New Commodore is a gas

Big Australian touring cars might be popular on the race track but, really, to green-aware customers they were gas-guzzlers. Companiesbuying them for fleets were keen to be seen to beenvironmentally conscious as much as they werekeen to reduce costs. Something had to happenand it has.

Holden have introduced aCommodore run entirely on LPG (liquified petroleum gas) one of the lowest-emission transport fuels commercially available. It's not dual fuel (sharing the propellant with petrol), it's not an add-on, the alternative fueltechnology is a fully integrated system builtdesigned and manufactured in Australia and installed on the factory floor.

 

The old problem of adding another gas tank into the boot of the car and thus considerably reducing boot space has been solved too. InaHolden first, there are two gas cylinders under the boot with a combined capacity of 84 litres and they're made of aluminium, not the traditional steel. And, yes, they've been fully crash-tested.

 

It means that the usual spare tyre is missing. Instead you will be given a puncture repair kit or you can include an optional space-saver tyre which will reduce some of the boot space-but not nearly as much as the old LPG tank would have. Positioning these LPG tanks under the floor has allowed Holden to include LPG across a broader

cross-section of the Commodore range so Sport Wagons and Utes can now be offered with this very economical fuel option too.

 

Assisting the quite remarkable fuel economy of these LPG Commodores isanew six-speed transmission-it's lighter and very much more efficient than the old four-speed transmission fitted to previous generations of petrol Commodores.

 

The test, of course, is in the driving. How different does this LPG Commodore feel on the road compared to petrol-powered models?

 

Officially the LPG engine has30kWless power than the 210kWpetrol equivalent but it's barely discernible on the road except, perhaps, at the very top end and at those speeds you'd be on the race track. The advantage is in fuel consumption which is around 11.8 litres/100k for the Omega and slightly higher for the sport and ute variants which is better than some petrol powered sedans that are smaller.

 

The 3.6 litre engine is vapour injected (not fuel injected) which further strengthens its carbon emission credentials and Holden say the entry-level Omega sedan can achieve up to 710 kilometers on a single tank, from Cape Reinga to just south of Taupo in other words. That brings up the matter of refuelling stations.

 

According to the LPG Association there are 37 refuelling stations in Northland alone (but none north of Cooper's Beach) and 570 throughout New Zealand. Given the range of the Commodore the old thorny issue of literally running out of gas simply isn't pertinent.

 

The slightly higher retail cost of this LPG Commodore is more than compensated by fuel cost savings. Depending on the number of kilometers accumulated annually it could pay for itself in little time. Not only is there the smug satisfaction of chucking far fewer particulates into the atmosphere there's the equally comforting notion that you're achieving it