HOLDEN'S ageing 3.8-litre, two-valves-per-cylinder pushrod V6 benefits from some upgrades in VX guise so that power is boosted from 147kW to 152kW at 5200rpm, while torque is up just one Newton-metre to 305Nm at 3600rpm.

Drag-strip performance is lineball with the other big Aussie sixes, good for low eight seconds in the 0-100km/h dash. Ditto for fuel consumption, with independent figures of around 11L/100km. Holden claims a three to four per cent improvement in official figures. The 171kW supercharged V6, which is now optional on Acclaim, is unchanged from VTII to VX.