Holden Commodore VF Series 2

When searching for a large family car under $25,000, you’re likely to cross paths with the last real Holden Commodore, the VF Series 2.

There are plenty of late model VF Commodores on offer with relatively low mileage, and you’ll only need to spend around $22,000. With that being said, don’t expect to find yourself an SS for that money. You’ll be filtering through mostly SV6 and Evoke models.

So, the Commodore ticks the budget box, but how capable and relevant is the VF Commodore in 2024?

Let’s have a look at the MY2016 SV6 Sportwagon (my personal daily that I just sold). For those who need a refresher, here are the oversimplified headlines:

-       V6 3.6L Petrol (91RON), 210kW and 350Nm

-       6 Speed Automatic Transmission

-       71L Fuel Tank

-       Keyless Entry, Cruise Control

-       Driver Aids (Blind Spot Sensor, Parking Assist, Rear Camera, ESC and ABS)

Being relatively affordable and P-Plate friendly, the Commodore is a viable option for any growing family. It’s equipped with essential safety features, and it’s got enough room for everyone to be comfortable. It’s quite a good-looking car, but is it still good enough in 2024?

Powertrain

When you see the numbers 210kW of power and 350Nm of torque, you automatically think “that’s enough for me”, and you’d be right. The average driver would be satisfied with what the Commodore offers. Over time though, you’ll start to realise that you really need to ‘step on it’ to actually access that 210kW and 350Nm. Peak power and torque are delivered at 6,700RPM and 2,800RPM, respectively. This is where you start to understand the nature of the car.

Commodores are lazy. If it were a person, it’d be the 40-year-old uncle who power lifts 3 times a week but lives a calorie-surplus lifestyle. He isn’t a slouch, but he makes all the ‘dad noises’ when getting off the couch.

The Commodore wants to cruise at 100km/h on highways and country B-roads. That’s what it’s designed for. Zipping around town is not the natural style of driving for the Commodore.

“Are you serious? You want me to accelerate to 80km/h? Ugh, fine”. That’s the mentality of the engine. Hammer the accelerator pedal and it really gets moving, but it’ll make a fuss about it as it gets you to speed. You can literally hear the engine complain as it accelerates. The term “effortless” is not part of the Commodore’s vocabulary. Another term that is not part of its vocabulary is “good fuel economy”. Allow me to elaborate and provide a quick disclaimer.

I have achieved 6.7L/100km over 500km on average when driving the Commodore – a fantastic figure for what this car is. The disclaimer: I was on the freeway for about 3 hours straight. The fuel economy you achieve with this vehicle is dictated by your driving style.

I have a light foot, and most of my driving is on freeways, but I’ll occasionally need to do the odd city-run. I realistically achieve around 9L/100km (I rarely carry passengers, the car was always carrying the engineering equipment I need for work). You’re probably thinking that this is a great figure, since it’s under 10L/100km. If I reset the trip computer while I’m at speed at 100km/h on a freeway, and monitor the average fuel economy, I’ll sit around 7L/100km.

If I do the same thing around town, I’ll achieve 12L/100km. Add those two figures together and do the math, and the average works out to be 9.5L/100km, which mirrors Holdens claimed figures.

Here’s my issue with the Commodores fuel economy. If it’s drinking 9.5L/100km, I want more performance out of it.

The Volkswagen Passat 206TSI R-Line (2.0L 4 Cylinder Turbo Petrol, AWD) is faster, punchier, a more premium place to sit and it averages 7.4L/100km.

The same can be said about the Subaru Levorg (2.0L 4 Cylinder Turbo Petrol, AWD) and it averages 8.7L/100km. Both vehicles can be found for around $25,000, and both vehicles have great tuning opportunities.

It’s safe to say that in this day and age, the numbers the Commodore produces are starting to feel a little… underwhelming. And this is where the Commodore shows it’s age. Yes, you can pick up a 2016 example, but keep in mind that the VF Commodore sits on a refreshed version of GM’s Zeta platform, which began development in 1999. Welcome to the root cause of the issue with the Commodore. To put it respectfully, she’s an old soul.

So, if you’re looking for something zippy and economical, you’re better off exploring other options first. However, if you’re like me and you need extra boot space and you do around 500km a week on freeways, stick around. The Commodore makes up for it’s lazy nature.

Comfort and Handling

People call the Commodore a boat for a reason: It’s soft and comfortable. It soaks up bumps on the road, so Victorias shitty B-roads are not a problem for the Commodore. Although, you will notice the weight of the car with almost every maneuver you make on the road. It’s forgivable though, the heavy-weighed steering and suspension tuning makes the car feel grounded.

It isn’t the quietest car inside; engine noise under load is apparent enough for my passenger to turn to me and say, “is your car modified?” – Unfortunately, no, it’s just loud because of a lack of both refinement and sound deadening material in the cabin. It isn’t bad though; you aren’t leaving the car with a headache. At 100km/h, you’ll experience some tyre noise and the slightest of wind buffeting from the shape of the body, but again – forgivable.

What helps you forgive it is the space and comfort the cabin itself offers. Unlike other sedans and wagons, this is a true 5-seater. 5 adults will be comfortable in the Commodore and won’t have any leg-room issues. The seats are plush and wide, the roofline provides you with a generous amount of headroom and visibility is great (apart from the A-pillar).

Interior and Infotainment

We’ve already established that the cabin space is generous and offers all passengers a good amount of comfort. But who knew the interior would look so premium?!

Partial leather, partial suede seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, (fake) carbon fibre trim, and some nicely backlit switches and buttons.

Since the Commodore is designed for longer drives, sitting behind the wheel is quite a pleasant experience… Until you need to use the infotainment system.

Welcome to the ‘Achilles Heel’ of the VF Commodore. God-forbid you want to use the Bluetooth system to connect your phone (forget about Apple CarPlay or Android Auto)… Your patience will be tested.

The system lags, the buttons feel a little spongy and the infotainment interface isn’t intuitive. The worst part about the system is once you connect your phone to Bluetooth and you’re driving, the system will randomly decide “nah I’ve had enough” and will automatically disconnect your phone. Good luck reconnecting it, it’s temperamental. Sometimes it takes a good minute to get it going again. Other times you’ll need to pull over and turn the car off and wait a few minutes for it to find your phone again. Once, it simply doesn’t connect again till the next day (I’m not joking, that actually happened).

It's even more fun when it does that while you’re on the phone to a client. Sure, you could explore aftermarket head unit options, or even try a third-party phone mirroring system (which would still lag like crazy), but now you’ve spoiled the interior. To be completely honest and fair, this doesn’t happen very often. Maybe once a month? But when it does happen, it is frustrating to say the least.

Reliability

Putting the infotainment issue aside, I have had a fantastic experience with the Commodore. The only things I’ve had to replace are:

-       Low beam bulb

-       RH wiper arm (they are flimsy and brittle, it’ll break off in winter when it’s frosty)

-       Tyres (nails on the road damaging the tyre beyond repair)

Mechanically, nothing has gone wrong. No warning lights, no engine light, no unwanted noises – nothing. A lot of people worry about the timing chain issues on the 6-cylinder models. However, my (very brief) research on these engines has indicated that the timing chain issues were not present in the Series 2 VF’s (I could be wrong, feel free to correct me).

This is how the vehicle makes up for its shortcomings. It won’t let you down, and if it did, it won’t hurt your wallet. Parts are easily accessible, and a lot of the work can be done at home with basic tools.

Final Thoughts

I parted with this car simply because I get bored of my personal cars quite quickly and wanted something a bit more refined. If you do what I do for work, you get over the desire for acceleration and power. Plus, as a frequent motorcycle rider, there is no car that I can daily that gives me the satisfaction of my bikes. So, I opted for a boring but refined Honda CR-V.

Admittedly, I now drive past VF Commodore’s with happy tears in my eyes.

Is the VF a relevant car in 2024? Well, that answer is subjective and depends on what your daily is. If you’re coming from a 2012 Toyota Camry, you’re going to love the Commodore. If you’re coming from a 2022 Volkswagen Passat 206TSI R-Line, the Commodore will feel sluggish and boat-like.

Either way, it’s a fantastic car.