Sedan Reviews

Mazda sends its turbo Atenza on a coast-to-coast economy trial - who needs a big six?

The tragics that stick Chevy badges on their Holdens are going to love the new Malibu. Originally designed as a Chevrolet, it probably has more right to wear the gold Chevy bowtie than any other Holden.Shame about the American name (yet again), but you can take comfort in the fact the Malibu was actually designed by an Aussie stylist. Launched this week in Melbourne, the new mid-sized sedan is a replacement for the unloved Epica that disappeared from showrooms a couple of years ago.They say the day Holden announced it had pulled the plug on the ugly Korean duckling a cheer went up in the boardroom. But we remember the Epica as a great holiday car with an enormous boot  - especially the diesel one.Like Epica the Malibu is a car designed to fill a gap in Holden's line-up. Priced from $28,490, it sits between the smaller Cruze and larger Commodore and designed to go head to head with the likes of Camry and Mondeo. At this price it undercuts everything else in the segment, apart from Suzuki's Kizashi which is smaller.There are two models, CD and better equipped CDX  - both available in petrol and diesel form. But the diesel engine adds a hefty $4000 to the asking price and costs more to service.Standard equipment includes the MyLink entertainment system that includes a 7-inch touch screen and nine speakers, as well as Bluetooth, cruise control, auto lights, push button start, rear parking sensors, steering wheel audio controls, power height adjustment for the driver's seat, an electric parking brake and 17 inch alloys.The CDX priced from $31,990 adds leather, dual zone climate air, auto wipers, and heated 8-way power adjust front seats plus 18 inch alloys. Any colour except white attracts a $550 extra charge.Nothing new here. There's a choice of two engines, both of them paired with a six speed auto. The 2.4-litre four cylinder petrol engine is a lift from Captiva and fairly old tech, with 123kW of power and 225Nm of torque, and delivering fuel consumption of 8.0 litres/100km (we got 9.2).The 2.0-litre turbo diesel is a lift from Cruze, with 117kW of power and 350Nm, and fuel consumption of 6.4 litres/100km (we got 7.0).The MyLink entertainment system is being rolled out across the Holden range and includes apps for Pandora internet radio and the Stitcher podcast program, but you need a mobile phone with a sizeable data plan to really make full use of it. Satellite navigation is not available at this stage, but will be added later along with voice control (they're still ironing out the bugs).It sits on the same platform as the Opel Insignia and recent Saab 9-5. They say Malibu's athletic stance was inspired by Chevrolets of the past including the Camaro that was also styled by the Holden design team.Exterior designer Justin Thompson said the brief as to design a car that would stand out in the busy and often bland mid-sized segment. The rear end design with its twin Camaro-style tail lights was actually the first draft for the rear of the new Commodore.The front facia has been totally restyled for Australia to give the car a Holden look and so that it will fit in with the rest of the range. Inside the look is sporty, with lots of brightly coloured blue instrumentation - perhaps a little too bright.A reversing camera is standard across the range. Gets the maximum five stars for safety with six airbags and a full complement of safety systems including electronic traction and stability control along with anti-lock brakes.The engineers have spent a lot of time and effort "Australianising'' the car, calibrating both the transmission and ride and handling settings at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground. An emphasis was placed on selecting the right tyre for the job.The suspension and damper settings which are oriented towards comfort are unique to Australia and it shows in the way the car soaks up the bumps, undulations and pot holes that characterise our secondary roads.The 2.4-litre petrol model is the pick of the pair and works well in tandem with the second generation six-speed automatic. The auto always seems to find the right gear and there is enough in the kitty for overtaking too.But the sequential change takes some getting used to, with a switch on top of the gear selector that does not fall comfortably to hand. Push left with your thumb and it changes down, right and it changes up again  - but who's really going to bother using it anyway?The hydraulic steering in the diesel is much too light and not nearly as good as the speed-sensitive electric system in the petrol model, which grows heavier with speed. By the way, the diesel at $4000 more, is much too expensive to be a realistic alternative, especially where  private buyers are concerned. It will however appeal to fleet operators where the cost can be built into the deal.It sounds and feels too much like a truck anyway. And if you want more power, there's always the Commodore. The boot is large but shallow due to the full size but temporary spare, with a rear seat that folds down for longer loads. The spare is optional - a can of goo to reinflate the tyre is standard. The tow rating of the car is 1200kg.

Someone at Holden got the name wrong for the company's newest, and surprisingly impressive, mid-sized hopeful.

Honda cars have long held a reputation as being a step above other Japanese marques in quality and prestige. Nowhere does this show more than in the medium-large Accord sedans.These days the Honda Accord sells in Australia in two different market segments. One, called Accord Euro, has a real emphasis on sporty handling and has gained a good reputation amongst those who enjoy driving. It gives, precise communicative steering and plenty of road grip. Handling was improved further when an upgraded Euro model arrived in Australia in June 2008.The other variant, simply called the Honda Accord, is larger, American-based and leans in the direction of passenger comfort rather than sporty dynamics.Many owners only drive gently and find the Accord’s characteristics most acceptable. Those drivers with more of a sporting makeup will find these Accords are rather soft and inclined to understeer at relatively slow speeds.Australia is the only country that takes imports of the two significantly different models, showing the high regard in which our country is held by the head office chiefs in Japan.Honda Accords in Australia are four-door sedans (though the European market also has a station wagon variant). Interior space is good, though the Euro is smaller than American Accord so for adults to get comfortable in the rear seat the front seats have to be set a few notches forward.Boot space is good, with a wide, low opening which makes it easy to load. Naturally, the boot in the larger car has greater volume, but the Euro’s luggage area is more than acceptable if only couples are using the car.The Honda tradition of designing cars with good outward visibility makes the Accord easy to drive and park, as well as making it comfortable for young children to see out of. However, crash safety regulations that made thick pillars necessary mean that there's less outwards visibility in the these post-2003 Accord. They aren’t bad, just not as good as the excellent older models. A four-cylinder engine used in the Euro model and the American Accord has a capacity of 2.4 litres. The engine in the Euro is set to a higher state of tune than the one in the American car so need high octane unleaded petrol, the Accord is happy to run on 91, though a diet of 95 does seem to make it feel good.A V6 3.0-litre unit is used in the American Accord, but not in the Euro. The 2008 model change saw an increase in the V6 engine size to 3.5 litres. The newer engine design offers plenty of relaxed torque and uses less fuel than the smaller engine it replaced.The Accord Euro is offered with a six-speed manual to suit its sporting nature, though in Australia most are fitted with a five-speed sequential automatic. The American car is imported only with a five-speed automatic transmission.The Honda dealer network usually concentrates on the major population centres. If you live in the relatively remote country area it might be wise to make inquiries to Honda’s head office, or your local regional office, if you are considering buying one of the cars. Ask about the time it takes to source parts, although this is unlikely to be more than a couple of business days.Honda has worked hard at reducing spare parts costs in recent years. However, the price drops usually apply more to the common parts than to the unusual ones.These are relatively complex cars, especially from the 1998 model, and are best left to professional mechanics. A good amateur, armed with a workshop manual, can tackle some of the routine work.Insurance is generally very reasonable as is only to be expected from a car in this ultra conservative market segment. It will be interesting to see if the new sport-oriented Accord Euro changes the premium structure.WHAT TO LOOK FORThe engine should be all but inaudible at idle, even in the four-cylinder units. Any roughness may indicate problems.Check there are no oily black stains in the exhaust pipe and the surrounding body and bumper. Make sure there isn’t a puff of oily looking smoke from the exhaust when the accelerator is floored after the engine has been idling for a minute or so.Manual gearboxes should move freely with no sticking or crunching on fast gearchanges. Automatics should go into gear promptly and their changes should only be noticeable when you're accelerating hard.During your test drive check the brakes pull the car up evenly without one wheel locking before the others. On cars with ABS, feel for a pulsing through the pedal during very hard braking.Look at the condition of the interior, paying special attention to the top of the dashboard and the rear shelf for sun damage. Fading or cracking in these areas can cause hassles.Rust is not common but may have found its way into cars that have been badly repaired after a crash. If you’re not sure, have a professional check out the car as repairs can be expensive.CAR BUYING TIPCars used by families often have more wear and tear in the boot than those used by couples. The condition of the back seat in a kid carter depends greatly on the amount of discipline the juniors have been taught... 

It’s the automotive equivalent of the sibling rivalry between Mark and Steve Waugh. Both are cricket legends in their own right, but the spotlight tended to fall on one player over the other.So you can imagine how the new HSV Clubsport might be feeling at the moment, if its heart weren’t a high-performance V8 engine. Its bigger and brasher brother, the supercharged HSV GTS, has stolen the limelight lately because it is the fastest and most powerful car Australia has ever produced.But given that the hyper-Holden is still at least two months away from showrooms, it’s time for the rest of the range to shine.The cut-price Clubsport is the hidden gem in the new HSV range. Starting at $60,990 it is $4000 less than the previous model and the same price a Clubsport was 10 years ago.It bridges the price gap between the Holden Commodore SSV Redline, at about $51,000, and the flagship GTS which is close to $100,000 by the time on-road costs are added.The 6.2-litre LS3 V8 gets the same power as before -- 317kW -- but the car is 68kg lighter, the biggest weight reduction in the entire VF Commodore line-up. For those who want a little more, the Clubsport R8 steps up to $71,000 and gets the 325kW output of the previous GTS.The Clubsport R8 also comes with a Bose stereo, heads-up display, machined alloy wheels, bi-modal exhaust and HSV’s EDI system, that allows you to tune the car for the road or the track at the touch of a button. Or, in this case, a touch screen.For those who want even more, there is an optional SV Performance Pack. That includes lightweight wheels, black accenting on the bodywork, and an engine upgrade to 340kW and 570Nm, thanks to a clever bi-modal air intake (the same air box as the GTS, it sucks in more oxygen at certain revs) and a specially-tuned exhaust.As a package deal it lists for $4995 but the by the time GST and Luxury Car Tax are calculated the option adds at least $6000 to the drive-away price of the car.That might sound a bit steep but it’s money well spent. The Clubsport R8 with the SV Performance Pack was going to become the HSV GTS, just in case the supercharged engine didn’t get over the line. It explains why HSV now has an embarrassment of riches.The power ugrade may sound subtle but unlike those on HSVs before it you can feel and hear the difference. It’s as if HSV engineers have been listening to high performance Mercedes-Benz AMG soundtracks in their spare time.As before, the power from the LS3 V8 is smooth and linear, but it has more of a growl and then a bark. It’s at complete odds with the refinement of the rest of the car.Faux-suede, real leather and an extremely convincing chrome finish on the plastic highlights on the interior give the Clubsport an upmarket appearance it’s never had before.Which is why, despite all the Clubsport R8’s finesse, I’m torn between it and its $10,000 cheaper sibling, the basic Clubsport. Sure the entrée to the HSV range misses out on some of the electronic gadgetry such as a heads-up display and electric seat adjustment. And it also only comes with Holden Commodore SS seats (with HSV head-rests).But the cooking-model Clubsport -- the single burner BBQ in a world of 18-burners -- feels lighter and more responsive than the R8 and lacks nothing in the way of agility, grip and grunt.The Clubsport was a car I was expecting to clamber over in the scrum for the keys to the tastier models on the test drive at Phillip Island race track this week. But you know what? I think I like it more than the others. Add the price cut into the bargain and it’s a no-brainer.The only option worth considering on the base model Clubsport is the lightweight 20-inch wheels from the 25th-anniversary GTS released last year. They’re a $1500 stand-alone option. I’m struggling to think of $1500 better spent anywhere else in the car industry.The Clubsport is usually a price-leader for HSV, what the 30-cent ice cream cone is to McDonald’s. As the cheapest ticket into the HSV brand it typically spends its life in shopping centres as the raffle prize for local charities.But it deserves to be set free from a world of sticky fingers and having raffle tickets tucked humiliatingly under its windscreen wipers. If the Clubsport is the starting point, I can only imagine how good the GTS is going to be. Meantime, I’m off to buy a raffle ticket.

By international standards Volvo is a small carmaker

Holden is looking to turn around the downward trend in Commodore sales with the VF – mounting a three-pronged attack based around significant price cuts, a big range of additional equipment and a renewed export drive.Annual sales of the Commodore have been in steady decline since their peak of nearly 95,000 in 1998 with the 2012 tally of around 30,500 being the lowest ever. While the car’s age undoubtedly contributed to this number the overriding reason has the trend away from large passenger cars towards both medium SUVs and smaller cars.The VF Commodore is the fifteenth model since it launched with the VB in 1978. It’s been a long time coming as the VE series it has been on sale since 2006. The big delay largely due to the near bankruptcy of GM as a result of the GFC.As we’ve reported previously, the VF Commodore gets price cuts ranging from $5000 from the VE Omega to the Evoke up to $10,000 on the two Caprice models.With such dramatic price reductions coupled with leading-edge technology we wouldn’t be at all surprised if many buyers who have been swept to the SUV trend will be having second thoughts.There are many external styling changes to the VF to distinguish it from its predecessor, with a new front and rear that give it a stockier look partly because the bonnet has been raised to incorporate new pedestrian safety features.The changes to the interior give the new Commodore a fresher, more contemporary look. The centrepiece is the 8-inch colour touchscreen with large, well-spaced buttons and knobs that displays the vast array of features available through the Holden MyLink infotainment system. We will take a closer look at this, along with a plethora of other new features designed to make motoring not only safer but also more entertaining, in a separate story.VF Commodore model names have been tweaked with both the previous entry level Omega and the second tier Berlina both gone – the latter after nearly 30 years in the range – and replaced by a single model called Evoke designed to bridge the gap between fleet and private buyers and to generate a more upmarket image.Evoke uses a 3.0-litre SIDI V6 engine. To reduce fuel use and exhaust emissions power is marginally down (from 190 to 185 kW compared to the VE series). This is more than counteracted by an overall weigh reduction of almost 40 kg in the Commodore, mainly through an aluminium bonnet and boot lid. Performance isn’t affected while fuel consumption is just 8.3 litres per hundred kilometres, down from the 8.9 litres in the equivalent 2012 VE Series II.Other model names are unchanged, with the SV6, Calais, and Calais V each having the 3.6-litre SIDI V6. The SS, SS V, SS V Redline all use the 6.0-litre Gen IV V8, which is optional on the Calais V. All models offer the choice between sedan and Sportwagon.The long wheelbase Caprice sedan, now designated WN, comes with either a 3.6-litre LPG-fuelled engine in the standard model or 6.0-litre petrol V8 in the Caprice V. Transmission options are unchanged with six-speed automatic in all models and six-speed manuals in the sportier variants.Although it’s built on the same platform as the outgoing VE, around 60 per cent of chassis components have been either modified or replaced.The two-day launch of the VF Commodore included a 500-kilometre drive program from Canberra south to the Snowy Mountains and back.It’s hardly surprising given the length of time that the Commodore has been around, but there’s something just right about settling into these big Aussie cars. Something that will really be missed if they were to disappear from the scene forever...Manoeuvring the new VF out of the congested underground car park the first thing you notice is the new electric power steering (EPS) that gives a noticeable improvement in sharpness.Out onto the open road the interior is noticeably quieter than before and there’s a real feeling of luxury unlike any you have felt car in this price range. The route chosen for the drive program was dominated by long straights designed to let the VF stretch its legs as we rotated through the different models.Climbing into the foothills of the Snowys we came away most impressed. It’s well-balanced and courtesy of the weight loss and lighter steering felt anything like a large family car.

It's a big ask for any car to save a company but by the time the first wheels turned on the test drive for Holden's new VF Commodore last week, it was clear the stakes were much higher than that.Ford announced it was bowing out, leaving just Holden and Toyota. If one goes, they both go. On the VF rides the fate of the industry. The route takes the convoy on a trip into the past, to the long sweepers and tight climbs of the Snowy Mountains.It's just the sort of country the Commodore was originally designed to tame, in long sure-footed strides, and it's impossible not to be struck by one thought immediately: I'd rather be punting one of these through here than any of the SUVs that have pinched the parking spot of the big Aussie sedan.Holden flagged price cuts early and they hit $10,000 at the peak of the range. However, it's the equipment fitted across the VF that says most about Holden's approach.The best example is the automatic parking system. Common now even on hatchbacks, the VF does the steering while you apply throttle and brakes. For programmers the steering bit is easy; finding a suitable spot is the test. The most difficult to assess are perpendicular, which is why almost all these systems only parallel park. The VF can do both.The new electrical "architecture'' benefits every VF, even the base model Evoke, with voice control and Bluetooth phone/audio standard. If you use one of the common smartphones, embedded Pandora and Stitcher apps bring everything to the 8-inch control screen, including messages.The engineering on the VF is at the opposite end of the scale to Snowy pipes and dams; it's focused on the binary plumbing of the smartphone age. Holden is one of the first in the General Motors world to implement its new electrical architecture and it leapfrogs Commodore into a world of apps and advanced safety systems.This is not the usual catch-up-with-the-imports exercise. In some areas, VF is better than anything on offer. The head-up display on the top luxury (Calais V) or sport (SS V Redline) grades, for example, projects information on to the windscreen in front of the driver, just below the line of sight. It can display an impressive range of information, from speed and navigation instructions to audio mode and even Formula 1-style upshift lights. The German luxury badges don't go this far.This sort of stuff, and the overall lift in cabin quality, should help Holden attract private buyers flirting with the bottom rungs of premium.The final piece in that puzzle is fuel economy and here there are improvements of up to 8 per cent, taking the best to 8.3 litres per 100km. Drivelines themselves are largely carried over, with minor changes to power and torque peaks. The gains come from lightweight parts and electric power steering, among a raft of fine-tuning measures.The economy figures won't convert any Prius owners and happily for Commodore loyalists, it doesn't come at any cost to driveability either. One-third of buyers still cannot resist the lure of rumbling V8 lump but the petrol 3.6-litre V6 is enough for a luxe Caprice and a hoot in the ute.The safety systems also advance a generation, with forward collision alarm and lane departure warning on top grades, while blindspot alert and a system that warns of approaching cross-traffic when reversing on all but Evoke.What this does is simple: It removes the reasons you had for not buying a Commodore.Dynamically, the Commodore was always a notch above its price and that's still true, with the passion of Holden engineers shining through in the control weights, steering and suspension tune.Tyre noise is very surface-dependent but generally it's a quieter car, too, and that enhances the new-found cabin feelgood. In the design and details it lacks the class of a premium brand but it's a whole lot more than "just good enough'' we're used to from the locals.The VF is no Snowy Mountains Scheme and people are now rusted on to SUVs. But if there is any appetite left for the big Aussie touring car, then the VF deserves to bring buyers back.  

After months of hype the new Holden Commodore is finally on the road. The first new model in seven years and the last homegrown Holden of all time arrives in showrooms next week with price cuts of up to $10,000.The starting price of $34,990 winds back the clock by more than a decade -- and reflects the prices people have really been paying for years. The more transparent price list is a gamble Holden hopes will bring more buyers back into showrooms to consider the Commodore one last time.Importantly, the new Commodore is not a bare bones proposition. In fact the contrary is true. To compete in the most over-crowded new-car market in the developed world Holden has loaded every model with self parking technology, a rear view camera, a touchscreen display that can reply to text messages at the press of a button -- or on voice command.The new Commodore is without a doubt the most hi-tech car designed, developed and engineered in Australia -- but in many ways it’s also the Commodore that Holden had to have.It might share its core -- the doors, roof and glass -- with the previous model but there are big changes under the skin that reduce weight, save fuel and improve safety, quietness and refinement.Holden confirmed earlier this year the VF Commodore is due to bow out in 2016. What we now know is that this will be about the same time its arch rival the Ford Falcon reaches the end of the line.But the difference, for now, is that Holden plans to replace the iconic Commodore with a globally-developed front-wheel-drive four-cylinder sedan that it says will wear a Commodore badge. Given that every mainstream Holden has been rear-wheel-drive since the first one in 1948, this VF Commodore really does mark the end of an era.Which is why Holden has used every resource available to it in the massive General Motors empire, including a new electrical system that has opened up a raft of technology to move the Commodore not only up with the times but ahead of the imported competition.This would be a good point to acknowledge the significant input of former Holden boss, Detroiter Mark Reuss, who is now the head of General Motors in North America, and his deputy Briton Alan Batey, who ran Holden after him. Both executives took their passion for and knowledge of Holden with them to their new assignments in the US and helped “sell” the Commodore to their hierarchy to revive it there as a Chevrolet.Without the small but significant US export revival of the Commodore, which starts later this year, the VF model would not have anywhere near the technology it has been given.Their successor, Holden boss Mike Devereux, the British-Canadian who spent most of his working life in Detroit before running GM operations in Dubai and now Australia, made sure the Commodore lived up to their expectations.If you think Devereux looks feisty in front of the TV cameras when he’s barracking for the Australian car industry, you can imagine what he’s like at motivating staff to build a better Commodore.Holden doesn’t like talking about it much, but build quality has been a concern for Commodore for years. I should know, I’ve owned four of them. Not one of them was fault free.To that end GM sent quality expert and chief engineer Greg Tyus from Detroit to Australia to make sure the bad habits of old have been kicked. Here’s hoping he and his colleagues at the factory have been successful.If we’re paying Australian car manufacturing workers five times more than those in Asia and 50 per cent more than those in Germany and the USA, they ought to be doing a world class job.Now all that’s left to know is what the new Commodore is like to drive. To paraphrase former Australian prime minister Ben Chifley, who launched the original Holden in 1948, “she’s a beauty”.By far the biggest improver is the base model Evoke, partly because the previous Omega was wallowy and underdone, but mainly because it shines a spotlight on all the Commodore’s massive gains.It’s quieter, more refined and nicer to drive than before. It handles corners well, just like Commodores used to. And it wants for nothing. It is so well equipped and so well presented you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a luxury model.But the highlight for me was the V8 SS sports sedan. Sure, power is unchanged from before, but it feels more lively and more responsive thanks to the retuned and better quality suspension and nicely weighted electric power steering (that doesn’t feel lifeless as other EPS systems do) that add the finishing touches to the Commodore.One job for the facelift, though. On the Series II VF Commodore no doubt due in a couple of years, please Holden can the SS get the bigger brakes from the US police car? They bolt right on, and you've already paid for the development of them. Now that would be a finishing touch.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

If the VF is the very last Commodore then it's a great way to sign off. This is truly a Holden hero, with world-class sophistication and refinement.In many ways, the VF update is more like an all-new car than a mid-life update and facelift of the VE. Close to 70 per cents of the parts on the cars are new - and so is a pricing policy that tears a minimum of $5000, and as much as $9800, from the bottom line.You only have to drive the cars for a few minutes, as I did in a preview sweep from the new Evoke through to the Calais V, to see and feel and enjoy the changes that reflect the best of Australian engineering and the best of global sourcing.The VF is only a couple of ticks away from perfect. There is no hybrid, no four-cylinder fuel miser, and the centre part of the car is carried over - including the unloved exterior mirrors - and those are the only things that stop it scoring a five-star Carsguide rating.But the VF Commodore has booked and paid for a place at this year's Car the Year shootout and should easily reverse the nasty sales slide suffered by the VE over coming months.Is the VF package enough to save the Commodore? No, but it's more than good enough to put an old-fashioned Aussie six back on the shopping list.The extra value in the VF is not just on the bottom line. Yes, the new Evoke starter car is priced from $34,990 and that makes it $5000 cheaper than the outdoing base model and the cheapest Commodore in more than a decade.The price cuts - and that's what they are, although Holden is painting it as a benefit from the Australian dollar - slash as deeply as $9800 for the Calais V with V6 engine and headlining SS-V manual.But there is so much extra equipment in the car, particularly on the technology front, that the benefit to buyers is even bigger.Compared with the old Omega, the Evoke gets things like auto park assist and an eight-inch colour touch screen to control the infotainment system.As you move up the line the deals get even better, which helps to position the Commodore as a genuine import fighter and not just an old-fashioned Aussie six.It's much more likely to be shopped against a Nissan Maxima or Honda Accord now, while the wagons make a better case against the fully-loaded SUVs that are so popular for school runs and shopping.But there are still some buts. No-one knows how the impending end of the Commodore line in 2016 - despite Holden's claims that it will continue the Commodore badge on the car's foreign-spawned successor - will affect resale values. And that's a very big deal, both for private buyers spending big and for the fleets who have traditionally provided the backbone for Australian car sales.Changes to the VF run all the way down to the basic body structure, including a new firewall to cut noise intrusion and new foot pedals for the driver.The bonnet and bootlid are now stamped from aluminium to cut weight, as the VF drops around 100 kilograms from the VE in the search for better efficiency.The Evoke package includes auto park assist - for both parallel and right-angle parking - as well as all-round radar and a rear-view camera. Holden claims improved voice recognition, full Bluetooth with iPod integration, Apps including Pandora and SmartRadio, as well as the giant eight-inch touch screen in the dash.Things get predictably better as you move up the range, with the Calais getting blind-spot warning and the Calais V also has forward collision alert and a coloured heads-up dashboard display.The changes to the VF bodywork are not huge, but more than enough to mark it out as a new Commodore.The crew at Fishermans Bend worked hard to make the car look more aggressive but also more grown-up, even smoothing the rear-end look and insetting the rear glass slightly. The new nose is significantly different and works well both on the luxury and sporty SS models.Things really get good inside, from the new dash to seats which are both more supportive and set lower for a better driving position.The layout is a huge change and so is the presentation work, including the mix-and-match approach to surfaces and materials. You won't find a boring slab of black plastic in the VF, which has all sorts of contrasting design work from the new door skins - which hold the electric window switches on the drivers' side, up from the console - through to the impressive new centre stack.The VF is, not surprisingly at all, a five-star winner with ANCAP. But … Americans will get their VF, tizzied and badged as the Commodore SS, with knee airbags for both front seats. Holden says they are not needed here, and that American crash testing usually includes results for un-belted passengers, but you still have to wonder.On the other side, the Evoke package includes all that parking help, as well as an electric parking brake, hill-start asset and vehicle-sway control, and further up the line the active electronics will make a real difference with the forward collision and lane departure alerts.And, in a country where far too many people spend their time focused on the speedometer and not looking ahead for potential hazards, the heads-up display is a big advance.The bottom line on the VF Commodore is impressive. The car is a great drive, from the Evoke right through to the Calais V.What's most impressive is the refinement and composure. The new Holden hero is easily the best Australian car I have driven, wipes rivals like the Honda Accord, and is more like an Audi or BMW in the way it covers ground with comfort and finesse.It's not perfect, although even the clunky old V6 engine is now far quieter than in the past. I just wish Holden had been able to junk the undersized rear-view mirrors, as it has even managed to improve visibility by slimming the oversized A-pillars that blighted the VE.My advance drive of the VF happens at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground, on roads I know well and respect immensely. It might be a closed course but it has the sort of surfaces and corners that show up even the tiniest flaws.First up, I notice the extra comfort and support in the seat and the lack of engine noise. Even the pedals seem more isolated than before.The performance is not noticeably better, despite Holden work and the slightly better economy, but I'm not as busy over bumps and the cornering grip is good without throwing me around. The six-speed auto shifts smoothly, although the manual is still a bit of a beast.At highway speeds the car is really noticeably quieter, and there is plenty to play with in the cabin. I'm past the Gen-Y gadget age, and it's really a job for a full-scale test, but the infotainment package is a clear step up on anything else made here.And then there are the little things, like cleaning the console by moving the switches to the door - and outside the spill zone alongside the upholders - and adding an electric parking brake.My bottom line on the VF Commodore is simple: four stars. That's a great result at a time when big Aussie sixes are, like the dinosaurs, heading towards extinction. The score would have been better if Holden had a hybrid or a four-cylinder greenmobile - like Ford's EcoBoost Falcon - and if those mirrors were bigger.Holden has done a great job on the VF, which thoroughly deserves the tag as Australia's best car.It's just sad that the goalposts have shifted and Australia's best is not good enough, or satisfying enough shoppers, to resist the rising tide of imports.