Holden’s new hot Commodore
It’s European by nature, and the hot version of Holden’s nextgeneration (NG) Commodore will now be European in name.
The ‘‘SS’’ badge of the current Australian-built highperformance Commodore will disappear with the V8 engine when the all-new European-made model, a version of the latest Opel Insignia, is launched in early-2018.
Instead, the go-faster Commodore will be called ‘‘VXR’’, in line with the naming convention of other Opel-sourced models (including the previous Insignia and Astra, both sold in NZ as Holdens).
It won’t entirely be a first for a Commodore, though: Aussie-made HSV models have previously been sold as Vauxhall VXRS in the United Kingdom.
The range-topping Commodore VXR will have a 3.6-litre V6 making 235kw/381nm, a ninespeed automatic transmission, Brembo front brakes and a bespoke sports set-up with driveradjustable settings for the Continuous Damping Control (CDC), steering, transmission and the adaptive AWD system.
‘‘The next-gen Commodore VXR offers a different execution of performance to the outgoing SS but make no mistake, this is a more than worthy successor,’’ says Holden’s renowned lead dynamics engineer, Rob Trubiani.
Holden says the NG Commodore has undergone more than 100,000km of Australian testing to date.
The VXR is still undergoing final proving in Europe, including development at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany.
The styling of the VXR features 20-inch alloy wheels, large rear spoiler, and new front and rear fascia.
The NG Commodore VXR will be on sale alongside the rest of the sedan range, along with Sportwagon and Tourer body styles, in early 2018.