New Commodore revealed
Holden’s next-generation Commodore flagship, the V6powered, all-wheel-drive liftback VXR, has been revealed in images distributed by General Motors’ Australian arm six months out from the imported 2018 range’s showroom debut.
Riding on a chassis honed by Holden engineers over 100,000km of test driving in Australia, the German-sourced Commodore VXR gets a pumped-up sports body treatment that sets it apart from standard Commodore variants unveiled up to eight months ago.
Bolder front and rear bumpers, bigbore twin exhaust pipes, rear lip spoiler, unique side skirts and bigger 20inch alloy wheels are among the VXR exterior highlights.
The front is dominated by two large metallic-look ‘vents’ on each side at the front, along with slimline LED headlights that Holden says boast anti-glare matrix technology.
The look will be shared by sports variants of sister models, the European Opel Insignia GSI, British Vauxhall Insignia GSI and North American Buick Regal GS.
As expected, the Holden VXR gets a 235kw-381nm version of GM’S ubiquitous normally aspirated 3.6-litre V6, hooked up to a new nine-speed automatic transmission and advanced all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring and twin-clutch differential.
While the raw power and torque of the Commodore VXR falls well short of the figures produced by the current Commodore sports flagship, the 304kw-570nm 6.2-litre V8 SS, Holden is counting on the sophistication of the new package to win a new legion of fans.
Holden lead dynamics engineer Rob Trubiani said the next-generation Commodore VXR offered a different execution of performance to the outgoing SS.
“But make no mistake, this is more than a worthy successor,” he said.
“We’ve been involved in the development of this car from the beginning and I personally have spent significant time behind the wheel overseas and at Holden’s Lang Lang proving ground.
“The V6 engine with the adaptive AWD and nine-speed transmission make the VXR a quick and smooth car to drive, even in wet conditions.
“Importantly, we also have Brembo front brakes and continuous damping control and drivers are able to switch between three driving modes for distinctly different drive experiences.
“We can’t wait to get the car in the hands of our customers next year, but for now, we’ve still got some work to do and will continue to work with the team in Europe, who are currently completing chassis development at Nurburgring in Germany.”
Holden was instrumental in the inclusion of the V6 version of the new model which is based on Opel’s Insignia.
As we have reported, 3.6 litres will be as big as it gets in the next Commodore, with no V8 on the cards, nor a V6 turbo.
The V6 VRX will sit atop a powertrain range that includes a pair of 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engines – a petrol and a diesel – driving the front wheels.
Apart from its bigger engine and allwheel-drive powertrain, the VXR will get Brembo brakes and three-mode driving control system that adjusts continuous damping control suspension, as well as the steering, transmission shifts and adaptive AWD system.
The VXR will get leather-upholstered, heated and ventilated front sports seats along with a long list of advanced safety technologies, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, blindspot alert, rear cross-traffic alert and 360-degree cameras.