2012 Holden Commodore: fuel efficiency, design upgrades

By Tim Beissmann | September 02nd, 2011

FIND DEALS

The 2012 Holden Commodore will benefit from improved fuel efficiency for some automatic models, flex-fuel capability across the range, and some subtle design and equipment enhancements when it goes on sale in Australia from the middle of this month.

The fuel efficiency gains range from one to three per cent across the range of Commodore sedan, Sportwagon, Ute and Caprice vehicles equipped with the brand’s V6 engines and six-speed automatic transmission.

While the improvements are marginal, they achieve a major milestone from an image perspective for the brand, with the 3.0-litre Holden Commodore Omega sedan and Sportwagon and the Berlina sedan sliding from 9.1 litres/100km to 8.9 litres/100km on the combined cycle.

Importantly, the fuel consumption reductions mean the entry-level Commodore is now 1.0 litre/100km more efficient than the comparative Ford Falcon XT and the Toyota Aurion AT-X (both 9.9 litres/100km), and only 0.1 litres/100km shy of the outgoing Toyota Camry (8.8 litres/100km).

2012 Holden Commodore fuel efficiency improvements (all models not mentioned carry over figures from 2011 model year):

Omega/Berlina sedan 3.0 SIDI – 8.9 litres/100km (from 9.1)
SV6 sedan 3.6 SIDI – 9.5 litres/100km (from 9.8)
Calais/Calais V sedan 3.6 SIDI – 9.5 litres/100km (from 9.8)
Omega Sportwagon 3.0 SIDI – 8.9 litres/100km (from 9.2)
Berlina Sportwagon 3.0 SIDI – 9.2 litres/100km (from 9.4)
Calais/Calais V Sportwagon 3.6 SIDI – 9.8 litres/100km (from 9.9)
SV6 Ute 3.6 SIDI – 9.8 litres/100km (from 9.9)
Caprice 3.6 SIDI – 9.8 litres/100km (from 9.9)

As a result, the increased efficiency has also led to similar improvements in the Commodore’s CO₂ emissions, ranging from one to 3.5 per cent reductions for the above models. The Omega Sportwagon enjoys the largest improvement, falling from 218g/km to 210g/km on the combined cycle.

Holden says the savings are the result of its ongoing work in vehicle mass reduction, along with upgrades to the six-speed automatic transmission to reduce mechanical losses. The 3.0 SIDI V6 variants also benefit from a new torque converter, while the air conditioning system has been re-engineered to be more efficient and draw less operating power.

Holden also confirmed the larger 3.6 SIDI V6 engine is now flex-fuel compatible, meaning every model in the new 2012 Commodore range can be powered by bio-ethanol/E85, which is a fuel blend comprising 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent petrol.

Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mike Devereux, said running a Commodore on bio-ethanol/E85 had the potential to reduce ‘well-to-wheel’ CO₂ emissions by as much as 40 per cent compared with petrol.

Mr Devereux confirmed Holden would introduce a new range of dedicated LPG-powered models early in 2012 in an attempt to further reduce the Commodore’s emissions and running costs, and to offer competition to the new Ford Falcon EcoLPi.

“Alternative fuels like bio-ethanol and LPG offer great potential for Australia through reduced CO₂ emissions, regional development and energy independence,” he said.

“Bringing more dedicated LPG and flex-fuel vehicles to market will help drive demand for these Australian-made fuels and demystify and make people aware of the benefits they offer.”

Mr Devereux said Holden was currently working on new features for future Commodores, including weight-saving aluminium body panels and electronic power steering.

Holden says the 2012 Holden Commodore model year update will also bring with it some “subtle design enhancements and other features”, which are set to be revealed in the coming days before the start of production. Stay tuned.

(Note: 2011 Holden Commodore pictured)

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I do not like when companies give me combined fuel economy Give me city and hwy!! You can have a very bad city fuel economy but if your hwy is very good than combined looks OK.
- Andrew M
  
  it also works the other way.
  You can have good city economy, but get aced on the hwy, thats why averages are used
  - Sumpguard
    
    Maybe in a prius but not much else.
- Kieran
  
  The City and Highway Fuel figures should always be stated separately. Combining them results in a figure that is totally meaningless and misleading.
- Gassy
  
  When I first got the SV6 I did 8.4L/100 first day with aircon as I drove it very light footed. Tonight I tried to drive as light as possible and got 7.9L/100
  
  My trip is 45 mins of driving very similar to the real ADR combined profile – BTW extra urban is *not* highway cycle ie. bugger all time at 100km/h).
  
  I normally get 9.5.
  
  I do not see the combined figures as remotely made up, it’s just most of us drive like leadfoots, are pisspoor at planning ahead with lanes and traffic light stops.
  
  Combining the figures is total bullshizer though, the Commodore gets awful urban cycle figures, mainly because the urban cycle is not real world for most Australian cities except heavy traffic commuting, so they show you the combined instead. Pity.
  
  google “green vehicle guide australia fuel label” to see the profile.
  - Gassy
    
    Oops I meant my trip is extra urban profile, not combined
lorenzo

Or they place a caveat on their figures by stating they were done under certain driving conditions, windows up, no air con operating, etc, etc
- Alex
  
  They are not realistic figures, they are comparative figures only. To compare one car to another.
  
  ADR fued consumption testing is done on a rolling road in a laboratory and the driver runs through specific throttle positions and loads.
  
  The emissions are sampled at the same time.
  
  This is why official figures are lower than real world, but they form a even playing field when comparing one car to another.
germanic

Hmmmm series 1, series 2 , series 3, what about NOT holding back technology for the sake of sales and marketing strategy and produce the best achievable. Competition would be forced to dig deep, likely win hearts instead of slowly milking…
Oh Sorry forgot its American “end of life” product planning providing mass resource consumption for profits….
Maaaaate

V8 MATE FUA CATCH A LOAD OF THAT BEAUTY!
Shak

If you honestly look at it the Commodore, and its competition have some brilliant economy numbers for what are humble family sedans, being engineered on a shoestring budget. What they really need now is some ‘cool and forward thinking’ technology to stick it up to their Japanese, German and even Korean competition. Little things like maybe voice control or heated and cooled seats, or maybe even Adaptive suspension or headlights. They need some features that make potential buyers sit up and take notice, they can no longer hope to sell off of their ‘Australianess’ or the fact that they are RWD and offer tonnes of space, because a lot of their competition offer all that and much more.

C’mon Holden you need some really techy stuff in your cars if you are going to compete with the upcoming Korean onslaught!
- o
  
  I agree, they have GMs technology at there disposal, adaptive cruise control, LED lights et. Its amazing however that the commodore was designed for 1 billion dollars and the previous gen C class cost 4 billion
- Ima Hogg
  
  Or they can just make their cars reliable and I would buy one.
- Homer
  
  Agree, both this and the Falcon are looking very old against much newer competition. Also, the market is changing and people are downsizing. There is a value for money side but only if you need or want a big RWD car otherwise they are not competitive.
  - Roadtard
    
    What, downsizing to big 4WD’s/SUV’s…? I’ve never bought the argument that people don’t need/want large cars.
    - Alex
      
      They are buying small and medium SUVs, you know, the LARGEST car segment… twit.
      - Shak
        
        The largest car segment maybe, but not the fastest growing. People seem to be flocking to SUV’s/4WD’s in stupidly big numbers…
- Andrew M
  
  You didnt just suggest heated seats did you??? thats got to be a typo Shak
  - Shak
    
    heheh was wondering when someone would pick it up. Just my little joke, but on a serious note most people think Australia=hot, but the winter in the South Eastern states is killer and having those bun heaters is a brilliant gift on those sub-arctic mornings!
Westie

Holden, more than any other company, seems to be able to come up with remarkable AS fuel figures. Real world, and particularly in city traffic, the 3.0 V6 is barely any better, and sometimes worse, than the Falc or Aurion.
Now, if Holden could plumb in one of the smaller, turbo versions of the V6 (I’m sure Saab won’t be buying many at the moment), we may see some serious improvement.
- Goodfa
  
  I am not sure how the series II Cruze is but the series I Cruze real world econonomy is terrible.
  
  It looks like Holden have found a way to get a good ADR figure for marketing but their real world economy is worse than other cars which have a higher ADR figure.
  - Shak
    
    Yeah Somehow Holden is able to find their way around government tests that no other manufacturer seems to be able to beat…
    - MattW
      
      Holden are configuring things to perform well in the tests, real world performance secondary, whereas other manufacturers may be going real world first.
      
      Its like school teachers teaching kids to pass the NAPLAN tests because it makes the school look good, rather than just giving them a good general education.
- Golfschwein
  
  Give me a month behind the wheel of a 3 litre Commodore, and I’m sure I’ll be able to match the stated combined fuel economy figure. Personally, I don’t buy the ‘real world’ argument that people mention on these pages.
  
  Last October’s hire of a 3 litre Omega Sportwagon over 3 days gave sufficient hint that it would achieve its 9.1 l/100km over an extended tenure. I just sold my Golf tdi recently with average fuel use of 5.2 l/100km since the last trip computer reset two months prior. Its official figure was 5.5, so I’ll happily put the difference down to a degree of optimism in the trip computer.
  
  Now, I’ve been running my parents’ 33,000 km old Falcon BA sedan for a week and a half. It’s mine now, and the trip computer reads 10 versus a stated 10.7. Okay, very early days yet and the electronics might be a tad optimistic, but I’m confident that with good driving, reading traffic and conditions etc etc, Joe Punter can achieve the figures as well.
  - o
    
    Most likely all the posters wives flooring it at every light.
    - Golfschwein
      
      Yes, very likely, after they realise the lights have been green for eight seconds while their heads have been down attending to their text messages.
  - IfItAintARotorItAintAMotor
    
    In my experience (new car sales) diesels always seem to get better than the ADR tested figures, petrol always gets worse. Just how it seems to be. So I’m not surprised the Golf got better than the sticker, nor that a Commodore would get more…
  - john
    
    I have a 3 litre commodore wagon that has now done 16,000 klms. The best I have seen is 8.8 l/100klms on a 400 klm trip at the speed limit. Around town the consumption with a very light foot is about 14 l/100 klms. My average is to date is about 11.5 l / 100 klms. I don’t think anyone will average 9.1 l /100 klm. I agree with those who say that the ADR figure is not “real world”.
    The main gripe I have with the 3 litre is the lack of torque. Next time I’ll go for the 3.6 which I expect is a much more pleasant drive and won’t use much more fuel.
- Datsun1600
  
  Agreed Westie, the Commodore’s fuel economy figures have repeatedly shown themselves to be more optimistic than those of it’s competitors. It’s certainly not any more frugal than a Falcon or Aurion, despite having less power and torque than both. The 6-speed auto isn’t as good as in the other two either.
Richard

Real fuel consumption for 90% of drivers is still shocking. 12+ l/100kms.
About time the media stops publishing these totally misleading combined figures which are based on 60% hwy
Goodfa

I hope the “design enhancements” are noticeable this time round as the VE is really starting to look old.

The 3.6 is hopefully the new LFX which is lighter and more powerful.(If this was the case you would expect the manual to have fuel economy gains as well)
- Force-15
  
  Hopefully the “design enhancements” include deleting the excess chrome trim on the sports models (namely the bootlid strip and the SSV Redline sedan’s window trim). I reckon it looks out of place.
- Kieran
  
  I was hoping the “design enhancements” would include reducing the size of the thick vision restricting A-pillars which are a safety hazard. I’ve lost count of the number of near misses I’ve has with cyclists, pedestrians and occasional car which were obscured by these stupid A-pillars.
  
  From the look photos seen so far that doesn’t seem to be the case. Guess I will have to look elsewhere for my next car.
  - Shak
    
    Learn to move your head then. While its true that they impede vision, they shouldn’t be to blame for people not bothering to look hard enough at roundabouts and intersections. At least you know if your car is ever to roll over you’ll be safe.
Car Fanatic

And yet BMW have a 3.0 in the 5 series which has more power, torque and better fuel economy that both Commodore 3.0 and 3.6
- Charger
  
  That is wearing out camshafts at under 60k!
  But they have way more Tech and that comes with budget and investment, a 5 series is also smaller than a commodore hence it gets better economy.
  - aza
    
    New 5 series is the same size as the VE commodore. BMW’s advantage is technology, which comes at a cost
  - Devil’s Advocate
    
    I have some dimensions for you Charger. Figures will be VE Commodore/5 Series/Falcon (added for S&Gs).
    
    Length: 4899/4899/4955
    Width: 1899/1860/1868
    Height: 1471/1464/1453
    Wheelbase: 2915/2968/2838
    
    To me, going by those numbers there doesn’t look to be too much in it…
- Shak
  
  Remember BMW can charge exorbitant amounts for their cars, meaning they can pour more of their money back into adding high technology features into their engines. They also use their engines over a wider variety of cars meaning they can make better use of ‘economies of scale’.
  - Devil’s Advocate
    
    I always thought GM was a larger company than BMW…
    - Shak
      
      GM is a larger company than BMW by a longshot, but again remember the GM V6′s that Holden use do require local engineering and dont go into as many cars as the BMW engines do. They also sell those cars at MUCH lower RRPs.
- Freddo
  
  2011 535i-$129,600
  2011 VE- $39,990
  - DWS1
    
    Yes….. $89,610 difference will buy a lot of fuel and holidays.
    
    Why do people bother to compare Aussie built “similar” size cars from Europe.
    
    That is why we need to keep building and buying Aussie cars.
    
    Please note a lot of medium sized SUV use as much or more fuel as a Commodore.
    
    NB. Why do most diesels still sound like tractors?
    - http://NSSAN James Cortez
      
      That’s because – excuse me here – most OZ buying public are s****** In the states / Canada the price difference between the two is much much less. Not even double let alone triple. BMW in Australia charges an arm and a leg and yet a lot of people still buy them!! They use their emotion in buying badge and not suing their heads.
      - Phil
        
        In 2006 a 90KW Holden Tigra was $34,990. You go drive one of those, then try out the $74,500 BMW Z4 and see if you can understand why the Z4 is worth the extra.
  - Devil’s Advocate
    
    To be fair Freddo, if you are going to use the RRP price of the base model Commodore, you should compare it the base model 5 series and not the second from the top. That would bring the 5 series down to an RRP drive away in NSW price of $92,560 for the 520d. The 535i RRP dirve away is actually around $141,174 in NSW.
    
    Still doesn’t change the fact that BMW charge too much in this country.
- http://www.twitter.com/#!/darrensrjohnson Darren
  
  And how much does the BMW 5 Series cost? Hardly comparable. You stack any $30000 car against a BMW 5 series and it will come up short.
Frenchie

I guess they need a yard stick to measure it. Personally I look at the urban value as it is closer to real driving.
Bomber

Had an SV6 on hire for a few weeks and I must say I was impressed with the fuel economy.
I’m not the most conservative of drivers and it was in the 9′s the whole time. Highway/city split was probably about 60/40%.Probably be a bit higher in Summer with the A/C going all the time.
Pretty good considering the size of the car and the power.
I think the exterior has aged pretty well, still looks pretty sharp in SV or SS formats. Interior is better in series 2 but still not real flash.
Car Fanatic

A 5 series isn’t smaller.

Charger do you know anything at all about cars cause everytime you argue a point with anyone on here it’s baseless

Commodore Omega: Kerb wt: 1685 kgs
Length: 4894 mm
Width: 1899 mm
Height: 1476 mm

BMW 535i: Kerb Weight: 1700 kgs
Length: 4899mm
Width: 1860 mm
Height: 1464mm

Hmmm, they look pretty similar to me!

You must be wearing Holdens new rose colored glasses.
- Charger
  
  i stand corrected, i assumed it was larger my mistake im sure you would never be wrong as you have enough time to get all these stats mabye try getting on JOB.
  i have worked in the auto insustry for over ten years so im sure i know more about cars that you ever will. Im sure you know about reading car magazines and getting info of the internet so you can be a hero on a Forum!
  - Homer
    
    Charger, go and stand in the corner. Come back when you can act like an adult.
gmh-bogan

Commodore going forward,Australias number ONE car 16 years in a row..
- Devil’s Advocate
  
  *edit: Australia’s number one fleet choice 16 years in a row…
  
  Not that there is anything wrong with that at all because a sale is a sale and it keeps a few thousand Australians in work!
  
  However this year the Commodore has been struggling against the Mazda3 with the two changing positions in YTD sales often. There is only a few hundred units between them. Will be interesting to see how it pans out.
  - gmh-bogan
    
    Mazda 3 under pressure with new Focus and VW Jetta.Jetta isnt but Focus made in Germany.
    - Devil’s Advocate
      
      So the Jetta and the Focus are 3rd and 4th top selling car in Australia are they? Haven’t heard that one.
      
      YTD from VFACTS at the end of July, Mazda had sold 24,502 Mazda3s (81 behind the Commodore YTD). The Focus and Jetta aren’t even in the top ten.
      For the month of July, the Mazda3 was number 2 with 3290. There was no Jetta or Focus in the top 10. To give you an idea, the number 10 best seller for the month sold 1421 units, meaning that the Focus and Jetta were less than that. So how is the Mazda3 under pressure again when it is selling, at a bare minimum for the month of July(latest figures as Aug hasn’t been released yet), 470 more units than the total of BOTH the Focus and Jetta combined?
      
      Having said that, we will have to wait a couple of months to see if the new Focus and Jetta will all of a sudden turn into two of the most “popular” cars in Australia! Not even the “more popular than Jetta” VW Golf is in the top ten best sellers. I will be waiting with baited breath.
      
      If you had mentioned the Mazda3 was under pressure from the Holden Cruze however, I would have fully agreed with you….
      - gmh-bogan
        
        No a new model of Focus and Jetta are now available.Some Mazda3 buyers will go to thoes new models.Didnt need to mention Cruze,great car.
- Phil
  
  Where would Commodore rank on Australia’s most profitable car?
  
  Most likely it wouldn’t rank at all since it posts a loss most years even after gaining various government subsidys.
  - Karl
    
    How profitable, and how good a car is are two completely different things.
Car Fanatic

Freddo, I’m comparing the fuel efficiency of the engines in comparable sized cars so the price of the entire car is irrelevant.

Also economy of scale doesn’t come into it.

The VE 3.6 is also used in Cadillacs, Buicks, Saturns and Chevy’s. GM is a larger company than BMW yet produce this compared to the 3.0 from BMW!

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good engine, I’m just fed up with people making out it’s marvellous.
Car Fanatic

Worked in the industry?

Doing what?
http://www.twitter.com/#!/darrensrjohnson Darren

I like to see the continual improvements coming out from Holden. These gains are quite small but they all add up to become significant.

No doubt Holden are aware of the impending 4cylinder Falcon and are trying to eek out every drop of fuel from the 6 cylinders.

Agree with other posters that it’s more than time for a visual refresh. However the grace with which the current shape is ageing speaks volumes for the integrity of the original design.
Car Fanatic

Again I’m comparing engines in comparable sized cars. Given BMW make 1.2 million cars, the percentage with this engine wouldn’t be too far ahead of the number of GM vehicles with the V6, regardless of who tweaks what.
- Phil
  
  I think BMWs percentage of cars fitted with the turbo 3.0 Petrol would be very low.
  I expect only about 5% of 1 and 3 series are fitted with it. It’s not avaliable in X1 or X3. It’s $12,000 more expensive than the 3.0 Turbodiesel in the X5 so why would anyone bother? It’s not offered in 6 or 7 series and no one buys the 5 series GT or X6. That only leaves the normal 5 series.
Sumpguard

Subtle design changes? Maybe they realised they should have altered the headlights and tail lights at the last upgrade?
- Danno
  
  But then how will bogans know they need a new car?
- Jake Williams
  
  That isn’t the update; only the mechanical side has been unveiled.
LSD

If I was buying a new car I would want the best car for my hard earned money. No matter what GM say the Commodore is not Better than a Falcon in any way really. Captiva is miles and miles behind Territory Barina is way behind Fiesta and Mondeo is the best in medium So when I come to fork out my money on a new car I wont even bother going to a GM dealership again, why buy the worst cars in each class?
- Phil
  
  Commodore offers a wagon that drives like the sedan, which in itself is a deal breaker for many. The Falcon with it’s impractical sedan only body and the bootspace of a little Honda city is next to useless as a Family car. Commodore is also “supposed” to be a fair bit more economical.
  
  Captive is cheaper than Territory and the diesel is more economical.
  
  I otherwise agree, Ford offers far better cars here than GM.
  - DWS1
    
    Captiva seems to be miles smaller especially sitting in it, than a Territory.
  - http://Zuboora.com Mohamad is right when he says
    
    The falcon has a huge boot. What falcon have u been looking at?
    Bootspace??
    FG falcon 535 litres
    VE commodore 496 litres
    FYI the BF falcon still had a bigger boot than the out dated dinosaur homosauraus Rex commodore
  - Devil’s Advocate
    
    Phil, the Falcon has a bigger boot than a Commodore. So if the boot space of a Falcon is “next to useless”, what would you call the boot space in a Commodore then?
    Heck, even a Mondeo, VW Jetta, sedan and hatch Mazda6 and the Camry/Aurion twins to name a few “medium” sized cars have a bigger boot than a Commodore…
    - Phil
      
      IF you read the comment your commenting on, you’ll find I pointed out that Commodore has a wagon option. So go compare the bootspace of the Commodore wagon to Falcon sedan + factor in the extra practicality, then come back to me.
      
      As it is, sedan vs sedan, theres barely 5% difference and Camry also has a 535L capacity like Falcon. Sedans in general are useless + the bigger they get, is not reflected in bootspace as evident by the little Honda city that has a 506L capacity and other small sedans like Yaris and Fiesta sedan which have similar boots.
      
      It’s not surprising people after a family car are deserting the traditional large sedan in droves.
      - http://Zuboora.com Mohamad is right when he says
        
        Phil the boot space in the sports wagon is a joke.. The Mondeo has more boot space. Did u know that?
      - Karl
        
        FWD’s almost always have more boot space than a (comparable) rear driver. You can make the boot deeper if you don’t have a diff in the way.
        That’s not to say that it justifies the trade-off in drivability.
      - Phil
        
        Mohamad, so the bootspace in the Falcon sedan is “Huge”, but the Sportwagon boot space is a joke?
        
        In actual fact Sportwagon has a bigger boot space than Falcon sedan. Did you know that?
        
        Also if Mondeo is better than Sportwagon again, that means there is yet another car that is more useful than Falcon.
    - Kieran
      
      The Falcon boot is next to useless because the floor of the boot is very uneven. So uneven, that half the space is unusable unless you are carrying stuffed toys.
      
      That’s why I ended up buying a VE wagon. It has heaps of usable space, drives like a sedan and uses heaps less fuel than any decent size SUV like Territory.
Charger

fixing bmw POS for part of it! They have great economy as they are on the back of tow trucks to the dealer most of the time.
Rose colored glasses are worn by the people that purchase these over priced cars and have there head in the sand when it comes to the costs of actually owning these cars not having them on a change overlease so all you do it drop it off to the dealer for service and then get another one!

Do some parts price comparrsons between a Holden and a BMW (you seem to have so much time on your hands) just on wear and tear parts, steering racks, brakes, suspension bushes, service costs, and anything you save in Economy will be destroyed in real life ownerships costs!

What are your qualifications? have you worked in the auto industry? how are you the be all and end all of car knowledge? or do you just read car mags and the internet?
- Phil
  
  Two year service intervals on my BMW, $490 genuine service with every second one being $790. Over a four year period that adds up to $320 a year. It doesn’t go in on a tow truck.
  Of course with those quoted prices, I don’t go into the dealer and have had logbook services done at 1/2 price at a independent BMW specialist.
  
  My parents VZ Commodore has 12 monthly services, a standard one is about $300 and I expect it occasionally has major services which are more expensive, but even basing the servicing costs on a basic service, both are about $300 a year.
  
  I’ve had the brakes done in my BMW, I expect they are more expensive than the Commodore and why not? The Commodore has puny brakes that fade under enthusiastic driving and need more frequent replacement. The BMW has much bigger brakes, that last longer and don’t fade. They also come with wear sensors.
- Not as expensive as you think
  
  Have you owned a BMW? Do you work at the BMW dealer receiving all these BMWs returning on flatbeds?
  
  I have owned BMWs for the last 15 years, (currently on my 3rd one) and providing you don’t buy a brand new one, and you’re not a twit who takes it back to the dealer for everything to be fixed, they’re not that expensive to run, nor are they unreliable providing you service them from time to time (I know not a high priority for many Commodore owners).
  
  Like any other mainstream car, there’s also an abundance of aftermarket parts made for them under licence that are no dearer than for most modern cars.
  
  I recently fitted a Bilstein suspension kit and full set of bushes (replacing most of the ‘wear’ parts you are talking about) as preventative maintainence, and it was cheaper than my mate who did a similar job on his BA XR6 – Commodore kits were similarly priced to the BA.
  - Charger
    
    I was a worked on then in the dealer network and was reffering to having gen parts and using the dealer network. I agree with what you have said up to when E90 came out. After that they are nowhere near as good reliablity or in quality in my opnion. and very expensive to maintain even if out of the dealer network.
    
    Id own a E46 330 Coupe or a E36 M3 3.2 6 speed in a heart beat or a E39 540 SPORT
    - Charger
      
      Phil if you are talking about brakes its over 1k for a e53 x5 for pads and discs all round at a dealer (where most people take there new cars) and they are lucky to last over 40k
      
      If driven the same way BMW (and most euro) brakes will wear out much faster then Holden/ford/jap trade off is they wont get disc shudder and you stop better. Size of brakes doesnt make the difference its pedal pressures and pad compounds. size only comes into when heat is involvled!
      
      A Friends 04 spec b Liberty wagon that tows and driven every day, his front pads lasted 100k and they stop pretty much as well as a BMW.
      - Phil
        
        My BMW isn’t a fast 2100kg 4WD…why would you pick that to do a price comparison with? Nonetheless, $1000 for new genuine discs and pads at the dealer sounds fine to me? What do the Holden dealers charge and how long do they last on a U8 Jackaroo? I bet its just as expensive except they brake like crap.
        My neighbours recently spend $2500 on a 2 year old X-trail to get new brakes fitted along with a normal service!
        
        My freinds 1996 Falcon is a absolute joke for brakes. 1650KGs/157KW and it has 276mm discs – about the size you’d find on a 65KW\950KG Daihatsu. They only last 25-30K and the discs need replacing or machining every time. You only have to drive it hard for about 30 seconds to have the brake pedal sink to the floor with fade. He tried a track day once, it only lasts 1/2 a lap then you gotta wait for the brakes to cool down – my BMW did lap after lap no prob. He pays about $400-$500 each time just for the brakes at a cheap generic mechanic.
        My parents VZ Commodore fares a little better but its still horrible for brakes and I doubt it’s much cheaper.
    - Not as expensive as you think
      
      Fair enough… I have an e46 currently, so can’t comment on the e90.
      
      If the e90s are that much worse, I can’t see myself upgrading again in a hurry.
      
      Browsing Commodore articles to see whether holden might actually bring something out efficient enough that I’d buy for the family set of wheels
      - Charger
        
        Keep the E46 They were really good, Better than E90 Same as E39 after that the quality dropped, When you used to pull dash’s apart etc you would see short cuts stuff like 1 screw holding on things instead of two etc. Plus E46 are quite affordable to keep serviced out of the dealer!
- Devil’s Advocate
  
  Ok Charger, try this. Go into a Holden dealer and request a price for a bottle of a full treatment of “Holden brand” radiator coolant. Now go into a BMW dealer and ask for their “brand”. The result may surprise you as it certainly surprised me…
paulb

Good range of models and fuel types available in Commodore.
Car Fanatic

Charger, don’t avoid my question by deviating to me, ten years as a yardie doesn’t make you an expert and I have worked in the Auto industry, in Australia for Toyota and Mazda and in the UK for Seat, I’ve also worked rental car in vehicle acquisition and management, prior to that I was in the army. I don’t claim to be the be all, merely correcting your inaccuracies. I’ve also stripped back and rebuilt a number of cars in the past.

You will note though, I’ve never pulled up anyone on this site who knows what they are talking about, just those who think they do, like you old son.

Better get back to washing the cars Charger, stop wasting the Holden dealers money.
- Charger
  
  So your bagging out being a Mechanic and you have never actually worked on modern cars at a dealership. So you actually are just a flog in a suit that doesnt know anything. I wish i had the experience of working as a car hire gimp that gives me all knowledge about cars and products! a humble mechanic or “yardie” as your defamatory comment is to tradesman is wouldnt know anything about cars or at least less than a car hire expert! what are the current rates at budget?
  
  Also Price does come in to it, you get what you pay for so if you paid an extra 80k or so for a commodore im sure the economy would be better as they could spend more on tech for the car!
AR

■Omega/Berlina sedan 3.0 SIDI – 8.9 litres/100km
That’s very good. My Mazda 3 gets 9.0 litres/100km on crappy fuel.
Car Fanatic

If Holden were 80k more, they still wouldn’t have the advantage in fuel economy. The Cadillac isn’t cheap yet runs the same V6 engine as the Commodore.

Face it GM aren’t the technology wizards you think they are Charger.

And Mechanic? You mean technician! Mechanics don’t need diagnostic equipment.
- Charger
  
  Whats the going budget rate again???
  could you please photo copy my license and hand me my paper work?
  
  Cheers
  - garywhopper
    
    Probably worked For “Crazy Habibs Budget Rentals” and wore shorts to work
Mike

These is typical holden marketing spin in the real world no holden can ever match what they say, but some people belief everything from holden must be “true”, Compare this side by side to the Ford Ecolpi and see which one is better!
m2m

In my household fleet we’ve got 2 Mazda6′s and 2 Mazda3′s.

First Mazda6 is a 5 Speed Auto and driven in mostly urban conditions by a lead-foot. She gets 10.7L/100km (claimed 9ish)
Second Mazda6 is a 6 speed manual in similar conditions, 10.4l/100kms.
My SP25 is 6 speed manual and acheives 8.0l/100km
In mixed driving and the final 3 MZR-CD is mainly rural by a real lead foot – 5.4l/100kms. The 3′s are pretty spot on with their claimed combined figures but the 6′s are blown out of the water because they rarely see a long rural drive. The 6′s are almost as big as a commodore and have roughly 60% of the power of an SV6 and technically more petrol! I think it’s a testament that achieving under 10L/100 in a commodore/falcon is nothing to complain about.

The majority of people I know who have no interest in cars don’t care a bit about fuel economy, and will be cheering that their new SV6 lasts another few days on a tank compared to their VS executive.
- Phil
  
  When they go to fill up their SV6 they’ll be spending a lot more than the VS as VE Commodore has 71L tank and VS holds only 59L.
  
  I don’t think anyone would be cheering, the VS is 300KGs lighter than VE and has a combined figure of around 8.9L\100km anyway.
Mick

Wonder if/when Holden will incorporate the updates GM recently made to the engine in America? – like the integrated exhaust manifold etc.
- Frenchie
  
  3 litre engine already has this.
o

At least wheels gets a chance to retest the entire range.
Moe

9.9-9.8l what a joke, you cant even classify it a difference.
- http://Zuboora.com Mohamad is right when he says
  
  I hear ya brother
Car Fanatic

Charger works for Holden, he’ll never do it Devil.
PoisonEagle

commodore bro fully sick . its bewdiful mate.
boganator

What a joke. A 3.0 crummydore uses the same amount of fuel as a 4.0 falcon when unladen and driven econo style. Add some passengers, hills, Aircon and the low torque 3.0 will drink much more and be working overtime to keep up. Holden always fudge adr fuel figures. Give me a falcon any day.
- mick
  
  900kms on a highway is nothing special for a modern 6 cylinder like holden claims. if i managed too get 500kms from 39 litres in an AU falcon with a 68 litre tank (mainly highway driving and some city driving. doing the speed limit) I’m pretty sure a 10 year old 6 cylinder could quite easily get 900kms highway on a tank. and yes it wouldnt suprised me if the 3L V6 Commodore used more fuel. less power and a lot less torque too pull its weight compared too the bigger 3.6L V6 or the 4L straight 6. I’ve driven both commodores and falcons. while i like the features on both cars. i prefer the falcons. they seem so much more durible and more responsive at highway speeds. which is what someone like me needs who does alot of highway driving.
  - Bangel
    
    Is that durible or drible , dreamy economy , neither will get any of those figures , too fat and heavy , old world 6 cylinder gas guzzlers .
paulb

Will the Omega still be available in duel fuel.Now Commodore going dedicated LPG.
- Devil’s Advocate
  
  That would be interesting to see. Two fuels fighting to the death. Will they be using pistols or “more traditional” swords??!!! TIC
  
  Seriously I guess we will have to wait and see what they do. Holden haven’t been as active with LPG use in the past compared to Ford. However HSV have been doing a bit of work with LPI over the last couple of years. Time will tell.
  - Shak
    
    The thing that perplexes me is why Holden just dont plonk the LPi system that HSV have engineered into the Commodore. Instead of going at it on their own and investing in another system which doesn’t even have the benefits of the HSV system. The only thing i can see as being a hurdle is the cost, because in the HSV’s it is really an expensive option.
    - paulb
      
      Just guessing Shak.The Vapor injection feeds in faster then the regular LPG.Perhaps not as fuel efficient as the current Omega lpg injection system.
  - paulb
    
    Devil if both fuels can drive together like the previous Omegas.Gives great range on long trips.
    The HSV is also another Orbital system,LVI Liquid Vapour Injection wich is an option on all HSV.
    - Shak
      
      How can you have something called ‘liquid vapour’ they are two different states of matter… Anyway im pretty sure a fully liquid system like the one in the HSV’s and the Falcon is far superior hence why its been chosen by both marques…
      - paulb
        
        Shak HSV call there LPG system Liquid Vapour Injection.
      - Shak
        
        Weird aint it…
      - MattW
        
        Because it sounds good in the marketing
- Karl
  
  You can almost guarantee that Holden will phase out the dual fuel option when their direct injection system comes out.
  Shak, there are two types of LPG ‘injection’, vapour and liquid systems. The current Holden system is vapour, whereas the Falcon and HSVs use the superior liquid injection system.
  The major difference between those systems and Holden’s dedicated gas system is that the SIDI engines are direct injection (the injector is in the head, not in the intake manifold, like the Falcon or HSV’s).
  I spoke to one of Holden’s engineers at the motor show, and she said that the system was supposed to be done by now, but there were delays in getting the engine to start like a normal petrol engine would.
  - Shak
    
    I got that, but from what people said a while back the dedicated system Holden was releasing would still use vapour injection, as opposed to the superior Liquid injection. What i was saying is this makes no sense because they are just going to introduce a new Liquid system soon after that.
    - paulb
      
      Shak MattW nailed it.Good marketing name,nothing like taxi gas Vapour Injection sounds really high tech.Karl information was very good.
Slickholden

Real world figures. Im driving a g6e turbo right now and its returning 17lt/100. The other a vt 15.5. proton gen2 9.3.. 2011 series 2 swift m5 14.5.. Wtf!.
Car Fanatic

The Tigra is bloody horrible to drive Phil, excellent point on the comparison.
BP

I know Holden claim fuel economy that no-one seems to achieve, but give credit to them being able to drop the 3.0 Litre economy below the 9L/100km mark :O

Design tweaks I heard include more chrome on the outside.
MikeyMike80

It’s all ‘mumbo-jumbo’. I do not believe anything that Holdens marketing team says, they have been proven to be full of it on more than one occasion, and it’s only the foolish that believe their ‘spin stories’
- Richo
  
  mate, the ADR fuel ratings are independently tested and government regulated
  - Al Juraj
    
    You do realise that these ADR figures can hardly be achieved in normal conditions. There’s no way an ordinary driver can get close to those claims.
Al Juraj

The VE2 is what the VE should have been in the first place. The underdone but over-loved big car pulls it off again.
sequential

Hopefully,the not so new VE series 552, Redline edition… will not come with stupid bling hot wheels rims!
Get rid of those nasty V6′s, my vacuum cleaner sounds much better. I hate to say it but Toyota’s V6 in the Aurion sounds awesome compared to the VE.
Design the interior trim to stay on the car and send the service department to Honda to learn about customer service and support.
Get rid of that useless handbrake, the design has not taken off and it feels as though it is going to fall apart.
The V8 is a lovely thing though, Ford needs to supercharge theirs to match the mighty 6.0.
Sadly this car is past its used by date we all want 7 seaters and diesel and no not the Captiva.
How can you sell a SUV with seven seats with no passenger air vents…rubbish.
Ford

Holden…always lagging behind Ford. The SIDI was a complete flop. Now they follow BEHIND Ford with dedicated LPG.
Byron

Geez, everyone has a thing against Holden. Be happy they had a mid-life facelift with their VE Range. Be happy you’ve got SIDI engines. Be happy you still have a V8 (unlike Ford). The way some people treat Holden is horrible. Give them some credit for once, instead of bagging them out every single time they relase a new car, update etc…. VE MY 12 Range is a good progressive step forward to VE. Look foward to seeing them in the metal.
john dique

Most female drivers do less than 15 km each way, daily, in the city, at an average speed, due to traffic lights , of 35 km/hr. The maximum speed in cities, normally, is 60 km/hr.
A 1963 EH Holden, 149 cu in, or 2.4 litre straight six, returns 6.4 litres/100km, when driven at 50 km/hr.
A 149 EH can be bought now for about $3000 to $4000, registered, RWC. That means no loans required.
I have a 48 year old EH motor in one of my farm utes, still runs sweetly. Minimal maintenance required.
Commodores have been sending Holden and customers broke since day one.
They only exist because banks have stupidly , fatally allowed people to mortgage their houses , to pay for these low grade european heaps of rubbish. The books don’t add up.
Do the sums properly, and you will find, that holden should be making something somewhere between an Eh and a kings wood.
A kingswood headlight is a $30 spare part at repco, spare motors can be found for $100. A commodore head light ? $300 ? $500 ?
john dique

The Australian built 1978 to 1981 Chrysler Valiant HEMI six cylinder, with Electronic Lean Burn Ignition Module, returned 7.5 litres/100 km on the highway, They are wide, long, stable, have excellent brakes, side and front protection and are very driver friendly.
In ute form they will carry one ton.
The motor, either a 4.0 litre or 4.3 litre six cylinder is very low maintenance, and if properly maintained and run within it’s engineering limits, will last for many decades.
All spare parts are still available new, if you know where to look.
Stateside, in 1976 to 1978, Plymouth Dodge, part of Chrysler, produced the Duster, with a 225 cu in, or 3.7 litre straight six.
This motor is arguably the worlds most robust motor of ALL time. In the Duster, a straightforward, forthright, rear wheel drive, sedan of around 1180 kg, 6.4 litres /100 km on the highway is possible.This is achieved by careful carburettor choice, a very thoughtfully designed inlet manifold, a motor, just a little larger than what is required, and a smart light weight body. Quite nice in yellow, metallic green, or mid metallic blue.
All spare mechanical parts are in decent supply.
It’s the american EH Holden, a gem of a car.
The americans are expanding their focus on these old school straight six cylinders, in an effort to run affordable cars.
Read P.J. O’Rourke’s “Driving Like Crazy”, it’s particularly informative.
There are 80 + year old 4.0 litre straight six buicks still being driven today.
Brad

Replaced a 4.0l 4 speed auto MY2000 Falcon sedan with a 3.0l 6 speed auto MY11 VE wagon and the fuel ecomnomy is (slightly worse) 12.4 compared to 12.2 over more than 25,000km of pretty identical driving. Also managed to drive the Ford from Liverpool in Sydney to the West Gate servo (868km) on one tank (at 100/110km with 4 passengers) – VE took 70l at Euroa, 120km short. Ford had 16 inch vs 18inch rims which gave a much nicer highway drive.