Road TestCar reviews - Holden - Commodore - Calais V V8 sedanHolden modelsCommodore Acclaim sedan Acclaim wagon Berlina 3.0 sedan Berlina sedan Calais sedan Calais V Calais V Sportwagon Calais V V8 sedan Calais V V8 Sportwagon Calais V6 Calais V8 sedan Evoke Executive LPG sedan Executive sedan Executive wagon LPG range LT Liftback diesel Omega MY10 sedan Omega sedan Omega Sportwagon range RS 2.0 turbo S Supercharged sedan Sportwagon Sportwagon SSV Redline SS sedan SS V SS V Redline SS V sedan SS-V Redline sedan SV6 sedan SV8 sedan Vacationer 5-dr wagon VXR Research Holden OverviewHolden's Calais V makes its big luxury car rivals look silly, especially in V8 guise1 Mar 2007 By CHRIS HARRIS YOU have to cast your mind back to late 1978, when the Opel-derived VB Commodore SL/E broke cover, to recall another time when a Holden sedan so comprehensively blitzed its imported rivals on so many fronts. Remember how sophisticated it looked against the XC Fairmont GXL and CM Chrysler Regal SE of the day? The difference today is that the VE Calais V Series sedan is accomplished enough to actually be exported, be priced on a more even footing to its European, Japanese and American competition, and still come up trumps. Of course, a V8 engine is out of step with today’s environmental concerns, and quality control questions remain, but if it is a world-class Australian sports/luxury sedan that you want, look no further than the VE Commodore with all the bells and whistles. Model release date: 1 August 2006 to 1 September 2009 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelThe last of the VT Commodore-based Calais series was released with two V8 engine choices. The first was with the 235kW/465Nm 5.7-litre Gen III V8 unit, until Euro III anti-pollution laws forced Holden to switch to the new 260kW/510Nm 6.0-litre Gen IV V8. Both were mated to a four-speed auto in this Calais application. Performance and (relative) fuel economy are strong points, partly to due to the Calais’ low mass, but the ancient rear suspension and 1978 VB Commodore-derived platform placed the VZ models behind their BA Falcon equivalents. |
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