Holden Commodore Evoke 2013 Review

This could well be the last Commodore the way the industry is going. Big one-size-fits-all cars have simply lost their relevance and with so many makes and models to chose from these days, the Commodore is never going to sell in the numbers required.

It's been spruced up and gets more kit than ever before, but most of it is confined to the more expensive models. Hyundai has proved this is not the way to do business.

VALUE

The new Commodore is priced from $34,990 with an auto. LPG takes this figure to $37,490 which means you won't see much change out of $40K by the time it's on the road. Standard equipment includes cloth trim, dual zone air, 16 inch alloys, electric parking brake, auto park assist, front and rear parking sensors and a rear view camera.

The MyLink entertainment system is built around a huge 8 inch screen but apart from Pandora and Stitcher internet radio, both of which rely on your smartphone to work it's all a bit ho-hum really. The rest of the stuff like Siri only works if you have an iPhone (our iPod Classic refused to work properly by the way).

TECHNOLOGY

The LPG system is based on the larger 3.6-litre V6, paired with a 6-speed auto. It produces 180kW of power and 320Nm of torque and is a dedicated system which means the car won't run on petrol. To make room for the larger fuel tank the spare wheel has been replaced by a can of go to reinflate a flat tyre.

DESIGN

The look is not as polarising as before. The flared front guards have been trimmed back and the nose is sleeker and more aerodynamic. To prune fuel consumption and to improve performance they have put the car on a diet, with some components replaced with lighter aluminium parts an aluminium bonnet, boot lid, suspension components and instrument panel beam. At 1704kg the LPG model weighs 82kg more than the petrol one.

SAFETY

Five stars -- but if you believe Holden it's even safer than this, with a swag of new safety systems. Mind you the car badged as a Chevrolet gets seven airbags in the United States, not the six that we get.

DRIVING

To be honest it doesn't feel much different from the previous Commodore. Maybe that's because it sits on the same chassis with the same running gear as before, although 60 per cent of components have been changed. The interior is completely different, but the seats are firm and not that comfortable, especially on a long run. The ride is not as compliant either, thumping where it would have absorbed bumps before.

The window switches have been relocated to the doors but the driver's window does not get auto up which is a pain. Fuel consumption has been trimmed to 11.5 litres/100km for the LPG model compared to the 3.0-litre petrol Evoke's 8.3 litres/100km. At the time of going to press the price of LPG was 76.7 cents per litre, while the price of petrol was 152.9 cents a litre.

At these prices it will cost you $8.82 to travel 100km on gas or $12.69 for petrol -- a 30 per cent saving. The tank holds 84 litres and we were getting 10.8 litres/100km after about 500km.

VERDICT

We're not convinced. The interior feels cheap and the huge computer screen in this model offers Stitcher and Pandora apps - not sign of satnav or the cheaper BringGo system offered in other models.

Holden Commodore Evoke LPG

Price: from $37,490
Warranty: 3 years, 1 year or 100,000km roadside assist
Engine: 3.6-litre 6-cylinder, 180kW/320Nm
Transmission: 5-speed auto, RWD
Thirst: 11.5L/100Km, CO2 185g/km
Kerb weight: 1704kg