| Town Hall to Town Hall In September 2009 a Holden engineer drove the 900 km from Melbourne to Sydney averaging 7.5l/100km in a 3.0 litre SIDI Holden Omega Sportwagon, completing the journey on a tank of fuel. But to show that an average driver could also achieve this, on the return journey the Holden engineer was accompanied by Aussie swimmer Michael Klim driving an Omega sedan. Despite Klim’s more dynamic driving style, his car completed the Sydney – Melbourne leg on just one tank of fuel. So we decided to put the Omega to the test in a New Zealand context to see if we could match that fuel economy following state highway one from Auckland to Wellington. Starting at the old Auckland Town Hall and finishing at Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre. Given that the Aussie drivers had a longer, straighter and flatter route, we hoped that we would achieve greater fuel economy in the Omega sedan than the manufacturers claimed combined average of 9.3l/km. However we wanted to drive the route in real world conditions, so we did use the air conditioning and we did have some luggage in the boot of the car. The other aim was to drive as closely to the posted speed limits at all times so as not to disrupt traffic flow or impede faster motorists unnecessarily. We left the Auckland Town Hall early at 6.30am one fine Friday morning with a full tank of fuel and an estimated distance to empty range of 580km displayed on the dash read out. By the time the Omega reached the end of the southern motorway our distance to empty range had climbed to 840km and the average fuel consumption had dropped to 7.9l/100km. Reaching Gordonton in the Waikato, we’d only travelled 114km in the Omega but our average fuel consumption had dropped to 7.4l/km and our distance to empty range had climbed again to 930km. Getting from Auckland to Wellington on a tank was looking very promising. As we crossed the central North Island region the hilly terrain coupled with the need to decelerate and then accelerate when passing through small towns and cities on state highway one began to take its toll on our average consumption which crept up from 7.4l/100 to 7.8l/100km. As the Omega cruised down the Desert Road into the Army town of Waiouru we’d covered 391 kilometres and the fuel gauge said we had 2/3 of a tank left. Distance to empty range was 600km. |
From Waiouru to Sanson saw the Omega fuel economy battle with the hills and valleys of the Rangitikei region whilst trying to maintain momentum. We reached the 508 km mark at the Wellington turn off at Sanson near Palmerston North registering consumption of 7.9l/100km at an average speed of 82.2 kph. |
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VE Commodore Running Costs Commodore Omega sedan Commodore Omega Sportwagon
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Commodore SV6 Sportwagon
Calais-V V6 sedan
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Living with a SV6 Sportwagon |
Across New Zealand the Holden dealer network can supply carrying accessories for these aero bars which include a roof tray, a cycle holder, and a ski rack but unfortunately not a kayak holder.
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| Interior space and comfort The VE Commodore was created from the ground up on a clean sheet of paper. Holden designers logged 520,000 hours over six years to create a range of luxury, passenger and utility vehicles which offer fleet performance, style, quality and fEatures at a value price. Under the guidance of design director Tony Stolfo, the Holden facility in Port Melbourne is GM’s third largest design centre behind those in Warren, Michigan and Russelsheim, Germany. More than 100 specialist staff worked on design programs for production in Australia and global markets. Tony Stolfo says the Holden design team were aware of the responsibilities involved in creating a new version of what has been New Zealand’s best selling large car for more than a decade. Stolfo was the chief designer for VE interiors before being appointed design director in 2004. “Our interior vision for the VE Commodore was a spacious and safe cocoon with optimised storage, packaging and ergonomics. We intended to be class leaders in interior design,” he said. “We designed for greater flexibility to give the buyer greater choice across the range.” Technical Design Chief technical designer Rick Martin says that Holden’s brief for the VE Commodore was to maintain interior space without expanding the car’s exterior footprint while achieving a stiffer body structure and improving boot capacity and useability. The VE architecture saw a wheelbase increase of 126mm over the previous VZ Commodore which resulted in more leg and knee space for rear passengers in the cabin while boot capacity also increased by 31 litres (VDA). Recognising the needs of adult drivers big and small, front seat accommodation will cater for the 95th percentile through to the fifth percentile. The seat box allows a total of 264mm forward and rearward travelling as well as vertical range of 55mm. A tilt and telescopic steering wheel allows drivers to find their sweet spot for driving comfort. Toe clearance under the front seats for rear passengers will accommodate Ian Thorpe-style large feet in comfort thanks to the flat floor and new seat hardware. The VE Commodore’s instrument panel has been pushed down and away to give the perception of spaciousness without compromising ergonomics. The seamless passenger airbag gives a clean uncluttered appearance and the two tiered glove box has a shelf and a hopper so that a street directory can easily be accommodated inside. Every door has a storage bin that packages a 600mm bottle and the front doors of all Commodore variants can carry a full size wine bottle. A fold-down armrest in the rear seat doubles as a pass through, giving flexibility for longer items such as skis and poles to be carried. Interior appointments In designing the Commodore cabin, Holden created three primary interiors-functional, performance and premium. These are designed to meet the needs of the fleet performance, and premium buyer that are attracted to the Commodores value and amenity. |
A smart Onyx charcoal grey interior package is standard across the Commodore range with optional Redhot interior on the SV6 and cloth upholstery as the Omega. However, Metro leather upholstery is optional on the seats in the Berlina and gives the vehicle a more luxurious finish.
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| Ticking all the boxes In the last four years the New Zealand Drug Detection Agency (NZDDA) has experienced such growth in the demand for its services that reliable fleet vehicles are of paramount importance. NZDDA managing director Kirk Hardy has recently acquired a black MY10 3.6 litre SIDI Commodore SV6 Sportwagon which replaced a 4.0 litre rear-wheel-drive 2005 Ford Territory TX. With NZDDA branches dotted nationally across the country Kirk spends a great deal of time driving to them for management meetings and training sessions so he clocks up around 40,000km or more annually. While the Ford Territory did meet Kirks requirement for comfort and space, not to mention the commanding driving position, he was disappointed with the vehicle’s build quality and the poor reliability which at times left him frustrated and the fuel economy of the straight six-cylinder engine was also a concern. “The company has grown in size by 45 percent per annum and has done so for the last few years, hence the need for reliable and economical vehicles. We can’t afford to have any vehicles suffering down time when our clients require urgent response,” he says. Kirk says that the MY10 SIDI Commodore SV6 Sportwagon was chosen as a Territory replacement for its blend of space, economy, and style. He also admits that he has personally owned Holden vehicles for more than 20 years and reliability has never been an issue, which was another factor in his purchase. The NZDDA management team have a capped vehicle budget of $50,000 which the Commodore SV6 Sportwagon easily slipped under. The company owns all of its vehicles which are turned over every 48 months. “We travel a lot and we need room in our vehicles for portable screens and other equipment for conferences, trade shows, management and employee drug awareness training sessions, and audits. Hence an SUV or wagon is our preferred choice of management vehicle,” says Kirk. |
“Our biggest concern about replacing a six-cylinder vehicle with another was fuel economy and sustainable fleet practice but the introduction of the new 3.6 litre SIDI V6 engine into the Commodore negated that concern. |
| Technology overview The heart beat for the Model Year 10 Commodore is provided by either a 3.0 litre or 3.6 litre Spark Ignition Direct Injection (SIDI) Global V6 engine allied to a new six-speed GM 6L50 automatic transmission. GM Holden began producing the Global V6 engines at its Port Melbourne plant in 2003 for local and export markets. The plant now produces double overhead cam (DOHC) V6 engines in 2.8, 3.0, 3.2, and 3.6 litre capacity which are found in GM cars in Europe, the USA and South East Asia. What’s driving SIDI? Increased fuel efficiency, improved noise vibration and harshness, and reduced emission levels have all been the result of the many technological changes that Holden engineers have brought to the Spark Ignition Direct Injection (SIDI) V6 engine family. The direct combustion chamber fuel injection technology (SIDI) in the 3.0 litre and 3.6 litre engines is more efficient than conventional port injection, less fuel is required to provide the same amount of engine power, and the use of unique pistons with the direct injection system helps to reduce cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. The high pressure direct injection fuel injection system requires a more powerful fuel pump and more efficient engine management electronics to maintain optimum engine efficiency while reducing hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions during the combustion process. In other words it’s a leaner, meaner and greener engine. Other fuel efficiency enablers used in the MY10 Commodore include lower rolling resistance Bridgestone Turanza tyres which are lighter and have increased internal pressure to improve rolling resistance. Holden has also recalibrated the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) to compensate for the low rolling resistance tyres, so that the safe handling of the VE range remains uncompromised on its new energy efficient tyres. A lower idle speed is used to reduce engine demand on fuel at standstill and a high efficiency alternator is fitted to reduce energy demands on the engine. Regulated voltage of the battery is another efficiency manoeuvre from the engineers that sees a reduced engine load required for the alternator and therefore less fuel burned unnecessarily. A smarter automatic transmission Getting the engine power to the wheels requires a more efficient gearbox, so the MY10 VE range shares a new six-speed 6L50 transmission which is produced by GM in France and Mexico. Unlike the older four-speed and five-speed automatic gearboxes used by the previous model range, the new 6L50 transmission has smaller steps between the gear ratios allowing it to choose the gear most suited to vehicle speed and road conditions. The 6L50 also has greater adaptive shift control, it will recognise long down grades and select a lower gear when required, it will recognise sporty driving and hold a gear longer or shift down and drivers can also shift the transmission like a manual gearbox if required. Engine comparisons The 3.0 litre SIDI V6 engine in the MY10 Commodore Omega sedan produces 190kW of power instead of the 175kW produced by the previous model’s 3.6 litre Alloytec engine, which shows that a smaller engine capacity need not be less powerful. The MY10 3.0 litre V6 engine is up to 12 percent more fuel efficient than the older 175kW 3.6 litre port injection Alloytec engine. Combined fuel consumption on the Omega and Berlina is 9.3l/100km instead of the previous 10.6L/100k and the emissions have also improved by 12 percent from 252g/km to 221g/km. The 3.6 litre SIDI V6 engine in the MY10 Commodore SV6 sedan produces 210kW of power instead of the 190kW produced by the previous 3.6 litre Alloytec engine in the MY9.5 Commodore SV6. Fuel consumption is reduced by 10 percent from 11.2l/100km to 10.1l/100km and C02 emissions are reduced by nine percent from 266g/km to 241g/km. Reduced maintenance costs. Refinements to the MY10 Commodore include reducing maintenance costs for owners by using technology to ensure longer service intervals and less time off the road for routine maintenance. Holden says the new SIDI engines have dual-platinum electrode spark plugs with a service life of 120,000km as does the engine coolant in normal use (extreme operating conditions can reduce this). The accessory drive belts are scheduled for inspection at each service however the oil filter only requires element replacement. The cam drive and valve train components require no scheduled maintenance. |
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| Safety Overview Holden’s credentials in active and passive vehicle safety dates back to 1966 when it became the first Australian manufacturer to fit seat belts on all models. In 1969 Holden opened Australia’s first automotive safety testing laboratory to support its work. Since then Holden has clocked up many safety firsts for an Australian manufacturer. In 1990 it was the first to fit independent rear suspension to a large car, in 1992 it was the first to introduce anti-lock braking, in 1993 it was the first to fit a driver airbag system, followed by the passenger airbag system in 1995. Holden was the first Australian vehicle manufacturer to fit traction control to its vehicles in 1997 followed by side impact airbags in 1998. Anti-lock braking (ABS) became standard equipment across the Commodore range in 2000. World class safety The development of the VE series Commodore, Sportwagon and Ute incorporated world-class active and passive safety systems, most notably the introduction of Electronic Stability Control which is now found across the entire MY10 VE range, including the Sportwagon and Holden Ute. Real world crash situations were considered at every phase of design development and testing to ensure the VE Commodore was the safest yet. The safety engineering programs delivered a stiffer body structure for improved occupant protection through the use of more advanced steel. Holden engineer Scott Heywood said that the company undertook a huge amount of work on the VE crash structure to protect drivers and passengers. “We designed clearly defined load paths to manage crash energy while maintaining interior space for drivers and passengers. We tested for an extensive range of crash situations and occupant criteria rather than meeting the requirements of one specific test or jurisdiction,” he says. A larger central “B” pillar, more complex front rails, and stiffer chassis structural members not only contributed to a safer vehicle body but one that offers better noise isolation and comfort for passengers but also allowed better handling for the driver. Occupant protection In the development of the VE series Holden ran more than 5000 barrier tests using virtual technology (which would have taken five years to complete with real time testing) and for the MY10 vehicle another 50 simulated tests were carried out as well as six full barrier crash tests. Test occupants were represented from a six month old baby to a *95th percentile adult, more than 80 physical tests were administered by the Holden crash lab to correlate virtual outcomes. The curtain airbag in the Commodore sedan and Sportwagon range extends from the top of the windscreen pillar to the rear pillar, deploying through the headlining to protect occupants in the zone between the belt line and roof line. |
Holden has installed a new multiple point sensing system with two front and two side sensors to determine whether airbags should be activated while the front seat belts are equipped with load limiters and pyrotechnic pre-tensioners. |
