Help n Thoughts Cruze or Gas VE

[GTR_069]

Ok, big difference in two cars, we currently own a few cars wife drives a VE SS Daily, I run a HZ Premier Wagon 5ltr on gas,

I want to park the HZ and keep her tidy and weekend / club car, to original and low k's,

Time for a newer car, cant justufy another sportwagons fuel bill, I spend $40 a week wife does $100 so two bills of $100 would kill us

So have been looking at gas VE's cant get a Sportswagon in gas, that sucks I love my wagons and love the look,

The cruze looks the goods and reading this topic http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=146475&highlight=sportwagon&page=12, seems good

went to Holden yesterday god the sales people around here are useless, I asked a few somple question on Gas VE's no help I asked if a VE on the lot was a 3ltr and couldnt help so I left

Next dealer asked for some help no good

So Im here

Can a sports wagon be retro fitted with gas? Donut tank in spare wheel well, has any one done it? how does it perform and what milage you getting

The Cruze looks the the good cant see the point in spending 5k more on deisel, and more at the pump when 1.4t is cheaper and has same economy

The sprts models look the goods, but your opions help, the way I see the cruze line

CD = Omega
CDX = Berlina
SRI = SS
SRIV = SSV

SRI V looks the goods but is it worth the extra dollars for leather and sat nav and keyless???

CDX ticks most boxes but boring looking next to the SRI

oh man then I walk out to HZ in carpak and get a horn, such a mint wagaon, gets the looks sounds great, kids love it, but I dont wanna wreck it with daily driven, starting to cost a bit to maintain it for so much freeway driving

Help a Man think this through

Thanks

[BEARWOOD]

Can't really help with the fitting of gas but if fuel economy is your main goal here i wouldn't be looking at a Sportswagon or similar. Wouldn't the cost of fitiing gas outway the savings, atleast for a while anyway??

Do you need a large car with heaps of boot space or what is it used mainly for?

I drove the Cruze SRI-V and whilst it's a nice car to drive it was hopelessly slow & something i could not live with daily.

Maybe wait until the new mazdas with the skyactive come out and look at them.

[matthewfnorbert]

by a 2nd hand vw polo diesel if you want to save fuel and money. although buying a car to save fuel does not really work.

you could convert the HZ to gas and spend the money you save (by not spending 20 or 30k on another car) on keeping the HZ mint despite the miles...

[steve_t]

Motorbike! :goodjob:

[csv rulz]

My mum got a brand new 9-3 Saab 1.9L Turbo Deisel about 18months ago. Saab are practically throwing them out the door, it was to cheap to refuse. It's bigger, lighter and more comfortable than the cruze. She regularly sees 4L/100km on hwy runs. It actually pulls pretty well too.

[redvxr8clubby]

If you want gas in a big wagon, then it probably comes down to two choices. Convert a Sportwagon as you mentioned, I believe all new V6's are designed to be gas compatible, I'm sure you'll find conversion is a possibility. The other choice is wait about a year, Holden is bringing out dedicated gas sometime next year, I don't know for sure if their plans includes a wagon though. Holden say no compromises in the coming gas versions, in the sedan there will be no tank in the boot.
I guess another option if you want a big wagon with gas is a used Falcon wagon. They are dedicated gas and have two 58 litre tanks under the floor, spare wheel stands vertically in the wagon load area. I had a a BF gas wagon at work a few years ago, they do use about 25% more gas than a equivalent petrol car. I could travel from Sydney to Tweed Heads and not fill up until I get to Tweed (did it twice). It takes about 100 litres at Tweed for 830 Km trip. Around Sydney gas consumption was pretty high - about 19l/100Km from memory.

[MTC]

Go the VE wgn on LPG. I have a VE HSV R8 tourer on LPG & a VY SS Wgn on LPG. both cost about $27 to fill 50ltr donut tanks in both & get around 300klms in the VE & around 350klms in the VY.

[smokey777]

ive just been through this exact situation i do 120ks round trip daily SS was costing a fortune about $200+ a f/n. i ended up getting a 90 tsi (shoulda prob got 118 tsi) but the VW 90 i got tuned which gives it 110kw & 260nm which is pretty nippy in a small car. its good as the 260 is spread over about 4000 revs. i get 800ks to 45 litres every time and i dont drive it for economy lol

[T2000]

I also run a VE V8 with the donut tank in the spare wheel carrier (sedan and wagon use same spare arrangement and have the same tank available for that location).
If you can afford the extra coin and want close to ULP fuel usage and power then get the Liquid Injected LPG system fitted that ALPGW distribute http://www.alpgw.com.au/Find-a-Installer---Distributor.aspx
Definitely no power loss (power gain if tuned right) and will be within 1 to 2 litres per 100km of your ULP usage.

My vote would be commodore wagon with the LiLPG.

Commodore is bigger, better built, more comfortable, more powerful and is likely to suffer less depreciation as well.

Do your sums and think about how long you are going to keep the new car... you'll probably find that the LPG conversion will pay for itself within 25 to 30 thousand kms and will probably add to the resale value... win-win.

My 2c... goodluck!

[VH-COM]

The other choice is wait about a year, Holden is bringing out dedicated gas sometime next year, I don't know for sure if their plans includes a wagon though. Holden say no compromises in the coming gas versions, in the sedan there will be no tank in the boot.
.

VE sportwagon coming out with dedicated gas in Feb. - only 4-5 months away.
Also no space compromises with wagon as it is targeted at the Sales Rep. market.
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/7A1931F88B2E32A7CA2578D5001E61C2

Goauto article doesn't give timeline for wagon release but I am sure it is Feb.

[XUV]

cruze diesel , just say '' No '' .

Go the 3.0 l wagon , fdrive around for awhile , see what figures it gives .

Then if it still uses too much , convert it .

But it still baffles me why they dosen't put a 3.0 l diesel TD it the comodore .

Well then there's always a 300C diesel Tourer/Wagon , 500nm and 7l/100 combined + instant street cred .

That's what i'd get .

[planetdavo]

Two very different cars here- a Cruze sedan and a VE wagon. Unless you are considering the Cruze hatch???
If you are considering a Cruze sedan why aren't you considering a factory lpg VE sedan?

[planetdavo]

cruze diesel , just say '' No '' .

Go the 3.0 l wagon , fdrive around for awhile , see what figures it gives .

Then if it still uses too much , convert it .

But it still baffles me why they dosen't put a 3.0 l diesel TD it the comodore .

Well then there's always a 300C diesel Tourer/Wagon , 500nm and 7l/100 combined + instant street cred .

That's what i'd get .

Was a thread on the diesel Commodore thing a while back.
Answer is simple. They wont get a return on investment developing it, as it introduces a whole new engine family into the car, and sales volumes wont support it. They've chosen to develop a much better LPG version of the existing HFV6 engine family, which is far cheaper to develop, and probably just as cheap to run.

[duke5700]

I have the factory fitted Holden Gas System on a ute, its 3.6L as work vehicle. Use the petrol to start and then switches to gas afaik.. I actually couldn't tell you. All I know is I put gas in it and petrol once in a blue moon. Drives great, maybe they have that option available for the VE Wagon?

[GTR_069]

wow so many mixed results

As for another brand NO CHANCE on a SAAB or Ford,

VW all good but service costs and repairs would out way purchase and encomny

HZ is on Gas i get 300k's for 65 litres

I will sit back and do some more research,SenatorMike how much did the conversion cost?? amd how have you found them

I will be keeping the car lol, I dont seem to sell them thye tnd to move to shed and buy another cause you get nothing for them,

Our current SS will be the same drive it it till about 5 year old and replace it

Thanks for the so many mixed reviews

[smokey777]

ya looked into servicing for the VW but wasnt alot different to holden to be honest. parts ya bit on the higher side but everything comes with a price lol

[Marco]

You've already got an enthusiasts' car in the SS, so I'm thinking that your second car doesn't necessarily need to set the world on fire (hence why you're thinking LPG VEs and the Cruze).

Does it have to be new? With Commodore resale being what it is, you could probably do very well out of an ex-Govt/ex-lease VE with a gas conversion for less than what you would pay to put a new Cruze on road.

[HSVMAN]

As a sales person, but also mechanic and car nut, the choice of the two you are looking at would suggest Cruze - for economy and easy/fun drive. It's not a sports car but gives you a nimble zippy feel. Running costs are similar to diesel and resale is looking very good.
Converting a Sportswagon is possible but will basically cost you more to run and maintain over a 3-5 year term. It really depends on what you want.
Cheers

[Swordie]

If it’s about money I wouldn’t buy new.

How about a second-hand factory LPG VE sedan. Have a look at the auctions and try get one with factory warranty. Ball park (not including fees and onroad) $14-$16K with 40-60,000kms. This car will be at least 50% of the price of a new Sportswagon.


There will be second-hand VE wagons as well at Auction with warranty.

[GTR_069]

Yeah sportwagon would be second hand, shit i dont work in the mines or sell drugs

I must say have looked at the Golf 2.ltr TD and finding one very cheap 20k for a very smart great car, but it aint a Holden, not convinced yet

I know cruze isn a great Holden so will push on looking for a ex fleet wagon, orix seem to be a good supplier

Just seems so hard cause i dont wanna walk into carpark and go wow i now drive a .., when at the moment I go yeah I drive that and when I fire her up, the HZ pulls heads hahahah

[BEARWOOD]

I think you need to decide whats more important at the moment, feeling cool because you drive a SS/HZ or saving on running costs which was the impression you gave earlier.

[Marco]

Just seems so hard cause i dont wanna walk into carpark and go wow i now drive a .., when at the moment I go yeah I drive that and when I fire her up, the HZ pulls heads hahahah

I know how you feel on this one - I get that feeling when I go to drive my SS, and not at all when I'm driving the Vectra that I mostly use for work duties. But the upside is that you're not wasting your enthusiasts' car on mundane stuff like driving to work and going to the shops, and it is nice to have Vectra rather than SS running costs for my daily commute.

[QldKev]

I'll throw another one at you. Toyota Corolla Seca for a daly commute. My wife has a ZRE (current shape) and gets 7.2L/100km around town, and thats not nursing it everywhere. Most the time when we go away we are leaving my commodore at home and taking her car. At 100kw it's no rocket, but she has the 6 speed manual and droping it back to 4th is plenty for overtaking. It's not the first corolla in my drieway and wont be the last. (My son still drives our 96 model I purchased over 10 years ago) :goodjob:

QldKev

[Highway]

Sportswagon on lpg works well in mine with the wheel well tank on the Liquid gas system.

You would never know it is running on gas.

Let me know if you decide you want a sportswagon as I am selling the wagon soon

Mike

[GTR_069]

Highway let me know and you got any pics, what sort of return are you getting on gas

I know its gay saying its cool running the SS / HZ but come on when you spend so much time drivng them its hard to fell excited to be driving a cruze, my boss wrote her VE off and now drives a Lancer she even hates it but keeps telling her self im saving fuel

That is one car I wouldnt buy a Lancer

Toyota yes think i need to look away from just Holden

Thanks

[T2000]

Mike's wagon is a great vehicle. All the Calais V fruit and the ultimate LPG conversion installed by a perfectionist... get this at the right price and you cant go wrong ;)
Well maintained and cared for vehicle - even has tuned motor, box and aftermarket suspension. :D