Holden's gripping saga

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

Holden is developing a fleet of all-wheel-drive vehicles based around existing models and using a new electronic four-paw system developed by General Motors for the Hummer H2 sports utility vehicle in the United States.

The Australian carmaker says it aims to sell about 30,000 all-wheel-drive vehicles a year before the end of the decade.

The first of the new AWDs will be the Adventra stationwagon, a more robust and powerful variant of the standard Commodore load-carrier. It is due to go on sale in Australia next month and in New Zealand next year.

On sale at about the same time here will be Holden's biggest vehicle yet, a new 3.8-litre V6 four-door ute called the Crewman.

Three variants of the Crewman will be available - entry-level, Crewman S and V8-powered SS - each one using Holden's traditional rear-drive set-up.

An AWD model based on the Crewman and called the Cross8 will be launched later.

Both the Adventra and Cross8 will first be powered only by the 5.7-litre Generation III V8 engine mated to a four-speed automatic gearbox.

Why? Because Holden won't engineer the two AWD vehicles for V6 power and new gearboxes until the all-new Australian-built V6 comes on stream later next year.

After that, there will be V6-powered AWD variants of the Adventra, Crewman, One Tonner and Ute.

And at least one Holden passenger car will get AWD before production centres on the next-generation Commodore VE variants in 2005/6. It is expected to be a limited-edition model of the Monaro coupe.

The new all-wheel-drive system is called Cross Trac and is based on electronic traction control.

It uses software developed for the Hummer H2 programme and modified for the Australian-built vehicles.

It is a permanent all-wheel-drive system which transfers torque - 62 per cent to the rear wheels and 38 per cent to the front. There is no low range.

But Cross Trac, unlike many all-wheel-drive systems based on traction control, does not reduce engine power when one or more wheels start to slip, says Holden.

Most of the hardware for the Cross Trac system was developed by Holden.

The carmaker says it designed the AWD Adventra to drive more like the rear-wheel-drive Commodore wagon it is based on, rather than an off-roader.

It said it compared Adventra with European all-wheel-drive wagons like the BMW X5 and Audi Allroad but calibrated Cross Trac to cope with typical Australian and New Zealand road surfaces such as gravel and loose dirt.

The new-look Crewman Ute is 5035mm long - longer than Holden's executive Statesman/Caprice saloons - has a wheelbase of 3200mm, seats five and can carry up to 1082kg.

Three models will be available It is built on what Holden describes as a "half-monocoque, half-chassis" frame.

The four-door passenger section is built along the same lines as a standard Commodore and the framework of the cargo section is bolted on to its rear bulkhead.

Holden says this arrangement makes the vehicle torsionally stiffer and stronger than a truck-style body sitting on a regular chassis.

The cab is a Holden One-Tonner to the centre door pillar and unique bodywork from there back. The rear doors are smaller than those in the front.

The Crewman rides on an independent front suspension but uses a leaf-sprung axle in the rear. Holden says the live rear, sprung slightly softer than that of the One-Tonner, will cope better with heavy loads.

Inside, the Crewman comes with features not familiar in the dual-cab utility market. There are twin cupholders for driver and front-seat passenger and steering wheel-mounted stereo controls.

Dual airbags and three-point seatbelts are standard. The entry-level Crewman and the S have automatic transmission. The SS comes with a six-speed manual option. But there's no word on the price in New Zealand yet. In Australia, the three models cost between $A32,490 ($35,300) and $A46,140 ($50,135).