Holden Reviews

Here's a radical thought: if Holden was to build the Malibu in Australia, put Commodore badges on it and add a bit more pep to the engines it might sell up a storm.

We turn the spotlight on the car world's newest and brightest stars as we ask the big questions, including the one that really needs answering -- would you buy one?

Get out the calculator and see if an LPG car suits you before becoming blinkered by green lights.

.star {width:135px;}#article-corpus {width:100%; padding-right: 0;}Chrysler 300 SRT8 Core and Holden Commodore SS-V Redline go head-to-head on this comparative 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.VALUEThe 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 To make room for the larger fuel tank the spare wheel has been replaced by a can of go to reinflate a flat tyre.DESIGNThe look is not as polarising as before.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.SAFETYFive 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.DRIVINGTo 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.VERDICTWe'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 LPGPrice: from $37,490Warranty: 3 years, 1 year or 100,000km roadside assistEngine: 3.6-litre 6-cylinder, 180kW/320NmTransmission: 5-speed auto, RWDThirst: 11.5L/100Km, CO2 185g/kmKerb weight: 1704kg

Perhaps I misjudged the lazy beachside parallel of Holden's new mid-size entrant. Maybe I was anaesthetised to Holden's previous attempts at this segment, particularly the mind-numbing nothingness and barely acceptable build quality of the Epica.Like the Epica - suitably nicknamed Epitaph - the Malibu is made in Korea. It has nothing to do with California's average beachfront but is similar to the equally average Chevrolet Malibu sedan. Thankfully, Holden has Australianised the Chevrolet with significant changes in cabin room, suspension tuning and drivetrain.It gets the powertrain from Opel and at this point, the Malibu is starting to look like a real mid-size contender. But then the body styling creeps up and warms you like an old cardigan, proving that Mitsubishi and Toyota don't hold the licence for bland.The $32,490 tag for the Malibu CD automatic diesel is line-ball with rival offerings. It buys a big car - only 82mm shorter than the Commodore - with relatively low ownership costs thanks to capped-price service, a 12-month roadside assist package and the frugal diesel consumption. But three-year resale is low at 40 per cent.Features rate well and aim at occupant convenience - touch screen, Bluetooth and Gracenote, smartphone integration - and economy. But the $34,990 Commodore Evoke auto may be a better buy.In profile and under certain light I'm reminded - scarred may be more accurate - by the 2008 Chrysler Sebring. There's function in the Malibu but it's no dance partner you'd be happy to twirl.At least it is roomy with excellent rear-seat leg and headroom, though the 545-litre boot is relatively small given there's no spare wheel (it's optional). Square-rimmed dash gauges and centre console look dated - and are shared with GM products including the GMC SUVs - but are easy to use. Touch screen is excellent but electric park button is hidden.Under the bonnet it's all Opel. The German-built engine is the same as the Opel Insignia as is the six-speed automatic transmission. Holden passed on the similarly-sized Cruze/Captiva 2-litre diesel-engine from Italy.The drivetrain and chassis stuff is conventional though the diesel has hydraulic-assist power steering where the petrol-fuelled Malibu gets electric assist. Better is the MyLink media unit with Pandora and Stitcher apps, Gracenote and Bluetooth that provide audio streaming and smart phone integration.Malibu follows the rivals with a five-star crash rating and all the necessary electronic brake and chassis nannies. There's rear park sensors, a reverse camera, six airbags, heated mirrors, auto headlights but no spare wheel.Getting the engine from Germany and the transmission from Japan sounds like the ingredients for a top-notch car. They aren't. The engine shows promise but is a bit apathetic and not as bubbly as the VM unit in the Cruze. Performance is adequate and - unusually for a diesel - feels weak at low revs and doesn't start any enthusiasm until 2000rpm.It performs well at 2000-3000rpm and will close in on the claimed 6.4 L/100km fuel use. The steering feels too light and overgeared but is positive and with the taut body and well-tuned suspension, even induced a smile from me.The manual shifter for the auto is on top of the gear knob - an unorthodox location that isn't worth the extra brain neurons to master, though it may benefit the petrol model. I liked the ride comfort and the space but the car feels a bit dated against some rivals.

Small-car buyers have plenty of reasons to welcome the Nissan Pulsar back to their shopping lists. Around 18,990 of them, by our count.That's the driveaway price for the Pulsar sedan and hatch until the end of this month, and it's unlikely to go much higher in 2013 as boatloads of the born-again Japanese small car continue to dock in Australia. Nissan has set a year-end target for deliveries of its born-again baby and is now landing the cars needed to hit the bullseye, with big incentives on several fronts to ensure it happens.The current deal includes on-road costs and a $1000 bonus, labelled as the 'Switch' incentive, but if you drill a little deeper you discover the reality of Nissan's pricing push. It effectively means the Pulsar - if you allow $2000 for on-roads and then add the extra $1000 - is a $15,990 car in Australia at the moment. And that's unbeatable buying.The Pulsar is not the best car in the class, and we think it's a bit dowdy in some areas, but it does the job and a lot of people are coming back to the badge after the unfortunate experience - for Nissan and its customers - with the underdone Tiida. What the Pulsar really means is that any brand with a small car to shift needs to be setting the bar low enough to compete with the new Nissan, both sedan and hatch.We've seen it many times in recent years, back from the 1990s when Hyundai was the first to go big on driveaway pricing with its Excel tiddler and other rushed to join the feeding frenzy. It's been the same more recently with five-year warranties and capped-price servicing, which are both intended to give customers a benefit that doesn't affect the car's resale value while also giving them certainty on their purchase.Not long ago, baby cars like the Hyundai i20 were pegged at $15,000 and $19,990 became the default setting for small cars. Toyota admitted as much last year when it landed its all-new Corolla and priced it just below the psychological barrier at $20,000.But the Nissan push has driven down the transaction prices - the level at which cars are really sold, not advertised and definitely not the Recommended Retail Price - considerably below the $19,900 level before on-roads or the near-essential automatic gearbox that drives the deal closer to $25,000.If you scan the advertising over the past month it's easy to find driveaway rivals at $18,990, including the Ford Focus, with most small cars now pitched with an on-road price at $19,990. We've compiled our list of contenders using the RRP because there is always going to be some sort of sales incentive, so keep a sharp lookout and watch for the day when your first choice goes on sale.Best of all for buyers, the price genie is now out of the bottle and - as Nissan continues to push the Pulsar - there will be deals through to the end of 2013 and probably well into next year. And beyond.Holden Cruze Price: from $19,490 Output: 1.8-litre four, 104kW/176Nm; 5-spd manual/6-spd auto, front-wheel driveThirst: 7.0L/100kmThe surprise packet this year, as a seemingly-minor facelift makes the locally-made Cruze a better drive with more class. Now a car you definitely recommend to friends, especially with a tasty starting price.Hyundai i30Price: from $20,990Output: 1.8-litre petrol four, 110kW/178Nm; 6-spd manual and auto, front-wheel driveThirst: 6.5L/100kmAs good as the Toyota Corolla for comfort and class, but better as a value deal and definitely the one to benchmark in this class. The former Carsguide COTY winner has always been good buying, too.Ford FocusPrice: from $20,290 Output: 1.6-litre four, 92kW/159Nm; 5-spd manual/6-spd auto, front-wheel driveThirst: 6.2L/100kmThe best driving car in the class thanks to a tight chassis, although the 1.6-litre base engine is nothing special and nowhere near the fun factor providing by the turbo in the 2-litre ST. A sensible choice, although the dashboard is a confusing miss-match of switches.Nissan Pulsar Price: from $24,990 Output: 1.8-litre four, 96kW/174Nm; 6-spd manual, CVT auto, front-wheel driveThirst: 6.7L/100kmA lot of people have been waiting for the Pulsar to return and it's a solid contender, not an outright leader. Quiet and comfy, for sure, but not as good as some of its rivals. But Nissan has big ambitions for the Pulsar and it's the leader on dollar deals.BUYING SECONDHANDThere was a time, for a very long time, when a Toyota Corolla was the automatic choice for anyone looking to buy their first car. That drove up secondhand prices and helped provide plenty of willing buyers who graduated to a Corolla for their first new car. But not now.The first Japanese baby car to really hit the sweet spot in Australia has been overtaken by compact contenders from South Korea and the Hyundai i30 is the current Carsguide choice for savvy secondhand shopping. A Corolla might look good, and plenty of people still recommend them, but their prices are artificially inflated by their history in Australia.The i30 matches the Corolla in most areas including comfort and economy, and is bulletproof reliable. But it's smarter buying and you can get an equivalent car, or something newer or with fewer kilometres, than you would spend on an equivalent Corolla. What makes the i30 more enticing is the five-year warranty, which means buying near-new at around $15,000 can provide a car that still has the remainder of the manufacturer's cover.If you're spending more, or intent on a diesel engine for long-distance driving, the i30 ticks that box. And there is also an i30 wagon, in a class where SUVs have virtually exterminated the once-popular baby station wagon. 

More and more people are downsizing vehicles and that means even SUVs are getting smaller and more urban focused. The original tiddler, the Suzuki Jimny, is now ridiculously outdated and silly costly at $20,490, but the newly arrived Holden Trax and a run of others are providing good driving at prices close to the small cars that are providing their basics. They're all about the city and suburbs, which means front-wheel drive mostly instead of the all-wheel drive needed for Outback work.The current sales leader is the Hyundai ix35, based on deliveries of 11,021 cars in Australia through July, but things are changing on both size and refinement. We're also looking at a class where the Trax slides in below Holden's family-focused Captiva couple, the 5 and 7, and is more likely to be shopped against a Subaru XV or a Mitsubishi ASX or a Nissan Dualis. Even the ix35 is bigger and more adult than most compact shoppers want, and fits more easily into the bigger family class with its Kia Sportage clone, the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.But back to the Trax, which looks good and has a funky name that will resonate with 20-something shoppers, as well as the Holden badge that works for security and that ‘Aussie’ tick. It's priced from $23,490 and makes the grade with everything from five-star safety to a reversing camera across the line, a 1.8-litre engine and an infotainment system with a seven-inch touch screen and imbedded Pandora, Tune-In Radio and the potential at extra cost for a navigation app called BringGo.If you're wondering about the basics of the Trax, they are shared with the Barina hatch, but the SUV twist means its similar in size to a Nissan Dualis and there has been plenty of local testing and development work to ensure it drives like a Holden.It's the Dualis that usually gets the Carsguide tick for people who want a small SUV that's really just a high-riding hatchback, although the Subaru XV looks best and would do much better if it had a worthwhile boot and a CVT transmission that did a better job with its 2-litre engine. As for the ASX, it's not as refined as its rivals and let's leave it at that.We also like the new Ford Kuga, particularly as a drive, although it's also rated in the bigger class where the Mazda CX-5 sets the pace on class and sales, with 11,731 deliveries to the end of July. There is plenty of upside in the Trax and Holden is predicting big things as it finally gets the baby SUV it has needed in recent years. Now we, and they, are just waiting for the full-sized family hauler that will eventually roll in above the Captiva.Holden Trax Price: from $23,490Output: 1.8-litre four, 103kW/175Nm; 5-spd manual/6-speed auto, front-wheel driveThirst: 7.0-7.6/100kmA funky new SUV contender that's going to do well in Australia, especially as it's a fun drive and reflects the improving quality of Holden's cars from Korea.Nissan Dualis Price: from $24,990Output: 2-litre four, 102kW/198Nm; 6-speed manual, CVT auto, front/all-wheel driveThirst: 8.1-8.4L/100kmA smart family choice and practical, with a Dualis+ for people who need more cabin space. Not as trendy as some, but solid, sensible and a nice ride.Subaru XVPrice: from $28,490Output: 2-litre four, 110kW/196Nm; 6-spd manual, CVT auto, front-wheel driveThirst: 7.3L/100kmA good looker with an impressive badge, but getting well up in price. Hurt worst by a tiny boot and a fiddly CVT auto that dulls the performanceMitsubishi ASXPrice: from $24,990Output: 2-litre four, 110kW/197Nm; 5/6 speed manual, CVT auto, front/all-wheel driveThirst: 5.8-7.9L/100kmTime has left the ASX well behind, despite chunky looks that appeal to some and an available diesel engine. It's just too rough and ready, especially as a city runabout.

These days very few SUV buyers are looking 4WD capability in off-road conditions. Rather, they want an on-road station wagon with a high level of equipment and the premium features usually only found in upmarket models. Well aware of this, Holden has introduced a new model to its Captiva 5 range, the LTZ. Price and

With no end in sight to the SUV boom GM Holden has added to the choices in the compact segment with its all-new Trax – a five-door, five-seat, high-riding and handsome wagon that is as much about media technology for savvy city slickers as it is engines and drivetrains.Trax is a global SUV sold in the US as the Chevrolet Trax and elsewhere as the Opel Mokka. Holden opted to not bring in an AWD version after market research found buyers top three priorities when buying a compact SUV were styling, cost and manufacturer.GM Holden's Australian engineers were involved in developing Trax for local conditions in South America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand with suspension and steering tuning made to suit local roads.The compact Trax SUV fills a void in Holden's line joining big brothers Captiva 5, Captiva 7 and Colorado 7. Trax is based on the Opel Corsa/Holden Barina platform with the powertrain from Cruze.Australia is getting the 2WD drive version powered by the same 1.8-litre in-line four found in the current Holden Cruze.  It comes in two specifications, LS and LTZ with prices ranging from $23,490 to $27,990. Buyers have the choice of either a five-speed manual transmission or a six-speed auto in the LS and auto-only in the LTZ.Key competitors are Nissan Dualis 2WD ($25,990) , Mitsubishi ASX 2WD ($25,990) and Hyundai ix35 2WD ($26,990) which gives the Holden a significant price advantage. Later in the year Trax will find more competition from Ford's EcoSport. Trax will be in Holden showrooms from mid-September.Trax has a distinctive shape with a bold, rising shoulder line and diving roof line, but the front of the vehicle is unashamedly brash – being designed for the US market. Those who designed the front though were from Australia. Holden's chief designer (who did not design the Trax) said the car had perhaps more road presence 'than it deserves' implying that it actually looks a lot tougher than its performance. There is nothing new in this with soft-roader Jeep and Dodge product taking the same design strategy. Having said that Trax is a handsome SUV that should appeal to buyers, young and not so young.With technology from smart phones also booming, the Trax is fitted with MyLink technology that features embedded apps for music and navigation. MyLink supports Pandora, Stitcher, Tunein and BringGo navigation as well as Siri Eyes Free Mode.In a sign of the times the centre stack does not include a CD slot with the majority of people using Smartphones as their source of music. MyLink allows audio and phone streaming via Bluetooth for Android while iPhone connectivity is via cable. As well the system allows people to view images and movies while the vehicle is parked using USB storage connected via cable.There is also USB and auxillary input and voice control via Siri eyes free integration. Also, Trax has a 240 volt three plug outlet rated to 150 watt, for charging items such as laptops while driving - the only vehicle we know of that has this convenience.On the launch we used the BringGo navigation that costs 99 cents to try and $65 to buy which uses your smartphone GPS to navigate through the car's 7-inch screen. We also used Pandora for our favourite music and listened to our preferred Gold Coast radio station on Tunein while testing the Trax in Victoria.As the Trax was being launched Holden was advised the vehicle had been given a 5-Star ANCAP safety rating with high points. Standard equipment includes a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, stability control, ABS brakes, traction control, hill start assist, electronic brakeforce distribution, six airbags, and three child seat anchors.Our Trax first drive took us through the Melbourne CBD to Berwick, down to the Mornington Peninsula in both specification levels and including one manual variant. The ride is comfortable but a little stiff over uneven surfaces causing a small amount of twitchiness.The steering is light and perhaps a little vague, but as a city car this is almost irrelevant. As a high-riding vehicle Trax has some body roll on corners – as do all the SUV's in this compact segment. One thing we liked was the low NVH (noise vibration harshness). We also like the large digital speedometer read out in these days of prolific speed cameras.It is a five seater, but with a narrow body line the car is best suited to four adults - and possibly a small child from the rear centre seat. The core strength of Trax is in the technology and the practicality along with sharp pricing. Even though Trax is relatively small, the interior does not feel cramped and the vehicle does not drive like a compact car. It feels sturdy and solid.The interior is littered with storage bins and there's a handy storage drawer under the passenger seat to hide valuables including laptops away from prying eyes. The rear seat has a 60/40 split and with a fold and tumble function folds flat to create a good size cargo bed. With all seats in use the cargo area is still impressive with 356 litres of usable space.