Best Aussie car of last 30 years

[Franco Cozzo]

Out of curiosity, how many wins did the AU get in the supertaxis series?

[Fordman1]

Territory ahead of the cockroach AU Meme ��

[whynot]

For my money, it was the Territory. I still pine for my old SY TS AWD. It was a great vehicle. Car like handling. Magic carpet like ride. Nearly perfect driving position, with almost perfect power steering. It was my first car with AWD, and it was amazing how such a big car could skuttle across a wet intersection to take advantage of a break in the traffic. Gee, we had some awesome driving holidays in that Territory. Its major weakness, very heavy on fuel in stop-start peak hour traffic.

The G6E Falcon after that was an absolute lemon. It spent a day a month down at the Ford Dealer trying to get factory faults fixed.

The SZ diesel Territory that I had after the G6E was OK, but I never liked it as much as the SY. The electric power steering was a big step backwards, and the diesel developed a nasty turbo lag. Ford really made some very poor decisions in not getting the diesel into production earlier. They missed the "diesel is good" train (being pushed by government) big time, and handed a lot of sales on a platter to Toyota.

But time does roll on. In 2017, I did a back to back comparison of one of the last batch of new SZ petrol still in Ford's stock verses a Mazda CX-5. It was painfully obvious how much Ford had let the poor old Territory wither on the vine. Sad, so sad.

Ford Territory TV advertisement "amazing"

https://youtu.be/Mf-qz0FyOsA


Or the "eat cars for breakfast" ad

https://youtu.be/hRjUXTmb1tE

[Sprintey]

Yep I tested SZ AWD diesel in 2012 and decided to keep my SY AWD petrol, for exactly those reasons. It is just so nice to drive, and so capable from the open road to the blizzard mountain roads.

I guess today Mazda keeps a bit of the spirit going, the handling SUV theme, especially with new inline 6's and RWD/AWD I've heard they have introduced. Jag F Pace, BMW X5 are a lot more expensive than Territory.

[stock1991]

best taxi was xf

[Sprintey]

The AU found fans in Germany, resulting in the CLS coupe, that's it's name I think.

Now Mercedes have updated their AU for the 2020s, releasing this

https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-rev...ew-first-drive

Note the comments on the exterior styling, not too many liking it!

[fgpsi]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Looks are always subjective.
But id pick a VF SS all day over a VY SS
VY wheel design was rubbish.
Tear drop lights looked horrible.
The small changes they made with VZ fixed those issues for me anyway.
VE i think even is some SS specs was rubbish. But an SSV Redline i wouldnt say no to.
I agree FG was nicer at the time. But it would have been nice to get some of the nicer things that the SSV Redline got front brembos/better suspension as an option with FG XR6T/XR8

to me VF looks like a giant chevy malibu , the front is ridiculously ugly and soft. the SS didnt even get black tinted headlights like it had it in the past to make it look a bit meaner. the FGX front looks so much better than the VF

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

The AU found fans in Germany, resulting in the CLS coupe, that's it's name I think.

Now Mercedes have updated their AU for the 2020s, releasing this

https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-rev...ew-first-drive

Note the comments on the exterior styling, not too many liking it!

Target market Dentists and Rappers.

I see Mercedes like the teeth look.

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Yep I tested SZ AWD diesel in 2012 and decided to keep my SY AWD petrol, for exactly those reasons. It is just so nice to drive, and so capable from the open road to the blizzard mountain roads.

I guess today Mazda keeps a bit of the spirit going, the handling SUV theme, especially with new inline 6's and RWD/AWD I've heard they have introduced. Jag F Pace, BMW X5 are a lot more expensive than Territory.

I've only read and watched very positive reviews of the new CX-90...it's big price jump I thought was going to be a very big ask for current owners of the CX-9 or people like me that always keep wondering what we will one day replace our Territory's with. However, with BMW et al seemingly thinking they can just keep increasing their prices the value of the CX-90 only shifts more into the not so bad level...

The reason I place the Territory above the AU is a few points.
Territory packaging is superb and only yesterday I saw an BA Ghia parked behind our SZ and while the BA is longer,, the interior of the Territory, its storage areas etc show just how well thought out the vehicle is.

The Territory was released right after this segment was starting to grow and it has handling and ride that probably outranked most competitors including the first gen X5...even read one local review by one of the mags that stated the Territory outhandled a base model Commodore of the same era.

A certain Ford AU president's decision to go turbo petrol and drop the diesel program set up by Geoff Polites was a huge error that only a US-customer thinking boss could make choosing this over the growing diesel preference of the time. Ironically Now, a turbo petrol would probably do very well profit wise....imagine a Raptor Ecoboost engined Tezza now.

If the AU mechanicals were under the skin of the BA back when AU was released I think the Commodore would have had a real fight for it's whole life and allowed Ford to have more money to improve it even further.
The irony here is that the Ford global chief of the time, Jack Nasser (AKA Jacques in later years ) was a heavy influencer of the way AU ended up looking the way it did, especially from the rear.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Out of curiosity, how many wins did the AU get in the supertaxis series?

2 fifths of f all. It sucked as a race car. Wasn't until Ambrose came along in the last year of AU that it started getting wins, cause he was a gun who dragged that turd to the podium.

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

2 fifths of f all. It sucked as a race car. Wasn't until Ambrose came along in the last year of AU that it started getting wins, cause he was a gun who dragged that turd to the podium.

hey we know that was a Franco loaded q for kicks lol.....

It wasn't a turd per say as you may know also, just as they are doing to current Mustang AU was knobled down countless times through its course.
Had no hope against the GM backroon politics.

My observations when it was taken over by BA then to Dev Series or whatever called Dev 2 I think then funnily it started winning races, 03 and 04 won the Series, same applied with BA on as each gen was updated, BF and FG won Dev 2 as well whilst the oldens reigned supreme but for Winterbttom 2016 followed later FGXDJRTP won And right now the mustang hybrid in Dunlop Series is performing well.
Just wanted to clarify for the maligned AU

Something like 320K were made and plenty still going strong compared to the VT and the likes same age .

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by FTE217

hey we know that was a Franco loaded q for kicks lol.....

It wasn't a turd per say as you may know also, just as they are doing to current Mustang AU was knobled down countless times through its course.
Had no hope against the GM backroon politics.

My observations when it was taken over by BA then to Dev Series or whatever called Dev 2 I think then funnily it started winning races, 03 and 04 won the Series, same applied with BA on as each gen was updated, BF and FG won Dev 2 as well whilst the oldens reigned supreme but for Winterbttom 2016 followed later FGXDJRTP won And right now the mustang hybrid in Dunlop Series is performing well.
Just wanted to clarify for the maligned AU

Something like 320K were made and plenty still going strong compared to the VT and the likes same age .

It's wasn't the cars fault. Just the usual GM bias of the series. They knew the aero wasn't right, and it didn't have enough front end grip. But Holden was winning a lot, and that's all that mattered to them.

Nothing changes.

[FTE217]

yep the circus against Ford carries on even without a bloody proper RHD Camaro in the market dead car walking and less funding.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Target market Dentists and Rappers.

I see Mercedes like the teeth look.

image

So does BMW....................

[FERG_51]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

2 fifths of f all. It sucked as a race car. Wasn't until Ambrose came along in the last year of AU that it started getting wins, cause he was a gun who dragged that turd to the podium.

Raddasitch and Lonhurst threw two Bathursts away near the end of the race while leading which would have made the AU look better. Never really had a chance with the rules the way they were. Agree re Ambrose, Lowndes also had a few rare wins with 00 motor sport.

[T3rminator]

Looks.....B series.
Build......ahem...AU.
Go factor for an 8....VF.
Sound...Holden 304 from the 90s.

So which option do I tick for the poll?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by T3rminator

Looks.....B series.
Build......ahem...AU.
Go factor for an 8....VF.
Sound...Holden 304 from the 90s.

So which option do I tick for the poll?

Mitsubishi Magna

[T3rminator]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Mitsubishi Magna

Me mate had one when we were on our Ps. Manual. That thing hauled *** back in its time! We called it "bitsamissi--ng"

[CoupeKing]

VY Holdens go pretty good, low mileage. Complete bias here.People talk of the Au looking like a taxi in reverse but when Lowndes drove iit......./

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by FERG_51

Raddasitch and Lonhurst threw two Bathursts away near the end of the race while leading which would have made the AU look better. Never really had a chance with the rules the way they were. Agree re Ambrose, Lowndes also had a few rare wins with 00 motor sport.

Ambrose finished 3rd, and not far off of 2nd, in the Championship in'02 despite only winning the one round, Sandown, which suggests that despite not claiming top spot on the podium, he managed to accumulate points through strong performances over the entire season.
Ingall won the '05 title in much the same fashion.

The only other Ford round win for '02 was Besnard also piloting a SBR car, so the question is, was the Commodore really that much better than the AU or was it a case of SBR we're the only team good enough to mix it with the big Holden teams in HRT, Perkins and GRM.

Lets not forget, the Holden teams had some pretty good drivers either at their peak or coming through, Skaife, Ingall, Murphy, S Richards, Bright, Tander, Whincup, they had a good development structure for up and comers to come through and a pathway to the main seats.
2 of those would go on to win Championships for Ford in Ingall and Whincup.
Compare that to the Ford teams who had SJ, who got a seat because of his old man, Crompton, past it, Seton, past it, Larkham, past it, Bowe, past it and also rans like Longhurst, Jones and Ellery.
The only really notable Ford drivers that performed below expectation we're Radisich and Lowndes.

Its like Geelong and Richmond in the AFL, the most successful teams of the past 15yrs and have no trouble attracting the best talent as people want to be part of a winning culture.

The AU struggled, but there we're many factors that amplified that.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by CoupeKing

VY Holdens go pretty good, low mileage. Complete bias here.

People talk of the Au looking like a taxi in reverse but when Lowndes drove iit......./

Yep the VY does go well with low miles. I also find the black interior on base executive model has aged really well compared to those that came after it, looks much nicer now.

[Sprintey]

That 2025 BMW render is plausible.

[zilo]

Pretty good reviews on this Australian built car.
(Hard to find an unhappy owner actually)
Some are saying build quality and reliability outstanding.

We had ten of them in our fleet and can attest to the reliability.

https://www.productreview.com.au/lis...0-db-2005-2008

[ford71V8]

Originally Posted by zilo

Pretty good reviews on this Australian built car.
(Hard to find an unhappy owner actually)
Some are saying build quality and reliability outstanding.

We had ten of them in our fleet and can attest to the reliability.

https://www.productreview.com.au/lis...0-db-2005-2008

Someone who was at Mitsi during the design phase pointed out to me the small flaw at the rear pillar down to boot....a slight twist that doesnt allow the rear windscreen seal to sit properly...tooling was underway so it was left

[zilo]

Originally Posted by ford71V8

Someone who was at Mitsi during the design phase pointed out to me the small flaw at the rear pillar down to boot....a slight twist that doesnt allow the rear windscreen seal to sit properly...tooling was underway so it was left

My brother was the Projecct engineer responsible for commisioning the 380 stamping plant.
His comment was that the body design incorporated "toy tabs" that made a very precise fit of all panels prior to welding..to almost 1mm..so he doesn't see how that could have been the case in design terms, however there was a recollection of a few rear windscreen issues in the first few in series one..limited to a dozen or so.

[FairmontGS]

380 still looks fresh today. Every example i see is in good order. I would consider owning one as a project track car.

[ford71V8]

Originally Posted by zilo

My brother was the Projecct engineer responsible for commisioning the 380 stamping plant.
His comment was that the body design incorporated "toy tabs" that made a very precise fit of all panels prior to welding..to almost 1mm..so he doesn't see how that could have been the case in design terms, however there was a recollection of a few rear windscreen issues in the first few in series one..limited to a dozen or so.

I made a point of taking a close look next chance I had and its there..... Id like to have another look now, this conversation was 10 years ago.
Weirdly I saw a blue one drive past me in morning traffic yesterday.

[ute83]

I have one. Love the thing. Over 500k km and still on the original nearly everything. Still goes like it did when I bought it. Base models look like crap though. Not much clear left though.

[Honest Gaza]

Wasn't there a movie once that quoted...
"Give me a Squadron of BA-XR6 Turbos" ?

Most excited I've ever been was when I picked mine up in 2003.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Honest Gaza

Wasn't there a movie once that quoted...
"Give me a Squadron of BA-XR6 Turbos" ?

Most excited I've ever been was when I picked this one up in 2003.

Well close, Spitfires.