2006 Wheels Car of the Year: what will win in a very strong field?

[thatdbeme]

the VE will win because this is wheels magazine! what else could there be?

if they didnt choose the VE i would start buying their magazine again

[motorsportnerd]

Well thatdbeme - I guess you won't be buying Wheels again?

Officially announced - Holden Commodore VE is Wheels Car of the Year for 2007.

[fpv_gtho]

Not much of a surprise really. Aurion no doubt got second, if they actually confirm the final order.

[monaroCountry]

ACA The three finalists Video

http://ninemsn.video.msn.com/v/en-au...&mediaid=32734

[thatdbeme]

Well - I guess you won't be buying Wheels again.

Officially announced - Holden Commodore VE is Wheels Car of the Year for 2007.

im not stuborn enough to say never again

but i really doubt it, theyre a joke

[monaroCountry]

the Aurion will have to overcome the perception of being an un-australian product.

Amongst other things......................

[thatdbeme]

Amongst other things......................

and more specifically?

[motorsportnerd]

Amongst other things......................

Do we really wish to argue about this - again?
All cars have faults. Even the Commodore VE.

[SlickHolden]

the VE will win because this is wheels magazine! what else could there be?

if they didnt choose the VE i would start buying their magazine again

It wouldn't have ever crossed your mind that a shit Aussie built car might be good enough overall too win such a award?

[fpv_gtho]

Now now, lets try keep this positive for now.

Being a local mag though, you have to think theres going to be even the slightest hint of pro-local bias amongst Wheels' editorial staff.

In any case, both the VE and Aurion made the top 3. Whether that was subconciously or conciously manipulated to avoid controversy, or the simplest reason that they both were in the top 3 of eligible cars this year should matter too much. Whilst one won and one didnt, theyre both 2 of the best cars released this year.

[motorsportnerd]

Lets keep in mind that cars are not compared to each other.
There's no way that the VE (or the Aurion for that matter) are better than an S-Class Merc for example. Yet the S-Class Merc didn't make the final 8 as it didn't do so well against the criteria.
Doesn't take too much though to see how the VE and Aurion did so well against the criteria.
Function: both blitz that, especially the VE which fills so many different hats (basic family sedan, sports sedan, luxury sedan) quite well with a very large and flexible interior and a decent drive to boot. Only the base model's engine/trans let it down a touch. But even the Omega performs the role of basic family transport quite well.
The Aurion performs the role of basic family transport even better then the basic Commodores, but it doesn't have enough diversity in its range to fulfill more than two hats - basic family sedan and medium-luxury sedan. And while it drives very well (its dynamics are much better than pretty much any pre-BA era Aussie six, except perhaps an XR6), it is behind Commodore.
Safety: Commodore has exceptional body strength and standard ESP and ABS, but is slightly let down by only having dual airbags on the base models. This last point will cost the Commodore a 5-star NCAP rating, but won't have hurt it against the Wheel's safety criteria.
The Aurion blitzes this category. Six airbags, ESP and ABS standard across the range. Aurion's body strength and integrity is also very high. I expect it will be first Aussie built car to gain a 5-star NCAP ranking.
Value How can either of these cars not be good value. They both are all the way through the range. Aurion slightly better at bottom of range, VE at top of the range.
Technology - Commodore scores here for its suspension technology and the engineering required for its body strength. However, old tech 4-speed auto would've hurt it a bit.
Aurion scores here for its high-tech and super smooth V6 matted to the six-speed auto.
Efficiency. This is where the Commodore hurts - its not the most fuel efficient car on the block.
This is where the Aurion would've made back anything lost in the dynamics/diversity department. That engine/trans delivers impressive economy and low emissions.

I'll wait for the mag before I comment further, but I reckon the VE will have won on the fact its more fun to drive and has greater diversity. Whereas the Aurion will have almost got there through its better marks against the efficiency criteris. Because, against the criteria above - both cars are so damned close it isn't funny.

Full story here: http://www.carpoint.com.au/car-review/2318595.aspx

What is most interesting is the line:

"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."

I'm not in the least surprised that it was so close.
I am trying to figure how how the 3-series coupe did so well when the 3-series sedan didn't figure that strongly last year. Perhaps the 3-series would've won if both the coupe and sedan had been released in the same year.

Anyway, I'll admit that the VE deserves the win, whatever my reservations about the base models.

[SlickHolden]

Overall it's best. Because as you said the Aurion hurts with the 1 engine tranny.
So whilst it's a better family car at a better price, As we move up into the sporty s too luxury versions it starts too loose it's lead fast and then gets blown away with the V8's.
I didn't have a problem with the Aurions ride and i loved the engine.. Love too know what it can do with a 6 speed manual or Falcons ZF.

MSN you need too spin in a Calais V6.. One of these days I'll get one for a day and will go hunting rabbits They are pretty expensive over the bade models.. I could have saved $200 or more if i went for the Omega and not the Calais.

But the Calais V6 was great on fuel for me i was impressed with it, It's a better engine tranny set-up then the omega and it is much better on fuel economy.

[fpv_gtho]

Commodore scores here for its suspension technology and the engineering required for its body strength.

Even here, its taking things that the 380 and BA had, and simply putting them together. Of course they would have made advances on them, but single piece side body pressings and multi link rear end's arent new.

[motorsportnerd]

Yeah, I will take the Calais for a spin some time.
The result in this years COTY is probably a fitting one for both pro-VE and pro-Aurion camps. As yet, I don't know just how close it was. I remember the last time a COTY was this close was the BA-Mazda6-Jazz year, when the magazine commented that the BA only just pulled it off against the other two. Its a pity they no longer tell us which judge voted for what, but the text was enough to let us know. IAnd you know what? It looks like 2008 will be a rerun of 2002 - with new Falcon, Mazda6 and I would assume a new Jazz likely to all be released in 2008.

[nota]

As an adjunct I watched the Channel 9 news tonight. Their report of the VE COTY amounted to maybe 5 seconds containing two sentences, no footage

This brief piece immediately led into their reporting that Overlander magazine had awarded 4wdOTY to Toyota Prado, with extended dialogue (20 seconds?) backed by lots of footage, which concluded with some 'deal closer' verbage pitched in advertising-style of Toyota's 'overall quality of engineering excellence' (or similar)

After this thinly disguised Toyota promo (and Holden ignore) it was "Next up after the break is Toyota Sports Tonight!"