The Commodore takes control

In the battle between Ford and Holden, Ford appeared to have gained the upper hand. But Holden hasn't taken the challenge lying down, writes motoring editor ALISTAIR SLOANE.

A couple of Holden diehards reluctantly agreed: the independent rear suspension in the updated Ford Falcon AUII might just be a bit sharper than the Commodore.

The steering was certainly more accurate, they said. Turn-in, too. Gee, the car seems to track better and the ride's not bad either.

The Holden-Ford rivalry had taken a new turn.

The entry-level AU Falcon with its agricultural rear-beam axle couldn't hold a candle to the entry-level Commodore VT/VX and its independent setup.

It was one of the things that had counted against the basic AU Falcon in the sales race since 1998, that and the dreary interior and droopy rear end.

The Commodore is New Zealand's best-selling car and has been for the past 12 months straight. It got off to such a great start because Holden got the base model right, and so has sold every car it builds in New Zealand and Australia. This caused Ford chest pain.

But the revised AUII Falcon with the independent rear was a different car altogether. It handled and rode so much better - Ford at its best.

The change shook up the people at Holden, not least when they learned that next year's heavily reworked Falcon was also likely to get independent rear suspension as standard.

Holden began to get chest pains of its own. It had remained unchallenged in the sales race and it didn't want Ford to gain ground.

So it introduced something it hadn't planned on doing for another 15 months: it added two further links to the Commodore's rear suspension, making it a multi-link setup of sorts.

And it told everyone about it when it unveiled the upgraded VX Series II Commodore, Statesman and Caprice range in Adelaide the other day.

The new-look VX will go on sale in New Zealand later this year, when prices will be revealed.

The updated rear suspension isn't new - Holden Special Vehicles used it on the 300kW GTS to make better use of the car's power.

Holden says the additional links are designed to improve handling and traction, especially through corners, where the Commodore can be nervous. New shock absorbers and revised stabiliser bars complete the revised suspension package.

A new tyre, developed jointly by Holden and Bridgestone, is said to improve steering accuracy.

From the outside the Series II VX Commodore is largely unchanged from the VX. Body panels remain the same, although there are minor changes to the grille.

The Series II badge is the obvious giveaway. The V6 and V8 engines are untouched. The updates will be picked up by HSV, which will further tweak high-performance handling.

The Series II Commodore will be joined by Holden's first people-mover, the rebadged Opel Zafira, Spanish for a light, westerly wind or veil of cloth.

The Zafira is being built at General Motors' plant in Thailand (43 per cent of the vehicle is local content) and exported to 16 countries, including Japan, where it will be badged as a two-wheel-drive Subaru under an agreement with GM and Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries.

The Zafira will compete in New Zealand with carryalls such as the Renault Scenic, Citroen Picasso, Nissan Tino, Toyota Picnic and Mazda Premacy, all priced between about $34,000 and $42,000.

It is powered by a 16-valve 2.2-litre 4-cylinder engine producing 108kW at 5800 rpm and 203Nm of torque at 4000 rpm and mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox or 4-speed automatic.

The Zafira has a cargo capacity of 1700 litres once its third row of seats is removed and its second row is folded and secured against the front seat backs.

The vehicle is 4317mm long, 1742mm wide, 1684mm high and has a wheelbase of 2694mm. The rear loading sill is a handy 587mm off the ground.

Standard equipment includes dual airbags, ABS anti-lock brakes, seatbelt pre-tensioners, traction control, air-conditioning, power steering, cruise control, remote central locking, CD player, front-power windows and heated side mirrors.

Holden says its chassis engineers revised the suspension system to suit Australian and New Zealand conditions.

The result, it says, is an improved, more supple people-mover with better handling on unsealed roads.

These changes included recalibrating the front and rear dampers, developing new tyres in conjunction with Michelin for reduced road noise and better ride quality, and redesigning the rear springs to offer a good compromise between towing and non-towing applications, said Holden engineer Rodger Gibbs.

This programme gave Holden the opportunity to develop the Zafira into a more rugged vehicle, better able to satisfy the demands of Australian, New Zealand and other Asian Pacific markets.