- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.6i, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
175kW, 320Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 11.1L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2004 Holden Commodore Acclaim: owner review
I have had my trusty 2004 Commodore Acclaim as my A-to-B driver, in factory blue, since April 2005. When buying, my 2004 VZ Commodore had less then less 20000km on the clock, and was advertised as a new car, drive away, no more to pay, all for $22,000.
- Color, Petrol consumption, Breaks, Exeleration, Traction control
- Stereo
I used to drive my car down to the car wash and have her washed and waxed at the end of a long week, after traveling over 1000km that week (and that was just with work). If there were free days, I could have driven my car 3000km, when I had time to go up and down the coast visiting different people or beaches. I guess now, after having the car for 14 years and just clocking over 200,000km on the clock, I have had similar problems as other owners that I've come to read.
The petrol cap would not click shut, but the fuel consumption was 850km on a full tank, which would cost me $75 to $80 to fill. On the highway from Queensland Gold Coast down to NSW and Victoria, I would get a range of almost what the digital reading would predict, give or take the traffic condition. Driving 20-minute trips four or six times per day would go through more fuel than 45 one-hour trips twice a day. It did even better on road trips of 8 hours with short breaks every few hours for filling the car - I refueled four times from Surfer's Paradise to Colac Victoria over 22-24 hours one-way.
As mentioned, the lighter weight helped with fuel consumption, but with some luggage in the passengers seat and boot balancing out the car nicely, the consumption goes up. That said, I got a towball installed without being aware of what they call "tow quality" or "weight ratio support" installed. Though this was only to move three 8x5 trailer loads of furniture 50km from A to B, but with full car of passengers and heavy goods in car, it is not recommended. Small loads are fine.
Going camping with a mate and taking a camping trailer slowly around bends and along down-graded tracks, when driven correctly, was no worries whatsoever.
Some of the electrical features never worked from the start. I had multiple mechanics look at my USB port and was told it was fixed, only to then notice the fault later. I had it checked again and no solution presented itself. Over time, electrical faults would flash up for me to check the power train, that the air bag was activated, traction control was active in slighter than wet conditions and the electric windows becoming faulty and useless. There was also locking mechanism and driver's side door errors.
Besides that, I only have had to replace batteries once, and once again recently, though that was due to the battery support bolts that I had forgot to put back, so the leads would wobble loose. My fault.
I replaced my radiator after 10 years, with the only other replacement happening once before when my car overheated in peak-hour traffic, with low petrol and water as I was coming into Melbourne after a 6-hour drive. But each time I took it to the mechanics, the fix was easy, the parts were cheap and the performance never altered except for the computer faults. There's a bit of wear and tear on the paint job; the clear coat came off with a pressure wash but it was only a half-foot patch.
The seals have held together well, with no leaks, but the lights and indicators still fault from time-to-time.