after about 4 years of production, what is the verdict on the series 1 VE commodore??

Tuning for Holley carbs in Perth? PM me.

Mick

When I retire the CV8 in a year do you think the VE Calais V is a worthy replacement (the CV8 will get parked in the shed corner). Is the VE that much bigger than the V2?

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If we all had the same (good) taste, who would buy all the Fords?

quote:

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Originally posted by HK1837
Mick
When I retire the CV8 in a year do you think the VE Calais V is a worthy replacement (the CV8 will get parked in the shed corner). Is the VE that much bigger than the V2?

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You'll find the VE isn't that much bigger physically - it's certainly less of a step from VT/VZ up to a VE than the step from VS>VT.

One thing you will find in the VE, is that the car seems to get smaller as you drive it. As a stock package, they handle very well - making them feel smaller & more nimble than they really are.

One area you will appreciate in the VE (compared to VT-VZ & variants) is the boot space. It's a much better boot, and while it doesn't seem to look like it's that much bigger, it holds a lot more than a VT-VZ when you pack it well - and the VE boot hinges certainly help here.

The 6.0L is a much better engine than the 5.7L, and the economy they get is quite good. The 6 speed auto does take a bit to get used to - if you drive it like a granny for a while, then give it a bit of a squirt, it seems to want to get lazy & skip gears. "Sport" mode is quite harsh at light throttle openings, but once you get used to "driving" it, the box works well.

The downside to the VE is that DIY repairs are becoming a thing of the past with these cars. This does suit the majority of buyers though, just not those of us who like to do our own work.




Cheers,

Mick
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Judge a successful man not on how he treats his peers, but on how he treats those less fortunate.

If I get one it'll be a Calais V ie 6L. I wouldn't have a V6 ever again, damn horrible things. I'm suffering one right now in the 2010 SR5 Hilux I have, but there is nothing else available and if nothing else comes up i'll change it to a 6.0L GM engine when the warranty expires.

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If we all had the same (good) taste, who would buy all the Fords?

That's what we're getting cloudy - around town it's in the 12s and the open road can dip into the low 9s if there's not many hills. I find I use less on the open road by not using cruise control, which is rare these days.

In NSW you don't pay any more for a V8 at rego time - it's based on the weight, and the Calais V is in the same bracket for both engine options.

We only got up to 175k in our VS before replacing it with this Calais V. Only just started to have a couple of issues - new water pump, and new power steering pump, and I put one set of brake pads into it about 6 years ago. It was otherwise perfect, but you do expect those things as normal wear & tear.

The in-law's VS stato cracked 400,000 before they sold it (replaced with a 5.7L WK Caprice). It did crack a set of heads at 250k though - caused by a stuck thermostat, but the only other probs it had was a torque convertor clutch failure, a reg in the alternator, and the idler pulley support near the coil pack broke whilst cranking - flicking the belt off. It towed a whole heap of cars around on the trailer too (rear was setup for towing) and avoided the IRS tyre wear issues.

Cheers,

Mick
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Judge a successful man not on how he treats his peers, but on how he treats those less fortunate.

I reckon the 195kw v6 is a great engine. I've had mine for 3 years and it starts great, runs well and pulls the car trailer fine. The motor puts out more power than a HQ 308 and has good fuel economy at the same time.

The only real problem is the tyres. The Bridgestone 245/45R18 cost an arm, leg and some other appendages to replace. I got 40,000k�s in the V6, and I imagine the 6.0L would be even harder on them.

Regards, Alan.