VF Commodore: Interior pushes upmarket

A massive reduction in parts is a key reason Holden can claim improved interior quality and presentation for the upgraded VF Commodore compared to its VE predecessor.

Where the VE had three instrument panel (or dashboard) designs assembled together in modules, the VF has just one differentiated by materials and trim.

It is estimated up to 30 per cent of parts have been slashed from the interior inventory, cutting complexity and cost and improving quality. The dashboard colour blocking used in the outgoing VE Commodore has also been ditched, saving more dollars and easing assembly complexity.

As per the exterior, Holden will offer three fundamental interiors when the VF goes on sale in May – entry-level, sport luxury and luxury sport. The latter was revealed to the media on Friday at its Port Melbourne HQ.

And like the exteriors, the interiors have been deliberately pushed upmarket, reflecting an ambition to increase aspirational buyer purchases, which is the only choice Holden has considering the fleet market has collapsed and overall Commodore sales continue to fall.

However, while journos got to sit in and inspect the Calais V’s interior, the car’s doors were firmly locked at the public reveal at Melbourne’s Docklands this morning (February 10).

Which is a pity in a way, because GM Holden Design Director Andrew Smith says it’s actually the best bit of the whole car.

“As exciting as the exterior is I am being completely honest when I say I am blown away by the interior. It really is going to be what everyone is talking about.

“You see it here in the Calais V, but all VF interiors take a massive leap forward, not only in the technologies but in the premium content, the fit and finish and the materials that we have used.

“I think when you see it, even the entry-level car, you’ll realise every model in the range is really a step above or a class beyond.”

Mr Smith, who was interior design director of the VE, now oversees the departure of some of that car’s more controversial cabin features, including the awkward hand-operated park brake, power window switches and door locks integrated into the centre console.

An electronic park brake replaces the mechanical lever, while the other items move onto the driver’s door where they belong. After generations of Commodores, the remote boot release button also shifts from the glovebox to the driver’s door pocket.

And hallelujah, the Commodore’s wobbly cruise control stalk – which was introduced in the VT-VZ generation and ran right through the VE – has been replaced by steering wheel controls.

“We really wanted to improve the way the customer interfaces with the car and deals with it in terms of the quality perception and also the ergonomics,” confirmed GM Holden Interior Design Manager John Field.

“We felt there was some room for improvement there.”

One area that remains fundamentally the same is storage space. While the EPB frees up room on the centre console, the front door pockets are smaller because the sound system speakers have been moved down the doors. Boot capacity remains unchanged, as does the massive sprawling space for passengers.

However, they will sit within an interior all but unrecognisable compared to its predecessor. Up front, only the lidded centre console bin carries over. There’s an eight-inch colour touch-screen monitor, push-button start and ice-blue ambient lighting in the centre console. All this is expected to be standard across the range and is part of a much larger technology story.

Designed by Holden’s Joe Rudolph, the dashboard is notable for its fast and integrated sweep from the dashboard into the centre console. A binnacle covers the dual barrels that form the instrumental gauges. It’s a far cry from the squared-off and vertical VE.

Mr Field says the design ‘desensitises’ potential quality issues. In essence that means hiding ugly stuff – like the glovebox lid – from view: “It really takes away a lot of potential quality issues and that is one of the clever things about Joes’s design,” he said.

Other interior features worth noting:

>> Bucket seats are all-new, including frame, padding and headrest integration. There are two levels offered, sport and comfort. The Calais V mixes the sport backrest with comfort padding. Rear seat design is also new, although there is still no split/folding rear seatback, the ski-port continuing on

>> Two new Sport and Comfort steering wheels. Both are slightly smaller in diameter at 370mm (-7mm) with a new handshake (grip). The Sport wheel gets a flat bottom and more aggressive contouring

>> Leather trim is of a higher quality, being both softer to touch and perforated more finely

>> Suede inserts are used for the first time across the dashboard, doors and seats in sport luxury and luxury sport trims

>> Sport luxury and luxury sport both come with light and dark trim choices. Holden isn’t saying anything about the entry-level spec for now

>> Other trim materials included muted ‘Galvano’ chrome surrounds and thinner strips of chrome across the dash. Muted faux wood and ‘light titanium’ as an alternative are also used as dashboard strips

“We have been smarter from a design point of view with the materials we have used for sport luxury and luxury sport,” explained GM Holden Colour and Trim Chief Designer, Sharon Gauci.

“They are the same material and colour but we have maybe changed the stitch colour and put an embroidery in.

“There is not an over-proliferation of materials at supplier level, so there are things we are doing that are smarter to create very different looks for each of the customers and each of the interior models.”

The VF Commodore goes on sale in May.

See the full Commodore VF gallery at motoring.com.au

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