wheels-380vrx v bfxr6 v vzsv6

A little off topic, but I've often wondered what goes on behind the scenes of motoring magazines and the cars tested.

Would the outcome ever be influenced when a few particular 'models' arrive for staff keeping?

Say a few 380s were offloaded to wheels staff, would there suddenly be a more positive review?

Does it also come down to who has the biggest budget to satisfy the motoring journalist?

Used to think about the days of christmas time and all the gifts and bottles of wine that would arrive on my desk to persuade a particular point of view. (ps - didn't work, but thanks for the wine! ;) :beer: :cheers: )

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Originally Posted by LT8888

Bottom line is you're just too blind to look past the Holden badge. The fact that even the majority of LS1ers here can admit that the BF is a good car despite preferring Holdens proves my point. You should be the last person on earth to accuse anyone of bias :flip2:

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Better be carefull, he might start sending you hate PM's like he did to me if you say something negative about him. As for the article the way I see it is Falcon is a newer car them the Holden, thus more refinement in most area's. When VE comes out it should leap frog the Ford and it should be the other way around (VE being the better). Again when the new Falcon comes out in a few years time the same thing will happen again. Anybody remember the comparison between VT and the EL? They review what is available from the manufacturers at the time.

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Originally Posted by clubbie

Ford=quality interior....b*llsh@t. Just drove form Adel to Phillip Isl for the MotoGP in a year old XR8. Plastics are crap. Dash cover fades and warps. Plastics break where the centre console meets the dash (the curved bit) and had rattles and squeks at speed.

MY vy has had anything break or fall off (yet) not even the flimsy cup holders. Also you wouldnt call the XR series front seats comfortable or supportive especially in leather (back to back with a year old BMW 325i which has fantastic seats).

So i am wondering how many journos live with these cars for say 12-18 months day in day out to see what breaks etc. My guess is none. What may look good in the showroom is not necessarily going to handle the harsh day to day grind.

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Yeah yeah yeah, bits falling off. Couldn't make up anything else could we?

I've never seen any bits fall off a Falcon, or Commodore dash for that matter. And I have worked at both a Holden and now a Ford dealer.

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Originally Posted by vzsv6

Just another load of garbage, which is why I don't waste my money on these crappy publications. From what I have read and judging by the language used, you'd have to be blind freddy not to realise that the author of this article, whoever it is, is severely ford biased.
Wheels and Motor have absolutely no credibility with me.

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Unless, of course, a Holden wins in which case they are astute intellegent credible oracles of wisdom aren't they?........

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Originally Posted by RATT

Yeah yeah yeah, bits falling off. Couldn't make up anything else could we?

I've never seen any bits fall off a Falcon, or Commodore dash for that matter. And I have worked at both a Holden and now a Ford dealer.

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Our VY2 Wagon at work has lost a few bits. The switch
that controls the electric seat has fallen off and wont
stay on, the plastic covers that go over the seat bases
continually fall off and end up shoved under the seat.
Not dash parts, but annoying just the same, glad it's
not mine. I had the fuse cover under the steering
wheel fall down on my legs whilst driving my SS,
not the cars fault though, holden servicing had put it
back in without the plastic lugs it hinges on, could
have been quite dangerous (not as dangerous as
letting me drive it from Nowra to Adelaide with
bolts missing from the bellhousing after a gearbox
change though-but that's another story).

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Originally Posted by RATT

Yeah yeah yeah, bits falling off. Couldn't make up anything else could we?

I've never seen any bits fall off a Falcon, or Commodore dash for that matter. And I have worked at both a Holden and now a Ford dealer.

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same here, my BA is 3 years old and nothing has fallen off. Same with commodores, Monaros and various other makes of cars that i have been in. But i guess i have been lucky.

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Originally Posted by vzsv6

EXACTLY!!!! EXACTLY!!!! Now we're talking!!

Seriously, these motoring journos drive a car for 5 minutes then think they're qualified to make such damming judgements.
They carry on about the quality of the falcon's interior, but just because it is shiny and new and looks good on the day doesn't mean it will be that good tomorrow. Thats why I get fired up over these things, because from personal experience and brand biases totally aside, I have found the commodore's interior to be of much better quality and durability than the ba's. I also totally dispute their comments about the ba interior making the vz's look dated. What a load of %$#@%$#. If anything they are on par with each other styling wise.

Same goes with your comments about the xr's seats. They are very flat and lack support. To me they appear to be nothing but base model xt seats covered in different trim and an xr logo stuck on them - yes my personal opinion, but I'm sure many would agree... But no, Wheels writes volumes on how comfortable and supportive they are...

I would be the first to stand up and say that the ZF auto is a brilliant piece of engineering and ford deserves credit for using them in their cars. Its just a pity the rest of the car does absolutely nothing for me.
What I think Wheels have done is base their review around this transmission and glorify other areas of the car which do not deserve such high praise (if that makes sense).

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A Close friend of mines father is a motoring journalist. Let me just say that these guys dont own cars. they get given these cars to drive for more than just 5 minutes. They actually get to take them home and live with them for up to a couple of weeks if they wish.

As for bits falling of...... I believe you have completed the final task and have successfully qualified for being a lying idiot!!!

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Originally Posted by vzsv6

Just another load of garbage, which is why I don't waste my money on these crappy publications. From what I have read and judging by the language used, you'd have to be blind freddy not to realise that the author of this article, whoever it is, is severely ford biased.
Wheels and Motor have absolutely no credibility with me.

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well said mate and get over it.

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Originally Posted by SSFreak

It's not that any of the cars are bad, it's just that in somes ways one or more of the cars may be a little better. Many of the things they criticise most people wouldn't even notice or even really care about. I remember articles criticising the dashboard buttons in the VXs and then VYs. I've owned both and they seemed alright to me. I believe the Ford ones are better. Doesn't worry me, I don't go around feeling buttons all of the time thinking "ooh, I don't know, that button could be a little more tactile". As long as the damn thing works and doesn't fall off I don't really care.

As others have already mentioned, these articles are the personal opinions of the reviewers who have usually done so many reviews of so many cars, they often nitpick things that don't really matter that much in the overall scheme of things.

IMHO, I don't think you would go wrong buying any of these cars.

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Well Said! :)

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Originally Posted by muzza

Posted by PaulST:

Scuse me PaulST, just how has that helped Ford win the sales race to date? :D
From memory the Winner Of Comparisons BA has outsold the VY/VZ for one month I believe in the last year, and so my point stands. The average/common buyer will follow brand, personal recommendations and/or best deal, confirmed by a satisfactory test drive before buying. Magazines may be a guide but they dont serve as anything except PR fodder for the car companies.

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As pointed out in one of the recent magazines in question (MOTOR or WHEELS), Holden can build way more and can afford the huge discounts they've been giving out since the BA was released.
I never said that the magazines are the only thing people look at, but they're still incredibly influential.

On the topic of interior plastics, I've had one BA and two BAMk2s in the last 12 months and the plastics are fine. I suppose it all depends on your expectations of what a $35K car should be like inside.

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Originally Posted by flappist

Unless, of course, a Holden wins in which case they are astute intellegent credible oracles of wisdom aren't they?........

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Maybe if you put these so called 'oracles of wisdom' and intelligence to use and learn to comprehend my posts in this thread properly, you will find that I was not disputing the fact that the falcon won the comparison, but rather the way the author chose to brush off the other two cars with unfair and rather harsh critisisms which have in turn glorified the falcon to a greater extent than it should have been.
Holden may be my preferred vehicle but I am far from being 'blindly one eyed', having owned many other brands of vehicle over the years. I do however have a dislike for ford and would never own one of their cars, but that hardly makes me 'one eyed', does it? If the 380 was rwd, I'd probably be driving one right now!

Let's keep it cool in here people.......EVERYONE.

Anyone getting personal WILL be given an involuntary holiday.......

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Originally Posted by RATT

Yeah yeah yeah, bits falling off. Couldn't make up anything else could we?

I've never seen any bits fall off a Falcon, or Commodore dash for that matter. And I have worked at both a Holden and now a Ford dealer.

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Bit harsh Ratt. While nothing "fell" off my BA co. car it wasn't by any stretch a perfect interior - the cup holder cover broke within the first month , the drivers RH seat lumber thingo crushed very quickly(common in too many cars !) the centre console lid was always loose and felt mismatched for the 40000km i drove it .handbrake felt very cheap and nasty,& needed adjusted several times.I wouldnt have a clue if they were known problems or not but you can't tell me cars (in particular Falcons and Commodores)in this price point are perfect,and that things dont fall off.I have never seen one.I have a quote from wheels testing a TE Cortina where they claimed the quality was so appalling that even under moderate acceleration all the knobs fell off the dashboard! Unfortunately the QC in aus manufactured cars in my experiance has never been worlds best practice .End of the day i would not hesitate in having another BA . Did the job & much better car than the AU were.
regards

It's hardly harsh. The issues mentioned with plastic bits from the Commodore electric drivers seat knob and plastic cupholder lid on Falcons are hardly common, or big problems.

My Dad had a new Cortina 'back in the day', and he said the same thing about quality.... the window winder simply fell off in his hand while using it. :lol: That would not be accepted these days, Aussie cars have come a very long way in recent times.