Holden: Versatile wagon but far too many bing-bongs

Holden's Sportwagon. Photo / Supplied

I like Holden's Commodore wagon, because it offers plentiful family- and luggage-sense along with surprisingly wieldy handling. For all its everyday practicality it rewards a keen driver, and for most it's a much more sensible option than an SUV.

However, its bing-bongs kept intruding. Park distance control beeps are continuous up and down a shrubby drive. It bings into reverse, it bongs into gear, and as for delaying to fasten your seatbelt ... But the Commodore isn't alone in its proliferation of chimes. Nowadays, stuff like audible seatbelt warnings are part of gaining a good safety rating. But they're irritating.

Not as irritating as Renault's Laguna some years back, though.

Start up and a voice chimed in with, "Your seatbelt is - unfastened. Your seatbelt is - unfastened. Your seatbelt is -" by which time you were head-butting the dash to shut her up. Renault learned _ from lots of cracked dashes, perhaps _ and the next one reminded you once, then resorted to the ubiquitous beep.

Mind you, I must admit the annoying cacophony works.

By the time I've reversed down the drive I can't wait to get the danged seatbelt fastened, at least.