Biggest car fails in Australia! ZB Commodore, Mercedes X-Class and more! CarsGuide Podcast

[@mvnorsel6354]

The best car to fail in Australia is the Mitsubishi 380, a quality ,well build car that has proved itself, extremely reliable. Its such a fail many esteemed motoring journalists have completely forgotten it.

[@zaamuro8408]

Such a shame too, i thought the GT was a good looking car. You hardly see them anywhere anymore sadly.

[@fatmanoverlanding]

At the time before my wife's company switched to car allowance, she was given company cars. And out of the three that she's had around that period, the 380 was the most refined (smoothest drivetrain/gearbox) and the best built, compared to the Commodore (slow, unresponsive automatic gearbox, varying build quality), and Falcon (excellent auto gearbox, interior on the hard plasticky side, and the least attractive). Initially I didn't think I'd like it on the account it was a FWD (and the two previous cars (Commodore & Falcon) were RWD. But after driving it, that all changed. Besides, 90% of the driving done on it, you'll never know it was (FWD).

[@grantmcmahon6687]

Very underrated car much better car then the VE Commodore Mitsubishi should have built the 380 and put the Holden badge on it and would have sold heaps was a better car then the Commodore

[@Grant80]

Tend to agree that Mitsubishi in general or complete failure in Australia none of their cars ever really sold mass numbers save the company in hindsight if Mitsubishi Hannah had 10 different prices on their cars over two months people I would’ve bought more

[@flipflopthong2]

Mitsubishi Australia is simply not very good at marketing. It's unfortunate that quality products don't sell themselves. It doesn't help when they try to stretch out the lifecycle to ridiculous lengths.

[@noelgibson5956]

I knew the ZB Commodore was going to fail months before it was even released. The reasons we're many:- no V8. Offering it as a four. Not made in house by Holden. FWD. But mainly, buyers were just generally moving away from that type of vehicle and into SUV's and twincab utes. Having said all that, I'm sure the ZB was a great car in its own right, but it just was totally wasted wearing a Holden Commodore identity. It also sullied the legacy of the earlier, locally made Holden's.

[@campbellreither550]

My reasoning behind the demise of Ford Australia was the pathetic build quality. Particularly evident in the Capri. Every roof leaked! The AU was also a complete and utter lemon. From new, the panel gaps, the rubbers around the window frames, the paint jobs, all shocking. Impossible to find a good one now. Why would people save up for that, with much higher quality imports available.

[@sukhoiromantic1718]

Yeah but mechanically they are quite reliable. Working for a company that sells a certain German brand atm which makes beautifully 'built' cars, but with transmission issues, coolant issues, oil use issues, the sort of car you would never buty outside of warranty. We had an AU2 and a BA when new and between those the only thing that went wrong was a headlight globe and the front passenger side lower grille trim on the AU2. Agree on the paint quality though. Hopefully this German brand now doing more mechanically simpler evs will improve power train reliability

[@HeinrichChris]

The ZB Commodore is a brilliant car. This car was to be manufactured in Australia, it was the anointed successor, but manufacturing in Australia stopped.

[@kn6496]

Despite the poor marketing and poor uptake, the ZB is a quality car and most owners absolutely appreciate the car for what it is and not what it was trying to be. I went out of my way to get one(coming from an FGX Falcon), it’s that good. However, I understand why most people didn’t care and moved on.

[@pragmatist165]

Absolutely correct .. the LT 4 cyl 2 litre petrol is BRILLIANT.. I HAVE ONE .. IT IS A SUPERB SALOON CAR..a hatch plenty of pop .. everything about it outstanding and still is after 30000 klm... low kerb weight 1526kg etc etc etc.. 1400 revs at 112kph.. The public were SUV mad .. they wouldn't know.. they just wanted to sit higher in it and look down at saloon owners.. they have about quality .. none.

[@bella0167]

I've got the 2019 zb liftback v6 with only 39000ks on it .Picked it up for $25.000 It's a fantastic car .Very happy with it.

[@micksjiggers809]

I own one of those zb in fwd 2.0 turbo, have also owned a few commodores in my time. I agree it shouldn't have been named the commodore but the zb is leagues ahead of its previous models. Have done a little work to it and seriously boogies and handles like it's on rails.

[@bella0167]

Totally agree

[@gerardcrabb4556]

Commodore was always based on an Opel and had a four cylinder originally with one up until VK in NZ... It had V6 awd...

[@stewartmarler1416]

Notwithstanding the fact that Detroit were bleeding GMH dry and that as such Holden was up against it to survive, I'm pretty sure that Holden would still be around today had they not put the Commodore name on the Insignia. Ford (albeit bolstered by Mustang and Ranger being competitive) proved that you can have a nice corner of the market as an importer. Who knows, from there, Holden might then have had a solid financial basis to reactivate some of the local engineering capability to enhance and/or convert GM products for Australian tastes. We know from Byron's story of a year or two ago that Holden had a great vision of what they wanted to offer, they just might have succeeded had they approached it as an importer rather than a manufacturer.

[@stendecstretcher5678]

I don't think Honda will be around for much longer looking at their latest sales figures.

[@CalikL]

Well... They shouldn't name it Commodore, that's a fact. But my God... ZB is actually a great car

[@beagle7622]

Almost the day the Commodore was released, Peugeot took over Opel . Within months GM made the decision not to build RHD cars.

[@gerhardsteynberg6924]

I like your clip, But how can you have the HEN party in the kitchen while you talk sense to us ??????

[@braidwooddesignstudio5536]

Pity, P76 WAS the best family car (once you fixed all the bits that weren't manufactured right), it brought all 5 of us but the furniture from Darwin to the south after the cyclon. Fond memories,

[@gerardcrabb4556]

Caddilac is coming to Australia... GM probably wanted Opel to replace Holden... And GMSV could expand more converted US product...

[@HammerRocks]

My 2c worth... is the WW failure of the X-Class perhaps had a lot more to do with brand snobbery that an incorrect product? Perhaps Mercedes-Benz (MB) fans didn't accept it as an MB product, due to it's Nissan roots. I wonder if the exact same vehicle was released as it was, but was 100% MB developed/designed, if that would have sold better? 'Coz it was a good looking and capable rig. And based on how X-Class used car prices are going through the roof (in our market), it shows people do like them. I'm sure part of this is the COVID tax, but for the prices to maintain their current inflated levels, it means there is demand for them. 🤔 On the other hand, the Honda CRZ's failure IMO, goes down to its lack of power and its quirky design (being polite). I hope Honda have learnt from the CRZ that beauty sells & ugly doesn't. If given a choice between the CRZ and the early 90's Mk1 Honda CRX, hands down I'd choose the CRX every time - a car that's 20+ years older than the CRZ.

[@Mambey]

The ZB should never had been called a Commodore.

[@fatmanoverlanding]

I agree. It was a good car on its own right and not that bad looking neither. But naming it a Commodore has set some expectations that it could never meet. It would have been better to have kept it's European name. Or something else (ie. Admiral, Commander? 😁). Anything else but Commodore.

[@fatmanoverlanding]

​@@adelaideautowashes Agree to disagree. Holden changed the name from Kingswood to Commodore for the exact same reason you pointed out. It became a vastly different car from its predecessor. But at least it still remained a RWD car. But the smaller Commodore was outsold by the Falcon for most of the 80s. It wasn't until the larger VN Commodore that it started outselling the Falcon on a regular basis. The ZB is also a vastly different car to its predecessor and it went to FWD or AWD. Buyers of these segment seems to like the idea of driving a RWD car. And that's why I think it should have been renamed something else.

[@adelaideautowashes]

@@fatmanoverlanding Y'know, i'll admit, you've got a point. Thanks for not being a douchebag about it, too.

[@mervynstent1578]

@@adelaideautowashes ZB Peugeot Camira

[@fatmanoverlanding]

Who else remember these Holden badge engineered cars that failed to ignite our market (AUS): Calibra (from Opel), & Piazza (from Isuzu)? Both are gorgeous looking cars (for their era). Their exterior design (but definitely not their interior) might even give some current design sports cars a run for their money (particularly the Calibra). It's just their handling dynamics, and peformance that let them down. Not a good department to be lacking in, if the car is meant to be a sports car.

[@HammerRocks]

I remember both. I was still in primary school when the Piazza came out and I thought it was just the best looking sports car.

[@gerardcrabb4556]

Taurus did well in US probably prevented FG lhd production...

[@mikeallaway5519]

Mitsubishi 380 , spelt the end of their manufacturing in Australia….

[@perpetualgrin5804]

The day the best car made in Australia stopped.

[@planestrainsdogsncars4336]

Who's got the renovators in their house ..what's all the noise?

[@garluns]

I drive a Honda crz, it suits my needs. Easy to park and get around town. Affordable to maintain and reliable

[@carsguide]

Some of us (namely me, Matt Campbell) love the CR-Z. Especially the manual. Tell me yours is manual, and you want to sell it? 😉

[@rotoehu9266]

Ironic your comment re imagining Opel coming back to Australia, it’s just been announced Opel are soon to (re)enter NZ market. The importer will focus of low emission models to take advantage of the NZ clean car scheme (the ubiquitous 1.2T triple, PHeV, and perhaps BeV in future). Of course these days (as Byron alluded to) Opel’s are rebodied Peugeots, no GM roots remain. Personally, hoping Stellantis will announce the Fiat 500e will be coming to NZ.

[@rileysmith9843]

Ford eventually pulled the plug on the Taurus back home.

[@miketurner4462]

I agree with Andrew, Holden should have done the dame as Ford, and retired the commodore and retired the commodore name plate after the final AUSSIE made commodore. It did offend true commodore fans, even non Holden fans agreed, the new one should have been sold as an insignia, like Ford did, by having the Mondeo as the falcon replacement but retaining its Modeo name. The ZB commodore was never going to cut it as a commodore, but if they sold it as an Insignia, chances are, it would have sold much better.

[@Mambey]

Had a Vectra. A nice car.

[@stevendoust6658]

They probably should have called it something else obviously they were just trying to let everyone one know that this is the next one I think the zb is awesome so really it’s just a name

[@Mambey]

Awfully Ugly. Falcon. The worst looking ever. The best looking were the XR version with the twin round headlights.

[@fatmanoverlanding]

If you take a close look at the AU Falcon design (aka cockroach) and the Mk1 Mercedes-Benz CLS, you'll see the overall shape looks rather similar ( the line from the bonnet, to roof, to boot). Even the taillight shape looks similar. But where the MB CLS was lusted over by many, the AU Falcon was chastised for ruining the Falcon brand.

[@gerardcrabb4556]

T series were best looking 5.6 litre proper irs...

[@pragmatist165]

The undeniable truth is that the zb 4 cyl 2 litre petrol turbo commodore, call it a widget if you like , is an exceptional car , full of kit , pace , comfort , whisper quiet, economical and a mere 1526 kg kerb weight. When you read other comments here, there is great praise by me and others who own and drive it., I got it for $27880 .. just great and they threw in a hatchback !!!!!