Our road test vehicle was unusual in that it featured a six-speed manual gearbox behind its 6.0-litre, 270 kilowatt V8. It’s good to see Holden continues to offer this driver-oriented transmission in a day and age when automatic transmissions are dominating. Admittedly today’s autos are far superior to units of a decade or so back, but there’s nothing quite like doing all your own gearchanging.

It’s an old saying, but a goodie - there’s no substitute for cubic capacity. Holden’s big V8 has the sort of acceleration that’s guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of all keen drivers. Better still the performance is there the instant you prod the throttle pedal. While turbocharged engines may be able to provide similar performance to big V8s the delay caused by lag is really irritating at times. Hence our love for large V8s.

You do pay for that performance at the bowser, though. Typically our test car was using about 12 to 14 litres per hundred kilometres during normal daily driving in the suburbs and 16 to 18 litres any time we really got stuck into the engine. On the other hand the easy going V8 could be dropped down to only nine to eleven litres per hundred kilometres when on an easy paced country trip.

In an interesting move GM-Holden has modified this engine to give it the ability to run on E85 fuel. This contains up to 85 per cent ethanol, with the remainder being 15 per cent petrol. The engines can run on any shandy between these two limits. Ethanol is cleaner burning than petrol, but part of that advantage is cancelled out by the fact that the engine uses more of E85 than straight petrol.

We were unable to review our car on ethanol as the fuel is still not available in our home area on of the Gold Coast, but we are promised by Holden and Caltex that the fuel mix is on its way to this area (and numerous others in Australia) and we will review the E85 6.0-litre engine again when that happens.

The Commodore station wagon is built on the same short-wheelbase platform as the sedan, not on a long-wheelbase platform as in previous Commodore wagons. While the almost van-like interior of the older wagons is no more, the new VE series Sportwagon is still reasonably spacious. The sleek tail means that tall, bulky items cannot be fitted in the rear unless you aren’t using the back seat and can fold it down.

With the seats folded there's a flat floor that’s almost two metres in length; the width between the rear suspension towers is 1.1 metres, and there is a good height in the load compartment at 647 mm. Cleverly located hooks around the load compartment allow you to use the standard cargo net in a variety of ways to restrain items and stop them sliding around the compartment.

The cargo cover has two positions, with a sliding locater slot which allows the user to lift it without releasing it. The light in the compartment is just below the window line, but located under the cover, to allow you to easily check the compartment at night.

The tailgate is a clever feature of the Holden wagon because it is set back into the roof. The hinges are located well forward in the roof of the wagon, so its lifting arc is only 286 mm beyond the rear of the vehicle. Thus letting you park almost against a wall and still be able to use the tailgate. When open, it’s easy to reach up and pull shut.

On-road handling is excellent. Holden's SS Sportwagon turns in beautifully, and provides handling which is confidence-boosting. It really is almost sedan like in this important way. Standard ESP will help the driver who has made a major mistake, but the car has to be going really hard before it’s required.

Noise, Vibration and Harshness are well suppressed in a very Australian manner and even on coarse-chip surfaces the car is refined and pleasant to travel in. Much more so than many upmarket European wagons costing far more. Indeed, the Sportswagon doesn’t seem any noisier or harsher inside than does the VE Commodore sedan, making it a real credit to its designers.

We continue to find the VE Commodore's handbrake irritating. Another triumph of fashion over function, it is awkward to use and even with familiarity it’s still to easy to get your fingers caught between its leading edge and the car’s centre console.

Other than that, the interior of the Calais V Sportswagon we tested was handsome and easy to live with. The controls are simple to use and there are handy stowage areas, including a good sized box in the centre console.

AT A GLANCE

MODEL RANGE
Omega 3.0-litre four-door sedan: $39,990 (automatic)
Omega LPG 3.6-litre four-door sedan: $42,390 (automatic)
Berlina 3.0-litre four-door sedan: $43,490 (automatic)
Berlina LPG 3.6-litre four-door sedan: $45,890 (automatic)
SV6 3.6-litre four-door sedan: $42,790 (automatic)
SS 6.0-litre four-door sedan: $47,790 (manual) $49,790 (automatic)
SS-V 6.0-litre four-door sedan: $55,290 (manual), $57,290 (automatic)
Calais 3.6-litre four-door sedan: $48,290 (automatic)
Calais V 3.6-litre four-door sedan: $56,790 (automatic)
Calais V 6.0-litre four-door sedan: $61,990 (automatic)
Omega Sportwagon 3.0-litre five-door wagon: $41,990 (automatic)
Berlina Sportwagon 3.0-litre five-door wagon: $45,490 (automatic)
SV6 Sportwagon 3.6-litre five-door wagon: $45,790 (automatic)
SS Sportwagon 6.0-litre five-door wagon: $49,790 (manual), $51,790 (automatic)
SS-V Sportwagon 6.0-litre five-door wagon: $57,290 (manual), $59,290 (automatic)
Calais Sportwagon 3.6-litre five-door wagon: $50,290 (automatic)
Calais V Sportwagon 3.6-litre five-door wagon: $58,790 (automatic)
Calais V Sportwagon 6.0-litre five-door wagon: $63,990 (automatic)

FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in all models
Air Conditioning: Standard in all models
Automatic Transmission: $2000 option in SS and SS V, standard in all other models
CD Player: Standard in all models
Central Locking: Standard in all models
Cruise Control: Standard in all models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in all models
Stability Control: Standard in all models
Traction Control: Standard in all models

SPECIFICATIONS (Holden Commodore Sportwagon Omega 3.0-litre five-door wagon)

ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.997 litres
Configuration: V6
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 11.7:1
Bore/Stroke: 89.0 x 80.3 mm
Maximum Power: 190 kW @ 6700 rpm
Maximum Torque: 290 Nm @ 2900 rpm

DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.27:1

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4897 mm
Wheelbase: 2915 mm
Width: 1899 mm
Height: 1467 mm
Turning Circle: 11.4 metres
Kerb Mass: NA
Fuel Tank Capacity: 73 litres
Towing Ability: Up to 2000 kg (with braked trailer and approved towing equipment)

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Coil springs, direct acting stabiliser bar
Rear Suspension: Multi-link, coil springs, stabiliser bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Ventilated disc

PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: NA

FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Petrol 91RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/02): 9.3 L/100km

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 5.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 8.5/10

STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000 km