Quote:
Originally Posted by Sprintey
In the red corner, we have the last Sportwagons, right up to 2017. wheelbase was not LWB but rather shared the sedan's dimensions.
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Technically, All VE/VF Sedan & Wagons were built on the "long" wheelbase (except Statesman/Caprice which were built on an "extra long" wheelbase).
If you check the dimensions of the Commodore Sedans that were built prior, you will fing that the "short" wheelbase was discontinued with VE.... and the old "long" wheelbase became the new "short" wheelbase.
When it comes to the VE/VF Wagons load space... it was shorter behind the back seats, because the back seats were placed in the old LWB Statesman position (basically) for extra rear legroom (thus taking up load space) unlike a Falcon Wagon which has the long wheelbase (like a Fairlane), but the back seat is located in the same position as the SWB sedans.
Then there's the VE/VFs roof and tailgate design, and the side pods things in the cargo area, which further reduce load space.
As the Holden Wagons had coil springs/
IRS.. they had a reduced load carrying capability anyway... so no great loss to the requirement for the Wagon's load capacity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sprintey
There will be no more Aussie wagons - so what was the best of the recent Aussie 6 wagons?
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It comes down to what you want the Wagon for. If you require space & the ability to carry/tow a good load... then the Falcon Wagon wins, hands down.
If you just want a nice car with the ability to hold a bit more/larger sized items than a Sedan would... then there were a few other options including VE/VF Sportwagon on the market (granted, the others weren't made here, so the Sportwagon is the only other answer here)
I've had plenty of Ford Wagons over the years... 6s & V8s, Manuals & Autos, Falcons (base, GS, S) & Fairmonts... and for the past 8 yrs, my AWD BF2 Falcon Wagon (plus TC 2.0 manual & TE 4.1 auto Cortinas
) and as I've used them as load luggers regularly, the leaf spring rear end has always been a prefference for me ! As others have noted, it's cheap to maintain (if you have it long enough to require that) and it does it's job (carry weight/tow loads/etc) so...o much better than any of the coil sprung wagons.
Now that I have the anti-tramp rod rear end from an RTV... it even handles corrugations and dodgy roads just as well as a coil sprung rear (though speed humps hit square on still require a careful approach
)
It disapointed me that the XR or Fairmont versions were no longer available (as I'd had a few of the earlier models)... but i would rather upgrade my Falcon Wagon, to have a vehicle with true Wagon abilities, then go for something else not quite as capable.
I understand that most will just want to walk up and buy a vehicle that suits their needs... so can see why a VE/VF Sportwagon would be an attractive option... but I do know a few people that bought them (coz they looked cooler than the last Falcons)... only to sell them fairly quickly as they didn't suit their young family load size carrying needs (they either went back to Falcon or into SUV).
Alas... there's nothing on the market to replace the Falcon Wagon really
To find something with all it's attributes, you have to buy a pretty big 4x4 something... and still you loose the fuel economy/turning circle/cheap maintenance/etc ! So I'll be running mine (and/or doing up more) for a long time to come
D