holden vn commodore

USED CAR TEST - HOLDEN VN COMMODORE
First Published:
March 8, 1996
The Sydney Morning Herald

Rating out of 5: ***

VERDICT

Despite its harsh six-cylinder engine, poor paintwork and cheap-looking interior, the VN Commodore is a good, economical all-rounder.

GOOD: Powerful but economical, durable, spacious, good all-rounder, insurance: low

BAD: Coarse, nasty instrumentation and trim, poor paintwork, uneasy high-speed handling.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
3.8-litre V6 engine is harsh but durable, uses surprisingly little fuel.
Real suspension top arm bushes wear out easily
Paint lacks lustre, especially the light metallic colours.
Front end can suffer assorted woes. Uneven tyre wear can indicate bad alignment. Check for worn shocks, worn steering rack and damage to strut towers.

The VN Commodore may have lacked subtlety but it more than made up for it in performance and reliability, says JOHN WRIGHT.

Holden's big new V6 Commodore was an instant success when it was launched in August 1988. Unlike previous Commodores, thi s VN model was almost as wide as its Falcon rivals meaning there was now room for three adult passengers in the rear. For d's EA Falcon had been on sale for just six months but had already developed an appalling reputation, and the VN raced pa st it to seize market leadership.

The lusty, if coarse-sounding, 3.8-litre V6 engine provided a level of performance unknown in previous six-cylinder Holde n sedans and there was a choice of five-speed manual gearbox or four-speed automatic transmission.

So strong was the initial acceleration that some unwary customers got themselves into trouble, particularly taking off on a wet road. Rarely do you hear of a car company moving to tame initial acceleration, but Holden did just that when the VN was superseded by the facelifted VP in October 1990.

Although the VN Commodore proved to be more reliable than the ill-starred EA Falcon, it wasn't trouble-free. Most problems were sorted out during the warranty period but a few occurred later. Premature front tyre wear was common. The only adjustment in the front suspension was a three-stage top mount, and if one tyre was wearing, you had to adjust the other side by the same amount to keep the car running straight, and then the other tyre would also wear out quickly. There are now adjustable suspension kits available which allow a proper wheel alignment to be carried out and solve the problem for about $330 (fitted).

Another rather curious suspension fault was in the rear, largely as a consequence of the jack-rabbit acceleration. The top arm bushes tended to wear out quickly. Universal joints and the centre tailshaft bearing can be other casualties of frequent use of the impressive acceleration. At about 60,000 km, the link rubbers on the front stabiliser bar are likely to chop out, resulting in metal-to-metal contact, but the cost of repairs should be no more than $60.

The low-quality standard front shock absorbers were usually past their best by 50,000 km and replacing them with a set of superior aftermarket items can be a cost-effective exercise which also results in better handling and stability. Hard use on rough roads can occasionally result in damage to the strut towers which will be easy for an expert to spot on opening the bonnet.

All VNs have power steering and four-wheel disc brakes. The power steering doesn't give many problems although when new it had an irritating vibration at parking speeds. Coils can give trouble as early as 50,000 km and there have been instances of water pump failure. Welch plugs can give up, too. At around the 130,000 km mark, a changeover steering rack may be indicated. Oil leaks from the engine are not uncommon and the rear main seal in the automatic transmission can also leak, but both the engine and transmission are very durable (ditto the five-speed manual gearbox). Instances of cooling system leaks occurred quite early in the life of some VNs. A few high-milage cars (well over 200,000 km) h ave had differential problems but this is unlikely to cost more than $1,400.

Generally, the VN has proved to be robust in service and comparatively cheap to run. Fuel economy is outstanding for such a large and powerful vehicle.

There are some especially irritating aspects, especially the kiddy-car instrumentation, appalling paint quality, cheap looking trim in the Executive and the harshness of the engine. But generally, the Big New V6 Commodore just got on with business.

The VN was launched at a time when the Australian car industry was beginning to place greater emphasis on quality control . Throughout its three-year model life, quality improved markedly and a number of intelligent running changes were mad e to the car.

What this all means is that a 1991 VN will be a better buy than its 1988 or 1989 equivalent and well worth the extra m oney. Cheap repairability is one of the great advantages of the VN Commodore, even though the old theory about being a ble to buy spares in the local milk bar no longer applies.

Prices correct at date of publication