Holden Commodore VN: the Commodore that matched the Falcon

The Holden Commodore VN was produced from 1988 to 1991 as the first iteration of the Commodore’s second generation. It was the first Commodore to match the rival Ford Falcon for size, the first to be offered as a coupé utility, and it brought the Buick V6 to the range.

Holden Commodore VN at a glance

History of the Holden Commodore VN

A hybrid of two Opels

The VN was released on 17 August 1988 as a re-engineered hybrid of the European Opel Omega and Opel Senator, and their Vauxhall sister models the Carlton II and Senator II. The donor body was paired with a Buick V6 or the Holden V8, and the project cost about A$200 million. The previous VL Commodore floorpan was widened and stretched, so that the Commodore could at last match the Ford Falcon for size.

The VN came in Executive, S, SS, Berlina and Calais specification levels and won the Wheels Car of the Year award in 1988, the second time a Commodore had taken it. For the first time since 1984 Holden again offered a commercial coupé utility: the Commodore-based VG Utility went on sale in August 1990. The Statesman and Caprice (VQ) of March 1990 were also VN-based but used the longer wheelbase of the VN wagon and VG Utility.

Engines and gearboxes

Changes in the relative values of the Australian dollar, the Japanese yen and the US dollar made it impractical to continue with the well-regarded Nissan engine of the VL. Instead Holden adopted a domestically manufactured variant of the Buick LN3 V6 from US-market GM vehicles, initially imported. The 5.0-litre V8 remained optional and was boosted to 165 kW (221 hp). Both engines used multi-point GM electronic fuel injection, the V6 with three coil packs for ignition. Although not known for smoothness or quietness, the V6 was praised for its performance at the time.

A fuel-injected 2.0-litre four-cylinder VN Commodore was offered for some export markets including New Zealand and Singapore, sold as the Holden Berlina and sharing its engine with the Opel Vectra A. The four-speed Jatco automatic was replaced by the GM TH700, also a four-speed, and the Borg-Warner T-5 five-speed manual. A centre high-mount stoplight was introduced before 1 July 1989, when Australian rules began requiring them on all new passenger cars.

Series II and the Lexcen

In September 1989 the Series II arrived with the EV6 engine, which had a new cast exhaust manifold, a new camshaft sprocket profile and timing chain, improved air and fuel distribution, recalibrated ignition and injector firing, wider conrod bearings and revised throttle response. The automatic was recalibrated to suit the new torque curve, and the changes reduced initial torque while improving noise and vibration.

Under the Hawke government’s Button car plan the VN was also rebadged as the Toyota Lexcen, launched in September 1989 and named after the America’s Cup yacht designer Ben Lexcen, replacing the Toyota Crown S120. In New Zealand the VN was assembled between 1988 and 1990, at first alongside the smaller VL, and the trim levels were effectively reversed: the New Zealand Commodore Executive matched the Australian Berlina, while the New Zealand Berlina was closer to an Australian Executive and used a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. A total of 215,180 VN Commodores were built before production ended in September 1991.

Design and features

• Opel hybrid: Omega and Senator bodywork adapted for Australian conditions.
• Buick V6: the first V6 Commodore engine, made in Australia.
• Full-size at last: widened and stretched floorpan to match the Ford Falcon.
• First Commodore ute: the VG Utility of August 1990.
• Toyota twin: the VN was also sold as the Toyota Lexcen.

Holden Commodore VN versions

• Executive and S: the volume models with the Buick V6.
• SS: the sports variant of the VN range.
• Berlina and Calais: the luxury versions, with a four-cylinder Berlina for export.
• VG Utility (1990): the first Commodore-based coupé utility.
• VQ Statesman and Caprice (1990): long-wheelbase derivatives on the wagon wheelbase.

The VN was followed by the VT generation and sat above the earlier Kingswood line; its ute became the Holden Ute. More cars are in the Holden collection.

Video: holden vn commodore V8 372ci old video

Video by hotsv1 on YouTube.

Sources

• Holden Commodore (VN), English Wikipedia: development, engines, exports, production