Holden Commodore SV6
Road Test
Holden is not content to end local production with a whimper. The final VF Series II Commodore is – especially in SV6 form – a refined, tech-savvy and dynamically capable full-size sedan that shows no evidence that it’s about to be consigned to the chopping block. At $37,290 (plus on-road costs), the Commodore SV6 six-speed manual is a steal of a magnitude that is unlikely to be ever seen again.
The Holden Commodore is not about to go down without a fair bit of feinting and jabbing.
The current VFII-series update launched in late 2015 shows the company still has a few coins in the bank to keep its family flagship fresh. Keen Holden spotters will be able to instantly pick the SV6 version of the final Commodore from its predecessor via a minimally modified grille with a new lower fascia that gives a subtly different look: the outer air ducts appear as if they are about to swallow the bumper and the LED running lights, while there’s a restrained, yet slightly bolder look to the central lower air intake.
That, apart from a new set of 18-inch alloy wheels, is about it though – visually at least. The late 2015 update also brought passive start and entry to the Commodore – which wouldn’t sound like much if it wasn’t supported by an already extensive array of new-generation safety and convenience tech throughout the car.
The five-star ANCAP SV6 comes with six airbags, all the usual electronic safety aids including stability control, trailer sway control and anti-lock brakes as well as self-parking capability, blind-spot warning, rearview camera, electric park brake and reverse traffic alert.
Inside, it gets Holden MyLink infotainment with an 8.0-inch touch-screen and a thoroughly modern dash with intuitively-placed controls for Bluetooth, trip computer, sound system and dual-zone climate-control functions. About the only meaningful thing absent is satellite navigation which can be either optioned-up or made available by spending an extra $1000 to step up to the latest Commodore Black edition.
Do that and you get your sat-nav as well as a few other niceties including head-up display, special alloy wheels and a smattering of dress-up items including black grille and boot spoiler, red-stitched seats and some external badgework.
But even at regular SV6 level there’s a feeling of something special about the final Commodore.
The 3.6-litre, 210kW V6 sings a sweet note and, particularly in the lower-geared six-speed manual version, is pretty quick: The standing 400m sprint is done and dusted in 15.5sec and it actually feels quite a bit faster than that. It runs the same 3.27:1 final drive as auto versions but uses lower intermediate gears to maximise the power, with the result that if first gear is used in anger it can run out of revs quite quickly. Second-gear take-offs are at times appropriate.
And even if it needs a soaring 6700rpm to reach its 210kW maximum it’s not really too bad at torque delivery, with its normally aspirated 350Nm coming in from 2800rpm (by comparison Chrysler’s same-capacity Pentastar V6 needs 4300rpm to develop a slightly inferior 340Nm).
It can be dribbled down to very low engine speeds in higher gears without any obvious signs of stress and, no doubt helped by the gear ratios, even picks up with surprising rapidity and commendable smoothness. Its basic nature is that of a revver, rather than a grunter though.
It’s clearly pretty efficient too: Holden wins the local family-six battle with a claimed 9.0L/100km and, at 215g/km, is ahead of its main V6 competitors in CO2 emissions as well. And we got pretty close to the official figure on test with the trip computer showing 9.8L over a week of driving in mixed conditions, indicating that a highway cruising range potentially better than 700km is on the cards.
Long distances and country roads are in fact the Commodore’s forte. The big interior, sizeable and comfy seats (manually adjusted in SV6) and absorbent ride make light of a few hours on the road, while the adoption of electric steering at the introduction of the VF model in 2013 has taken agility to new, world-class heights.
At 496 litres, the boot’s not too shabby either and, in the SV6, actually contains a full-size spare wheel.
Are we fans of the final Commodore? It seems we are.
2016 Holden Commodore SV6 pricing and specifications:
Price: $37,290 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.6-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 210kW/350Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 9.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 215g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP