Aussie V8 Muscle! Holden Commodore SV8 VY - Real Road Test NZ
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- After driving a 2004 Ford Falcon Turbo, it seemed only right to try the competition, in the form of a 2002 Holden Commodore SV8 with rumbling LS1 V8 power - 5.7-litres of it! Yeah, the Australians used to be very good at saloons. This one is like a Vauxhall/Opel Omega that's seriously been working out. Also sold in the USA as the Pontiac G8 and in the UK as the Vauxhall VXR8.
Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo: • Boosted Barra! 2004 Fo...
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Filmed on a DJI Osmo Action Camera with Cynova external mic adaptor and Rode external lav mic. (1.05 firmware, since upgraded for better sound) 
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If they used a bigger engine, say, 6.4L, they could have called it the Commodore 64... :P
Nah, we just got the Monaro badged as a Vauxhall... :P
Boom boom!
Or Omega Acid!
Good shout! 👍😁
The last of the commodore range runs with the l98, ls3 or LSA engines, so 6L through to a supercharged 6.3 :) welcome to our aussie cars
You’ll find the boot release in the glovebox
Mark Diehl and the key fob
The SV8 was essentially a Holden VY Executive with a V8 engine, rear spoiler and unique 17 inch alloy wheels. Not many were sold as the SS variant was more popular. Yes, the seat & door card fabrics aren't great but remember it's a base model V8. The VT-VZ range have some similarities to the Omega B & that where it should have ended in your video. Body panels were unique to GM. It was made wider for Australian conditions. Some of the switch gear is from the GM parts bin but if you're building/designing a car you need to have a budget. The VT program cost $AUD 600 million when you compare the VE program was a complete ground up car for $AUD 1 billion. There were 3 versions of the LS1 you could have at the time 225 kW (302 hp), 235 kW (315 hp), 245 kW (329 hp).
The Holden By Design badge on the boot lid was put on by the owner. If it was HBD, there would be a tag in the engine bay & alloy wheels by HBD to stand it out a little. HBD was really an extras/personalized package. The owner of this car looks after his vehicle very well & I'm amazed the seat fabric hasn't come apart. The seats were always a letdown.
I have no problems with the Cruise Control as I own a 2003 VY S Ute. I find it easy to operate. Fuel consumption for the LS1 is pretty damned good, even for it's age. There are Holden VT-VZ's in the UK mainly sedans & utes. A friend of mine on the Isle Of Man owns a VY SS ute. As the old saying goes, if you can't afford the fuel, don't buy a V8. What you need to do now is drive a ute, one-tonner & crewman from the VY, VZ range as they are all different.
I have a VY series 1 calais V8, before i had a VS V6 commodore , if you do your homework the VS V6 has a worse fuel consumption than the LS1, after reading all this i got the V8 and V8 cars are not expensive to run , used to be the case not any more
Unfortunately there are people out there who whine about fuel prices & consumption. I agree with you that the LS1 isn't expensive to run. I've had a VN SS & a VS SS. I preferred the VN with the 304. I've driven a lot of LS1's over the years & I find it a great engine. My VY S ute with the L36 Ecotec has at times given me a rotten fuel economy but as a vehicle I restored on a $10K budget (including the $1800 to buy it) it's been a good runner. Parts are starting to dwindle but I'm still keeping it.
Thanks for reviewing this car Ian, the olds will be very pleased to see it immortalized on RUclips.
Hubnut, you're succumbing to the Siren's song of Oz muscle cars. Life won't be the same going back to your traditional vehicles. I have a BA XR8, with aftermarket dual exhaust. On occasions I am in a tunnel, windows go down, slow to almost a stop, and give it some. Immature, but the sound!
Proudly had 4 holdens in the UK, was even on top gear for the vxr8.
Only milk and orange juice should come in 2 litres.
Cant beat a v8 mate
@Mark Morrissey Displacement is no supplement for boost.
@@brittenv1000 I can think of a few v12s that can.
@@brittenv1000 Anything V8+ is awesome - can't beat the sound! I've got a V12 merc too which is a bit too fast but yea more cc's than turbos IMO
@@thatmatty231guy Too fast! Too fast? What are you thinking? There's no such thing as too fast, just not enough brakes 😁😉
I've always really loved the look of the VY/VZ SS's and Clubsports. They're the best looking commodores they ever made IMO.
I think the vt-vx looks good
I’m a Ford Falcon man myself, but I LOOOOVE VZ, VY, and VX commodores 🤤
Falcon guy here too (obviously lol) but I quite like the VZ too, a white one would be the only GM product I'd own and almost bought one over my Typhoon back in the day, but the better handling and power of the BA won out. But I'd love both.
Totally. Except the bit about the Fords. And we appreciate the Australian ingenuity when it comes to working on them yourself, e.g. tail lamps that unscrew with your fingers.
@@anarchistangler what's your problem with Fords
Nothing. I even owned a few Fords in my time. And those old Fairlanes are indisputably legendary. I just don't describe myself as a Ford man, because my personal preference is for Holdens and Valiants. Damn, if you have a V8 Ford you don't want, hand it over!
Cars are cars. Important things are, it is driven by the rear wheels, doesn't ding if the kids kick a soccer ball at it, and sounds like a jet engine when you give it some. Right, fellas?
I love my BA XR8 but i also think the cv8 monaro my dad has is an amazing to car to drive does way better in the corners than my falcon
you missed the vx commodore, then you forgot about the vz commodore, im depressed
VE and VF also lol
Rhys Holden dame straight mate must be a ford fan or maybe a bit more research before making videos
@@cooknul1422 yeah well he did say he liked the falcon, but come on, the au falcon goes with the vt-vx. The ba goes with the Vy and the bf goes with the vz
@@Borgthespacewalker also said its the g8 in the us and vxr8 in england, thats the Ve, think he got him self a lil confused over what facts suit which model. researching more than wikipedia never hurts
Essentially the VT-VZ are the same generation, just as the VF is essentially a face lift VE. From a foreign view point you can see how generations could be mixed up or lumped together. You could simplify the commodore into four generations if you look at it logically. Being pedantic on details is a bit harsh when you consider we wouldn’t know much about UK domestic vehicles.
Well I clicked on the video expecting some guy doing burnouts and doing a exterior walk around and calling it a review
But I’m pleasantly surprised
Great video and loved the content
You’ve earned yourself a subscriber 🤙🏻
The “Holden by Design” badge and identification plate is for the “sports” body kit which was standard on S and SS models and only optional on the sv8. The SS had different interior patterns and colours and gauges as well as some nice 18” alloys my personal favourite is the supercharged V6 Holden Calais of the same year, Btw the boot release is in the glovebox in the form of a small button
The SS also adds a leather steering wheel, shifter and gearknob, different cloth interior patterns, darker plastic trimming pieces, a sportier gage cluster, sports front and rear bar, side skirts and unique 18" alloy rims. The SV8 was a replacement for the VT/VX Executive V8 and was positioned as the affordable V8 alternative to the SS. It basically was a base model Commodore with a couple of extra trimming bits like the spoiler, red gages and unique alloy rims and the V8 running gear
Lovely,,been looking forward to a Holden drive,,,cheers ian..
I love these big powerful saloon cars. The Commodore definitely has several hints of the old Omega which was also a great car.
"...because V8s sound awesome" anecdote: last year my wife and I were visiting our daughter who happens to be an automotive writer. That particular week she was driving a Maserati Levante GTS. with the 3.8 twin-turbo V8. Now, my wife is not what you would call a "car person", but when the engine in that Maserati fired up, even she let go an involuntary "wow !", and I have to admit that it definitely sounded wow-worthy even if I still prefer the sound of a big American pushrod V8. Oh, and the Levante drank an average of 19L/100km.
I love the outside, the inside seems to be devoid of any styling at all though, funky seat cloth excepted.
The previous V8 was a 308/5 Litre. The VY had a carryover interior from the VX with some updates. Then the VY II got the up coming VZ dash.
The interior boot release is usually in the glove box.
That spot next to the rail track is beautiful for reviewing this car.
I thought you were about to throttle a black swan when you grabbed for that handbrake! I made that final 0-100 at around 6,5 seconds. The front quarter angle is like a mixture of a Calibre, Mk 3 Cavalier, Mazda and Omega. And the interior fabric was surprisingly entertaining, like an optical illusion or a magic eye picture.
Try the glovebox for the boot release.
Love it! Reminds me of the Monaro/GTO (Pontiac) of the same era.
I remember the Pontiac GTO using the 5.7 litre V8, then using the 6.0, both from the Corvette, although they might have been detuned.
Four speed automatic, which in the last Commodore/G9/SS became a six speed automatic.
Instruments just like the Monaro/GTO of the era, so typical GM, even down to the Blaupunkt radio! Smashing!
The reason it reminds you of it was that the Monaro/GTO was made on the same platform, but with a 2-dr Coupe body. Was a concept car originally and public reaction was so favourable, Holden decided to make it a reality, then later it was re-styled & re-badged, then became a Pontiac GTO. Holden also made a 4WD version, called the Coupe4 (This is the really rare one)
Love the number plate!
Hmm, you're not the famous MJ with tigers !
pmailkeey no not that MJ. I am in Northern Ireland.
@@Jamcam99 Which, Irishly, is south of the most northerly part of Eire !
Do you not like tigers ? I loved them as a kid - and in the last 2 years had that love reignited ! I've learned quite a bit about them but currently I'm homed in on koalas - I've been aware of them but not realised just how cute & placid they are.
I'm not far from you, globally speaking - Cumbria !
pmailkeey l love all the big cats, specially the lions and tigers.
@@Jamcam99 So look in on your namesake then - or do you anyway ?
ruclips.net/video/W1iOjf2ixWw/видео.html
Pity this model was never sold in the UK. We had the Manaro coupe which was very cool but never the saloon. Shame. Nice one Ian. Thanks
I believe the saloon was sold, but they didn't sell many.
Golly gosh, what a soundtrack! Beautiful big saloon, love the colour and that ch33ky number plate. Many thanks HubNut.
"Good grief.....that's 9 and a half Elly engines under there, I really have driven the extreme's this last 12 months!"
I think we need to introduce a Hubnut standard for measurements.
Twc = 2 cylinders
Matiz = 3.5m
Fox = 650kg
Tercel = the percentage of the car that isn't rust.
Nippa= A unit of time defined as the time it takes a Perodua Nippa to get from 0 - 60. (interestingly this is already in use, "I'm just nippering to the pub" means I will be gone some time)
Marvelous = A derivative unit defined as the distance it takes an Elly to get from 0 - 60.
Dacia = 2700Km (this might be redundant given the existence of the Marvelous)
@@benholroyd5221 Yeah and CityRover = the amount of bravery it takes to but an unseen £220 car and drive it over 100 miles back home 😂
@@graemew7001 I assume the city is a magnitude prefix?
ie driving an Invacar on the road is a Rover, driving it on the motorway is a Land Rover, and it in a Delhi rush hour is a City Rover?
Good Video Mate, also the LS1 Chev was first used in the last series of the VT SS from 1999 onwards into the VX SS :)cheers
When you finally have a college break and realise you're all the way back at Episode 17, blimey i have a lot to watch! Time for a HubNut binge session!
It amazing how something like this brings out the "big kid " in all of us 😂😂👍
"That is performance that I'm not used to!" - surely that has to be the next Hub Nut T-shirt? :-)
Power! More is Surprising! 😆👍
The used car market is going crazy for these. Especially the 30% or less fitted with the V8. Amazing for a common car.
The Buick V6 is basically 3/4 of the Buick V8 (with an added balance shaft), which was basically a cast iron derivative of the 3.5ltr Buick/Rover alloy V8. In fact the 1st of the iron Buick V8s even had the alloy heads off the 3.5.
Such a cool car- my friend who lives in Cairns has blue one! Love the number plates lmao. Imagine a grumpy UK policeman wouldn't see the funny side of it. Great test Ian
13:06 I forgot to hold onto my cup of tea. It fell off the table. lol.
Good non bias review. I love my Fords, but Holden's Gen V8 was easier to tune for more power than Ford's Boss V8 (quad cam). Ford's Barra Turbo was the best six. Ford's Aussie (kind of) Boss 5.4 was good on paper. The US 5.4L 3v V8 matched with the 4V, quad cam head from the 5L. The reviews were not great. The 4v heads lets it breath at high rpm. The long stroke motor prefers low revs. BUT sounds SO sexy with open pipes. RUclips Falcon BA or BF - XR8 or GT. Most Ford guys still dream of the old 70's Cleveland 351ci V8 (5.8L). AKA XYGT HO. Which is why they sell for big money:(
Yup Ford didn't regain the V8 high ground until the Miami showed up
@@Flying_GC yes but thats cause they didn't want the barra to be the top dog instead of the boss
@@simonmillar9161 don't I know it. It was the top dog vs all V8s end of the day.
Glad to see you found your way into one of these and the XR6 while you were this side of the pond. These cars really represent what Australia was capable of and both models are beloved by many here.
I agree with you about the cruise control. The previous VT/VX models had buttons on the end of the stalk which could be operated much easier, but the interior quality in those was if anything worse than the VY and onwards.
wow so clean
I've got one, vy sv8 series 2, slightly modified, 335,000km, never let me down, drag my boat around, tow tandem trailers with cars on, and I drive it like I hate it... I want a new car, but I just can't warrant moving this one on. By far the best most reliable car I've ever owned, and I reckon I've had 30 or more cars over the years.
Hard to believe that's an 18 year old car, must've been pampered it's entire life.
Looks indecently good fun. Interior fabrics remind me of gent's socks.
Curiously...
I had a beautiful Opel Commodore 2.8i back in the late 70's.
That was German.
And...it was fast for its day.
The last of our great Aussie Commodore.
These were sold in America as the Pontiac G8, while the two door Monaro was sold as the GTO. The styling was too conservative, and there wasn't much marketing, so they went mostly unnoticed until Pontiac shut down. They tried again with the VF Commodore being sold as the Chevy SS/Caprice, but it was an even bigger flop. Few police departments bought the Lumina, the SS wasn't promoted, and Australian-sourced parts were expensive and hard to come by.
The stretched wheelbase was the Caprice, law enforcement only. Another gorgeous vehicle.
Hi Ian,wow, another great video,this Commodore/Omega is a beast,I do like the number plates LOL,I would drive it all day just for that burble out of the exhaust system.
Ahhhhhhhh......! I feel relief. You have seen - and indeed experienced - the Holden and found it good. I was getting worried.....
I had a 2004 VZ SV6 (190kW Alloytec V6) with 5-speed tiptronic gearbox. They had an independent rear end, fog lights and a flappy-paddle gear change as standard as well as all the lovely options you saw in the VY SV8, plus the trip computer also had a Digital Speedo display option. Mine also had the black leather seat option, which was nice for the smell and comfort, but near as hot as vinyl on bare legs in the summer....and the VZ did not have a triangle of doom :) Like the SV8, the SV6 was extremely quick off the mark and brilliant when it came to overtaking cars quickly and was just as comfortable when used as a round town plodder. She used to get around 10.5 litres / 100km around town and between 8.4 and 9.2 litres / 100km on long trips. If you get the chance, have a go in one or even the later model VE which came out late 2006. It was the performance of a 2009 VE SV6 (195kW) that persuaded me to stick with the V6 instead of going to the V8 when I was in the market to upgrade. Budget dictated a VZ, but I was not disappointed and loved my 7 years with the beast.
You're right though - in driving both Ford and Holden of a similar year around that era - once the Barra engine was in play - they were very similar.....until it came to throwing them round corners quickly or recovering a tail slide and for me and my particular driving style at the time, the VZ had it over the BA/BF. The Barra also sounded better at low and mid-revs, but the VZ's howl over 4000rpm was infectious, The Holden still felt slightly more planted than the Ford too when they'd done the milage I was looking at (north of 100,000km). I know its a fierce rivalry between the two, but they are both lovely cars that are very similar, but still individual enough with their particular idiosyncrasies to persuade a totally unbiased person to prefer one over the other.....and it will be down to personal taste alone usually.
Agree its personal taste indeed, but the VT through VZ was not a match for the Falcon in the handling department until the VE upgraded from semi trailing arm IRS wbich actually reduced the wheelbase under very hard cornering. On a track the difference was chalk and cheese. The rest is generally subjective to the owner. Unfortunately the Alloytech also had a tendency to snap timing chain guides self destructing and it's still to this day a common fault (my partner is a Holden service manager and has to deal with them often) however glad to hear you got a good one from the sound.
@Richard Kuklinski Not impressed with your tone or comment at all. Intelligent discussion and personal opinion are welcome. Profanity and denigrating speech (whether about my own experiences / opinions or personal habits) are not and, as you do not know me from Adam, they are highly inappropriate. Please moderate your tone in future.
I've got a SS one of these, 6 speed manual. 146k on the clock. It's just fun, not perfect just fun,
That's a good summary for the Ford as well. Not perfect but fun. But also bang for buck is high with both makes. Ford or GM you can't go wromg
Old-school autobox - very high gearing in 1st relying on the torque converter to gain momentum. Not quite a 2-speed powerglide but it's very different from today's boxes.
Very perspective mate, autos can have a long first gear and it's nice while in traffic.
The way this car pulled reminds me of my p38 range rover 4.6 insanely tall gears floored 60mph/100kph come just in 2nd as well and other thing I've noticed older autos tend to be buttery smooth in comparison to newer ones with many gears
There wasn't much torque convertery going on - it kept those revs low ! Maybe the MK1 Granada had a relatively low 1st as the rev counter used to shoot up unlike as is seen in this one. This one's too slow to be sporty. I think even TWC would out accelerate this for the first 10 mph !
@@millomweb TWC is the best car ever!
Not sure about my spelling abilities!
The pattern on the seats reminds me of Artex ceiling and wall fan patterns of the 1970s.
Nice colour matching of car, road signs and mailbox.
I thought someone had left CDs on the seats
Just looked up.Oh yeah!
An LS powered commodore with a standard cam and exhaust! Didn't think they existed.
SIERRACOS I will completely agree they’re incredibly rare one of the reasons I watched this is so that I could find out what a stock one sounded like😂
Majority run stock cams in NZ to be fair.
I have a stock VY calais 5.7 litre with factory titanium exhaust i bought it because it was fairly original , plan to keep it that way
This model has a far nicer interior to its successor, which is a mass of nasty cheap plastic and a centre console that moves from side to side alarmingly easily! Shame that in Oz, most of these are driven by knuckle draggers and the labotomised. It's no coincidence that when the Commodore went front-wheel drive, they failed to sell - no burnout potential.
To be fair, calling the Vauxhall Insignia a Holden Commodore was a bloody stupid thing to do. About to be killed off.
@@HubNut Aussies are resistant to change. Nissan had to revert to the Pulsar name as the switch to Tiida flummoxed them and sold poorly!!!
@@Hectorthedog Tiida sold poorly as a brand new car here in NZ too - possibly because it wasn't called a Pulsar. However as a grey import, it sold like hot cakes 🤷♂️
Wow, another one I never heard of, I’ll have to do a search on it, very interesting. Very cool instrument panel.
Sold in North America in tiny numbers, first as the Pontiac G8 and starting in 2014 as the Chevrolet SS
CaptHollister the next model which the Pontiac was based on was a completely new platform.
What you euro’s have to realise is Australia is a big joint, the smallest mainland state is here in Victoria, I think you can put the entire UK in it, l have a few cars from land cruiser to tow our van to the wife’s bmw convertible but the car l use for my weekly interstate trips is my fg Ford falcon XR6 that l bought new and let me tell you the “Barra” in-line 6 in these things we’re not only the best donk that Ford Australia designed & made but also one of the worlds best no argument! & what you have to realise is when l regularly overtake Roadtrains ie usually Australian built Kenworths amongst other makes also “B doubles l can tell you that you need these cars down here! Mine has now done 640,000 kilometres and the only major thing that l had rebuilt was the 5 speed auto last week, it is still a great Australian Road car and gets good fuel economy on the highway.
True. The Barra was a superb development by Ford Australia and really deserved a life after Falcon, even it was made in the US or something. In Turbo form they were a weapon.
640 000km. My FG Mk2 EcoLpi Barra is at 438 000km. A while yet to catch up to you.
Having driven quite a few models of the Commodore and Falcon as company vehicles. I always found the Commodore the better handling car .The Falcon I found had the legs for the long haul and was the better tow vehicle with 2.3 tonne capacity. Both were ideal for our long distances and our road conditions
I find it hard to call, but haven't spent as many miles driving a Commodore.
The VT-VZ with their very old IRS setup definitely didnt handle as well as Falcons, by the time the FGX and VF2rolled around it was far closer usually with tires being the difference.
Have to agree with that. The commodores just loved to corner. The falcons were brilliant cruising in a straight line on choppy roads.
Falcons had a better auto and a better sounding V8, but the Commodore handled slightly better as the engine was lighter and lower down in the engine bay. The Ford V8 in the BA also had a very small power band. I owned a BA XR8 and later a GT and loved the sound of the V8 over the VY Commodores, but they were like driving a 1.3 litre around town out of their power band while lugging a big car and heavy engine about. The Barra six was a much nicer city car. Get on the open road and it was a different story.
Falcons had a better auto and a better sounding V8, but the Commodore handled slightly better as the engine was lighter and lower down in the engine bay. The Ford V8 in the BA also had a very small power band. I owned a BA XR8 and later a GT and loved the sound of the V8 over the VY Commodores, but they were like driving a 1.3 litre around town out of their power band while lugging a big car and heavy engine about. The Barra six was a much nicer city car. Get on the open road and it was a different story.
When GMH imported the original Opel cars, to roadtest, they broke at the firewall/windscreen-base, while trying to keep up with GM Holden Kingwoods while driving on Australian outback roads . See "Wheels" magazine in the '70s, for the full story..
I imagine this car with the 3.8 liter Buick V6 would be perfectly fine. I owned many of those in front wheel drive cars back in the States, and it's one of the best motors ever made.
Buick in these was indestructible. Likewise the 4speed auto transmission. My brothers has done 460,000km and won't die. The V6 worked pretty well. Adequate power. Heaps of torque. Much better fuel economy. 12.5l/100 city. 9l/100 country. But of course the sound wasn't as inspiring.
I currently own a 2003 VY S Ute with the Ecotec L36 (last of the Buick engined V6 Holdens). It's done 275000kms without missing a beat. It is a little thirsty around town but on the highway it's more economical. A couple of tiny mods & you can get a great sound out of it. A friend of mine owned a V6 VT which did over 700000kms & it went through one engine rebuild. In the end it was not economical to keep so she got a VY V6 & used her VT as spares. Still a great engine.
I prefer the old 3.8 liter 90 degree V6 - or 3800 as they sometimes called it. Very light fuel usage in my high-geared 1990s Park Avenues, and they often rack up 300,000 *miles*.
@@matthewtaylor7218 it's the same engine. Aussie Commodores followed the 3800 V6s developments in the States for the entire time it was used in them, between 1988-2004.
@@Blueblur444 That's incorrect mate, Holden Australia undertook a significant re-design of the 3800 which resulted in the L36 Ecotec. The 3800 was replaced by the L36 from the VS Series 2 through end of VY. From here they rolled out the crap Alloytec. australiancar.reviews/holden_L36.php
Rear lights look like there off a ford focus saloon i may be wrong ,but great content ian 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘👍👍👍👍👍👍☕☕☕☕☕☕
Can confirm that they aren't.
@@HubNut Thanks ian hope your well 😄😄😄😄😄😄☕☕☕☕👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I thought the rear lights look like the S60 Volvo from the same era
21mpg plus nom-nom noises, can't be bad. Nice to hear the knees alert again, btw.
If I'm correct,, this is the New Zealand version of the Vauxhall Monaro VX8 and not the Omega, as they stopped producing the Omega in 2000 and brought the Monaro out at the end of 2001 to replace it.
No, it's just a basic Commodore with an LS.
I've got the 6spd manual same as this - had her for 10 years now. She runs well
Love the plate Ian.
One nice minor detail with this model is the way the top of the boot curves towards you. It differentiates it from the VT-VX (and the Omega I think) which have a much more rounded look that is kinda odd looking on spoilerless base models.
I just love a 3box saloon with a big lump under the bonnet. I'd probably be a Holden man if I was an aussie. I love the idea of a European style saloon but with a big US style motor under the bonnet. Sums up Aus for me really. It's a big US style country but as a European (and especially a Brit) you feel immediately at home as there's such an essence of familiarity about so many things there. You can buy baked beans, and pasties at the corner shop, or go down the pub. And of course they drive on the correct side of the road too.
As for the Commodore. The electric mirrors control must have been one of the few GM components Sven and his mates at Saab accepted to put in the 9-5 😁
Oh yeah and Sven had real head restraints put in the back of the 9-5 too, for which he probably got a right bollocking from the GM finance people...
As a Ford guy all I can say is....fairs fair. A nice little unit mate.
With this unlike the Fairmont you could get the spares from your friendly local Vauxhall dealer as it was available in the UK as the Vauxhall VXR8.
My old xjs only had 3 gears. Poor thing 50 in 1st however 100 in 2nd and yes it would touch 150 in 3rd gear x
Went to Australia last yeah and went in a holden amazing cars
Wat?
A Lamborghini is an amazing car. A Ferrari or a Bentley is an amazing car. A '99 Toyota Camry is actually an amazing car.
A VY is not an amazing car. It's low budget, low craftmanship and most definitely low reliability.
Aussie drivetrain specialist, here. I've repaired MANY of these cars.
We have a word, in Aus, for this type of car.
"Shitbox"
Doktor Drift piss off mate it’s a ripper of a car
@@yal0caldealer That's too many billies talking there, ole son.
Also, got any weed? I'm dry af atm....
@@doktordrift948 only an Australian would be this anti Australia
Love the aussie v8's...👌
Absolutely love a 5 door Commodore
Most Holden Commodores have the button for the boot release in glove box. :)
Like it, shame gm europe didn't borrow these developments on the omega shell, I think they look great and would have sold well. Missed opportunity.
Top work as always mr hubnut!
Glad you enjoyed the experience. I hope you get a chance to sample the last Falcons and Commodores. Or maybe a Mitsubishi Magna too. Google awaits you. Cheers
Gee you should try and manual V8! That'll bring even more of the kid out of you. Thanks for the review!
Really interesting cars especially for us here in Europe were we've associated V8s with only expensive luxury or sports cars rather than something fun and attainable also yeah V8 sound is good enough reason to opt for one I bought my Rover 75 in v6 form mainly for the noise also impressive fuel economy my 2.5v6 75 is does pretty much the same
Honestly a cool looking car. I’m mostly a Holden fan because my dad spent 20 years building them especially the vy
Spotlights? They'd be fog lights wouldn't they?
Get a Lotus Omega to see what an Omega design can do! 5.5s to 100km/h, a 280 Vmax and a proper Lotus chassis.
Ralf Henke .. yeah but down here these are worth nothing .. u can buy a 5.7lt VT commodore for a couple of grand .. how much is lotus Carlton worth?
The Land of Plenty indeed......They got the good stuff down under.
i got one of these, i strapped extractors and big cam on it, sounds friggen amazing, deep note.. kiaora bro from nz
Back then you were either a Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore person. I drove both and the Commy was my fav
I’m note impressed that 1- The stock CD player hasn’t broken and 2- someone could have a car for over 15 years with a CD player with no Bluetooth or even aux I put and not be insane by now
Some people don't like noise when they're driving.
I believe the falcon has the larger boot, one of the reasons cited for why Falcons are more commonly Taxis in Aus is the boot size, you need to be able to take an 80-100 litre LPG tank & still have luggage space.
I have a V6 one and it’s pretty powerful
Yup, if you see elsewhere on my channel, I borrowed a VU Ute when I was in Melbourne on this trip. I liked the engine.
@HubNut the engine in mine hasn’t died except for that one time when the radiator somehow blew up on the M1
@HubNut and it’s been all around Australia
Sick license plate! 👍 PQL1CE
Currently running a 2001 vu ss. And once you take the shift pressure in the gearbox up about 24% these old girls will eat most other stock cars, add a slightly higher ratio diff (I'm running 3.46) and they really do turn into fast cars
Ooo - I want one, preferably as a Ute, definitely as a V8. Once drove the Pontiac version of the Monaro.
Had a VZ series 2 Calais new back in the day with the 6L. Very nice car. Shame all the ones I see now are thrashed.
Boot release is in the glove box! Man it’s surprising how many more toys I have in the Calais.
Enjoy vid👍if you come to Australia you can drive my 93 VR Commodore ute with 5.0lt V8. Holden 5.0lt pulls harder then LS1 5.7, with the ute you have watch how hard you drive in wet, it will break loose.
Thanks. I'm in Aus now but sadly running out of time before I head back to the UK.
You only get this sort of thing down-under, so I'm not surprised you filled your boots!
I'm generally a Ford chap (but with admittedly broad tastes) and I'd happily have one of these if someone donated a fuel card. Far more interesting for the money than a boggo German pauper spec minibarge. Lovely lovely noise, I wonder if they are LPG convertible. I suspect US engines can run on low octane fuel so may convert quite easily. Now if you'll excuse me, I have just noticed there is a 2006 Monaro 5.7 with 82k miles and 349bhp just down the road for £7900.
Nah, only joking, it would bankrupt me before I got home, and that's only 22 miles.
Any car can handle LPG conversion because LPG has a high octane rating. Some cars in Australia came out LPG only from the factory Ford being one. The new Mustang in Australia comes in both V8 and turbo charged " echo" 4 cylinder with similar performance. V8 only for me
@@ronaldhenderson2327 Yeah, my brain burped a bit there. LPG does indeed have a higher effective octane, and works very nicely with turbos, not least because of the charge cooling effect as the gas vapourises. The crucial bit tends to be whether it has hardened valve seats. We have the Mustang 2.3 4 cylinder here in the UK too, not as popular as the V8, but it is much much more beneficial in terms of CO2 and so benefit-in-kind taxation when they are company cars.
Owned V8 Commodores AND Falcons. They're dinosaurs but fun dinosaurs.. as long as you don't look at the money you spend at the pump.
Edit: you don't get much of a burble in the Holden as you used to because the Gen 3 has a different firing order..
Gday and welcome to my homeland. Living now in the Uk now but can’t wait to see your choice of cars to review. Thanks for reviewing cars that I really enjoy I’ve owned a Xm a Ds an exantia an Audi 100 and a few hondas like accord with 4ws a prelude, a legend and a concerto if you could find a concerto or legend I’d love to know your, thanks so much for your work.
Pete
It's a pity you didn't test the final true Commodore, the VF. It has no Opel / Vauxhall elements at all and is truly a world class car by any measure.
Hub Nuts defiantly going upmarket 😂
This is a Bogan Rolls Royce.
Yay, hoon car
Just a quick on, the VY commodore followed on from the VX commodore, not the VT. VT was the first with this style shape, but the VX came after the VT.
Lovely machine and that numberplate 👌❤️
There’s a button in the glove box to open your boot 😂
Someone forgot to let him know there was the VX after the VT
That sounds amazing even on start up
Is this filmed out the back of Carterton? i live 5 mins from here lol
Yes, sure was.
There is another button to open the boot in the glovebox and if you pull the middle seat down there is a handle to open it aswell.
Almost bought a VY SS back in the day. It was about $51k drive away, and would be hard pressed to get $7k for one as a trade in. Mind you we are talking about a 16 year old car with about 220k km on the odometer.
There's buttons on the steering wheel for cruise control, you don't have to use the stalk.