2009 Holden Commodore Reviews

Fuel economy has more to do with your mind, the size of your right foot and the type and colour of car you are driving.  Yes, you can do all the maths and physics and work out on paper how an engine, transmission, aerodynamics, weight and other factors can affect economy, but these are theoretical.  They make a statement on paper, but they don't make much of a statement in the real world.I recently drove three Holden V6 vehicles with the new 3.0 and 3.6-litre spark ignition direct injection (SIDI) engines.  The Omega and Berlina of all body styles get the 3.0L engine and the rest of the range has the 3.6L.Holden quotes fuel consumption figures for the Omega 3-litre at 9.3 litres per 100km, down from 10.7L/100km in the superseded model, while the SV6 Ute has the biggest improvement for the 3.6-litre, down 13 per cent to 10L/100km.I drove a grey Berlina Sportwagon (3.0L) which returned 10.5L/100km, an even greyer Calais sedan (3.6L) which yielded 10.7L/100km and a bright-coloured Ute (3.6L) which failed all economy tests with a poor 12.3L/100km.I can't claim to have driven to the standard conditions as laid out for official ADR fuel consumption figures and I can't even claim to have driven the same distance or type of road conditions for each. Yet these figures still reveal a lot about the cars' performance and economy.The first thing of note is how good the economy figures are for the Sportwagon which is heaviest with its big cargo area which I utilised with a loaded-up trip to the dump.  It's not the 9.3L/100km quoted by Holden but it's quite respectable and included the commuter crawl to work for five days, weekend shopping and errands, and very little highway driving.  It's also nowhere near the 6.48L/100km it achieved in the recent Global Green Challenge from Adelaide to Darwin.The Calais is also worthy of note. It performed much the same ‘real-world’ duties — albeit no trip to the dump — and returned almost the same economy figures as the Sportwagon.Both cars appeal to my family nature with their roomy cabin and functional design. Consequently I drove like a family man who needs to get home to his family in the 'burbs every night.Then along came the ute. It was fitted with a tow bar and there was our old beer fridge that blew up and needed carting to the dump, so it was in for some punishment. Plus there was circle work to be done ...Well, not exactly, but with the lighter weight and the bigger engine, it seemed to sprint off the line a little more willingly and dance around in an entertaining fashion in the corners. All this, plus the vibrant metallic orange colour ($500 extra), got me all excited all the way down my trousers to my big right foot.The result was fuel figures that seem to call Holden a liar.  So unless you are competing in the Global Green Challenge, fuel economy is largely going to rely on your attitude.  It also helps to have a sedately coloured family sedan or wagon.If economy is not your soul goal, but simply a happy side benefit, then you may be pleased to note that these new engines are also more powerful.  Holden claims the power output from the 3.6 is up 15kW to 210kW. And even though the new 3-litre is the smallest Commodore engine in more than 20 years, it still develops a healthy 190kW.The engines sound quieter and more refined. That is until you stamp on the loud pedal and then they wick up the volume quite pleasingly.  Cabin noise may also be decreased by Holden's use of new low-rolling-resistance Bridgestone tyres and the 50rpm reduced idle speed on the 3.6. It all helps economy and comfort levels.It should also be good news that they now all come with a six-speed automatic transmission rather than some of them being hitched to the old four-speed sludge box.But it isn't.  I can't believe I am saying this, but I don't like the six-speed transmission.  It feels like it has an overactive thyroid gland, too willingly dropping down one or even two gears at the hint of extra throttle.That may be great for performance, but not necessarily for economy or driver fatigue.  I found it quite annoying how much the transmission jumped around, even though it is quite smooth in its changes.There is simply no need for such volatile gear changing. After all, the small engine has 290Nm of torque pulling power and the bigger engine has 350Nm, up 30Nm from the previous engine.  Surely this torque can be used to draw the car up a hill or cope with a little extra throttle without shifting gears.

As large car sales continue to fall, GM Holden has produced what it hopes is a life support system for at least one.Holden's answer to the malaise that has afflicted the Commodore and its ilk (annual sales for the segment have fallen by more than 100,000 in the past decade) is the promise of better performance and better economy from a pair of high-tech engines."With my marketing hat still on it is a happy day when the engineers can come to you with the offer of better performance and better fuel economy ... that is win-win," GM Holden's newly-installed Chairman and Managing Director Alan Batey says."I really believe people still want the size of a Commodore, but they also want the economic advantages they perceive in smaller engines and cars. This technology offers an answer for those customers."For the first time Holden will offer a pair of V6 engines coupled to a new 6-speed automatic in its locally manufactured models with the 3-litre finding a home in the Omega and Berlina sedan and sportwagon models while the rest of the Commodore range will come with the 3.6-litre. Prices will rise by $700 for the 3-litre models but stay unchanged for all 3.6-litre models.Both engines feature spark ignition direct injection (SIDI), delivering a claimed improvement in fuel economy of up to 13 per cent better economy and up to 14 per cent lower CO2 emissions.Official figures for the Omega 3-litre are 9.3 litres per 100km, down from 10.7L/100km in the superceded model while the SV6 Ute promises the biggest improvement for the 3.6-litre, down 13 per cent to 10.L/100km.The second half of the ‘magic’ equation is that the power output from the 3.6 is up 15kW to 210kW with the 3-litre developing 190kW.Holden claims savings of up to $325 a year are possible for an average driver travelling 20,000km a year while fleet buyers — one of the key targets for the 3-litre car — could double that.While the direct injection technology is at the heart of the economy drive, there are a swag of other modifications that go to improving the Commodore's day-to-day efficiency.A new low rolling resistance tyre from Bridgestone is standard on all 16- and 17-in rims while new tyre compounds result in a weight saving of around 2kg a corner; idle speed for the 3.6 has been reduced by 50rpm below that of the standard Alloytec engine; a lighter high-efficiency alternator reduces generator loading; regulated voltage control allows greater use of the battery through closer monitoring of charge and lowering demand on the generator; and deceleration fuel cut where fuel is sequentially cut off to each cylinder when the car is coasting and then reinstated when required.What it all adds up to on the road is the potential, if the driver applies a little application and concentration, for appreciable savings without going to unrealistic lengths.On the launch drive — albeit with targeted application in a fuel efficiency competition — the SIDI Commodore (this, according to Holden, is not a VEII) returned some quite remarkable figures. The 3L claimed a 6.4L/100km efficiency in a 100km run at an average speed of 72km/h while the 3.6 was capable of well below any official sticker figure with a best of 7.2 under similar conditions.They were not entirely real world but neither were they achieved with air-conditioning off, side mirrors folded and engine switched off on downhill cruises.Apart from what is going on under the skin there is precious little about the Model Year 2010 Commodore that will set it apart from its less efficient forebears. A couple of SIDI badges and that's your lot.The biggest endorsement of Holden's strategy is the manner in which the 3-litre cars perform. Apart from a little less urgency under the right foot and if you are driving the smaller engine in search of efficiency that shouldn't be an issue there is little to set the cars apart from the rest of the range.The new six-speed gearbox has been calibrated to provide a perfectly adequate launch feel and near to seamless changes. Across the Commodore range one of the engineering targets was improved noise and vibration and while it is not earth-shattering there are definite steps in the right direction.The use of the new low-RR tyres instigated a change to the rear suspension with cross axis ball joints installed, improving stability and on-centre feel. The suspension changes have also been implemented on models that come standard with 18 and 19-inch rims for which the new tyres are not available.The most immediately noticeable difference between the 3L and 3.6L cars is in the steering and front-end feel where the reduced engine mass and smaller, more highly inflated tyre package give a more nimble impression.

Holden's dual-fuel VE Omega ute offers tradesmen the chance to cut their fuel bills, but still delivers everything its petrol-sucking cousin does. Instead of following the Ford path and making its LPG-fuelled Ute a dedicated gas model Holden has chosen to stick with tradition and make it a dual-fuel model.While it has stuck with tradition in offering its ute in dual-fuel form Holden had also chosen to move with the times and use a state-of-the-art gas-injection system instead of employing the old technology Ford has on its E-Gas engine. Holden's system is a well-respected gas-injection system designed and developed by Impco who has done a good job in integrating it into the core vehicle.At first sight there is little to say the dual-fuel Omega ute is any different to the regular model, if it wasn't for the sticker on the rego plates no-one would ever know it runs LPG as well as petrol.It's only when you dig a little deeper that you find that the LPG filler is tucked away neatly under the regular flap alongside the fuel filler, that there is a fuel system switch and LPG level indicator neatly integrated into the centre console, and if you lift the bonnet the injectors and other system components are visible. It's all there if you look, but there's nothing that screams afterthought or backyard.The smooth integration of the LPG system is even more evident on the road where the Omega ute drives and performs equally well on LPG as it does on unleaded. When driven on LPG the system is configured such that the engine starts on petrol and automatically switches over to LPG after a few seconds, so there's none of the extended cranking times that occur when the engine is started on LPG. The switchover is smooth and the driver wouldn't be aware that it did happen unless they were watching the system indicator in the centre console.A coloured light shows which system is in use at any time and changes colour depending on the system employed, when the system switches from petrol to LPG the colour of the light changes as well. The indicator also includes a series of lights to indicate the level of LPG in the 73-litre tank just behind the Omega's cabin.Should the level fall to empty the system will automatically switch across to petrol, so there's no interruption to driving, and no chance of being stuck on the side of the road as there is with a dedicated LPG vehicle.On the road the dual-fuel Omega drives smoothly with none of the stalling, stumbling, surging, or backfiring as has been common in the past with cars running on LPG. There's also no feeling of a loss of performance from the 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 engine; the response to the throttle is fast and spirited, and it's not lethargic, as is the case with most LPG vehicles using older technology.Holden says the dual-fuel V6 puts out 175 kW at 6500 revs and 318 Nm at 2400 revs when working at its peaks, down from the 180 kW at 6000 revs and 330 Nm at 2600 revs it delivers in petrol-only form.Like the regular Omega ute the only choice of transmission in the dual-fuel Ute is a four-speed auto, which shifts smoothly and works well with no obvious glitches.By using the gas-injection system Holden has been able to use the full capability of the dynamic stability control, which is standard on the dual-fuel Ute as it is on the petrol model. Stability control is but one of the safety systems that come standard with the dual-fuel Ute; the others include ABS antiskid brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution for optimum braking, electronic brake assist in emergency stops, and traction control. As with the regular Ute the dual-fuel model rides and handles well, steers with precision and stops with assurance.Buying a dual-fuel Ute really comes down to the savings that could be made in running costs. Over the time Big Wheels had the Omega Ute it returned 13.29 L/100 km on LPG in a mix of town, country and freeway driving, while a previous similar test of a petrol Ute had it doing 12.5 L/100 km.Using those figures, and the prices of regular unleaded and LPG at the time of the test on the dual-fuel Ute, it would cost $152 per 1000 km on regular unleaded and $64 for the same distance on LPG, a saving of $88 per 1000 km. At that rate it would take 38,600 km to recover the $3400 cost of the LPG option.That's of course without considering the $2000 government rebate for private buyers that substantially reduces the payback time and makes the LPG Ute even more appealing.

While its notch as Australia’s most popular car has been taken – some would say usurped – by upstart imports, it still holds a strong position in the market. At the top of the wide range sit the V8 versions, and we tested the SS variant.EngineThe SS is powered by a six litre 90-degree OHV V8 engine that puts out 270kW at 5700rpm and 530Nm of torque at 4400rpm. There is a choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission to transfer that power to the wheels.ExteriorThe sports body kit plus quad exhausts and big 18-inch alloys give the SS a real presence on the road. The aluminium alloy construction, creating a lighter engine takes weight off the front end for better steering response and improved handling.Front fog lamps and a rear spoiler add to car’s agile appearance.InteriorFor efficiency and safety, the dash on the SS Commodore is divided into two areas separating driver essentials – available on a digital display in front of the driver - from the additional instrumentation.To make it easier still, the wheel is multifunctional, housing controls for the trip computer and the six-stacker, MP3 compatible sound system.Other interior features include cruise control, Bluetooth compatibility, optional rear park assist and sport front seats complete with SS badge.There is also plenty of storage including two cup holders, a centre console compartment and for long trips there is a fold down rear seat ‘ski’ hatch.SafetyElectronic Stability program, ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Traction Control, plus a substantial airbag package complete are standard on the SS.PricingThe Commodore SS starts at $46,790.DrivingThe everyman's performance sedan has come a long way since it was first introduced as part of the Holden Kingswood range in 1971 — the SS moniker being an import from the US where it was used effectively on performance Chevelles and Camaros. For those Holden enthusiasts not in a position to stretch to a HSV, the SS is a great car to compromise with.Available with an all alloy 6.0L Gen 4 V8 with 270kw, 6 speed manual or a 260kw AFM (Active Fuel Management) version with the six-speed automatic, there is just the SSV sitting above the SS in the performance line — but it does not offer anything more in the way of extra grunt. The SS is a real bloke’s car with enough style to not alienate its female market. It's a car to aspire to for a lot of young fathers that need to trade-in the ute when there’s a family on the way.Performance is more than competent. It does not have the sharpness of the European sports sedans, the instant response is not there, but we are really only talking milliseconds. It also does not have the European price-tag. And the gap between Australian performance sedans and their European equivalents in performance, handling and build quality is closer than ever.Having the car sold in the US as the Pontiac G8 has not hurt its local reputation. Australians since the 50s have been envious of Americans and their wide variety of performance cars. These days Americans are somewhat envious of our performance sedans.Driving an SS is a pleasure, road holding and handling are excellent. We had an automatic for our test car and only have two slight criticisms: accelerator response had a slight but noticeable lag and braking application seemed to have a non-linear response, the pressure required seemed to change though the range of movement and on a few occasions we felt we had to push harder at the end of the travel than you should need to.The interior and controls are good and the SS seats stylish and supportive. Overall the 2009 SS is another incremental improvement and will only help to build on the reputation of Australia as builders of muscle sedans.Verdict: 7.9/10