the original 1979 commodore was a european design, modified to stick in the 6 and V8 engines. As the presenter states, all commodores were similar mixed bags of modified euro vauxhalls and opels with US based engines from the GM parts bin. This one just went back to the base unit without modifications and was fully imported.
@@richlawrence4160 true but the original VB was the first "Commodore". Imagine if GMH had shitcanned the HZ and called the first Commodores "Kingswood" and "Premier"? There were a lot of diehards back in the late 70s that wanted to stubbornly stick with their Kingswoods as the size of the Commodore was thought to be too small. GMH in the late 70s was a real mess from decisions made in the early 70s trying to sell Kingswoods/Premiers, Commodores and Toranas/Sunbirds as Holden's large and medium car segment. This was due to uncertainty with the price of oil from the OPEC shock of '73 and the Iranian Revolution in '79. Imagine how things would have turned out if Holden held their nerve and built the original WA (with a liftback like the Rover SD1) and kept the associated lineup of wagons and commercials well into the 1980s.
In any case, it would not have avoided the demise of Holden. But yes, you're correct, what a moronic strategy on behalf of Holden. I doubt the outcome would have been worst had they named it something else. Cheers
Spot on, thanks guys. As the owner of a used RS-V with the same drivetrain as the VXR, I see it as one of the best kept motoring secrets of all time. I love the fact that they are not common on the roads - adds to the X-factor.
My father in law has a ZB Commodore RS. For $20k they are incredible value. Well made, good dricing experience, good boot space and for a fantastoc price.
Best car I've ever owned.. by far.. 2018 ZB Sports Wagon RS, 2.0 Direct Injected turbo. Such a pleasure to drive, I sometimes go for a drive, just for fun! Entertainment system is AWESOME, crank it up SO loud and heavy.. no distortion awesome base, crystal clean! very few complaints.. but here they are.. and are so minor. Swapped the Brigestone supercats for Pirelli's.. WAY WAY BETTER grip and less noise.. (front used to slide out at speed, in a tight turn, in the wet.. no more!) Phone connectivity is via USB cable (phone calls work via BT, but maps and such don't - USB only WTF?) I added a USB to BT unit in center console.. everything via Bluetooth now - perfect now & how it should have been from factory though.. The electric side mirrors are not automatic (you have to press a button to extend/retract) sometimes I forget, but meh! (S/W update could fix that? but future Holden support?) The auto stop/start defaults to ON every restart, hate that! (I bought an odb2 start/stop disable unit - sorted it). The car has door lock knobs, granted useful to check if it's locked.. but they located them right where your arm sits when driving like an aussie, could have put them towards the front of the door sill instead of rear... also when MetalicA is pumping.. hard, the knob vibrates in its hole, some heatshrink sorts that. Glovebox could have been bigger, there's room for it, but they didn't capitalize on it. Should have added the twin exhaust tail pipes on the wagon (std on the hatch).. just mentioning as it's a sportier look. not a fault.. Paint is too thin for my liking... and does scratch easy... (I'm just very careful who I park next to now!) haven't had any fading, but garaged @ home. that's it... Other than these cosmetic/picky things.. EVERTHING else is spot on.. Super powerful (no turbo lag, like the Mondeo I had prior) NEVER had any mechanical issue of any form (6 years now) (160k) SO Happy I bought this car, and I've owned/driven (as company cars) quite a few..(20+) oh.. and there is a sunglass compartment up top? maybe just in the sportswagons?? My 2c AJ
‘18 Calais Tourer 160k. Zero issues. Very tight & beautiful to drive…however paint at the top of the windscreen started to peel. Two rims have cracked with country pot holes.
The Vauxhall variant really struggled in the UK due to badge snobbery and image issues. After Clarkson panned it’s predecessor (Vectra) Vauxhall struggled to sell this type of car. People also preferred to have an Audi A4 or 3 series BMW or an SUV. I think they’re a good looking and very capable car, especially a sporty wagon!
I think a bigger problem for his type of car was cheap finance and leasing deals on German brands. Once you could get a 3 series or a C class for the same or similar monthly payment nobody wanted an insignia. Same went for the Mondeo and the Honda Accord. The Passat only survived because VW managed to convince the public they are an upmarket brand. As much as I'd like to blame Clarkson for it I think the cheap leasing deals are more to blame.
I owned a ZB Calais wagon and it was one of the nicest cars I’ve bought UNTIL I bought a blue Toyota crown hybrid exactly the same one that you reviewed,yes it’s much older but what a fantastic car the crown hybrid is Great review guys 👍
I'm from Europe and have had a vauxhall/opel insignia as a courtesy car when my opel meriva was in being serviced and it was a beautiful car to drive. A 1.5 cdti which was so smooth and quick. Such a lovely quality finished car. Would gladly own an Insignia/commodore.
I bought a 2018 Calais V late last year (25k NZD, 70000km). I have had some ongoing issues with the AC and a compressor is on back order....in saying that, of the many cars I have owned this is my favorite to date. I love driving it. The tech features are well refined, the lane keep assist etc is there but doesn't get in the way like some cars to. Its quick, handles really well, its quiet and comfortable. Its a bit harder on petrol than expected around town, but very economical on the open road. My only real gripe is with lack of storage space for the driver, my phone won't fit in the small wireless charging pocket. and the radar detector uses the lighter socket, which sticks out over the drink hole. These days there are few family cars that are "drivers" cars, this car fits that description. Was either this or a ute - if you like driving it's a no brainer.
As a long time Alfa owner, I'd have the v6 wagon in a heartbeat. Probably the best looking non-exotic wagon since the 159 SW Tbi. My only problem - apart from concern over sourcing parts/workshops as these age now that Holden is dead and buried - is that for the same money I could get a similar age Giulia Veloce.
I got a 2019 RSV AWD V6 with 37,000kms for $31k 2 years ago (early 2022) - now got 73,000kms on it. Only issue thermostat golden covered under warranty even though was out by 2-3 months. This thing isn’t fast but it’s quick, handling is awesome lots of fun. Hugs the road really nice especially with newish shoes. 0-100 when I’ve mucked around 6.1-6.3 seconds. I want a new car but for the $23-25k I’ll get for this I can’t justify buying anything else yet
The wife and I bought a zb Calais tourer Back in May 2018 Honestly it was the nicest car I’ve ever owned It truly was a premium car Went like a cut snake Great on fuel Really good on rough roads Amazing car for over taking Unfortunately due to circumstances we sold it after 18 months It was the most depreciated car I’ve owned also Paid $65,000 After 18months and 27,000ks The best offer we got was 18,000ks It truly was a beautiful car
I'd honestly look at a Bitter Vero Sport or Bitter Insignia (pending the cost) as from what I understand they reworked the motors to be more reliable. Had to laugh at Dave with the protection quip at the end of the safety features overview. I was honestly surprised that rust isn't a major issue with these considering what their forefathers suffer from. Brilliant video guys, keep up the good work and l look forward too Sunday's video as per usual 👍.
I had an RS with the V6 as a rental once, it was a good car and pretty nice to drive. When it was time to buy a new car I considered this but ended up going with a Kia Stinger GT because overall I feel it is a better car
Great job on the video and thanks for sharing. After owning several Commodores over the years and the countless I worked on and after getting rid of my VZ Ute I was actually considering buying a ZB as I had no problem with the Commodore badge going on it specially now Holden is no more. Have been caught up mechanical problems with my personal cars so many times although my VZ V6 had 300k kms on it and was running the original chains thanks to 5000km oil and filter changes from when I first got it. I did have other problems with it and at times like every other car and bike I owned I know the experience at times with sourcing parts but after watching this I think I’ll pass and go for something else. Being an older retired fella and after 40 odd years building and repairing cars and bikes I’m over crawling around under cars and what not and these ZBs sound a lot more problematic than I’d like which is a shamed because they look like a very nice car and having a now rare station wagon (bloody SUVs) again in my life would have been a great bonus. Anyway thanks for the video and for sharing. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I've done 102,000 and it hasn't missed a bit. Drives beautifully, 235kw, and, leather sits, wagon, etc... only people that know bugger all about cars can call it a bad car. And it's German maid.
Apart from the stinger, You’d probably consider a fully loaded Mazda 6 wagon brand new for 55-60k or in the past 5 years in the or so in the $20-40k segment as a contender. Not quite as fast as either and not as much tech probably but still plenty of car and perhaps better parts availability ongoing
Love my ZB. Enormous bang for my buck. My newly licensed daughter has pretty much taken it over and loves it because apparently all har mates think it looks cool. If they hadnt called it a commodore, it would be people would be singing its praises, but hey, keep bagging it and I will get another one cheap.
Why would someone hate the looks of this car? It looks great, IMO. Especially the hatchback/liftback version that the US got, as well as the Regal TourX (a lifted AWD version of the wagon). Like someone in the comments mentioned, if it had gotten a different name it may have sold better.
I've got 2 family members with the 2.0Td Calais. One car has done 195k & the other one has clocked up 335k . Neither have had major problems so far . Both have been very good overall
Brought one the Tourer V wagons after years and years of Passat wagons or Merc wagons, and this is the first Holden since a torana as a kid, and I’ve got to admit it brilliant. It’s perfectly named, tourer, and this is all I use it for. Fuel use is great, comfort good, it just eats miles and isn’t (so far) afflicted with euro sensor issues every few months (cars were all sold after 3 years). Commodore is over a year out of warranty and honestly I’ve had no gripe to justify flicking it
It feels like you were giving it more credit than what it’s due, when you went it the vf which has a objectively much better interior than the zb (great seats, soft touch everywhere, good looking centre console) you said it’s “not that bad”. I’ve been in both and the vfs are much higher quality and actually feel like it has love put into it.
Best car I've ever owned, but the AC hose issue happened 3 months ago. Can't get replacement parts from anywhere, but hoping I can get a local guy to make a new hose with connectors this week. There's a huge backorder on the AC hose because GM aren't making enough of them.
I was initially interested in this over the Stinger due to it being AWD. But after doing some research into the ZB V6 around modifying, the engine bay setup seems to be too tight to even add a turbo or supercharger and the AWD system may not be able to process the added power. The Stinger is still the better car imo.
I never actually thought they were ugly or bad to drive, but sacrificing your dignity to that extent would be very hard. And European Holdens have always been horrid as they age. Vectra, Astra, Barina etc... I'd have a Stinger a million times before I bought one of these.
I've owned a ZB Calais Tourer wagon for five years now and it has been the best car I've had as far as drivability and performance goes for a station wagon. The interior has worn really well, even with two kids. Problems I've had include fuel sender, transmission, thermostat (replaced under warranty)and A/C has never been very cold, even from new. I don't want to replace it as I can no longer buy a V6 station wagon, and I'm not a fan of SUVs
I have a ZB CalaisV and I’ve had just about every model Commodore and the ZB is by far the best car I’ve ever owned, it drives like it’s on rails and is a luxo European car on the freeways. Love it ❤️👍
We had these in England called the Omega and I think this is the nicest design that they have had for a long time. The car looks great and though I have no knowledge of this model, I had the Astra 2 of them as company cars and they never missed a beat. Unfortunatly now they are owned by Stelantis so I do not know what the reliability of Vauxhalls in the future will be.
Chrysler 300, I'd have one over the Holden and Kia... in fact I do have one! :D I bought a used 2012 model in late 2015, and it's been good! Aside from bluetooth not working for about 2.5 years (it started working again last month), and the steering wheel buttons randomly not working (probably a loose connection), it's been reliable. The heated and cooled seats (and heated steering wheel) are brilliant, and the Alpine sound system is pretty good.
This is so true. ZB is such a good car. It rails. I drove one for work for about 80,000ks. Awesome. I would have bought one at auction but needed a dual cab. Last time I looked could get the V6 at auction for 20k.
I'm deeply in love with this incredible car and of course am fearful of future parts availability, luckily I adore the Stinger so would choose it, but they're both delectable 😊
How about including an old person test in the run down.. ie. how easy it is getting in and out of as it's not always just down to the height of the seat
I've had rental VF SV6s and I've had a ZB RS (2.0 turbo fwd). Way preferred the ZB as a driving experience on 'fun' roads. Apart from maybe needing a bit more lateral grip from the front end on the awesome graded dirt roads around the coramandel area of NZ, pretty good car to drive.
I have a 19.5 VXR got it a year ago with just 25k km on the clock perfect showroom condition. Like there is NO other car that has so much spec, looks, power, usability and driver feel for this price with the km's amd specs. I know its not built here, but i got a euro sports/luxury i wouldnt be able to afford otherwise. Love it to the bits. And yes it has its small gremlins - an occasional whine around 1500rpm from A/C(even after some replaced parts under warranty). An annoying rattle in the head up display and standard thirstyness if you go harder on the loud pedal . All in all,, probs the best "poor mans sports car" i could ever get 😂
"Question for you; If you wouldn't buy that (ZB Commodore) or this (Kia Stinger), what would you buy?" Answer; A 2017 VF Series 2 Commodore. Just bought a VF Series 2 wagon and it actually almost brings a tear of frustration to my eye every time I drive it when I realise that Holden/GM finally got it right with the last evolution of the Australian-made Commodore line and then they killed it off for good. Problem is that now if you are in the market for an affordable large rear wheel drive sedan or wagon (or even RWD SUV for that matter) then you are clear outta luck; it's either FWD or you have to dig deep into your wallet to afford for a premium European.
No. Buy the Stinger. Far superior to the VF - much more modern, and a better drive and likely to be trouble free for many years. The VF V8 may be a bit better suspension wise if you're driving at 10 tenths, but that'll be the only time you'd wish you'd bought the Holden.
I was one of the lucky few to drive these at Lang Lang before they were put on sale. We put the car through some serious hard driving to compare it back to back with the European engineered one. They performed really well and overall it's almost the perfect car. I considered buying one but as we all know, everyone hated them so resale value put me off. The bogans needed something to cry about. I've had most commodore models and buy far this feels the best to drive
Styling wise, yes the Commodore has always been based on or inspired by contemporary Opels but mechanically it was a completely different story. The VB had more in common with the Kingswood underneath the Rekord/Senator mishmash body than it did with either of the Opels. The VN then had that original platform just with widened sills. It only shared the front doors with the contemporary Opels. VT, same again, it only shared the front doors. Yeah, it's not entirely Australian but surprisingly enough, up until the FG X Falcon the Australian made car with the most Australian made content was the *Toyota Camry/Aurion*. It's still not entirely fair to ping the previous Commodores for not being Australian.
The HQ to WB and the VE and WM were all clean sheet Australian designs apart from drivelines (except 202, 308 253 and Traumatic trans etc). Will not be giving up my WB Magnum or WB HSV Grange. Aurion was an Australian design, Camrys not so much - see them all around the world. Mitsubishi Magna and Verada from 96 to about 2003 until the 'Galant' 380 were mostly clean sheet Australian designed as well and exported as Diamante.
Give it up mate. It's NOT a Commodore. 4 cylinder front wheel drive?? Just call it what it is. A bloody Camira. This is a disgrace to the Commodore brand! How will this handle Bathurst? I agree with everyone on here that says THIS car may have had a chance if it was called something else. Calling this a Commodore nailed the coffin shut.
I owned new Holdens all my life .When I replaced my VE I was not interested in the Imported Commodore didn’t even test drive it .Bought new 2019 V6 SL Toyota Camry best car I have ever owned First car I have owned that hasn’t had to go back to the dealer with something wrong with it .Beautifully made quality from Japan .The motor is as smooth as silk the VE Commodore was a very noisy motor not smooth at all .Only one regret with the Toyota is that i hadn’t bought them years ago .
I'm sure it was a good car, but several issues worked against it:- calling it a Holden Commodore when it wasn't locally made like the previous Commodores, and the fact that buyers had lost interest in this type of car generally. SUV's were replacing large sedans as the choice for families. When the ZB was released, i gave it five years. It was virtually gone after three.
I've owned the opel version (2.0CDTI 8 speed automatic) for 3 years now. 60.000 kilometers without issue. I really love this car One weird little detail. I do have a spot for sunglasses near the central mirror. I can't imagine why Holden wouldn't have that. Mine also has the camera and automatic mirror dimmer do that can't be it. I am however jealous we can't get the V6. It's European predecessors (insignia A and vectra C) had a V6 option
Im thinkiing of purchasing a VXR and de-badging it apart from VXR and switching out the grille and hatch with the Opel badges from UK 👍 the badges are cheap too That wagon lowered with the sweet wheels was actually Shane Van Gisbergens in the ZB Holden racing days, I saw the original post back at that time 👍
Thing is the Bogans did not understand two things all but VE/VF were Opel Based and even if manufacturing had continued the ZB is the car that would have been manufactured. The 2.0l petrol was the most powerful base model commodore ever. They were so cheap just before Covid and at the start of Covid when the car rentals places were shedding stock its a shame I did not buy one . RS 4cyl Turbo with 10k km for $18k
In parts of Europe and in Turkey, the older generations came with the (Astra too) 1.6 CDTi 4 Cylinder 136hp 320nm engine (simple remap takes it up to 170ish hp and 400nm of torque). One of the best, if not the best 1.6 liter diesel engines ever made tbh especially when paired with the 6 speed torque convertible automatic gearbox that they were offered with. Never knew the new generation was ever even sold in Australia, let alone the 3.5 liter petrol V6. I genuinely think it has one of the best looking design along with new Mazda 6. If the 2.0 diesel engine is the same one we've had here in past and present, I havent heard good things about it, but again, never driven one of these.
I had the diesel version. Whilst it was nice to drive and economical It was unreliable. It was off the road for 3 months waiting for timing chain parts replaced under warranty. The DPF had to be replaced because of the timing chain issue. The leather steering wheel peeled and was replaced under warranty. The car was always garaged. The dealer had little interest in customer service as they sell MG now. The diesel motor is made by Fiat and is used in Jeeps too. The motor apparently has a seal inside that eventually fails and can lead to destroying the engine.
Great video as always, I just miss when you gave us the real fuel consumption you found instead of just giving the consumption claimed by the manufacturers.
Having owned a few commodores including a number of V8's, the last a VE SSV but the ZB RSV I had (for 4 years) was the best of all. Yes, it didn't have the top end grunt of a V8 but no one beat me off the line in the wet with the AWD system. Build quality was far superior, it should not have been called a Commodore it should have been Insignia.
I have 2018 VXR, the rear differential rebreather had to be fixed under warranty. Ended up having the whole diff replaced. The car had only done 10,000kms. Other than that it’s been trouble free. The V6 has remarkable fuel economy for a 3.6L engine, better than my 2.0L turbo 4 I owed before it.
Should of badged it as a Torana, Sunbird would of got a better reception/acceptance. That model name relates more to Holden buyers 4-6 cylinder than 6-8 cylinder Commie bracket.
I bought the base model (LT) wagon new in NZ for $30k in late 2019, although it was built in 2018 which shows how bad sales must have been. The second-hand Mazda 6 wagon I looked at the same time had 70000km on it and was only $500 less. I traded a VF Calais V6 wagon in on the ZB giving up the memory leather heated seats (they'd stopped working anyway, repair quote $3k) and HUD in the process. Do miss the VF HUD, but otherwise the ZB LT has most other features the VF Calais had. So far I've only had one reliability issue, it just stopped working one night, totally dead, as in turning over but absolutely no fire, had to be towed to garage. It was a faulty fuel pump controller, just out of warrantee (of course). Fortunately not that expensive in the end at ~$550, but it took 3 weeks to diagnose and source parts etc. Now just coming up to 65000km with a maybe up to 1/3 of those towing. Still goes great, looks and drives well, no issues towing, easily delivers better than claimed fuel economy and doesn't feel like a really big car to drive the way the VF did. Not sure what to get next to match all that - if only they'd called it an Insignia as hellothere4342 said or really anything but Commodore and not offended their whole Aussie fan base.
These are not terrible car. The problem with it was the naming. If you just call it Holden Insignia it would've been fine.
💯 agree Holdens Biggest mistake was to call it a Commodore
I agree on the marketing side but I dont understand why ppl are bothered, original VB commodore was based on the Opel Commodore. Commodore was an Opel nameplate before it ever appeared on a Holden and without it we'd have never had the commodore line in aus
It's the way we define it identity. A good car can be called it original model designation regardless of where it's sold. If it kept the model name Insignia nobody would've cared. I've got 2 Commodores myself right now. To me as an enthusiast,Commodore are big dumb RWD,V8 and preferably manual. FWD or AWD V6 and I couldn't justify it as a Commodore. Same as my affinity with AMG. RWD,V8 making the right noises. Hence why the W204&W205 will be my last AMG. They're not the best cars but they're the cars that I prefer.
Holden already ranged “Holden Insignia” after Opel pulled pin in Australia and Holden Insignia was sales flop.
mate years ago had one of these as company hacker despite being a 4cyl the dam thing went like a rocket don't the acceleration times but I'm confident it was edged the V6 VF Commodore
I purchased the V6 RS Awd 3.5 years ago and it has now just over 100,000kms on it. Its been an exceptionally good car! If you change the diff oil and trans oil frequently you are far less likely to have any of the reported (albeit rare) drivetrain issues. These are a smooth drive and quite powerful too if you run it on 98ron. I've seen 0-100kph verified on a GPS dragy device in 5.7 seconds. The RS V6 is the value pick at around $20,000 as you get most of the driving experience of the VXR for a significantly lower cost. I'll be keeping mine, it's too good a drive to let go and the value is unbelievably good. Keep up the great work Redriven, you deserve all the success coming your way.
Same RS as yours and mine has now done 62,000k and has been perfect apart from some hum noise only when cold for a couple of k,s from the rear end. Changed the diff oil and it has all completely disppeared so its a good tip to keep the oil fresh. Car recently serviced and it was perfect and like new underneath mechanically.
Yep absolutely love my rsv w/48k km. Will definitely get the transmission serviced at next service as I’m getting a slight whine at low speeds, sounds like a 4wd lol. Great car though
My dad had a ZB RS-V and loved it. Called it the best Commodore that Holden never made. And that's coming from someone who's family owned a Holden dealership and had owned Commodores since the VB.
Its all true Holden's will never die
holden didn't make it but
Guess he hasn't put enough kms on it till everything starts breaking
Its not a funking holden
I doubt it puts a massive smile on your face every time you drive it unlike a SSV Redline Series 2 with it's factory exhaust and the SSV has all the same safety tech except for the adaptive cruise which is rubbish anyway.
Love. My VXR, Best Holden I've driven, and I'm an e.x Test Driver for Holden at Lang Lang, I have driven every model Holden ever built, way above any other in all aspects. Forget the name bullshit.
Bought a RS wagon new in 2018 because I wanted a wagon and it was german built. I knew I was buying an Opel. However I didnt expect Holden to pull out of Australia which caught me by suprise. I have had the transmission replaced, AC replaced and body kit come loose. All fixed under warranty. I still have the car and use it mainly to do long distance driving for which it is sublime. It took months to get the transmission replaced (waiting for parts -we could blame Covid for the shipping issues) and about a week in the shop getting it fixed. So all the comments made about the car is pretty accurate. I always get it serviced by Holden as they usually in the know before somethng goes wrong. I learnt that lesson when I owned s Forester. The dealers usually are aware of issues before hand than independant meachanics (my experience). Also the interior in my car has held up well , I have 7 year old boy who shows scant regard to what he does in the car. I think it is a great drivers car and I think the wagon looks better and has copious amount of room. I have transported a large freezer with room to spare.. I like this channel so I thought I will add my 2 cents for anyone thinking of buying one.
Thanks for the info. I'm really interested in the wagon, but as I like to keep cars for 10+ years, the potential problem of sourcing parts is too much of a concern for me :-( Otherwise I'd quite happily own one, I don't care about the name badge dramas, I just want a family wagon not an SUV!
I’m a Holden man through and through. I have the last of the VF v8s. I never thought anything about these, till I drove one. The v6 awd is amazing, especially if you get a VXR or Calais V . If you haven’t driven one your opinion is worth absolutely nothing. I work in the car industry and it’s one of my favourites to drive.
Loved the quote, "obviously we're not talking Japanese build quality here" Mr Morris has nailed it again.
German build quality ?
@@LevyHappyClapper About 20 years ago German Engineers sacrificed strength and longevity for low fuel consumption and emission controls. Buying a German car any more than 5 years old is now a lottery on whether you'll get any of your money back, after you've paid for all the maintenance needed to keep it on the road. What Moron puts a Timing Chain with cheap plastic tensioners at the rear of the engine block?
@@tsubadaikhan6332 Yes, was probably just around 2000-01 merc started, to try and keep up with everyone else, to pump out many different models and multiple levels. Well, quality dropped off so rapidly some were lucky to get 15000k's and just as another example simple things like badges, decals and trim were obviously crooked qc had declined so far. Father worked in rental and lease cars and many companies gave up on the once unequivocally highest regarded marque till things improved.
To be fair "Japanese build quality" itself is not as it used to be, especially those manufactured outside of Japan
@@jancula9Bought my first new Toyota after owning Holden’s all my life ,best car I have ever owned perfectly built in Japan have never had a problem with it .The build quality is excellent.
I picked up a Holden Demo 2020 ZB Calais V6 Wagon in 2021 at the height of vehicle pricing when everything was stupidly expensive. These were by far the best value car on the market for their features and performance. My idea was to have it as a daily driver for a while and sell it when the car market calmed down, but I still have it I can't justify selling it when it does everything right as a daily driver. It's still in warranty and has heaps of space for passengers and throwing the dogs in the back. The only issue I've encountered was a faulty fuel gauge which is common and was fixed under warranty. The Calais is no performance car, but they are genuinely quick and handles great for such a large wagon.
I think the biggest problem with these was Holden, and therefore GM's cynical attitude towards the Australian public when selling these, and the likes of the Arcadia etc. Marketing them as "Australia's own car" or whatever crap they spouted at the time was poorly researched, and showed that as a corporation, GM was very out of touch with what the Australian buying public were expecting.
Truthfully though, that issue went back a long time before this thing was brought out. With cars like the Craptiva, Epica, Cruze and other very second rate vehicles, all wearing the Holden badge, it was only a matter of time before the guillotine came down.
In reality wasn’t the commodore the only vehicle Holden ever actually engineered?… everything else was either rebadged Daewoo, Opel, Isuzu or GM.
GM couild not run a chook raffle
They were only here in Australia due to thr fact that various governments game them millions and millions of $, If not they would have left 20 years earlier
@lukeclifton4392 no, the majority of Australian built Holden vehicles were engineered in Australia, if not modified versions of American platforms. For example, If I remember correctly, the HQ-WB series was based on a GM D-BODY platform, but I can't be 100% on that without researching, which I can't be bothered doing right now, haha.
@daweigo6851 100%. Towards the end, most of the government funding got funnelled back into GM in the U.S, to help keep them afloat, AFAIK.
I bought my ZB RS wagon in 2019, ex demo and paid $28k. The price was the reason I did. I compared it to a VF 6 and preferred the drive so chose the ZB.
It has just ticked over 100,000 kms and I've driven from Qld to Victoria twice. I never really loved it until the second Vic trip where we went from Newcastle to the Sunshine coast on one tank (the new freeway helps) and the wagon is so practical! I've chucked a mattress in the back and had a very comfortable nights sleep post festival.
The negatives;
The side body kit has never quite stayed stuck on properly.
The plastic trim around the instrument console squeaks, and has done since new, not constantly though.
The AC compressor went.
The computer chip in the rear indicator failed and cost me a grand to replace.
Recently it occasionally doesn't recognise the key fob and won't start or lock, which concerns me and am now considering trading it in for a WRX or Civic. Hope this information is useful.
Thanks for all your informative videos! Love your work.
Bought an Ex WAPOL ZB and my goodness is this car powerful. its just the RS but regardless of what ZB model you get, you're getting a great car at a good price.
I hired a RS ZB and it was a fantastic car the 2.0 turbo had great power and economy. No lag from the turbo and great torque.
7:48 You get your own "heat seaters"? Now that's exclusive to Holden! =)
Gotta be careful of a 'Heat Seater' aimed straight at your Butt!
Unless you owned an old Beetle. Then you also got them. Didn’t even need to press a button to start them either, but it was rather spontaneous.
Hahaha came here to see if anyone else heard that
Maybe I'll be outcast by fellow Holden fans, but I like the ZB and almost replaced my VF SS-V with one in late 2022.
I love my VF for the usual reasons: its super fast, looks fantastic, loaded with tech, and is Australian.
But prices on the ZB were so low that it was almost tempting to buy a low mileage wagon. Looks are subjective but I think it still looks good, the interior did still have a Holden feel and was well assembled, it was roomy, and despite not being a rocket, felt very refined on the road.
I can't speed often in the SS-V and this ZB was still fun and the fuel economy would be a huge improvement.
I decided to keep the SS-V because of the emotional attachment but I dont blame anyone who buys one.
Holden was in a tough spot and was screwed either way with the naming of this car. Keeping the Commodore name ticked off the loyalists. But using the failed Insignia name or any other new model name would have no name recognition and this car would ve unheard off. It was an unenviable position
Hi from Alan from the city of Birmingham second city of United Kingdom just to say love your reviews as I’ve got the same car in grey 8 speed automatic Diesel, as I’ve had it for six months now after upgrading from the older model and it’s an absolute superb motor and value for money as it’s two years old the one I’ve got low mileage and i saved myself nearly 10,000 English pounds from what it was brand-new as it still looks as good as a new one, as i would recommend this car to any one 👍
I absolutely loved that car. Such a brilliant thing on the press route from Melb to San Remo. AWD made it a weapon.
Those massage rollers can be felt in the seat after several hours behind the wheel, which I know because I drove the sportwagon from Melbourne to Sydney.
Also that flip-up cover on a 60thou ZB is actually functioning compared to the POS one in my 2018 Outback at 40thou.
there are 2 reasons why this copped so much flak from the Holden community and they are
1: it was Front-Wheel-Drive! and
2: it didnt have a V8 option anywhere
Holden fans were fine with calling a Skunk a Cat until the factory took away the V8 and Rear Wheel Drive.
exactly, dealer tried to sell me one, I said I will wait till the v8 version is available
That wasn’t the problem. The Commodore name was already dead. The only people who bought the previous generation were fleet buyers or the odd Holden die hard. And fleets had already moved on.
It had V6 awd version they never got overseas maybe they should have followed Toyota Camry/Orion and just badged V6 as Commodore...
I think you really mean 'fanbois'
👍from a Ford fan FWD😫
Had the pleasure of a test drive of a VXR - Best Commodore apart from Brock HDT, I've driven.
I bought a Buick Regal Tour X in 2019.
It was a model 2018 but was unsold for almost a year and when I bought it it only had 92 miles.
The original MSRP was $45,000 US but I ended up paying $27,500.00.
It recently turned 135,000 miles and the only repairs have been a replacement rear wiper motor and a power window motor.
Never failed to start or leave anybody stranded.
It's just insane how Opel got mismanaged by GM. They have been ruining the brand for far too long and naming the brand differently in every region has put it in an identity crisis. It didn't suprise me that Stellantis made it profitable right the first year opel got handed 😂
GM were not going to call it an Opel here in Australia when Holden was already an established brand. In fact the Astra was sold in Australia for a short while under the Opel brand and that didn't work.
Mate, very very well said. Loved this review. I will be buying one very soon. Thankyou.
The start stop feature becoming broken would be a blessing for any vehicle
Keep Dave doing the safety features, he’s a bloody legend.
Gotta love the only safety feature you don't get is protection from other Commodore Drivers abusing you for not buying a Real Commodore.
Haha yeah I had a good chuckle to myself.
I have a 2019 Buick Regal Avenir with the turbocharged I4. Great car, a more luxury-oriented trim as opposed to the GS/VXR. Beautiful white leather interior, very pleasant ride and handling. Seems to be the most uncommon trim here in the U.S. on an already very uncommon car. Only issue I've had was the transmission control module needing to be reset due to rough shifting from 4th to 5th gear. A simple plugging in of a laptop and recycling the system took care of that. Other than that, no issues. The door lock thing rattles in its hole sometimes, but that's the only minor annoyance. It only has 35,000 miles (56,000 km), but so far, it's been great.
I have the VXR model it has done around 77k and I absolutely love it, for the first month of ownership I could not keep my foot out of it and it loves to drink gas, the exhaust note on these are fantastic combined with the 9spd auto its such fun to drive. I'm learning to drive a bit more sedately and the fuel consumption is good (around 9.5 -10l /100k). I also notice and this could be because its totally blacked out, wheels, tints, all chrome blacked that it gets a lot of looks from people, a great solid car for $30k nz.
If this was named anything else but the Commodore, it would have been pretty well received, but the fact that it was seen as the successor to the beloved VE and VF Commodores who had the last of the V8’s many die hard fans (including myself) felt that this tarnished the Commodore name. It had nothing about it to be named a Commodore, it was just a European import slapped with the Commodore name badge, and on top of that it was only available with a 3.6L V6 and a 2.0L turbo 4 banger with no V8 in sight which also caused controversy amongst the Holden fans. If Holden named this with another name and let the true Australian Commodore’s go out with a bang with the VF model then this as I said wouldn’t have copped so much criticism.
the original 1979 commodore was a european design, modified to stick in the 6 and V8 engines. As the presenter states, all commodores were similar mixed bags of modified euro vauxhalls and opels with US based engines from the GM parts bin. This one just went back to the base unit without modifications and was fully imported.
@@richlawrence4160 true but the original VB was the first "Commodore". Imagine if GMH had shitcanned the HZ and called the first Commodores "Kingswood" and "Premier"? There were a lot of diehards back in the late 70s that wanted to stubbornly stick with their Kingswoods as the size of the Commodore was thought to be too small. GMH in the late 70s was a real mess from decisions made in the early 70s trying to sell Kingswoods/Premiers, Commodores and Toranas/Sunbirds as Holden's large and medium car segment. This was due to uncertainty with the price of oil from the OPEC shock of '73 and the Iranian Revolution in '79. Imagine how things would have turned out if Holden held their nerve and built the original WA (with a liftback like the Rover SD1) and kept the associated lineup of wagons and commercials well into the 1980s.
Great insight, never thought of that.
In any case, it would not have avoided the demise of Holden. But yes, you're correct, what a moronic strategy on behalf of Holden. I doubt the outcome would have been worst had they named it something else. Cheers
Spot on, thanks guys. As the owner of a used RS-V with the same drivetrain as the VXR, I see it as one of the best kept motoring secrets of all time. I love the fact that they are not common on the roads - adds to the X-factor.
More like the why factor...
Very witty@@joanneburford6364 Have you driven one?
My father in law has a ZB Commodore RS. For $20k they are incredible value. Well made, good dricing experience, good boot space and for a fantastoc price.
I love my 2018 Vauxhall Insignia 2 ltr Turbo. It's comfortable, got poke and is a lot of car for the money.
Best car I've ever owned.. by far.. 2018 ZB Sports Wagon RS, 2.0 Direct Injected turbo.
Such a pleasure to drive, I sometimes go for a drive, just for fun!
Entertainment system is AWESOME, crank it up SO loud and heavy.. no distortion awesome base, crystal clean!
very few complaints.. but here they are.. and are so minor.
Swapped the Brigestone supercats for Pirelli's.. WAY WAY BETTER grip and less noise.. (front used to slide out at speed, in a tight turn, in the wet.. no more!)
Phone connectivity is via USB cable (phone calls work via BT, but maps and such don't - USB only WTF?) I added a USB to BT unit in center console.. everything via Bluetooth now - perfect now & how it should have been from factory though..
The electric side mirrors are not automatic (you have to press a button to extend/retract) sometimes I forget, but meh! (S/W update could fix that? but future Holden support?)
The auto stop/start defaults to ON every restart, hate that! (I bought an odb2 start/stop disable unit - sorted it).
The car has door lock knobs, granted useful to check if it's locked.. but they located them right where your arm sits when driving like an aussie, could have put them towards the front of the door sill instead of rear... also when MetalicA is pumping.. hard, the knob vibrates in its hole, some heatshrink sorts that.
Glovebox could have been bigger, there's room for it, but they didn't capitalize on it.
Should have added the twin exhaust tail pipes on the wagon (std on the hatch).. just mentioning as it's a sportier look. not a fault..
Paint is too thin for my liking... and does scratch easy... (I'm just very careful who I park next to now!) haven't had any fading, but garaged @ home.
that's it...
Other than these cosmetic/picky things.. EVERTHING else is spot on..
Super powerful (no turbo lag, like the Mondeo I had prior)
NEVER had any mechanical issue of any form (6 years now) (160k)
SO Happy I bought this car, and I've owned/driven (as company cars) quite a few..(20+)
oh.. and there is a sunglass compartment up top? maybe just in the sportswagons??
My 2c
AJ
I think if they had have called it something else it might have been more successful
‘18 Calais Tourer 160k. Zero issues. Very tight & beautiful to drive…however paint at the top of the windscreen started to peel. Two rims have cracked with country pot holes.
The Vauxhall variant really struggled in the UK due to badge snobbery and image issues. After Clarkson panned it’s predecessor (Vectra) Vauxhall struggled to sell this type of car. People also preferred to have an Audi A4 or 3 series BMW or an SUV. I think they’re a good looking and very capable car, especially a sporty wagon!
I think a bigger problem for his type of car was cheap finance and leasing deals on German brands. Once you could get a 3 series or a C class for the same or similar monthly payment nobody wanted an insignia. Same went for the Mondeo and the Honda Accord. The Passat only survived because VW managed to convince the public they are an upmarket brand. As much as I'd like to blame Clarkson for it I think the cheap leasing deals are more to blame.
The Vectra replacement was the Insignia though, and TG loved that.
@@EnvyCT9Athe Vectra was ultimately the better selling car though on a global scale. They are much more reliable as well
I owned a ZB Calais wagon and it was one of the nicest cars I’ve bought UNTIL I bought a blue Toyota crown hybrid exactly the same one that you reviewed,yes it’s much older but what a fantastic car the crown hybrid is
Great review guys 👍
I'm from Europe and have had a vauxhall/opel insignia as a courtesy car when my opel meriva was in being serviced and it was a beautiful car to drive. A 1.5 cdti which was so smooth and quick. Such a lovely quality finished car. Would gladly own an Insignia/commodore.
I bought a 2018 Calais V late last year (25k NZD, 70000km). I have had some ongoing issues with the AC and a compressor is on back order....in saying that, of the many cars I have owned this is my favorite to date. I love driving it. The tech features are well refined, the lane keep assist etc is there but doesn't get in the way like some cars to. Its quick, handles really well, its quiet and comfortable. Its a bit harder on petrol than expected around town, but very economical on the open road. My only real gripe is with lack of storage space for the driver, my phone won't fit in the small wireless charging pocket. and the radar detector uses the lighter socket, which sticks out over the drink hole. These days there are few family cars that are "drivers" cars, this car fits that description. Was either this or a ute - if you like driving it's a no brainer.
Happy Australia Day 2024 everyone.
that's not very PC 🙂
Either I missed your point or you missed mine. :( Cheers anyway cvx
I got called for weeks to purchase on of these. They couldn’t give them away at that stage, no one wanted them.
Poor sales does not equal a bad product.
Hired one in Oz. It was awesome. Felt like a silky six but was turbo .
As a long time Alfa owner, I'd have the v6 wagon in a heartbeat. Probably the best looking non-exotic wagon since the 159 SW Tbi. My only problem - apart from concern over sourcing parts/workshops as these age now that Holden is dead and buried - is that for the same money I could get a similar age Giulia Veloce.
I got a 2019 RSV AWD V6 with 37,000kms for $31k 2 years ago (early 2022) - now got 73,000kms on it. Only issue thermostat golden covered under warranty even though was out by 2-3 months. This thing isn’t fast but it’s quick, handling is awesome lots of fun. Hugs the road really nice especially with newish shoes. 0-100 when I’ve mucked around 6.1-6.3 seconds. I want a new car but for the $23-25k I’ll get for this I can’t justify buying anything else yet
The wife and I bought a zb Calais tourer
Back in May 2018
Honestly it was the nicest car I’ve ever owned
It truly was a premium car
Went like a cut snake
Great on fuel
Really good on rough roads
Amazing car for over taking
Unfortunately due to circumstances we sold it after 18 months
It was the most depreciated car I’ve owned also
Paid $65,000
After 18months and 27,000ks
The best offer we got was 18,000ks
It truly was a beautiful car
Got ripped.
Not surprised.
65 grand is ludicrous, you definitely got ripped off by 10s of thousands. I paid 45k for mine brand new🤣
that was the funniest voice over of all time!!! more like this love the beer burp couldn't stop laughing.
Great review! You guys are killing it!! (Much love from the UK)
I'd honestly look at a Bitter Vero Sport or Bitter Insignia (pending the cost) as from what I understand they reworked the motors to be more reliable.
Had to laugh at Dave with the protection quip at the end of the safety features overview.
I was honestly surprised that rust isn't a major issue with these considering what their forefathers suffer from.
Brilliant video guys, keep up the good work and l look forward too Sunday's video as per usual 👍.
I had an RS with the V6 as a rental once, it was a good car and pretty nice to drive. When it was time to buy a new car I considered this but ended up going with a Kia Stinger GT because overall I feel it is a better car
We own a Rs Zb and absolutely love it. Can’t fault it at all.
Great job on the video and thanks for sharing. After owning several Commodores over the years and the countless I worked on and after getting rid of my VZ Ute I was actually considering buying a ZB as I had no problem with the Commodore badge going on it specially now Holden is no more.
Have been caught up mechanical problems with my personal cars so many times although my VZ V6 had 300k kms on it and was running the original chains thanks to 5000km oil and filter changes from when I first got it. I did have other problems with it and at times like every other car and bike I owned I know the experience at times with sourcing parts but after watching this I think I’ll pass and go for something else. Being an older retired fella and after 40 odd years building and repairing cars and bikes I’m over crawling around under cars and what not and these ZBs sound a lot more problematic than I’d like which is a shamed because they look like a very nice car and having a now rare station wagon (bloody SUVs) again in my life would have been a great bonus. Anyway thanks for the video and for sharing. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I've done 102,000 and it hasn't missed a bit. Drives beautifully, 235kw, and, leather sits, wagon, etc... only people that know bugger all about cars can call it a bad car. And it's German maid.
Apart from the stinger,
You’d probably consider a fully loaded Mazda 6 wagon brand new for 55-60k or in the past 5 years in the or so in the $20-40k segment as a contender. Not quite as fast as either and not as much tech probably but still plenty of car and perhaps better parts availability ongoing
Love my ZB. Enormous bang for my buck. My newly licensed daughter has pretty much taken it over and loves it because apparently all har mates think it looks cool. If they hadnt called it a commodore, it would be people would be singing its praises, but hey, keep bagging it and I will get another one cheap.
Why would someone hate the looks of this car? It looks great, IMO. Especially the hatchback/liftback version that the US got, as well as the Regal TourX (a lifted AWD version of the wagon). Like someone in the comments mentioned, if it had gotten a different name it may have sold better.
We have the tourX in Australia its the calais tourer except ours has the big v6 and not the 4cyl like the US
I've got 2 family members with the 2.0Td Calais. One car has done 195k & the other one has clocked up 335k . Neither have had major problems so far . Both have been very good overall
had an rs wagon for about 3 years drove it from syd to adelaide and was the best car i have ever driven... ultimate sleeper car
Great review guys , Jim has Probably never had so much time in his segment explaining - potential issues 😂
Brought one the Tourer V wagons after years and years of Passat wagons or Merc wagons, and this is the first Holden since a torana as a kid, and I’ve got to admit it brilliant. It’s perfectly named, tourer, and this is all I use it for. Fuel use is great, comfort good, it just eats miles and isn’t (so far) afflicted with euro sensor issues every few months (cars were all sold after 3 years). Commodore is over a year out of warranty and honestly I’ve had no gripe to justify flicking it
I couldn’t stop laughing at how impressed old mat was with the push to fold rear seat functionality
Yeah, my Mazda6 had that in 2002….
It feels like you were giving it more credit than what it’s due, when you went it the vf which has a objectively much better interior than the zb (great seats, soft touch everywhere, good looking centre console) you said it’s “not that bad”. I’ve been in both and the vfs are much higher quality and actually feel like it has love put into it.
I kinda hate to admit it... but I do like these. The VXR in particular is pretty sweet looking.
There is a fine looking silver car just to the right hand side of Jim, bet that doesn't have timing chain problems.
Best car I've ever owned, but the AC hose issue happened 3 months ago. Can't get replacement parts from anywhere, but hoping I can get a local guy to make a new hose with connectors this week. There's a huge backorder on the AC hose because GM aren't making enough of them.
I was initially interested in this over the Stinger due to it being AWD. But after doing some research into the ZB V6 around modifying, the engine bay setup seems to be too tight to even add a turbo or supercharger and the AWD system may not be able to process the added power. The Stinger is still the better car imo.
GMH really stuffed the marketing of this! Would definitely consider this if if i was looking at a NA v6
I never actually thought they were ugly or bad to drive, but sacrificing your dignity to that extent would be very hard. And European Holdens have always been horrid as they age. Vectra, Astra, Barina etc...
I'd have a Stinger a million times before I bought one of these.
Yeah, hadn't thought about the Stinger, much better argument.
I've owned a ZB Calais Tourer wagon for five years now and it has been the best car I've had as far as drivability and performance goes for a station wagon. The interior has worn really well, even with two kids. Problems I've had include fuel sender, transmission, thermostat (replaced under warranty)and A/C has never been very cold, even from new. I don't want to replace it as I can no longer buy a V6 station wagon, and I'm not a fan of SUVs
I have a ZB CalaisV and I’ve had just about every model Commodore and the ZB is by far the best car I’ve ever owned, it drives like it’s on rails and is a luxo European car on the freeways. Love it ❤️👍
European cars like that already existed. We don’t need all of the brands making identical cars with different badges
Got one of them, great car for the money. 100 times better than my VE i had previously
I've always rated these cars, and would have no issues owning one, fantastic cars, puts "real holdens" to shame.
Chevrolet Commodore in the 80's was in South Africa the Holden ZB Commodore is Opel & Vauxhall Insignia rebranded UK & Europe in the USA Buick Rebel .
We had these in England called the Omega and I think this is the nicest design that they have had for a long time. The car looks great and though I have no knowledge of this model, I had the Astra 2 of them as company cars and they never missed a beat. Unfortunatly now they are owned by Stelantis so I do not know what the reliability of Vauxhalls in the future will be.
Sorry not Omega but Insignia.
Nice! Release it on Australia day and put the boot in to the bogan wet dream. The best commodore had a nissan engine and now this
The VL was not the best commodore by any means. It was only better than what came before it.
The best commodore is the VF and it’s really not even close
@@jeffaustin8112 lets be honest, apart from the newer v8 models this is the best commodore by far
@@jeffaustin8112 yeah, either that or maybe VZ
Chrysler 300, I'd have one over the Holden and Kia... in fact I do have one! :D I bought a used 2012 model in late 2015, and it's been good! Aside from bluetooth not working for about 2.5 years (it started working again last month), and the steering wheel buttons randomly not working (probably a loose connection), it's been reliable. The heated and cooled seats (and heated steering wheel) are brilliant, and the Alpine sound system is pretty good.
This is so true. ZB is such a good car. It rails. I drove one for work for about 80,000ks. Awesome. I would have bought one at auction but needed a dual cab. Last time I looked could get the V6 at auction for 20k.
I'm deeply in love with this incredible car and of course am fearful of future parts availability, luckily I adore the Stinger so would choose it, but they're both delectable 😊
Stinger also history
I'm feeling the Korean may be more trustworthy for parts support than the French-owned orphan. @@LevyHappyClapper
How about including an old person test in the run down.. ie. how easy it is getting in and out of as it's not always just down to the height of the seat
I changed from a VY Berlina to a ZB RSV, ZB is much easier to get out of with my dodgy back. I'm 6'2" tall.
I've had rental VF SV6s and I've had a ZB RS (2.0 turbo fwd). Way preferred the ZB as a driving experience on 'fun' roads. Apart from maybe needing a bit more lateral grip from the front end on the awesome graded dirt roads around the coramandel area of NZ, pretty good car to drive.
I have the 2ltr RS, it's an awesome car
I have a 19.5 VXR got it a year ago with just 25k km on the clock perfect showroom condition. Like there is NO other car that has so much spec, looks, power, usability and driver feel for this price with the km's amd specs. I know its not built here, but i got a euro sports/luxury i wouldnt be able to afford otherwise. Love it to the bits.
And yes it has its small gremlins - an occasional whine around 1500rpm from A/C(even after some replaced parts under warranty). An annoying rattle in the head up display and standard thirstyness if you go harder on the loud pedal .
All in all,, probs the best "poor mans sports car" i could ever get 😂
My Calais 2.0 2018 has the same issue with the whine. Doesn’t bother me all that much. I just tell people it’s the turbo but nobody really notices lol
I'm lucky enough cause I got 2015 volvo S80 T6.... one owner car with less than 50k kilometres. Hope we can get a review on these one.
"Question for you; If you wouldn't buy that (ZB Commodore) or this (Kia Stinger), what would you buy?" Answer; A 2017 VF Series 2 Commodore. Just bought a VF Series 2 wagon and it actually almost brings a tear of frustration to my eye every time I drive it when I realise that Holden/GM finally got it right with the last evolution of the Australian-made Commodore line and then they killed it off for good. Problem is that now if you are in the market for an affordable large rear wheel drive sedan or wagon (or even RWD SUV for that matter) then you are clear outta luck; it's either FWD or you have to dig deep into your wallet to afford for a premium European.
No. Buy the Stinger. Far superior to the VF - much more modern, and a better drive and likely to be trouble free for many years. The VF V8 may be a bit better suspension wise if you're driving at 10 tenths, but that'll be the only time you'd wish you'd bought the Holden.
I was one of the lucky few to drive these at Lang Lang before they were put on sale. We put the car through some serious hard driving to compare it back to back with the European engineered one. They performed really well and overall it's almost the perfect car. I considered buying one but as we all know, everyone hated them so resale value put me off. The bogans needed something to cry about. I've had most commodore models and buy far this feels the best to drive
Styling wise, yes the Commodore has always been based on or inspired by contemporary Opels but mechanically it was a completely different story. The VB had more in common with the Kingswood underneath the Rekord/Senator mishmash body than it did with either of the Opels. The VN then had that original platform just with widened sills. It only shared the front doors with the contemporary Opels. VT, same again, it only shared the front doors.
Yeah, it's not entirely Australian but surprisingly enough, up until the FG X Falcon the Australian made car with the most Australian made content was the *Toyota Camry/Aurion*. It's still not entirely fair to ping the previous Commodores for not being Australian.
The HQ to WB and the VE and WM were all clean sheet Australian designs apart from drivelines (except 202, 308 253 and Traumatic trans etc). Will not be giving up my WB Magnum or WB HSV Grange. Aurion was an Australian design, Camrys not so much - see them all around the world. Mitsubishi Magna and Verada from 96 to about 2003 until the 'Galant' 380 were mostly clean sheet Australian designed as well and exported as Diamante.
Give it up mate. It's NOT a Commodore. 4 cylinder front wheel drive?? Just call it what it is. A bloody Camira. This is a disgrace to the Commodore brand! How will this handle Bathurst? I agree with everyone on here that says THIS car may have had a chance if it was called something else. Calling this a Commodore nailed the coffin shut.
I owned new Holdens all my life .When I replaced my VE I was not interested in the Imported Commodore didn’t even test drive it .Bought new 2019 V6 SL Toyota Camry best car I have ever owned First car I have owned that hasn’t had to go back to the dealer with something wrong with it .Beautifully made quality from Japan .The motor is as smooth as silk the VE Commodore was a very noisy motor not smooth at all .Only one regret with the Toyota is that i hadn’t bought them years ago .
I'm sure it was a good car, but several issues worked against it:- calling it a Holden Commodore when it wasn't locally made like the previous Commodores, and the fact that buyers had lost interest in this type of car generally. SUV's were replacing large sedans as the choice for families.
When the ZB was released, i gave it five years. It was virtually gone after three.
I've owned the opel version (2.0CDTI 8 speed automatic) for 3 years now. 60.000 kilometers without issue.
I really love this car
One weird little detail. I do have a spot for sunglasses near the central mirror.
I can't imagine why Holden wouldn't have that.
Mine also has the camera and automatic mirror dimmer do that can't be it.
I am however jealous we can't get the V6.
It's European predecessors (insignia A and vectra C) had a V6 option
Im thinkiing of purchasing a VXR and de-badging it apart from VXR and switching out the grille and hatch with the Opel badges from UK 👍 the badges are cheap too
That wagon lowered with the sweet wheels was actually Shane Van Gisbergens in the ZB Holden racing days, I saw the original post back at that time 👍
Great review. It was A shame that people didn't buy cars anymore when that Commodore comes out.
Thing is the Bogans did not understand two things all but VE/VF were Opel Based and even if manufacturing had continued the ZB is the car that would have been manufactured. The 2.0l petrol was the most powerful base model commodore ever. They were so cheap just before Covid and at the start of Covid when the car rentals places were shedding stock its a shame I did not buy one . RS 4cyl Turbo with 10k km for $18k
Any of those Opel's come with a V8 ? ..... I am sure all the Bogans know the answer to that.
@@LevyHappyClapper You sound like a true flog. Dumb Aussie that thinks his SSV shit tin is better than anything else.
These are a brilliant car which suffered with the bad blood GM created when it abandoned Australia. Solid, reliable and great to drive.
In parts of Europe and in Turkey, the older generations came with the (Astra too) 1.6 CDTi 4 Cylinder 136hp 320nm engine (simple remap takes it up to 170ish hp and 400nm of torque). One of the best, if not the best 1.6 liter diesel engines ever made tbh especially when paired with the 6 speed torque convertible automatic gearbox that they were offered with. Never knew the new generation was ever even sold in Australia, let alone the 3.5 liter petrol V6. I genuinely think it has one of the best looking design along with new Mazda 6. If the 2.0 diesel engine is the same one we've had here in past and present, I havent heard good things about it, but again, never driven one of these.
Was really considering getting one then the mechanic brought me back to reality.
I had the diesel version. Whilst it was nice to drive and economical It was unreliable. It was off the road for 3 months waiting for timing chain parts replaced under warranty. The DPF had to be replaced because of the timing chain issue. The leather steering wheel peeled and was replaced under warranty. The car was always garaged. The dealer had little interest in customer service as they sell MG now. The diesel motor is made by Fiat and is used in Jeeps too. The motor apparently has a seal inside that eventually fails and can lead to destroying the engine.
Great video as always, I just miss when you gave us the real fuel consumption you found instead of just giving the consumption claimed by the manufacturers.
Having owned a few commodores including a number of V8's, the last a VE SSV but the ZB RSV I had (for 4 years) was the best of all. Yes, it didn't have the top end grunt of a V8 but no one beat me off the line in the wet with the AWD system. Build quality was far superior, it should not have been called a Commodore it should have been Insignia.
I have 2018 VXR, the rear differential rebreather had to be fixed under warranty. Ended up having the whole diff replaced. The car had only done 10,000kms. Other than that it’s been trouble free. The V6 has remarkable fuel economy for a 3.6L engine, better than my 2.0L turbo 4 I owed before it.
Should of badged it as a Torana, Sunbird would of got a better reception/acceptance. That model name relates more to Holden buyers 4-6 cylinder than 6-8 cylinder Commie bracket.
I bought the base model (LT) wagon new in NZ for $30k in late 2019, although it was built in 2018 which shows how bad sales must have been. The second-hand Mazda 6 wagon I looked at the same time had 70000km on it and was only $500 less. I traded a VF Calais V6 wagon in on the ZB giving up the memory leather heated seats (they'd stopped working anyway, repair quote $3k) and HUD in the process. Do miss the VF HUD, but otherwise the ZB LT has most other features the VF Calais had. So far I've only had one reliability issue, it just stopped working one night, totally dead, as in turning over but absolutely no fire, had to be towed to garage. It was a faulty fuel pump controller, just out of warrantee (of course). Fortunately not that expensive in the end at ~$550, but it took 3 weeks to diagnose and source parts etc. Now just coming up to 65000km with a maybe up to 1/3 of those towing. Still goes great, looks and drives well, no issues towing, easily delivers better than claimed fuel economy and doesn't feel like a really big car to drive the way the VF did. Not sure what to get next to match all that - if only they'd called it an Insignia as hellothere4342 said or really anything but Commodore and not offended their whole Aussie fan base.
No mention of sequential indicators. The lightshow at this price for these release years is excellent.
These are amazing value for money