I beleive i am more than capable of joining this discussion as i have experienced both, I currently still own a V8 commodore and have driven a large amount from stock to well up over 500hp etc.
Without sounding Bias in anyway i will do my best to explain it.
Im a young Australian male (22) was born here blah blah, When driving the commodore there is something about the presence on the road. A feeling that you get when driving a car that not only is built for the Australian roads, But built for and by its people. By all means they are not what i would class a "great" car, Like all they have their flaws. But i honestly think that overall they are a pretty decent car, They have power when needed, Plenty of room, Cheap to fix, Cheap to Buy, They have a pretty good safety rating(Important for families). And if you are smart you can make them go pretty well for not a lot of money.
I am not what you would call a bogan, I earn a fair wack of money for my age, I work hard and do not expect hand outs, I am educated etc.
In all honesty you cant really compare Japanese/European/Domestic cars, They all have pro's and con's in different area's. The old Apples to oranges line is actually true.