Holden Commodore Omega 2006 Review

What we liked
>> Body integrity and refinement
>> Outstanding ride-handling balance
>> Clever interior detailing

Not so much
>> But can we lose the ‘grey’
>> Coarse engine and basic transmission
>> Really looks like the base model

Holdens’ protracted launch of the VE Commodore culminated this week with a drive program out of Melbourne -- CarPoint’s home base. That’s good news for you, as we were able to drive the new VE models on roads we know well. This therefore augurs well for the relevance of our impressions.

We’ll publish our drive impressions of the various VE models over the next few days – kicking off with the Omega. Thereafter, you’ll be delivered the highlights and differences across the other models. Come the end of the month, you’ll be able to read about long wheelbase WM models.

But if you have been waiting for a verdict, we’ll cut to the chase. The VE Commodore, even at Omega entry level, is one of the tightest and most cohesive large sedans at any price and it’s obvious as soon as you hit the road.

Despite a weight increase, its extra body stiffness, optimum suspension angles and attention to detail deliver a low resistance feel that you can sense as it glides along the road. It also shrinks around the driver and has the agility of a much smaller and lighter car.

Most drivers were reporting fuel figures of between 8.5 and 11.0lt/100km depending on the various stages which included fast mountain roads and congested city driving. A real world mix of highway and city driving suggests an average of 10-10.5lt/100km should be achievable.

The thought that has gone into every function makes a big difference to the driving experience. Controls are logical and easy to operate. Seat comfort, tilt and reach steering column adjustment and a commanding view instill confidence as the driver feels part of the car.

This is the VE Commodore’s commanding advantage and builds on previous models. You wear it rather than sit on it. If any new family car can expose the popular SUVs and peoplemovers as the trucks that they are, the VE will do it.

Yet it’s not all good news. Holden builds the same $100,000 body strength, crash safety, suspension and steering integrity, refinement and style into its mid-$35,000 Omega as its most expensive models. When this makes it at least $15,000 too cheap for what it delivers in these areas, there has to be some obvious shortfalls. Fortunately, most are superficial.

The Omega looks plain inside and out. The stripper exterior and cheap plastic wheelcovers cannot do justice to the car’s beautiful proportions and striking presence on the road. The base cabin is bleak even if the designwork is outstanding.

Although Holden describes the Omega as having “technical” textures and finishes, this is really another way of saying it is industrial grey. It’s the difference between climbing inside your DVD player and sitting in a salubrious setting watching it. The plain door panels and the deletion of the integrated armrest-grab handles that have defined the Commodore from the first, highlight what Holden’s done to get under the $35K price point.

The very first 1978 VB Commodore even at base level set new standards for colour co-ordinated trim, carpet, dash and textures. The VE Omega takes it back to the greyness of the base VN Commodore. Upper level VE models tend to highlight how good it can be.

The Omega instruments are not as easy to read as upper levels either.

That said, there is very little missing. Beautifully damped grab handles, soft-lined storage spaces everywhere, reading lights, overhead sunglasses case, reasonable sound system, damped glovebox lid that doesn’t crash down on your knees, outstanding centre console control panel for mirrors and windows, map pockets in each front seat, centre games platform and cup holders for the rear seat passengers -- it’s all there for a practical work or family car.

On the road, it has real bite in the steering then holds the chosen line unlike any Commodore before it. When even a combination of slippery roads and mid-corner bumps won’t unseat it during hard cornering, you have to admire the suspension work and balance.

If you really push it and lose it, the ESP just quietly steps in as a last resort, and brings it quietly and smoothly back into line. The Omega offers huge safety margins for an entry-level family car.

With this level of suspension control, the ride is outstanding if a little soft compared to the Sports settings on other levels.  For everyday drivers, it is just about perfect.

The most disappointing aspect is the raucous nature of the 180kW engine and its unpleasant sound under duress. It’s not that bad but because the rest of the car is so good, it stands out as not belonging .

Likewise the revised four-speed auto which though improved beyond belief compared to the previous model still has no grade control logic for engine braking at low speeds or during a hill descent. The lack of a sequential manual shift compounds this and will leave most drivers riding the brakes in urban drives as this car really likes to roll. With 40km/h speed limits, both these features are increasingly important and can be found in most rivals.

The brakes are outstanding although the brake pedal requires more of a lift from the accelerator than usual. 

So how does it compare?

The VE Omega feels more intimate than the BF Falcon which feels like the big car it is. You sit on a Falcon rather than in – an impression which some drivers like. The BF Falcon’s more powerful inline engine and automatic transmission are superior in just about every way, yet the VE Commodore’s steering, balance and body integrity are a generation ahead.

While the Falcon cabin is not as gloomy, it doesn’t have the thoughtful touches of the VE Commodore.

Overall, the Falcon makes the driver feel a touch more isolated with a more muffled feel while Holden has intentionally given the VE driver more feedback with a sportier, more immediate feel. It’s your call on this one -- there is merit in both.

The Mitsubishi 380’s engine and transmission are also in another class above the standard Commodore item. Like the VE Commodore, the 380 has a sportier, more involving feel than any Magna before it and has a much more youthful and agile demeanour.

All are outstanding with very distinctive characters.

Impressed? Very much so. Excited? Barely, at least not at Omega level.

Overall, the base Omega is not lavish enough in the ‘feel good’ areas to sustain a long ownership period for a more demanding private buyer. Yet as a work car, it represents at least a 50 per cent improvement in working conditions which is probably exactly as Holden intended.

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