You’ve put off the inevitable for too long.
It’s now been more than three long years since the last Holden Commodore came off the Elizabeth production line in Adelaide, four orbits of the sun since the death of the Ford Falcon, and nearly five for the only SUV ever made here, Ford’s Territory .
If you’d been lucky enough to buy one, it would have been a bittersweet experience to know that you would eventually have to replace the irreplaceable one.
You can still drive your beloved Australian icon, of course, but as everyday commuters you get a little bit of headway with increased maintenance, decreased security, and clunky old multimedia systems. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever.
But don’t worry, we’re here to help you with our top suggestions on which new alternatives are closest to the spirit of our forever lost but never forgotten auto industry.
Everyone owns something similar to our native classics because that’s what even the newest Australian-made car is these days. Now is the time to put that VF V8 in mothballs and move on with something new.
OUT: 2011-2016 Ford SZ Territory TDCi
IN: 2022 Toyota Kluger GX Hybrid AW from $ 54,150 BOCs
If you’re familiar with the current Smarter, the new one just looks like a gentle evolution.
From June, the fundamental redesign of the fourth generation will turn into a revolution. It adopts the highly acclaimed Toyota New Global Architecture platform, which offers more space, more sophistication, better rigidity, and improved handling and driving characteristics than previous iterations.
And don’t you know These are all attributes that have made the late and deplored territory one of Australia’s greatest of all time for both passengers and astute drivers.
Read more about the Toyota Kluger
But wait – hasn’t the same been true for the current Mazda CX-9 since the end of 2016? Yes, it has. The latter, however, is turbo-only gasoline, which means you’d be out of luck if you’re looking for the frugality of the Territory TDCi turbodiesel.
The MY22 Kluger with its new hybrid drive train combines three electric motors (two of which drive the rear wheels) with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 142 kW / 242 Nm and a total output of 184 kW. The consumption, known as e-Four AWD (for all-wheel drive), reduces consumption from 8.7 liters per 100 km in the standard 3.5-liter V6 to just 5.6 l / 100 km.
Take advantage of advanced driver assistance safety technology and it’s worth swapping for your old Territory diesel.
OUT: 2013-2017 Holden VF Commodore SS
IN: 2021 Chrysler 300 SRT from $ 77,450 BOCs
Remember how you could have bought a brand new SS sedan for $ 50,000 in 2017 and now you’re kicking yourself for not? We’re assuming this could also apply to the Chrysler 300 SRT, which starts at $ 77,000, as the stripped-down core is no longer there.
Yes, the Canadian-built four-door sedan is in its eleventh year of production and counting – so it’s older than the VF Commodore – but we’re still talking about a 6.4-liter HEMI V8 that has 350 kW of power and 637 Nm torque is provided by the rear wheels for a 0-100 time of around 4.5 seconds on the way to a top speed of 282 km / h.
Striking, timeless and – let’s be honest – divisive design and solid German-American technology thanks to (older) chassis constructions of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and S-Class contribute to the attractiveness of the Chrysler. And luckily, you can find an advanced driver assistance safety and multimedia connectivity kit so it at least looks newer than your SS.
Read more about the Chrysler 300
We say that – with the exception of the German luxury sports sedans, which cost twice as much as the BMW M550i and Mercedes E53 AMG – it is not possible to buy a family-friendly, high-performance V8 sedan like the 300 SRT. Certainly not for this money.
It’s time to get that VF SS into a barn for a rainy day and pull in a Chrysler 300. It won’t be long now, you know.
OUT: 2016 Ford FGX Falcon XR6 Turbo
IN: Kia Stinger V6TT from $ 53,830 BOCs
We have said it before and we will say it again.
For Kia, it is downright remarkable to introduce the Stinger in 2017, a distinctive, deep-seated high-performance sports sedan, as it did with the Stinger.
The Commodore production was closed, the Falcon was already gone and no one in the world advocated a 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 rear driver with an output below 5.0, but there it was … and here it is always still.
Read more about the Kia Stinger
If it lost the Kia logo and instead sported an Audi S7 or Mercedes CLS badge, the world would shake, but instead the 4.8-meter-long and 1.9-meter-wide liftback languishes, along with many of its oily parts shares with the Genesis G70, in the fringe. The interior of the Stinger, updated in 2020, also feels special.
Like the Blue Oval’s Falcon XR6 Turbo before, the Stinger V6TT has a blue-collar appeal for the way it can cleverly outmaneuver much more expensive European and Japanese machines, but is still big, practical, and affordable enough to be To act as the sole family car. If you offer a seven-year warranty, then you can add meaningful information to the equation.
No other car has come so close to a spiritual replacement for the Falcon and Commodore as the Stinger. It is an award we never tire of repeating.
OUT: 2013-2017 Holden VF SV6 Ute
IN: 2021 Ford Ranger XLT Double Cab Bi-Turbo from USD 53,040 BOCs
The connection between a VF Commodore and a PX III Ranger is not as great as the very different specifications suggest. One is a car based ute and the other is a truck. Period.
However, the driving force behind these two vehicles is remarkably similar, and the end result is unique for both vehicles in the world.
As early as the end of the 2000s, Ford Australia received the order to design and develop the medium-sized T6 pick-up for the world. With thousands of designers and engineers working on the project for years, it has pushed the limits of what a truck can look, feel and drive. The fact that the Ranger will remain the best in its class in terms of dynamics, drivability and sophistication in a decade is proof of the ingenuity of the Broadmeadows-based team.
Read more about the Ford Ranger
OK, a 2.0-liter twin-turbo four-pot diesel built in Thailand with 157 kW / 500 Nm in a body truck with rear leaf spring suspension is a world away from a 3.6-liter V6 made in Australia Gasoline engine with 210 kW / 350 Nm a monocoque body and an independent rear. But both feel most comfortable on our streets.
Even if the new wave of SUV-based utes like the Honda Ridgeline, Hyundai Santa Cruz, and Ford Maverick make it to Australia, our native Ranger is closest to the Holden (or Falcon).
The last Australian vehicle. And don’t forget – Ford Australia was the first in the world with a VF-like ute in 1934.
OUT: 2013-2017 Holden VF Sportwagon Evoke
IN: 2021 Skoda Octavia 110TSI wagons from 31,690 USD BOCs
In every way, the Holden Sportswagon was a huge success.
Developed as a design-driven addition to the VE sedan series from 2006 and not as a carryall with a longer wheelbase and a very specific focus on fleet cars, the contract was awarded to generate 15 percent of total sales, although this often exceeded 40 percent.
That’s because buyers loved the sleek, solid, and muscular proportions that the five-door practicality of a car also offered. The hint was in the name. The entry-level Commodore Evoke was a particularly compelling offering, with pricing under $ 40,000 and a beautifully presented interior that was far richer than the humble stop in life suggested.
Read more about the Skoda Octavia
In 2021, car alternatives to the latter are few and far between; The Mazda6 is sleek but cramped inside; The Ford Mondeo is gone and the Passat from Volkswagen is rising in price.
But the recently released and completely redesigned Skoda Octavia 110TSI car possesses part of this valuable ability of the Evoke Sportwagon, which results from its modest but powerful 1.4-liter turbo / eight-speed torque converter car drive train with 110 kW / 250 Nm results. to its inviting, comfortable interior that offers acres of family-friendliness.
OUT: 2013-2017 Holden WN Caprice
IN: 2021 Kia Carnival Platinum from $ 64,680 BOCs
The Holden Caprice was a dying breed before the VF-based WF launched in 2013. Its only real competitor – the Ford Fairlane, which inspired the series in the late 1960s – was discontinued about half a decade earlier.
The original (in Australia) Hyundai Genesis 3.8 started in 2014 as a convincing alternative with similar prices and much more technical data. Since then, he’s been shot towards $ 100,000 as a redesigned G80, leaving the door open to rivals in the chauffeur-driven companies, the hotel airport business, and the posh taxi market.
Enter the newest Kia Carnival. This is literally an out-of-the-box model with a handsome, state-of-the-art design, above-average seating position modeled after many SUVs (it shares largely the same chassis as the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Palisade), and an acre large space and convenience inside while you are in comfortable seats and high quality interior design. Especially in loaded, healthy platinum quality.
In other words, the development of the former large luxury sedan.
Fortunately, the Carnival is a great drive too, with the choice of plenty of V6 power or the economy of a turbo diesel, plus light, yet precise steering and smooth driving.
However, what really takes the Kia over the line for us is its sassy visual demeanor and classy attire. The mood for the 2020s is right here.