VY COMMODORE SS is available with six-speed manual transmission or, as a no-cost option, four-speed automatic transmission. Its 5.7-litre Chevrolet engine is about as big as a V8 gets in a family sedan, and delivers an outstanding power-to-weight ratio of 148kW per tonne. Fuel economy suffers, though, and we were unable to match Holden's claimed figures of 8.5 litres per 100km in the city and 13.5lt/100km on the highway, with an average of 11lt/100km.