Holden Commodore LPG 2012 Review

Holden Commodore Sportwagon SV6, Omega Ute and Caprice

What we liked
>> Fast starting
>> Four-cylinder frugality, V6 performance
>> Usual VE Commodore design traits

Holden has stolen a march from its archrival Ford. The new vapour-injected LPG option available for Caprice and the Commodore sedan, Sportwagon and Ute has erred more on the side of economy and lower running costs than performance. In that, it contrasts with Ford's Falcon and its EcoLPI system.

Calibrating the 3.6-litre V6 to run on LPG via a dedicated induction system, Holden has managed to keep CO2 emissions below 200g/km for the entire range of vehicles using the mono-fuel setup. It's a minor marketing fillip that may not carry much weight with buyers. Customers in the market for a large Holden probably aren't that concerned about carbon emissions.

Only one Falcon EcoLPI model — the largely overlooked XT variant — can achieve CO2 emissions below 200g/km, but Ford did achieve this result ahead of Holden. Chalk up another minor marketing point for the blue side.

The swept volume of the Falcon's six-cylinder engine measures over 10 per cent more than the Commodore's. That — and any difference in weight, gearing or aerodynamics — needs to be recalled when either company is arguing X per cent better economy/emissions or Y per cent increased power and torque. It's not all about the different fuel induction technology at play...

Ford's engineers have developed the more sophisticated system, it has been argued. And certainly, looking beyond the question of economy and the environment, the Ford's engine produces 10 per cent more power than the Holden's 180kW peak, but more importantly, something like 27 per cent more torque than the 320Nm of the Holden engine.

Holden and Ford have each embodied their own traditional engineering philosophy in their respective LPG models. For Holden, it's about simple, practical, cost effective engineering that works in the real world. You can trace that sort of thinking back to the OHV/pushrod BOC V6 that first powered the VN Commodore — introduced to market a few months after Ford Australia's first OHC six.

Ford, for its part, sees the Falcon EcoLPI as a flagbearer for performance motoring in a more environmentally sensitive world. The Falcon EcoLPI is a better performing car (and arguably better steering?) than the petrol equivalent. It's like Falcons back to day one — plenty of easy, effortless torque, stepping off the mark.

Fuel consumption is higher in the LPG variants than the petrol equivalents — for both Holden and Ford models. The combined-cycle figure for the SV6 sedan running on LPG is 12.3L/100km — nearly three litres more than the petrol model's. But Holden is banking on savvy consumers noting that LPG is substantially cheaper to buy by the litre. The nett difference to the family budget favours the LPG variants.

On a brief drive around Melbourne's leafier suburbs and out into nearer country areas, the three vehicles equipped with the new LPG system — SV6 Sportwagon, Omega Ute and Caprice — felt exactly as their petrol counterparts would have felt to drive. Unlike the Falcon, which delays starting by as much as six seconds while the EcoLPI system primes the injectors, the Commodore derivatives crank and fire as fast as any petrol-engined vehicle. The SV6 retains a sporty timbre when revved out a bit, so there's no sense that anything has been lost in the transition from petrol to LPG on that front.

In every other respect the VE/WM variants were just like their petrol equivalents — for good or bad. Tiny mirrors, massive A pillars, large steering wheel, guillotine-like handbrake and the centre console location for window switches. Those were the vices, but the virtues were ride and handling, plus responsive and communicative steering. The new six-speed automatic transmission shifts without fuss and seems to be appropriately geared for the LPG engine's power delivery.

Packaging wasn't quite the triumph that Holden execs suggested, although the best solution to optimising luggage space in one of these cars remains the same as for the Ford — stick with a tyre inflator/repair kit. The spacesaver spare in the Sportwagon is fairly compact and sits upright in the driver's side of the load area. Being deflated, it takes up relatively little space and doesn't interfere with the field of vision to the rear. There's plenty of space alongside it for luggage and, as a bonus, it could conceivably be removed without having to unload everything else as well. Holden measures luggage capacity for the Sportwagon up to the headlining and claims 895 litres of luggage capacity, but the capacity to the windowline would be more like the LPG sedan's — about 486 litres (10 less than the petrol model's).

Ford never made much of a song and dance about the relative safety of the Falcon EcoLPI, but Holden showed a video during the press conference for the LPG option — illustrating the strength of the newly-designed structure at the rear of the car, to keep the tank safe from rupturing in the event of a rear-end collision. Safety has long been a concern for buyers who might be tempted by the alternative fuel. It's a concern the local manufacturers may have to address in a pro-active way if they're serious about selling more cars reliant on gas.

Ultimately, the Holden V6 lacks the power and torque found in petrol equivalents, although while the power is down — even against the 3.0 litre petrol V6 — torque is higher and the on-road performance didn't feel as constrained as the smaller engine's. That said, we didn't drive the vehicles with any sort of load on board — and heavy duty users might find that the Sportwagon or Caprice could feel a bit sluggish once they're loaded up. But as one of the Holden staff along for the ride pointed out, any LPG-engined Commodore derivative — even approaching its payload limits — is bound to feel livelier in a straight line than most of the four-cylinder cars that could come close to the running costs of the Holden.

We kept a weather eye on the trip computer while driving all three cars. Despite moderate driving in what we would consider a real-world analogue for the combined-cycle fuel consumption test, none of the cars achieved better than 13.0L/100km. That's consistent with our experience during the local launch of the Falcon EcoLPI, but the Falcon was driven a bit harder too. It's entirely possible that any on-paper difference between the two car's fuel economy will count for little in reality. But then, the Ford's performance advantage may not count for much either, if traffic density is an issue.

And that's the whole point of the LPG system in the Holdens. It's cheap to run, either around town or out on the open road, but it still confers that big-car manner. Many buyers will appreciate its undemanding driveability and all the other merits of the conventional Commodores. Its faster starting will win a few friends as well. We're still smitten with the Falcon EcoLPI, but if you're the sort of person to rap fingers on a desk waiting for web page graphics to load, the Commodore is likely the car for you.

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