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By
EWAN KENNEDY
12 September 2005
For a car that’s just entered its ninth year –
and nine years is a very long time in automotive terms – Holden's
Commodore still looks and feels remarkably good. It has a satisfyingly
solid feel to the body, the steering and suspension work well together
and still provide a good degree of driving pleasure and the ability to
cover long distances with a minimum of occupant fatigue is very much
part of the Holden heritage.
Of course there have been numerous
changes to the Commodore over the years so it shouldn’t come as
a huge surprise that it still feels as good as it does. Styling is
now in its umpteenth stage and, though it can be argued that the
21st century edge-design at the front and rear doesn’t sit all
that well with the 20th century swoops and curves of the rest of
the body, the shape still works pretty well.
The biggest news in the latest
Commodore is, of course, the drivetrain. In August 2004 the
Commodore got an all-new twin-cam V6 engine and the existing
pushrod V8 was substantially revised. There were also substantial
changes to the transmission, brakes, steering and suspension.
This new V6 is a world design from
General Motors and Holden engineers were heavily involved in the
project from the earliest days so there's plenty of local input.
With a capacity of 3.6 litres the V6 uses a double-overhead
camshaft driving four valves per cylinder. It has power outputs of
either 175 or 190 kilowatts. The main differences between the two
versions of the engine is that variable timing on all valves is
used in the 190, and it also has an adjusting inlet manifold to
improve airflow over a range of revs.
The new V6 is a competent unit with
more performance, lower fuel consumption and fewer emissions than
the outgoing Ecotec six. However it’s not quite as smooth or
quiet as we had expected from an all-new design. When the V6s hit
the new VE Commodore it can be expected to have better noise and
vibration suppression characteristics.
This new Holden V6 engine has
excellent torque so launch response is virtually instantaneous in
the way generations of Aussie drivers have come to love their
Holdens. Overtaking is particularly safe because of the minimum
amount of time you spend on the wrong side of the road.
Fuel consumption on our test
Commodore worked out at eight to ten litres per hundred kilometres
in country driving and 11 to 13 in city and suburban running.
These are good figures for a large family car with plenty of
performance.
The biggest changes to the shape of
the latest Commodore are smaller projector-style headlights and a
deeper radiator grille. The bonnet has twin raised ‘spears’
running down towards the grille.
At the rear the lights carry the
same overall shape as before but have been restyled and use LED
lights for faster lightup.
Road grip is very high and offers
plenty of safety because of the way the Holden behaves itself if
you make a mistake and enter a corner too fast. Aussie drivers
will love the way the new VZ Commodore handles. Steering is nice
and precise, yet isn’t overly abrupt in a way that can be
disconcerting in some cars with fast steering.
Ride comfort remains good on all
roads, even on broken bitumen and over corrugated dirt. The way
the Holden suspension minimises road noise on coarse-chip road
surfaces should be an object lesson to many big name overseas car
makers.
Holden's VZ Commodore is a highly
competent family car that sells for an exceptionally low price for
its size and performance. It’s offered in a large number of
variants so there's something for just about everyone who is
looking for a large car that’s almost perfectly suited to
Australia.
The chances are this is the last
iteration of the most successful Commodore ever, though there has
to be the possibility of a minor facelift to carry it through its
final days.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Executive 3.6-litre four-door sedan - $35,900
Executive 3.6-litre five-door wagon - $37,790
Acclaim 3.6-litre four-door sedan - $39,490
Acclaim 3.6-litre five-door wagon - $41,290
SV6 3.6-litre four-door sedan - $39,690
SV8 5.7-litre four-door sedan - $43,990
SS 5.7-litre four-door sedan - $51,290
Berlina 3.6-litre four-door sedan - $43,450
Berlina 5.7-litre four-door sedan - $48,050
Berlina 3.6-litre five-door wagon - $46,390
Berlina 5.7-litre five-door wagon - $50,990
Calais 3.6-litre four-door sedan - $53,290
Calais 5.7-litre four-door sedan - $57,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: Standard, or no cost option, on all models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Standard on all models
Driver Airbag: Standard on both models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on both models
Front Side Airbags: Package option on Executive, standard on all
other models
SPECIFICATIONS (Holden Commodore
Executive 3.6-litre four-door sedan)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 3.565 litres
Configuration: V6
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.2:1
Bore/Stroke: 94.0 x 85.6mm
Maximum Power: 175kW @ 6000rpm
Maximum Torque: 320Nm @ 2800rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.08:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4876mm
Wheelbase: 2789mm
Width: 1842mm
Height: 1440mm
Turning Circle: 11.0 metres
Kerb Mass: 1568kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 75 litres
Towing Ability: Up to 2100kg with approved towing equipment
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent control-link, semi-trailing arm, coil
springs, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 10.1 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 17.3 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
City Cycle: 11.2 L/100km
Highway Cycle: 7.9 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/ 100,000km
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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