HOLDEN has answered the Ford LPG challenge with a new dedicated LPG six-cylinder car of its own at the same $2500 premium over petrol, and then raised the heat a degree or two by offering the fuel-efficient and clean powertrain alternative on a broad range of products – including Sportwagon and Caprice. The Holden product also is claimed to be more fuel-efficient than the Falcon EcoLPI, but the question is: can the Holden version match the rather startling performance of Ford’s liquid-injected LPG system?
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Commodore VEII LPG
Released: September 2010
Ended: February 2012
Family Tree: CommodoreHOLDEN’S previous dual-fuel LPG powertrain – running on both petrol and LPG – dates back to before the VE Commodore in 2006, but came in for some tweaks when the VE II variant arrived on the scene in 2010. Using a pre-direct-injection version of the locally made Alloytech 3.6-litre V6, the 175kW LPG powertrain was hooked up to a four-speed automatic transmission that once did the honours for the old Buick V6 in the VT-VZ Commodore era. Even when the petrol Commodores went to five-speed and then six-speed auto transmissions, the four-speeder remained with the gas option. In 2010, just before the VE II appeared in September of that year, the engine was upgraded to meet the Euro 4 exhaust emissions standards that came into effect on July 1 that year.
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