Large under $45K: Australia’s Best Value Cars 2017

The segment that provides the most metal for your money is no longer Australia’s favourite, but there are still plenty of compelling cars to tempt SUV-averse buyers looking for lots of space.

1st: Holden Commodore Evoke

For our local Lion, going out at the top of its game beats fading into obscurity hands down. Not only is the VFII a superbly honed version of a locally developed legend that’s been around for more than a decade, it still stacks up as great value.

The entry-level Evoke V6 starts by being a bit less costly than its podium mates, and backing that with slightly better resale. Predicting the actual future values of the last Aussie-built, rear-drive Commodores is potentially tricky.

Will used values slump when the new model arrives? We think so. But will they rise again long-term? Ditto, though perhaps more for a mint SS-V than a base car. Then again, a rising tide lifts all boats... or, erm, cars.

Meantime, the big Holden’s strengths lie in low-cost insurance, reasonable annual fuel cost, and an odd nine-month service interval that matches the Aurion but not the Superb.

2nd: Skoda Superb 162 TSI

The Skoda Superb is a small fish in sales terms, yet represents The New Guard. This is today’s way of doing big cars, based on modular engineering, front-drive and a downsized turbo engine, the latter helping it do its best work in the fuel-cost column.

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3rd: Toyota Aurion AT-X

A Toyota sedan remains a rock-solid ownership proposaition, though big cars have never been great at holding their value, as the Aurion’s 31 percent three-year Glass’s resale figure illustrates. The $776 annual insurance is 11 bucks less than the Commodore Evoke’s.

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