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http://theage.drive.com.au/motor-new...830-14733.html

Holden launches new Commodore BARRY PARK
August 31, 2010 - 6:02AM

It may not look much different, but Australia's best-selling car has had a major cabin makeover.

HOLDEN has given the cabin of its best-selling Commodore a big technology upgrade, with a new in-car entertainment system that includes touch-screen menus, a USB interface and a smart satellite navigation system that can guide the driver around traffic jams.

In the first styling revisions to the VE Commodore since its launch in 2006, Holden appears to have spent most of its money on the car's cabin, which has been criticised for its dated looks. The exterior styling changes to the car are subtle, limited mainly to new bumper, headlight and grille treatments.

When it joins showrooms next month, the VE Series II Commodore will include a hard-drive multimedia system that can store as many as 15 music CDs for playback, as well as featuring integration for plug-in music devices. More expensive models will get the smart satellite navigation system to beat traffic jams, and a reversing camera.

Holden says the 6.5-inch LCD multimedia screen was benchmarked against ''high-end multimedia products such as computers, phones and video games'' to hone its on-screen functions.

The new Commodore will also be slightly more fuel-efficient and will be capable of running on a mixture of 15 per cent petrol and 85 per cent ethanol.

Engineers have given the Commodore a flat underbelly to cut wind resistance and help the sedan and wagon models cut through the air a lot better, saving fuel. A switch to lower rolling resistance tyres on some models has squeezed out even more savings at the pump, with gains in fuel economy ranging from 2 per cent for the 3.0-litre V6 version up to 12 per cent for the bigger 6.0-litre V8 models.

Other items that help optimise fuel efficiency include an air-conditioning compressor that can detach itself from the engine when not in use, and lower idle speeds on the 3.6-litre V6.

The changes to the Commodore are the most significant since the introduction of a more fuel-efficient 3.0-litre engine in August last year.

Externally, there's a redesigned front fascia across the range that includes subtly restyled headlights. Lesser models get a more pronounced bumper that splits into horizontal slashes for the foglights, while sporting models get a muscle-bound vertical treatment.

Premium models get a blacked-out lower air dam that runs like a slash right across the face. Meanwhile, the circular lion badge gracing the front of all models appears to have grown in size.

Inside, the Commodore gains a much stronger ''pilot'' focus. Holden says this includes a higher-mounted display screen - one of the main criticisms of the outgoing VE model was that the screen was mounted too low on the centre console, requiring drivers to take their eyes a long way off the road to read it - to better positioned controls and air vents.

The interiors carry over the horizontal theme for more pedestrian models and a vertical one for more sporty versions, although the horizontal theme now looks a lot more smooth and flowing.

All interiors have the multi-media screen sitting below high-mounted air-conditioning vents in the centre of the dash - on cheaper models, the vents are square, while on sportier models, they are round.

Meanwhile, the sporting models lose the chunky dash-mounted LED gauges, but disappointingly, the thumb-pinching, plastic handbrake remains.

There has also been a focus on perceived quality in the cabin, Holden says, alluding to a change in the materials used inside the cabin.

The company has not released details on whether the new Commodore will also get updates to its suspension and steering. The car received an engine update last year.

Holden will release more details about its updated VE Series II and long-wheelbase WM Series II range later this morning.