By BARRY LAKE
31 July 2006

The proof of the pudding, the old saying goes, is in the eating. In the case of a car, it is in the driving. But neither we, nor anyone else in the motoring media gets to drive the all-new Holden Commodore VE until next week.

We have, however, thoroughly examined the ingredients of this particular pudding and we will be very surprised if it doesn’t turn out to be something special in terms of driving enjoyment, ride, handling, refinement, durability and reliability.

The VE, according to Holden’s Executive Director of Engineering, Tony Hyde, is the result of, "The biggest engineering program in Holden’s history". Total cost of designing and developing the VE range has been close to $500 million. Including the price of upgrading the factory to build the cars, the entire project has cost Holden around one billion dollars.

More than 1000 engineers and technicians were involved in the design and development of the car which Hyde claims is, "The best engineered, tested, validated, executed and refined car Holden has ever done."

This "all-Holden, Holden" was designed using the world’s best family cars as benchmarks for stiffness, quality of body panel fit and finish, performance, handling, ride and comfort. It has reached or surpassed all of its targets, yet sells for less than half the price of these cars from the likes of BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Cadillac.

Passenger cabin size is similar to the previous VZ model Commodore, but the wheelbase is longer and the track is wider. It is a larger car overall, mostly in a successful quest for greater crash safety. But we anticipate the added bonus of improved handling, ride and stability from the car’s broader stance on the road.

Suspension is independent all round, with a new multi-link system at the rear. The front suspension also is a multi-link set-up, although it is based on the tried and proven MacPherson strut system.

Brakes are larger all round than those on the car’s predecessor, the rear brake discs now being ventilated, as on the front. Larger diameter wheels and tyres are part of the package, which improve handling but also were necessary to allow room within them for the larger brakes.

Electronic Stability Program (ESP) is now standard equipment on all models throughout the range.

The base model Commodore Omega is fitted with 225/60 R16 tyres on 16x7-inch steel wheels. The largest wheel/tyre combination is 245/40 R19 tyres on 19x8-inch alloy wheels. Even larger 20x8-inch alloy wheels are available as a Holden genuine accessory.

Engines are upgraded versions of the existing powerplants. Largest is the 6.0-litre Generation IV V8, now with 270 kW of power and 530Nm of torque. The Australian-built 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 engine is available in two levels, developing 180 kW and 195 kW respectively.

Later in the year a dual-fuel petrol/LPG version will be available.

There are no fewer than five transmissions available. A six-speed electronically controlled automatic is offered with the V8 engine. The alternative is a considerably upgraded version of the T56 manual six-speed gearbox, now with triple synchromesh on first and second gears and double synchromesh on third to sixth gears.

For the V6 models, there are upgraded versions of both the four-speed and five-speed automatics, with the option of a six-speed manual gearbox.

Despite some advanced weight reduction in certain areas, and the use of high strength steels in the body shell, the increased size and stiffness of the body, as well as larger wheels, tyres and brakes, have increased the weight of the car by from 100kg upwards, depending on the model.

This, plus the larger frontal area of the car - which increases drag, and the improvements in power and torque outputs, have conspired against attempts to reduce fuel economy, although final figures for the car show small improvements in this area on most models.

Best is the base-model Omega, whose 10.9 litres per 100 km is 0.1 litres better than its equivalent predecessor. Thirstiest of the bunch are the sporty SS and SSV V8s with six-speed manual transmission at 14.4 l/100km on the official test cycle.

All the ingredients are there for this car to be a quantum leap forward for the Commodore range in terms of safety, handling, ride, and performance, and also in refinement, quality of build, durability and reliability.