Turbo Territory vs Caprice- My Experience

[lamborghinifan]

Well further to my previous thread, I ended up buying an 07 Caprice with the 6.0 L V8 to replace my turbo Territory. (Buy me in the sales yard!!!!!)
To Sum them up:
+ Caprice build quality is better than territory (although still a few 'aussie car' niggles
+ Ride, noise/NVH and Refinement is stunning- the territory is good but this LWB is better
+ Boot is more useable day to day, it's enormous, but the territory is still more versatile for odd shapes and split/fold seat configuration. although two baby seats have sort of made this difficult anyway.
+ V8 sound
+ Headlights are magnificent
+Comfort and tech is exceptional, seating position highly manouverable
+++ Sound system-I didn't know they could sound so good
+ Dvd in the back for kids
+ Long distance driving is great
+ Sub 10's on the highway for fuel usage
+programability (?) of individual key users such as reverse mirrors, trizone climate sound settings, trip computer, etc etc
+looks the part with newly tinted windows and 20" rims


and the bad
-auto gearbox is miles behind the ZF. It's harsh, and if you dump the throttle, it never picks the right gear. I found the ZF always did what I wanted
-cruise control on the stalk is a pain in the butt. after the wheel mounted arrangement in the fords, this is a nuisance and cruise gets used less as a result. its gone from nearly a sub-conscious twitch to a full arm movement
-a few weird electrical gremlins- put in a massive battery (950CCA and 200RT) which has helped a few of these. I'll always have charge issues due to our driving patterns
-usual quality oversight issues resulting on 'common' problems, such as split hose for washer bottle, a few trim issues that i'll eventually repair, etc. (but hey its a used car so I can't expect too much)
-massive A pillar (like every other review) takes some getting used to
- standard exhaust note doesn't complement the V8 until you're at "arrest speed"
-feeling paranoid about every gutter and edge with "ridiculous" rims. after years of utes and territories, this is a big change
-lack of flexibility in cargo loads (compared to terry but still good really)
-needing to use the key for the boot after having buttons on other cars, again just something to get used to
-the "fog" lights are nowhere near as good as the terry
-surely GM could design a key-fob that doesn't fall apart after a few years by now...
-because of its refinement, it doesn't feel anywhere near as exhilarating to drive as the turbo. the rush from the turbo and the noise is lost, although the speedo needle moves a lot quicker in a very linear fashion. The gearbox has a large part to play in this too. although admittedly the cars aren't quite aiming at the same market... I'm thinking a switch-mode exhaust will fix this

With the same driving patterns I'm about 1l/100 or roughly on par for round town driving. Our driving patterns are not good for economy with multiple start stop short distances, in between periodic long distance trips. Highway consumption is 2-4 L/100 better. Haven't fully tested this though.

overall i'm happy enough with my purchase. changeover between the cars will be about $5000, which I think accurately reflects the depreciation of these "unpopular" large cars from their respective new prices. The caprice was 76k new, and considering how little has really been changed up to the current model presents excellent value for money. Hope to get back to the Ford camp when I don't need as big a boot!

ed.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by lamborghinifan

-cruise control on the stalk is a pain in the butt. after the wheel mounted arrangement in the fords, this is a nuisance and cruise gets used less as a result. its gone from nearly a sub-conscious twitch to a full arm movement

Could be worse, my GMC Sierra had indicators, head lights/high beams, washers and cruise control all on the one stalk, that was a bit odd to work out while driving.

Might be a GM thing?

I gotta admit I'm interested in these things, good value for money at the moment especially for the 6L variants.

Any plans for mods like cam/intake/exhaust?

What are the back seats like for room, good for 3 fat people in the back or a bit of a squeeze?

[lamborghinifan]

best back seats i've ever bean near. although middle one wouldnt be great after a while, more aimed towards two in complete luxury. i can comfortably seat a full person next to two baby seats.

[JC]

Too bad (for me) you didn't buy my Fairlane!

It's different going from an SUV to a sedan, but the LWBs sure have plenty of room. Imagine a LWB Fairlane with a Boss 335 in it - pure heaven, IMO! The GTE has the memory thing for each key/user - not sure if this is an FG thing, or just for the higher spec FG range, but it sure is good. I have set mine to lock as per normal Fords, but the missus likes the alarm beeps, so she has that for her key. Plus seat memory, radio setup etc.....Bloody great that some pretty basic computeried storage type setup features have finally made it into cars.

[lamborghinifan]

Originally Posted by JC

Too bad (for me) you didn't buy my Fairlane!

It's different going from an SUV to a sedan, but the LWBs sure have plenty of room. Imagine a LWB Fairlane with a Boss 335 in it - pure heaven, IMO! The GTE has the memory thing for each key/user - not sure if this is an FG thing, or just for the higher spec FG range, but it sure is good. I have set mine to lock as per normal Fords, but the missus likes the alarm beeps, so she has that for her key. Plus seat memory, radio setup etc.....Bloody great that some pretty basic computeried storage type setup features have finally made it into cars.

agreed!

[Focused]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Could be worse, my GMC Sierra had indicators, head lights/high beams, washers and cruise control all on the one stalk, that was a bit odd to work out while driving.

Might be a GM thing?

I frequently drove GMC Sierras in a previous job and boy was I happy when we changed to Sprinters. Those single stalks of complex death were a design disaster and (as with many parts of American cars) I wonder how they got passed management??!

I've always had a soft spot for the Caprice. It was always better specced and 'plusher' than the recent LTDs.

[XRGhia]

Um, might sound stupid, but have you tried using the boot button (little round black button) on the top right of the glovebox?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Focused

I frequently drove GMC Sierras in a previous job and boy was I happy when we changed to Sprinters. Those single stalks of complex death were a design disaster and (as with many parts of American cars) I wonder how they got passed management??!

I've always had a soft spot for the Caprice. It was always better specced and 'plusher' than the recent LTDs.

Happy with the change to Sprinters? How did you go with the massive lack of torque in the Sprinter compared to the Sierra?

The HID headlights on those Caprices must be pretty good?

[kinksta]

My dad still has his '08 Caprice even after buying a VF Calais. He has it on LPG, it's a great travelling car!!

[lamborghinifan]

Originally Posted by XRGhia

Um, might sound stupid, but have you tried using the boot button (little round black button) on the top right of the glovebox?

yes i know about that one, just none as you approach the car, such as the ones hidden under the lip in the territory.
but thanks for the dumb question

[lamborghinifan]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

The HID headlights on those Caprices must be pretty good?

yes, the first car i wont be putting big driving lights and a nudge/bull bar on
although hitting something on a highway trip could be well, umm interesting/catastrophic (for the car)