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By MURRAY
HUBBARD
14 September 2009
Holden has struck the first blow in the race to make locally
manufactured family cars leaner and meaner. This week it gave the
Australian motoring media a preview of the all-new 3.0-litre V6
SIDI (Spark Ignition Direct Injection) engine, with impressive
results. On a road test economy run between Melbourne and Albury
one scribe’s Commodore used just 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres
(41.5 miles per gallon) on one leg of the test. Others had
consumption figures ranging from 7.1 to 7.9 L/100 km on the
400-kilometre road test.
The results lay down the gauntlet to Ford which is planning to
install a turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder global
EcoBoost engine into its Falcon in 2011. It will be the first time
since Holden released the 1981 VH Commodore with a 1.9-litre
four-cylinder engine, that Commodore or Falcon buyers will have a
four-cylinder option.
The Holden 3.0 V6 produces 190 kW of power at 6700 rpm, and 290 Nm
of torque at 2900 rpm. Ford's EcoBoost four will reportedly put
out 171 kW of power and 325 Nm of torque. The 3.0 V6 comes
standard in Holden's entry-level Commodores: Omega and Berlina
sedan and Sportswagon and replaces the 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 that
put out 175 kW of power and 325 Nm of torque. Consumption drops
from 10.6 litres/100km in the Omega to 9.3 litres/100 km over a
combined city/urban and highway cycle, a significant saving.
A larger variant of the SIDI engine, a 3.6-litre power plant will
be standard on Calais and Calais V-Series sedan and Sportswagon as
well as SV6 sedan, Sportswagon and ute. The 3.6 engine – with
210 kW of power and 350 Nm of torque – will also be available on
WM Statesman and Caprice.
But the new SIDI engines are only one part of the major upgrade of
Holden's locally produced product. Both engines are matched to a
new six-speed auto transmission – code named 6L50 – a small
variant of the 6L80 transmission used in Holden's V8 range. In the
entry-level Commodores it replaces the sluggish four-speed
automatic and enhances fuel economy and performance. In this
Commodore facelift all the changes, except for SIDI badging, are
to the drive train.
Holden now has a policy of continual improvement and GM Holden
president Alan Batey says the SIDI V6 engines have a lot of
development room left to further improve economy and efficiency.
For example in 2010 Holden will begin production of a Flex Fuel
E85 ethanol-compatible SIDI V6.
Holden is the first local manufacturer to introduce
direct-injection technology. Multi-point injectors provide direct
injection into the combustion chambers, replacing the conventional
port-injected engines that inject fuel into the intake port
upstream of the intake valve. Direct injection allows a higher
compression ratio which improves efficiency and performance. Less
fuel is used to produce equivalent power. Holden did not release
performance figures but the Omega sedan is around about half a
second faster to 100 km/h and is believed to be around 7.7
seconds. This improvement is largely due to the new six-speed
automatic transmission.
Significant weight reductions were achieved by using an all-aluminium
block and cylinder head in the 3.0-litre SIDI engine, this
includes an exhaust manifold that's integrated into the cylinder
head – a first for Holden. The 3.6-litre SIDI engine has the
same features as the 3.0-litre engine, but retains the Alloytec
cast iron external manifold.
This engine is also being used by Cadillac CTS and SRX and twice
been named in Wards Ten Best Engines.
From an Australian perspective the story is really about the
3.0-litre SIDI engine that occupies the engine bay of the
volume-selling Omega and Berlina Commodores along with the
six-speed auto transmission. The transmission gear changes from
second to sixth gears and completed with a clutch-to-clutch action
where an `on-coming' clutch is engaged and an `off-going' clutch
is released to achieve the ratio change.
The SIDI V6 engine is tuned to idle at a very low 550 rpm,
compared to 600 rpm in the current Alloytec V6, thus reducing fuel
usage at idle.
The leaner and meaner Commodores benefit from a raft of other
fuel-saving measures. A new high efficiency alternator is now
smaller and lighter and helps improve fuel economy by reducing
generator load. Regulated Voltage Control allows greater use of
the battery as it monitors the state of charge, allowing power to
be drawn from the battery rather than the alternator under some
conditions.
GM Holden has introduced lower rolling resistance tyres from
Bridgestone as standard on model year 2010 with 16 and 17-inch
wheels – Omega, Berlina and Calais sedan and Sportswagon models
and Statesman.
The combined effect of the improvements results in fuel savings
between seven and 13 per cent across the VE Commodore and WM V6
SIDI range. CO2 emissions have been reduced by between seven and
12 per cent. GM Holden claim annual fuel savings of $325 for an
Omega owner travelling 20,000 kilometres a year.
In general Commodore pricing remains the same apart from Omega and
Berlina models that receive a $700 increase on rrp.
We were able to drive both the 3.0-litre SIDI V6 in a Berlina
sedan automatic and 3.6-litre Calais V Sportswagon automatic at
the launch in real world conditions from Melbourne to Lancefield
and return.
We did not notice any discernible change to the cars' handling,
but the improvement in engine performance and `note' inside the
cabin were marked. Under a heavy right foot the engine emits a
purposeful growl, unlike the 3.6 Alloytec which was more of an
asthmatic wheeze. This new SIDI engine owes a lot to the new
six-speed auto which is sublime and superbly matched to the
smaller V6. The transmission when linked to the 3.0 V6 tends to
hunt between fifth and sixth gear when under load, but the
downshifts are barely noticeable. The larger 3.6 litre V6 tends to
hold the gears due to its larger torque output. In 0-100 km/h
tests in the 3.0 litre V6 the engine seems to be doing it easily,
once again thanks to the new transmission. The word effortless
comes to mind.
We also tested the critical 80 -120 km/h passing speed with once
again little fuss. The new engine-gearbox combination is far
superior to the old Alloytec linked to the four-speed. Pushing the
Berlina hard we used 10.4 litres per hundred kilometres over 75
kilometres of hilly, winding roads. Our return to Melbourne in the
heavy Calais Sportswagon was more leisurely and we used 8.7L/100
km without trying in real-world driving conditions. These are
excellent figures.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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