Holden Omega 2009 Review

Holden's dual-fuel VE Omega ute offers tradesmen the chance to cut their fuel bills, but still delivers everything its petrol-sucking cousin does. Instead of following the Ford path and making its LPG-fuelled Ute a dedicated gas model Holden has chosen to stick with tradition and make it a dual-fuel model.

While it has stuck with tradition in offering its ute in dual-fuel form Holden had also chosen to move with the times and use a state-of-the-art gas-injection system instead of employing the old technology Ford has on its E-Gas engine. Holden's system is a well-respected gas-injection system designed and developed by Impco who has done a good job in integrating it into the core vehicle.

At first sight there is little to say the dual-fuel Omega ute is any different to the regular model, if it wasn't for the sticker on the rego plates no-one would ever know it runs LPG as well as petrol.

It's only when you dig a little deeper that you find that the LPG filler is tucked away neatly under the regular flap alongside the fuel filler, that there is a fuel system switch and LPG level indicator neatly integrated into the centre console, and if you lift the bonnet the injectors and other system components are visible. It's all there if you look, but there's nothing that screams afterthought or backyard.

The smooth integration of the LPG system is even more evident on the road where the Omega ute drives and performs equally well on LPG as it does on unleaded. When driven on LPG the system is configured such that the engine starts on petrol and automatically switches over to LPG after a few seconds, so there's none of the extended cranking times that occur when the engine is started on LPG. The switchover is smooth and the driver wouldn't be aware that it did happen unless they were watching the system indicator in the centre console.

A coloured light shows which system is in use at any time and changes colour depending on the system employed, when the system switches from petrol to LPG the colour of the light changes as well. The indicator also includes a series of lights to indicate the level of LPG in the 73-litre tank just behind the Omega's cabin.

Should the level fall to empty the system will automatically switch across to petrol, so there's no interruption to driving, and no chance of being stuck on the side of the road as there is with a dedicated LPG vehicle.

On the road the dual-fuel Omega drives smoothly with none of the stalling, stumbling, surging, or backfiring as has been common in the past with cars running on LPG. There's also no feeling of a loss of performance from the 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 engine; the response to the throttle is fast and spirited, and it's not lethargic, as is the case with most LPG vehicles using older technology.

Holden says the dual-fuel V6 puts out 175 kW at 6500 revs and 318 Nm at 2400 revs when working at its peaks, down from the 180 kW at 6000 revs and 330 Nm at 2600 revs it delivers in petrol-only form.

Like the regular Omega ute the only choice of transmission in the dual-fuel Ute is a four-speed auto, which shifts smoothly and works well with no obvious glitches.

By using the gas-injection system Holden has been able to use the full capability of the dynamic stability control, which is standard on the dual-fuel Ute as it is on the petrol model. Stability control is but one of the safety systems that come standard with the dual-fuel Ute; the others include ABS antiskid brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution for optimum braking, electronic brake assist in emergency stops, and traction control. As with the regular Ute the dual-fuel model rides and handles well, steers with precision and stops with assurance.

Buying a dual-fuel Ute really comes down to the savings that could be made in running costs. Over the time Big Wheels had the Omega Ute it returned 13.29 L/100 km on LPG in a mix of town, country and freeway driving, while a previous similar test of a petrol Ute had it doing 12.5 L/100 km.

Using those figures, and the prices of regular unleaded and LPG at the time of the test on the dual-fuel Ute, it would cost $152 per 1000 km on regular unleaded and $64 for the same distance on LPG, a saving of $88 per 1000 km. At that rate it would take 38,600 km to recover the $3400 cost of the LPG option.

That's of course without considering the $2000 government rebate for private buyers that substantially reduces the payback time and makes the LPG Ute even more appealing.