Holden out of Oz in 2017

[beeb]

I have a MY15 (2014 built) Cerato hatch. It's been a great car. Only fault it's had was the media head-unit died (was a common fault for this model), but that was replaced under warranty with absolutely no hassle. The car does mostly short trips, but I have done several multi-hour drives around Vic, a lap of Tassie, and am not scared of driving in a spirited manner or of taking "small" cars off-road. In all honesty - the only weaknesses I feel the car has is the beam rear-axle (ie: not independent rear suspension) which makes it feel excessively harsh and uncontrolled over pot-holes and corrugations, and not quite enough steering wheel reach adjustment given how far back you can put the seat. If they're the worst things I can come up with, that suggests the rest of the car has been pretty bloody stellar. Would happily buy another again.

 

[born-again-biker]

I've seen studies that show the buying motivation behind SUV's and fourbies is about crash test results. Likelihood of injury and death are reduced.

Well 68% of people know that 12% of studies relating to crash tests are statistically true on Wednesdays.....if you're wearing a blue shirt...and your name starts with a letter of the alphabet

Seriously though, it's prolly right. I dunno much about crash testing but I guess a modern SUV would fare (fair?) better than a sedan?
I do remember when the traditional body-on-chassis 4WD's (like Landcruiser) were heavily criticised in that area.
Minimal crumple meant maximum transfer of inertia to the Ock-You-Pants. The latest versions are prolly much improved....
If you want to be really cynical/negative (and I am) some of the psychology around the mass obsession with SUV's and bigger cars is about "fuck everyone else, I'm more important, my truck is bigger, I win the crash..."
All I know is I'd back a Volvo or SAAB against anything - those Swedish tanks are farken' solid

 

[Mr Crudley]

My gran bought the earlier version of that in 1988, the base 4 speed carby model, only option was AC. That thing was as basic as they come, old Mits Colt running gear. Not fast, but it jsut went and went and went... My mum inherited it at about 15 years old and it went for another 8 or so on the horrible dirt road they live on. Only died because dad let it get low on oil and stuffed the rings. Solid and worthy car.
That was super early effort at Korean export cars and they got the build quality right prettt much straight away.

The carby model must be even less powerful. I guess you have to try hard to get done speeding They did seem to last longer than they should have but saying that, you don't see many, if any, 90ish Excels out on the road now. It was a pretty tinny car but the lack of worry is a good thing - you don't worry where it is left of it is gets dinged. That has no price.

Hyundai pieced it all together - Mitsubishi drivetrain, an Opel Kadett inspired interior and Giugiaro penned in the original design.

 

[Mr Crudley]

Same with the current gen Hyundai i30. I've driven a few of those and the current corollas when travelling for work, and based on that I'd 100% take the i30 any day. Lively steering, nicer buttons everywhere, better multimedia etc. The corolla was just so detached in every way in comparison.

They have come along way. The i30's are hard to fault for the money. A few of my neighbours have an i30's and an i20 which still seem to be getting along fine.

This is why Hyundai are still in the game and taking our iron ore exports, turning them into cars and selling them back to us. They came from nothing and ended up being a major player globally. Credit where credit is due. GM/Holden need some of that secret sauce they use.

 

[FigBo0T]

Well 68% of people know that 12% of studies relating to crash tests are statistically true on Wednesdays.....if you're wearing a blue shirt...and your name starts with a letter of the alphabet

I don't know that the average punter's reasoning goes that far though ... the average SUV has a lower rating than many passenger cars. It comes down to headlines like this ....

Passenger car drivers are more likely to die in crashes with SUVs, regardless of crash ratings

Passenger car drivers are more likely to die in crashes with SUVs, regardless of crash ratings

Most consumers who are shopping for a new car depend on good crash safety ratings as an indicator of how well the car will perform in a crash. But a new study of crashes involving cars and sport utility vehicles has found those crash ratings are a lot less relevant than vehicle type.

www.sciencedaily.com

The logic seems sound. The worst, most aggressive and incompetent drivers, always seem to be in them.

EDIT. Sorry, I missed part of your comment.

If you want to be really cynical/negative (and I am) some of the psychology around the mass obsession with SUV's and bigger cars is about "fuck everyone else, I'm more important, my truck is bigger, I win the crash..."

This ^^^^

 

[Flow-Rider]

Legacy. Drive a 90s - 2000s one (discounting Mr Crudley's miracle mobile above) and the hate becomes much more justifiable. Amount of people I knew who had Getz's literally fall apart after fairly nominal mileages was disgraceful.

Having said that my last workplace had several fairly posh Kia Ceratos on the fleet and I found them really nice to drive, waaay better than the inert Corollas, which perhaps shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did.

They were a cheap car but should have been condemned just from the oil leaks alone, the early models had noisy gearboxes from cheap bearings.

The series 3 Excel was a lovely car, door handles that broke as soon as you looked at them, body to floorpan connecting rivets came loose, plastic tappet covers that warped, occasional plastic cracked intake manifold, was forever replacing swaybar bushes in them, steering rack ends and rack mount bushes went all the time also. It was the car people bought for their teenage kids to wreck back then.

 

[fatboyonabike]

yeah very true, the early (2000's) accent and getz were very, very plastic. but for the time were also incredibly cheap, reliable motoring and set the trend from there on and forwards.

We traded a 2015 Kia Cerato for the 2018 Honda HRV and it was a mistake. the Cerato is the superior car. 130kw motor shite's all over the 1.8 honda and the build quality is far superior for a car that cost sub $20k.

why would you but a Honda, they only ever put out one good model.....the XR400!

 

[Ultra Lord]

why would you but a Honda, they only ever put out one good model.....the XR400!

XR600/650 would like a word with you.

 

[fatboyonabike]

XR600/650 would like a word with you.

they were good bikes too, but c'mon it was the bike that all others were gauged on

 

[FigBo0T]

why would you but a Honda, they only ever put out one good model.....the XR400!

The only one?

https://www.ontwowheels.com.au/prod...OScq4JQvPYNo9qnT9Kia-y4hnWZl3MzcaAlQ5EALw_wcB

If you want to know how much cash to take, you'll need to make an appointment with the dealer.

 

[born-again-biker]

why would you but a Honda, they only ever put out one good model.....the XR400!

I reckon this was the peak.

 

[fatboyonabike]

I reckon this was the peak.

I know nothing about road rockets, not my thing...I daydream too much!

 

[born-again-biker]

They were a cheap car but should have been condemned just from the oil leaks alone, the early models had noisy gearboxes from cheap bearings.

The series 3 Excel was a lovely car, door handles that broke as soon as you looked at them, body to floorpan connecting rivets came loose, plastic tappet covers that warped, occasional plastic cracked intake manifold, was forever replacing swaybar bushes in them, steering rack ends and rack mount bushes went all the time also. It was the car people bought for their teenage kids to wreck back then.

Was that the model that had self-removing front suspension?
I remember something about wheel/hub/a-arm/strut leaving the vehicle.....at speed

 

[Lazmo]

I reckon this was the peak.

Nice for sure, but for me the peak was 1967 ... the SS50.

Back in the day, it was a wartime escape machine, but now it's what all the hoods, bros and dealers ride in Hanoi.

 

[Lazmo]

K2's were pretty good too...

This one had an 836 Wiseco kit.

Horace.

 

[hifiandmtb]

Was that the model that had self-removing front suspension?
I remember something about wheel/hub/a-arm/strut leaving the vehicle.....at speed

I remember this too, was wondering why it wasn't mentioned...

 

[Boom King]

GM have gotten out of every other RHD market over the past few years, only one left is Thailand I think. I reckon PSA might enter the Australian market with either Vauxhall or Opal now.

 

[Chriso_29er]

I reckon PSA might enter the Australian market with either Vauxhall or Opal now.

They already tried that a few years ago, ended badly.
As soon as I found out the new Commodore was just going to be an updated version of an Opel that already failed twice in Aus I new it was all downhill from there.

 

[Dales Cannon]

GM have gotten out of every other RHD market over the past few years, only one left is Thailand I think. I reckon PSA might enter the Australian market with either Vauxhall or Opal now.

Very possible.

XR400 was an easier ride than the 600 which was a heavy brute of a thing. My worstest ever crash was on a Honda. A fucking Honda fucking postie bike, doing donuts off the bike and it got traction and flung it and me about 15m into the side of a shed and then slammed into me. Horrid fucking thing!

 

[Boom King]

They already tried that a few years ago, ended badly.
As soon as I found out the new Commodore was just going to be an updated version of an Opel that already failed twice in Aus I new it was all downhill from there.

Wasn't that before GM sold Vauxhall and Opal to PSA? Not sure when they offloaded Opal but Vauxhall was 2017.