For too many decades wagons have been a grudge purchase: their owners drove them because that’s what the company car was, or mum and dad had little choice if they had a small family to freight around.
But over the past 10 years or so Australians have increasingly been spoilt for choice and buyers of Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon wagons have migrated to imported vehicles, ranging from soft-roaders to small four-cylinder wagons.
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The wagon version of the latest Commodore went on sale mid-year, almost two years after the sedan. It is the first time in the history of the Commodore the pair has been separated at birth.
Instead, Holden brought forward the luxury Statesman model, its most popular export. It was a prudent move: coincidence or not, it helped spell the death of its main rival, the Ford Fairlane.
Most previous Commodore wagons were based on the longer underbody of the Statesman, which is why the last model had hearse-like proportions. But the new Commodore wagon has taken a more sporty path. It is based on the same underbody as the sedan, which means it’s smaller than before and less cumbersome to drive.
The designers tapered the rear roofline to make the Commodore wagon look sleeker. In this case, form overtook function. Owners of the previous wagon will be surprised at the extent of the decline in the new model’s cargo space.
The previous Commodore wagon was the biggest in the business. Apologies for boring you with numbers but they make for an interesting comparison. The previous Commodore wagon had 1402 litres of space in the boot when the back seat was up - and an incredible 2683 litres of space when it was folded flat. The figures for the new Commodore wagon are: 895 litres (seat up) and 2000 litres (seat down). To save you reaching for the calculator, that’s 36 per cent and 25 per cent less space, respectively, than before. It also means the new Commodore wagon’s cargo capacity is 28 per cent and 22 per cent smaller than the Falcon wagon’s.
However, Holden has reduced the price premium of the wagon with the new model. Previously, each Commodore wagon model was $3000 dearer than the equivalent sedan but the new Commodore wagon is only $1000 dearer than each respective sedan model.
Holden expects the Omega will account for the majority of sales but private buyers are expected to swing towards the SV6. Holden diehards will no doubt go for the SS - finally, a V8 that blokes can get over the line with the missus.
The SV6 has a sweet engine but you can feel its potential is blunted by the car’s weight (91 kilograms heavier than the Commodore sedan and more than 100 kilograms heavier than the Falcon wagon, in case you’re wondering).
The Commodore SS wagon is no slouch, though. It is powered by a 6.0-litre V8, which delivers plenty of grunt and is available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.
Those who love V8s will love the SS. It sounds good when you want it to and is a relatively quiet cruiser on the open road.
Around town it can be a bit thirsty but on the highway it will sip fuel at 9L/100km to 10L/100km.
However, the Commodore wagon has a good safety story to tell. Front, side and curtain airbags and stability control are standard across the range. The sedan scored four stars out of five in Australian NCAP tests.
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