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In January this year Holden wheeled out its new V8 AFM technology into automatic variants of its Commodore, Ute, Sportswagon, Statesman and Caprice.
AFM stands for Active Fuel Management and simply means that four cylinders shut down when in coasting mode.It took us a while to get behind the wheel for a road test of an AFM vehicle, and when we did it was the 2009 SS auto Ute.
 We elected to conduct some simple tests, just to see under varying road conditions what the AFM meant in the real world.
The system works by using sensors to detect engine load. When the load is off it closes the intake and outlet valves to four cylinders.
So for our first 75 kilometres we ran the ute down the almost-flat M1 Freeway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, using cruise control set at 110 km/h. At the end of the run we were literally slapping ourselves on the back: 8.5 litres/100 kms. That's impressive. As stated earlier the M1 between Brisbane and the Gold Coast near Nerang is almost flat. Almost, but not quite. Try undulating, but gentle.
On the flat the car simply defaults to four cylinder mode and the fuel usage dropped to between 5.0 litres/100 km to around 8.0 litres/100 kms. As soon as the slightest rise in the road surface was encountered the V8 shingle was hung out in the instrument panel and the fuel usage climbed into double figures. It seems to us the sensors are set too finely and even with four pots cooking the car would have been fine on this flat stretch of highway, and the engine would have been under no stress.
We were soon to find out the 6.0 litre V8 is has a Jeckle and Hyde personality. We re-set the instruments for four days of urban commuting and running around. This would test the system. And it did. Try 24.8 litres/100kms. And that's with one passenger and no weight in the tray. And, we did not stick the boot in to it. Just the occasional squirt, as anyone who drives a V8 would from time to time.
We were keen to see what would happen if we took the car back on to the highway for around 100 km what the average would end up being. We did not re-set the instruments. By the end of that leg we were down to a reasonable 14.4 litres/100 kms, at an average speed of 46.2 km/h. The moral of the story is this: If you live and work in the burbs and don't do much highway driving, you will need deep pockets to regularly slake the SS thirst. Around town it downs petrol like a bogan downs VB stubbies at a bucks night.
If you do in fact have a cross section of city and highway use then the AFM has marginal benefits over a `normal' Holden V8. The real winner from AFM technology is the bloke who lives in the bush and does a lot of country running.
What we would really like to see in the Holden ute is an SSD variant. D for diesel. There are plenty of high-performance, low fuel consumption, oil-burners out there and considering most utes – even many of the SS variety - are used for work, this would be a real alternative to genuine reduction in fuel usage. Whether the true Holden V8 fan will fork out for an oil-burning ute is debatable. But, these are tough times, so anything is possible.
For this writer, the AFM is an interesting experiment, with little in true savings to the end user. (apart for the bloke in the bush) GM Holden claim it reduces thirst by 1 litre/100 km.
Driven in a leisurely style this is most likely the case. But, do people buy a V8 ute to drive it in a leisurely fashion ? We doubt it. If an owner travels the `average' 15,000 km a year, the saving is about $150. As a ute the SS is what you expect from Holden, although the interior is starting to date a little and some areas such as handbrake and gear change are a little agricultural or heavy to use.
But, it feels solid, safe and reliable. The seats are comfortable. We would like to see a simpler cruise control system mounted on the steering wheel in a similar way Nissan have it, rather then the stem poking out from the steering column.
While the interior is showing its age, the facelifts to the exterior have kept the ute in tune and its a great looking vehicle.
Holden Ute Pricing*
Omega 3.6 litre $33,490
Omega 3.6 litre LPG auto $36,890
SV6 3.6 litre $38,490
SS 6.0 litre $42,490
SS V Series 6.0 litre $47,490
*These are RRP prices and do not include state taxes or dealer delivery costs.
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