Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Lagondanet]

Just back from Oz. I saw some Omegas & Senators there under the Holden name but with different styling. I understand the Holden factory is closing soon though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore_(VE)

[Lazydocker]

Common car over there... We saw loads last year when we were there. Where did you go?

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Yup, it's all going. I always envied their independence over Vauxhall with regard to their products. (stuff like Corsas, Astras and Vectras made its way over with a simple badge swap, but the rwd platforms got very, very heavily adapted for local use, and made some great cars. The Dubai Police thought them good enough to use!  They're going to be just a name now, though, with assembly elsewhere 

No doubt GM Worldwide will become that bit more poorer without them. They were the only ones making a decent rwd drive platform at all, by the end. Presumably when the current VXR8/Commodore is axed they'll 'replace' it with a new fwd Insignia. After it flops Holden will be wound up, and replaced with Chevrolet and/or Opel.


Holden started out in the 40s by making heavily modified Vauxhalls, odd how things come full circle!

[05omegav6]

Now's the time to buy one... The exchange rate is utter shite...

If you're Australian 0.48Aus$ to the £ this morning...

[Lagondanet]

Went to Adelaide last weekend for my mother's 90th. The owner of the Omega, my cousin, came over from NSW and hit a kangaroo en route. Smashed up the front. Seems to run in our family.     

[05omegav6]

Went to Adelaide last weekend for my mother's 90th. The owner of the Omega, my cousin, came over from NSW and hit a kangaroo en route. Smashed up the front. Seems to run in our family.     

Bring it over...

[ted_one]

The VXR8 is not a practical every day driver as I

[ted_one]

Sorry about the previous incomplete post...operator error just to say that the VXR8 is in no way a practical every day driver, as my shakedown run up to Monkfish...turned in around 18 miles to the gallon at around 60-65 mph.Lovely V8 sound accompanied by the supercharger whine is really reserved for the odd outing to a meet or car show etc and to me the car is a bit of a handful and for a long road trip it's got to be the Omega.But having said that I won't kicking the VXR out of bed, just taking it for what it is,which is a bit of a bruiser and not a comfortable long distance cruiser like the Omega

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Yup 


I wish they'd spent another 18p adapting the Commodore to European tastes, and provided it with a range of more 'normal' engines and trim, choice of diesels, etc... and sold it in 'GLS' / 'CDX' / 'Elite' trim etc... rather than soley the 'Tabasco sauce' flavour VXR.

[ted_one]

It sounds like I'm moaning about something that I should have expected,which is not quite what I meant,I think that because my particular car is quite heavily modified and has been set up possibly for a bit of occasional track day action,it feels to me that the car is a bit to full on and would cost a shed load of money to put it back to its original spec.So I'm happy to live with it and only use it within the limitations that the car presents.

[Kevin Wood]

Yup 


I wish they'd spent another 18p adapting the Commodore to European tastes, and provided it with a range of more 'normal' engines and trim, choice of diesels, etc... and sold it in 'GLS' / 'CDX' / 'Elite' trim etc... rather than soley the 'Tabasco sauce' flavour VXR.

 

Wash your mouth out!

In naturally aspirated manual form the V8 would probably give a 3.2 a run for its' money on economy unless driven with reckless abandon and, looks aside, I don't think the VXR8 rides too badly. It's not the water bed that the Elite suspension provides, but that's a good thing, in my view.

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Haha.  I just mean we never got a proper replacement for the Omega. There was the Signum... no, then the imported Monaro... like the ghost of your sexy ex coming back for one night only, then the VXR8. But nothing in the 'ordinary' stakes. 

[ted_one]

I could agree and should agree, but this thing is a bit of a handful for normal driving as it struggles to find grip  even with the lightest of input.I guess I'm going through a learning curve and I'm not at ease with it as of yet : :)because it's about remembering that this thing is pushing out 580+ HP as it's been remapped on top of all the other mods.So I'm tiptoeing around with it at the moment as I don't fancy a trip into the weeds or worse : :)Giving it a few more shake down runs (ABS Essex on Sunday) can help to make me a bit more comfortable about taming the beast

[05omegav6]

I could agree and should agree, but this thing is a bit of a handful for normal driving as it struggles to find grip  even with the lightest of input.I guess I'm going through a learning curve and I'm not at ease with it as of yet : :)because it's about remembering that this thing is pushing out 580+ HP as it's been remapped on top of all the other mods.So I'm tiptoeing around with it at the moment as I don't fancy a trip into the weeds or worse : :)Giving it a few more shake down runs (ABS Essex on Sunday) can help to make me a bit more comfortable about taming the beast

The later ones are only available in Supercharged form. The naturally aspirated ones are much better as everyday cars if only by virtue of being slightly less full on.

Remember though, compared to a four pot auto, the 3.2 might seem utterly outrages...

So it's all about perspective

I am certain that as you get used to it, you will become more confident...

[ted_one]

I agree Al,just a big jump up from the Omegas....no regrets about getting it and as you say,soon get used to it