VE Commodore is Wheels Car of the Year

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Magnet

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Sorry if this doesn't interest anyone outside of Australia.

Wheels Magazine said:
It's official: Holden's impressive VE Commodore is Wheels magazine's 2006 Car Of The Year.

The long wait is over. Australia?s premier new car award ? Wheels magazine?s 2006 Car Of The Year ? has gone to ? Holden?s VE Commodore.

Wheels editor, Ged Bulmer announced this year?s winner live on TV?s A Current Affair tonight.

In one of the most closely-fought, three-way showdowns in the award?s 44-year history, the VE ? together with its HSV E-Series spin-offs ? has triumphed over finalists Toyota?s Aurion and BMW?s 3 Series Coupe at the last hurdle.

In all, the VE beat 20 other new car models to the title at the end of a solid week of the most demanding testing imaginable, under both controlled conditions and on public roads.

While the new Commodore performed well in each of the Car Of The Year?s demanding driving disciplines, Wheels associate editor, John Carey acknowledged that ?? there is no such thing as a perfect car, or car range, and the Holden is no exception?.

However, he said the VE performed strongly against Wheels? strict criteria for the award.

?The VE satisfies the award?s criteria admirably, scoring well for function, value, safety and technology, if not efficiency,? Carey said.

?By large six-cylinder class standards, the various VE models achieve fuel consumption that is average,? he said. ?Some competitors are better, some are worse.?

For cost-conscious, high-mileage drivers, Holden offered a dual-fuel version of the Commodore?s V6, he said.

To be eligible for Wheels Car Of The Year, a vehicle must be either all-new, or substantially updated. It must have a lap-sash seat belt for each seating position. And, it must sell a minimum of 250 cars per year.

Of the 34 new cars that met those requirements in 2006, 18 were deemed impressive enough to go through Wheels? tough Car Of The Year testing program. A further three cars ? Audi TT, Mitsubishi Overlander and Volvo C70 ? were granted automatic entry because they were launched close to Wheels? cut-off date for nomination and had been driven, but hadn?t yet undergone the magazine?s thorough road-test procedure.

The full story of the 2006 Wheels Car Of The Year award ? including a detailed analysis of each of the nominations ? is in Wheels? February issue, on sale tomorrow (Wednesday, January 24).
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Wow, the choice really came out of left field :rolleyes:
 
No surprises there. As if the Aurion, a Camry in a hat; would ever beat the VE Commodore. No matter as much PR crap that Toyota can shove down our throats.
 
Dsemaj, if you watched the *shudder* ACA section on it the aurion probably came very close behind it (mind you the presenter was basically BMW's bitch) from all accounts i've read the aurion isn't a great car to drive but ticks all the right other boxes.
 
Hidden_Hunter said:
Dsemaj, if you watched the *shudder* ACA section on it the aurion probably came very close behind it (mind you the presenter was basically BMW's bitch) from all accounts i've read the aurion isn't a great car to drive but ticks all the right other boxes.
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Didn't. I kinda wanted to, but the thought of watching ACA.. made me sick. But that's the problem with the Aurion (and for that matter, the Camry). Toyota claim that they are drivers cars, which is just a joke.

Besides, for ACA they would have had to confuse the viewers and not give anything away about who might even have the slightest chance at being a winner.
 
hey i dont live in australia and im interested! becuase that car is coming to the US :mrgreen: cant wait!
 
the videos are on msn.com.au though as I said the presenter is bmw's bitch
 
Not a suprise, but that doesn't make the VE any less worthy of the win. Well deserved.
 
Yeah! It is a very good car and a majority of people that bad mouth it have never touched one let alone driven one for an extended period of time, or they tend to be the badge snobs who refuse to admit that a $50k Aussie car can be as good as their $100k+ Euro car.

I just wish they would hurry up and give me one. I have been waiting almost 6 months now for mine to arrive. Between the dealership screwing my around, lying to me about where my car is and when it will arrive for over 3 months, the car finally showing up just before Christmas but with the wrong interior, the dealer trying to force to me "take it or leave it", me telling them were to stick it, stripping all government fleet contracts from the dealer, complaining to Holden, them not being able to get me a replacement until at least mid January as they are closed for Christmas and then for maintenance till then and now they are saying the fastest they can get me a car is Feb 15th. :wall:

It is a VERY sad state of affairs when I could get myself a car from Europe faster then I can from a factory 20 minutes from my house.
 
:shock: The VE commodore, I never would've guessed. Wheels are pretty much in bed with Holden, IMO.
 
Devon said:
Wheels are pretty much in bed with Holden, IMO.
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Oh please - that's why the BA won so many comparisons over VY / VZ, and why the Falcon won COTY in '02 and the Territory did so in '04, and why Wheels have been so critical of Holden's dumping of Opels and replacing them with Daewoos...
 
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Wheels is a magazine that if not careful will become like many an American publication.....i.e. reviews and opinions are generally biased towards whoever drops them the most advertising money etc.

I've noticed a direct correlation in each of the magazines I've received and read cover to cover in the past 4 years (since I?ve been a subscriber) between the overall feel and outcome of a car review to the size of the advertisement that a particular manufacturer has placed in each respective issue, and the one prior.

One of these day's if and when I have no life, and my disdain for the marketing tripe that permeates this closet-minded, unsupportive, and blinkered technological backwater of a blue-collar based, consumer society grows strong enough I might just sit down and conclusively build my case.

In the meantime I'll continue to waste my credit card points on a subscription to what is the least redneck/bogan/yobbo focused compilation of glossy paper to be found amongst all the indigenous automotive bum fodder that's printed in this country. All while taking the opinions, and merit presented within its pages with a few grains of meaningless and placebo like salt. :p
 
Matell said:
Wheels is a magazine that if not careful will become like many an American publication.....i.e. reviews and opinions are generally biased towards whoever drops them the most advertising money etc.

I've noticed a direct correlation in each of the magazines I've received and read cover to cover in the past 4 years (since I?ve been a subscriber) between the overall feel and outcome of a car review to the size of the advertisement that a particular manufacturer has placed in each respective issue, and the one prior
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You're clearly reading a different magazine to me, or reading it with predetermined opinion.

It's a very easy accusation to throw around - that a magazine is biased towards it's advertisers. And I'm sure there's examples out there - but Wheels isn't one of them. Ever considered that part of the reason car companies advertise in Wheels is the integrity and respect the magazine has?
 
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if there is any publication in australia that's paid off or bias is would be drive.com.au
 
I've read the same magazine as you and with each one I approach it with an open mind. However as I turn the first page to be greeted by a glossy double paged advert I know that somewhere in that issue, or one bracketing it, I'll read a glowing report of said product. I'll concede there is the occasional touch of critical reporting but generally not enough to give a true feeling of impartiality.

It's not as obvious as the smoke blowing up to the hovering anus of the US automotive giants that takes place in the majority of American magazines (remembering that their news stand price is so low due to there being a (bum pluck) 25/75 % split between articles and advertisements), but it's there.

Wheels teeters on the edge of becomming more honest, truthful and to the point in their reviews, but it's a far cry from the widely valued criticality and cynicism that's bluntly told in magazines such as Top Gear and a few other European magazines of the products they test/review.

If I see a copy of Wheels that has a nice glossy ad for a product ?Holden X or Ford Y?, that is known to be a POS, and their review says as much, and following I see a piece of motoring journalism extolling what is a great and attainable product for most people, without there being a single ad from that company, then and only then will I feel that Wheels is improving and that cronyism has begun to loosen it?s grip on the journalistic pen.

I must agree that drive.com.au is the most corrupt, but remember many of the reviews there are penned by the same people found in Wheels?.and as fraudulent derivatives go this (drive) is the worst?(I still shudder, and feel the bile rising at their pure abortion of an attempt at a motoring program for TV.)


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