HOLDEN COMMODORE

THIS has been a milestone year for Holden, with the demise of auto production in Australia heralding much handwringing and tears on the part of the Holden Faithful, who can no longer point to Commodore as an Antipodean automotive artwork.

The Commodore for a new generation is now sourced out of Europe and in transitioning hemispheres, has also lost another iconic element, that of the petrolpowered V8.

Could Commodore ever recover? Could Holden? Given that the ZB Commodore range has been selected for the Company Vehicle Large Car of the Year award, the answer is a resounding ‘yes!’

The new ZB Commodore is a vast improvement over the previous model. It’s more refined and far more sophisticated than ever before. It is also a showcase of GM technology in every respect, including safety and innovative equipment and spec, engine technology and design.

The Commodore line-up is extensive and in addition to the petrol-powered versions, now includes a super slick, diesel engine in the mix (as well as two spin off large wagons and of course, the upmarket Calais and Calais V variants. Engines are either two-litre turbo petrol/diesel, or 3.6-litre V6 with AWD. Nine-speed automatic transmissions are standard across all models, except the diesel, which takes an eight-speed.

Naturally, there is a pecking order as far as specification is concerned and, just as with the Commodores of old, the entry level version is hardly a shrinking violet.

The LT comes equipped with autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, forward collision alert, (all referred to as Holdeneye), along with passive entry and push button start and as part of the Mylink infotainment package, phone projection with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. You also have cruise control, six airbags, electronic stability control, front and rear park assist with camera and LED daytime running lamps.

Following that is the RS, the RS-V and the VXR, every one being a notch up or two from the vehicle before. The Calais and the Calais V are a little different from what you’d expect too. The Calais being the Holden definition of luxury, the Calais V, a little luxury with the devil inside.

As to the engines, the two-litre versions offer up 191kw and 350Nm of torque for the petrols with the diesel summoning up 125kw and 400Nm of torque. The larger displacement 3.6-litre sixes deliver up 235kw and 381Nm of torque.