Originally Posted by car lover !!

It doesn't looks nice...
RS4 over this.

Originally Posted by Ravenous

You mean this?



Looks like the bastad lovechild of a Vectra and a Cadillac.

(Is actually a Ford Fusion but is apparently the basic design of the next Falcon)

Originally Posted by Ravenous

You mean this?



Looks like the bastad lovechild of a Vectra and a Cadillac.

(Is actually a Ford Fusion but is apparently the basic design of the next Falcon)

Originally Posted by butcher

nothing special, with a 6 litre they should be pushing 400 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, oh well its not north american so i dont have to worry about embarrassing one on the road

Originally Posted by 4agze

man i hope pontiac will bring this car in US soil

Originally Posted by lambo or holden

Well judging by your avatar you have a 300ZX, well the old model SS from some sources are faster than the 300ZX turbo to 100kmh from other sources barely any slower, this new model will be faster than the old one and not to mention the SSV will have loads more torque than yours with no lag.
And like most American engines this was built to be a lazy long lasting engine not a highly strung one that won't last.
Also you can fit 4 people in the SSV, you can't do that in a 300ZX, sure it has 4 seats but it dosn't mean you can actully fit people in there.

Originally Posted by butcher

nothing special, with a 6 litre they should be pushing 400 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, oh well its not north american so i dont have to worry about embarrassing one on the road

Originally Posted by CarPoint.com.au

It's official, the VE Commodore is Holden's largest and most expensive engineering project ever. And that comes from the horse's mouth, Holden's Executive Director Engineering, Tony Hyde.

A 38-year veteran of General Motors, Hyde revealed the VE's engineering budget and key statistics at the kick-off of two days of engineering briefings yesterday. According to Hyde: "VE is the best engineered, best tested, best validated, best executed and most refined car we've done. It is the car we always wanted to build… the cleanest sheet Holden ever."

Indeed, the VE program boasts numbers that are unprecedented in the local automotive landscape.

According to Hyde, VE engaged over 1000 engineers working for more than five years at a total cost of around $480m. The program involved staggering 3.42m kilometres of real world and virtual testing. Electrical systems testing and validation accounted for 41,000 hours alone. There were over 5000 virtual crash tests and 79 real ones…

Not surprising then that it dwarfs Holdens other 'clean sheet' project, the iconic early-1970s HQ. According to Hyde, just 16 HQ prototypes were constructed by Holden.

In an era where virtual development is king, there's already been 199 VE prototypes built -- at a cost of up to $600,000 each. End of argument.

Originally Posted by CarPoint.com.au

The lion's share of the [weight] increase is in fact in the base structure of the car -- the so-called body in white. According to Hyde, it's here that Holden has added 70kg.

Given the fact that 81 per cent of the steel used in the VE's 'skeleton' is advanced steel (including high strength and ultra high strength extrusions which are lighter and stronger than conventional steel sections) the weight increase is an indicator of the class-leading strength of the new car.

Originally Posted by CarPoint.com.au

Essentially 'carryovers' from the VZ range, the engines have received 'makeovers' for the VE. The end result is better economy (in some cases -- see our fuel economy rundown here ) and a boost in peak power to 180, 195 and 270kW for the Alloytec 3.6, High Output Alloytec and Gen IV 6.0 V8 respectively.

Torque figures are up too (in the same order) to 330Nm at 2600rpm (was 320 at 2800), 340Nm at 2600 (was 335 at 3200) and 530Nm at 5400 (was 510 at 4400).

All power figures are now measured under the international ECE standard. Privately Holden sources have stated this new measuring standard underplays the net increases.

Originally Posted by CarPoint.com.au

The Alloytec V6s have received the most attention during the VE program. Both versions now sport variable geometry intake manifolds (previously only HO engine got this feature) and less restrictive exhausts. The high output's is a dual system.

In addition, changes have been made to address criticisms of the six's aural signature. These included a new camshaft drive chain design, retuned harmonic balancer, new engine covers and revisions to the induction and exhaust systems.

The VE range's 6.0-litre V8 gets the model designation L98 and is Holden-specific. It replaces the L76 recently introduced to the VZ range on the introduction of Euro III emissions requirements (in January 2006).

Originally Posted by CarPoint.com.au

No favourite among automotive pundits, the US-built four-speeder has been significantly improved via extensive re-calibration work by Holden's powertrain engineers, says the company. It will have to be considerably better than the last incarnation -- especially given the emphasis on refinement for the rest of the car.

Next step up the ladder is another GM trannie -- the 5L40E auto fitted to the 195kW V6. Built in Strasbourg (France), the five-speed unit is again a recalibrated version of the unit already used in selected VZ models. It features Active Select, however, in VE guise 'manual' gearchanges are made at the lever rather than via steering-wheel paddles.

According to Holden both manual gearboxes have been extensively revised rather than just carried over from VZ.

The Aisin-sourced AY6 that features in the SV6 has had its gear lever length shortened and clutch travel reduced. Holden also claims transmission noise reductions in this model.

Meanwhile, the Tremec T56 six-speed manual that tames the 270kW V8s in the SS and SS V gets a more substantial rework. This includes shorter gear ratios (three to eight per cent overall), upgraded synchros (triple cone on 1-2 and double on 3-4-5-6), shorter shift and clutch travel and other detailed changes.

The only truly new gearbox to the VE range is the six-speed auto now fitted to V8 models. It’s a measure of the importance of the VE and its V8 halo models that this 'flagship' transmission made it into the new Commodore.

Previously only seen in Cadillac models and the latest Corvette, the electronically controlled six-speed 6L80E automatic transmission is built by GM in Ypsilanti, Michigan (USA). The gearbox features Active Select and the pattern will please purists -- to change down you push the lever forward, with up changes the opposite.