Best Aussie car of last 30 years

[Sprintey]

What do you reckon was the best Australian car in the 'post classic' era, that is from around early 1990s until closure in 2017?

You can say performance, or just common garden variety. What appealed about it to you?

I have a few ideas and drove most of them new/near new, but interested in seeing if a crowdsourced favourite emerges. You can even say Magna if you wish!

[kypez]

GTF from Ford and GTS LSA from Holden. As much as I love my GTF, the GTS is a better handling unit and better car. GTF just didn't have the budget that the GTS got.

[roKWiz]

Ford panel vans. late XF to XH.
Not interested in top speed, how fast it will go from 0 - to whatever.

Just a great practical light commercial vehicle that will comfortably cruise all day long with the least amount of electronics.

[willo56]

Originally Posted by kypez

GTF from Ford and GTS LSA from Holden. As much as I love my GTF, the GTS is a better handling unit and better car. GTF just didn't have the budget that the GTS got.

Yep VF LSA GTS/GTSR series the peak aussie muscle car

In terms of versatile bang for buck grocery getters its hard to go past the FG series

[russellw]

I'm going to nominate the Territory. 181,503 sold in ~10 years; the strong resale prices even now and the fact that it almost certainly extended the life of the Falcon by 7 or 8 years makes it a worthy contender.

That the total development budget was about the same as a wheel redesign in the USA speaks volumes for the engineering talent we had in this country.

[BENT_8]

SY Territory for me, solid feel, excellent driving dynamics, comfort and the reliability of the Barra.

Wish I still had mine to be honest.

[Citroënbender]

In many ways, I’d say late Magna or the 380. Valve stem seals are not one of those many ways.

Territory was the HQ of its day.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by russellw

I'm going to nominate the Territory. 181,503 sold in ~10 years; the strong resale prices even now and the fact that it almost certainly extended the life of the Falcon by 7 or 8 years makes it a worthy contender.

That the total development budget was about the same as a wheel redesign in the USA speaks volumes for the engineering talent we had in this country.

Originally Posted by BENT_8

SY Territory for me, solid feel, excellent driving dynamics, comfort and the reliability of the Barra.

Wish I still had mine to be honest.

Absolutely, it gets my vote too. They nailed the transition from sedans to SUVs, almost to the month when SUVs overtook sedans in sales volume. How's that for product planning? Vale Geoff Polites! They delivered a truly Aussie 'X5' as the magazines said at the time. It took me 3 years to save up for one (cash) and we bought a 2007 SY AWD, we still have it, and we've recently spent quite a bit (including: transmission) getting it up to scratch for many more years of good service. I just can't find anything remotely close to the price bracket that will do what it does.

Rokwiz I agree on the panel vans being good, I dream that one day an Aussie company will produce a true coupe utility again, and deploy panel van/wagon off it once more.

Honourable mentions for me: EBII-D (Ford were best seller then for a reason, good family car, dimensions were spot on for the market at the time, Sprint is nuts)
Late Magna, very smooth, refined car.
VT-VYII, I reckon this one will go down as Holden's second HQ, big numbers, copied EB dimensions, got it right, reliable!
And I really liked Holden's last-stand effort on the VF, they really tried, especially interior, and E85 capability on VF1 MY14s which was well ahead of today's decarbonising times.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by russellw

I'm going to nominate the Territory.

This

When you look at what we're paying for SUVs now, the Territory was just brilliant.

[anobserver]

+1 to the Territory. Just needed a more modern diesel engine, like the twin turbo version of the 2.7. FOA spent $$$s homologating the barra turbo, then only had budget for the single turbo diesel. <thumbs down>

Nb, the magnas stem seals werent an issue with regular oil changes. Twice yearly at least. But some niggling engineering decisions that made long term ownership problematic.

[Dr Terry]

I own the best Aussie car ever, an MY17 VFII SS Police Pack.

Not the fastest outright, not the most luxurious, but it just does everything so well.

Dr. Terry

[Rallye Sport]

AU Falcon, from the maligned Forte to the revered T3 it had something for everybody.

Mods you can close the thread now

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Rallye Sport

AU Falcon, from the maligned Forte to the revered T3 it had something for everybody.

Except a panel van.

[simon varley]

Ranger

[DJM83]

Maybe not the best, but certainly from a performance perspective one of the most important.
BA XR6 Turbo.

But also agree re Territory.

[Sprintey]

So it seems the Territory is winning so far...

I also understand the Ranger is all-Aussie design team, and also picked the transition to dual cab utes with this model at exactly the right time, throw a vote in for it if you wish but with the understanding it's manufactured offshore. The 'till closure in 2017' byline in my OP gives away it's locally manufactured as topic of this thread.

Local adaptation of Camry hybrid get any votes? I'd say no as it was an already developed technology being adapted, but credit for doing it to Toyota Aus.

[ford71V8]

Another vote for the 2011+ Barra Territory

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by kypez

GTF from Ford and GTS LSA from Holden. As much as I love my GTF, the GTS is a better handling unit and better car. GTF just didn't have the budget that the GTS got.

First post in and someone throws in HSV

For overall winner, I'm going to vote FG/FGII Falcon - it was when Ford Australia got its **** together right after the BA/BF which are low quality trash with ****loads of stupid faults and problems. FGII is when the EcoLPI hit the market as well which made LPG great again.

As much as I hate to say it, the AU was probably the best Falcon ever made when it came to reliability, aside from power window regulators, alternators (from the power steering line leak above it) and the little LCD panel on the climate control ones they hardly came through workshops for dramas.

For 8 cylinders, I'm putting my vote in for the LS powered Commodores, Ford's V8s were absolute trash in the era from the Wheezer right up until Miami, thats when it got serious.

As far as 'best' performance car - XR6 Turbo and F6 takes the cake.

Best white goods commuter engine - 3.8L Ecotec V6, all cast iron, OHV, nothing goes wrong with them except intake manifold gaskets, DFI, CKP and ignition coils.

[commodorenutt]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

First post in and someone throws in HSV

For overall winner, I'm going to vote FG/FGII Falcon - it was when Ford Australia got its **** together right after the BA/BF which are low quality trash with ****loads of stupid faults and problems. FGII is when the EcoLPI hit the market as well which made LPG great again.

LPI came out prior to FG2. I got my Aug2011 build LPI in Sept2011. It was on order from Jan2011 (I had to wait until all stock of E-gas/4 speed auto FGs was exhausted before ordering it). I wanted sensation blue, but by the time they finally hit production it was culled.

We also had several FG1 LPIs bought for our work fleet after I convinced the fleet manager to drive the press car that I had access to. They were delivered in late sept & early October. All were FG1.

But even though they exist, all the generic “spare parts by model” tools that websites use will tell you LPI doesn’t exist until FG2…..

There was also some unique parts on the early ones that Ford couldn’t even supply, like the rear trans mount with the integrated exhaust hanger, which didn’t even come up on their system. Later ones never got it. My one also got the larger diff (open centre) with the V8/turbo driveshafts. I found out this was for durability reasons, but I believe later build LPIs reverted to regular n/a diffs.


My blue vote goes to the turbo Barra powered Territory. Nothing near it performance wise in the price bracket it was marketed at.

Red vote has to be the LSA.

[FairmontGS]

+1 for FG, specifically the na XR6. Best style, performance, build, ruggedness, reliability, value. That and Territory carried Ford.

Holden‘s equivalent offering was pathetic.

[XR Martin]

AU ute would have to get a mention.
Half monocoque half chassis is only something Ford Australia would have attempted and it was a massive success. Then the crazy bastards did a lift kit and threw a locker on in the BA. How many other production cars have had a 3" lift from the factory?
They are still a better vehicle to drive than a modern single cab Thai ute.

[Sprintey]

RTV ute was something special, wanted one for my work at the time, would have been perfect for all the site rock tracks up at radio towers etc.

They've got their dedicated fans who try to find where the limits are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxDbOQmkmjg

[DFB FGXR6]

I can't really select just one here. Removing all the emotion and brand bias, this is my list in no particular order.

Ford Territory - as sedans became old hat, Ford gambled on the Territory and won. No SUV since has better balanced the price/space/performance/driving dynamics/packaging as well as the Territory did. Sure, some have approached or bettered its car-like driving characteristic, but they cost significantly more. Some offer more economy but have nothing in reserve for long distance cruising. Some went better off road on paper, only for them to never actually go off road. The thoughtfulness that went into the interior was amazing.

Looking beyond the Territory itself, this was the car that put Ford Australia on the map for engineering prowess, in the process landing them responsibility for the global PX onwards Ranger.

AU Falcon - sure, it had a lot of drawbacks, but you can't deny that this was arguably the most reliable Aussie designed and made car ever. Yeah, a Camry or Magna may have been better made, but they were not designed here, or have the ultimate durability.

VE Commodore - this was the line in the sand, a car with little excuses for what it was intended to be. Very, very rarely did an Aussie car get the chance to be designed from the ground up. While we know that ultimate build quality or durability was not a VE strong suit, the thoroughness of the engineering and the driving dynamics won a lot of friends, both here and overseas.

Best Commodore - the HSV GTS-R W1, if only because this was the full stop, no excuses, nothing left on the table. I don't care for them, too over-the-top design wise, but you can't deny the impact it made.

Best Falcon - XR6 and XR8 Sprint. The last roll of the dice, done on a shoestring budget by "Falcon people" for "Falcon people". I list the Sprints because they were more refined than the cars fitted with R-Spec suspension and Dunlop rubber. Not the best car in the world, or ultimately the best Aussie car, but the final and best Falcon made.

Honorable Mention - PX Ranger. Granted, not made here, but most definitely designed and engineered here. Probably the most Aussie car you can buy today, both here in Australia and all over the world. Having been designed on our roads, you can tell by the way they drive. A project that Aussies can be proud of.

[Sprintey]

Does the recent downsizing of engineering and US taking the Ranger development mean there will be no more Aussie designed cars for Australia?

[ToryMikey]

Originally Posted by XR Martin

AU ute would have to get a mention.
Half monocoque half chassis is only something Ford Australia would have attempted and it was a massive success. Then the crazy bastards did a lift kit and threw a locker on in the BA. How many other production cars have had a 3" lift from the factory?
They are still a better vehicle to drive than a modern single cab Thai ute.

That last sentence hits the nail on the head. Why would I go buy a Hilux Workmate 4cyl when my 1996 Falcon ute drives better, looks better, has a bigger tub and probably uses less fuel to boot?

It has the same amount of forward gears and same lack of variable intermittent wipers too

[Sprintey]

Great lot of replies, I'm seeing respect for the final performance rides from both sides too. Ranger being the only successful Aussie designed global car is probably a subject for it's own thread, cheers for clearing up that we still get to design it, I was a bit unclear after a recent post from Simon.

Mods - could we please have a poll attached to thread with the contenders up as choices?

[Fordman1]

The best Aussie designed car is the Ford Territory, it’s a shape there was no real update post 2011

[b0son]

Objectively, the VFII. It was the culmination of massive investment that frankly dwarfed the development input of any other Australian made car. Territory was also a milestone, but never quite lived up to its potential when Ford decided to rest on its laurels and not refine it or add engine options the market was crying out for in its later years.

[XR Martin]

I remember everyone rubbing themselves raw over the VF interior. I always thought it was way over done, I counted something like 9 different textures and materials on the dash and door trim. Even after a year or two old, fabric and chrome bits were starting to peel, and I often wonder how well they're holding together nowadays.
Sure the chassis was better than the FG, but I'd rather my FGX interior.

[willo56]

Originally Posted by XR Martin

I remember everyone rubbing themselves raw over the VF interior. I always thought it was way over done, I counted something like 9 different textures and materials on the dash and door trim. Even after a year or two old, fabric and chrome bits were starting to peel, and I often wonder how well they're holding together nowadays.
Sure the chassis was better than the FG, but I'd rather my FGX interior.

Yeah nah ...one of the criticisms of the FGX was Ford leaving the interior largely unchanged since 2008

The VF interior feels like a generation ahead in terms of looks and features, because it was

Originally Posted by Adamz Ghia

For me it’s the AU Falcon by a country mile. The engineering that went into it and how reliable it was compared to anything before or since has it right up there.

Yeah was a milestone in a number of ways for sure - looks wise it was pretty divisive though and doomed it sales wise