Which commodore/falcon models are the most evenly matched?

[RAPID_BA]

Which falcon/commodore models over the years are the most evenly matched?

Usually either the commodore or the falcon has the edge over one another at different points in time

I think the vs commodore and the ef falcon would have to be the best match.

The vs ecotec v6 had strong performance in the lightweight commy body.

The ef falcon is also a strong performer

Both are visually pretty decent looking cars

Whats your equal match?

[JBomb3000]

VR not VS was out at the same times as EF wasn't it?

[peeds13]

Both, VR came out 93, I think VS was 95 if not, it was in 96

[93EB_SXR6]

VS vs. EL

Personally I think the VS looked better, the EF/L were a step back in terms of styling for me.
The VS are reliable, no matter what anybody tells you.
Their fuel efficiency is superior to that of the falcon.
They have better brakes, don't blow headgaskets every other day and are fairly easy to work on.

Their gearboxes are not as good.
Their engines "sound harsher".
Their interior is inferior to that of the falcon.
They don't have as good a "feel".
Their steering wheels are weird and squishy LOL.

[Ford_The_Win]

VR was 93 (August I think?) til mid '95 (we had a Sept '95 VS wagon). Then VT came along in late 1997.

So the VR was competing with ED and EF - vastly inferior to both. The VR was a dog. Virtually unchanged from the VN. The VS however was a huge leap ahead.

EL was competing with VS which came out 12 months before EL and ended about a year before the EL did.

I am quite familiar with most '90s models of Falc and Commodore but not later models, so it's hard for me to judge which models are the most similar. But in terms of performance, VS and EL were incredibly similar, with the EL having the edge in the power stakes. The 4 litre EL was only 10kw down from Holden's 5 litre V8, whereas the VS/VT1 V6 had a paltry 147kw.

EL also has a much nicer interior compared to the VS range, a much better transmission, more standard equipment and much more comfortable ride. The VR-VS interior is the biggest let down on the whole car, the quality is absolutely atrocious and the seats are terrible. But VS has sharper handling and feels much more nimble due to the car being slightly smaller and much lighter.

The E-series head gaskets are made of cheese as everyone knows. But the Buick and Ecotec V6s seem to love throwing bearings and the amount of crank angle sensors they go through isn't funny.

[trento]

Originally Posted by Professor_Evans

Their steering wheels are weird and squishy LOL.

AGREED!!! Love ****ing my mate off by twisting the squishy wheel of his VS like a bike throttle when i'm driving his drunk behind home!!!

[Riksta]

The VN creams all over any of Ford's offerings!

[gtxb67]

there is no comparison between falcons and commode dores. i would take my xb over any commode dore up to and including the vn. that only applies to comfort and dash layout, because of course drivelines and safety features came along way over the 17 years

i only say up to the vn, because i have had nothing to do with any later commode dores - why would i want to have. i have taste


the only two models of similar ages i drove were my na fairlane and a vn commode dore. the vn was in almost immaculate conditon, wheras my fairlaine, while not a total bomb, was nowhere near as good, conditon wise. the fairlaine crapped all over it. from vn's the pathetic little head light switch to the general lack of comfort. there was no comparison

[Aranciafalcon]

I would have to say XC Falcon and HZ Kingswood.
Both companies went about totally different ways to get a car that in the end had similar power/handling to each other.
You could differentiate between the two on the street visually.
Most options were available to both models and parts were available.
Only thing is half of them had the wrong badge..

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by Riksta

The VN creams all over any of Ford's offerings!

The VN was a bucket. Same as the EA.

[Aranciafalcon]

Originally Posted by Windsor220

The VN was a bucket. Same as the EA.

Soooo, you think that they are evenly matched?

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by Aranciafalcon

Soooo, you think that they are evenly matched?

You could say they are. Bad as each other.

All the 90s models up the AU and VT were very similar.

[Swordsman88]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

VR was 93 (August I think?) til mid '95 (we had a Sept '95 VS wagon). Then VT came along in late 1997.

So the VR was competing with ED and EF - vastly inferior to both. The VR was a dog. Virtually unchanged from the VN. The VS however was a huge leap ahead.

EL was competing with VS which came out 12 months before EL and ended about a year before the EL did.

Yes the VR was a dog. They say the last falcon to truly outsell the commodore (not counting a vew months of BA) was the EF and you can see why. To be honestg i'm not sure how holden sold any VRs at all...a truly uninspiring car. its hard to find anything it did well let alone better than an EF.

The VS and EF were probably quite closely matched. The VS looked quite nice outside, it was pretty quick given its lighter weight and rode nicely...probably better than the EF over rutted ground at least in the rear. The EF has a much nicer interior (not a holden strong suit), better gearbox and better steering but its weight means its not much faster than the VS despite more power and torque and probably burns much the same. The head gaskets let the EF down but the ecotec has its own problems....and is as noisey as hell. Brakes much the same, VS more responsive with less weight but i much prefer the falcon for steering accuracy....

[FGX-351]

I don't understand how people are saying the VS looks much nicer than the VR with the only visual differences(exterior) being Holden badge, ecotec v6 badge, hub caps and from square, amber side indicators to oval shaped amber side indicators.
To me they look exactly the same?

[GS608]

Originally Posted by The-ShowStoPPa

I don't understand how people are saying the VS looks much nicer than the VR with the only visual differences(exterior) being Holden badge, ecotec v6 badge, hub caps and from square, amber side indicators to oval shaped amber side indicators.
To me they look exactly the same?

Was just about to mention that..VR and VS are basically identical

[GT0132]

My take

All Commmodores between VB to VH and VN to VS were not as nice looking as their Falcon counterparts. The VK was quite nice and looked better than the Ford offering at teh time, the XF. The VT/VX was far superior to the AU - maybe not mechanically, but certainly in the looks department The EA, while a pretty disappointing product from Ford was much better looking than the equivalent Commordore at the time, the VN.

Going back to early/mid 70's both Falcon and Kingswood were both equally as good but the Statesmans of that era ran rings around the equivalent Fairlanes

[chevypower]

Ever since EB2, the Falcon was clearly the better car, in my honest opinion. I think Ford live axles are much better than Holden's first IRS system too.

[EgoFG]

In the VT-VY they finally had a car that looked an equivalent to the EF-EL.
And isn't it funny how much the VE front looks like a BA

[93EB_SXR6]

Originally Posted by 5.0

Was just about to mention that..VR and VS are basically identical

I was thinking more about the VRs with the grey bumpers.
I could be mistaken but I thought all VSs were made with body coloured bumpers whereas a fair number of VRs were not.

[93EB_SXR6]

Originally Posted by EgoFG

In the VT-VY they finally had a car that looked an equivalent to the EF-EL.
And isn't it funny how much the VE front looks like a BA

"All modern cars look like electric shavers..."

[THE CADBURY KID]

Haha electric shavers! i love it
But seriously everybody knows the eb v8 was the best by a country mile

[Supercharged]

Originally Posted by EgoFG

And isn't it funny how much the VE front looks like a BA

You got that right, total rip off also with the flaired guards

[Ryan]

I can't really comment of fundamentals such as mechanically differences as although I've driven many Commodores, and Falcons I've never really driven models competing at the time back to back.

Looks are quite subjective. IMHO the VB-VL were/are nicer looking cars to the Falcon equivalents. I quite the Falcons made in the late 70s/early 80s, but I like the sleeker/European looking Commodores opposed to the square, and boxy Falcons.

VN/VP vs EA/EB/ED? No contest. I'll take the Falcon anyday. VNs/VPs are horrible looking cars, and look respectable in certain guise such as SS, and HSV. Base models are vomit inducing.

VR/VS vs EF/EL? Can't really pick. I think Holden, and Ford really got their designs right in the mid 90s.

VT/VX vs AU? As strange as this sounds I personally find AUs have more of an appeal. VTs/VXs were nice at the time of their release, but have aged quite bad whereas the AU still looks quite young.

Beyond? Pretty much the same thoughts as the mid 90s.

I can appreciate any nice Falcon regardless of what model it is, but I'm most definitely a big fan actually a HUGE fan of the VB-VL.

[FGX-351]

Originally Posted by Professor_Evans

I was thinking more about the VRs with the grey bumpers.
I could be mistaken but I thought all VSs were made with body coloured bumpers whereas a fair number of VRs were not.

Nup that ended with the VN, although some series 3 VS utes had black front bumpers.

[93EB_SXR6]

Originally Posted by FREE02

Haha electric shavers! i love it
But seriously everybody knows the eb v8 was the best by a country mile

You can't beat an EB for looks IMO, next daily car I buy will be an EB/ED Fairmont or XR8.
I'll admit I stole the line about electric shavers from Sin City.
Just a memorable quote thats stuck in my head from all those years ago.

[Supercharged]

Of the earlier Falcons I had 2 XF's, EF, EL, AU11, AU111 and my pick is the EL. Had a VS work vehicle and hated it, dam thing was always falling to bits.
The BA and on were a huge leap forward.

[buickman]

The current crop of N/A 6cyl Fords & Holden’s would the best matched as both give good fuel and safety features and perform nearly as well.

As Joe Kenwright comments about the VN Holden and Falcons of the 80's and 90's in the latest Unique cars it was a shameful chapter for local family cars that was finally buried with the BA and VX series11.

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by Ryan

I can't really comment of fundamentals such as mechanically differences as although I've driven many Commodores, and Falcons I've never really driven models competing at the time back to back.

Looks are quite subjective. IMHO the VB-VL were/are nicer looking cars to the Falcon equivalents. I quite the Falcons made in the late 70s/early 80s, but I like the sleeker/European looking Commodores opposed to the square, and boxy Falcons.

VN/VP vs EA/EB/ED? No contest. I'll take the Falcon anyday. VNs/VPs are horrible looking cars, and look respectable in certain guise such as SS, and HSV. Base models are vomit inducing.

VR/VS vs EF/EL? Can't really pick. I think Holden, and Ford really got their designs right in the mid 90s.
VT/VX vs AU? As strange as this sounds I personally find AUs have more of an appeal. VTs/VXs were nice at the time of their release, but have aged quite bad whereas the AU still looks quite young.

Beyond? Pretty much the same thoughts as the mid 90s.

I can appreciate any nice Falcon regardless of what model it is, but I'm most definitely a big fan actually a HUGE fan of the VB-VL.

took the words outa my mouth..my thoughts exactly on the cars....

[EgoFG]

In my perhaps not so humble opinion ...

The Best looking falcons would be XT, XC, EF and BF (if we stick to SWB Sedans)
And I put my money where my mouth is on all but the XC.

The best Commo/Kingy is neither Commo or Kingy - the Brougham, with the VL and the VY commos coming in there somewhere as having some timeless appeal.

[Zero_PSI]

BA and VE.