Road TestCar reviews - Holden - Commodore - S Supercharged sedanHolden modelsCommodore Acclaim sedan Acclaim wagon Berlina 3.0 sedan Berlina sedan Calais sedan Calais V Calais V Sportwagon Calais V V8 sedan Calais V V8 Sportwagon Calais V6 Calais V8 sedan Evoke Executive LPG sedan Executive sedan Executive wagon LPG range LT Liftback diesel Omega MY10 sedan Omega sedan Omega Sportwagon range RS 2.0 turbo S Supercharged sedan Sportwagon Sportwagon SSV Redline SS sedan SS V SS V Redline SS V sedan SS-V Redline sedan SV6 sedan SV8 sedan Vacationer 5-dr wagon VXR Research Holden The Car22 Mar 2001 By TERRY MARTIN Lower front bumper now has a three-port opening Teardrop headlamp with clear polycarbonate lens is another VX identifier New tail lamps also have clear lenses and the central décor panel is now body coloured Three-point seatbelts are provided for all five passengers, however rear seat head restraints are not included The Acclaim's front cloth seats with velour inserts are huge, highly supportive and positioned low The driver seat has power-operated height adjustment including front and rear cushion tilt is manual For easy use, most instruments are tilted at five degrees towards the driver A service reminder will appear 1000km before the next service is due All radios from Executive to Calais are double DIN size for superior ergonomics - large, clear buttons with a clean, logical layout All models receive an AM/FM radio-cassette with electronic tune, separate bass and treble control and automatic program search Cruise control is operated from the indicator stalk and can be fussy Electric windows are standard and controls are located on centre console The steering column adjusts for reach as well as height All sedan models have an electric boot release, located inside the glovebox. The wagons have a remote tailgate lock/unlock The heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system is unchanged from the VX Commodore, which improved airflow by 15 per cent over VS Larger diameter rear ducts improved airflow to rear seat occupants by 30 per cent over VS Holden has offered the Philips CARiN satellite navigation system across all Commodore models since March, 1999 The system covers all mainland capitals, covering close to 100,000km of bitumen The S rides on 7x16-inch alloy wheels shod with 225/50R16 tyres A major flaw in the Commodore's interior package is the rear seat does not split-fold - instead, the designers carved the world's biggest ski-port Luggage volume is 475 litres There is now no key for the boot Remote boot release located on the key fob and in the glovebox Commodore is the only locally built car to offer side airbags A driver's airbag is standard across the range Anti-lock brakes are standard across the range Executive and S are the only models to miss out on a passenger airbag All models have remote central deadlocking activated via the remote keypad The supercharged 3.8-litre V6 engine is essentially the same unit introduced in the VSII Statesman in October, 1996 It generates 171kW at 5200rpm and 375Nm at 3000rpm Semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension is standard across the range, including wagon Holden claims the hydraulic tension rod bush on the front suspension is a first for an Australian-built car The supercharged S comes only with a four-speed automatic transmission Commodore has four-wheel disc brakes across the range Aluminium twin piston front callipers use similar design to American Corvette sports car Standard anti-lock brakes are by Bosch's 5.3 four-channel system Rack ratio was decreased to 46 to 67mm/rev (VS was 50 to 58mm/rev), and combined with a longer steering arm slowed the overall on-centre ratio by five per cent over VS Steering column is stiffer in VX over VS for improved noise and vibration characteristics Turns lock-to-lock measure 2.75 Did you know?All Commodores now have steering wheel stereo controls, which include mode, volume, search and muteAll car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen |
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