Point to prove
David Linklater gets behind the wheel at Holden’s proving ground and out on the road.
David Linklater hits the road in the New Commodore range.
If Opel had its way, we’d have a wide selection of fourcylinder Holden Commodores but nothing else when the allnew range hits New Zealand showrooms in March.
The turbocharged 2.0-litre is the premium engine for the Opel Insignia (aka Commodore) in Europe.
The reason Australasian buyers will also have a V6 in the mix is because Holden asked for it early in the programme, although it was subsequently picked up by Buick for the American-market Regal GS.
This is just one of many Aussiecentric points Holden executives made during the media launch of the new ZB Commodore this month, as we drove the range on roads around Melbourne and at the company’s Lang Lang Proving Ground.
The ZB’s status as the first Holden Commodore not to be built in Australia is a bit of a touchy subject across the Tasman. Had you heard?
Suffice to say that influence is only applicable to this model, here and now.
Last year GM sold off its European operations, to PeugeotCitroen – the same operations that produce the Insignia/Commodore.
Holden Australia boss Mark Bernhard has been quoted in local media as saying that the car is guaranteed to continue as a Holden until 2024.
After that, who knows? We’ve been over the Australasian Commodore changes before, so we won’t spin our wheels too much covering the same ground.
But to recap: there’s a more positive steering feel just offcentre and more linear response overall.
While the motorway-optimised Opel steering calibration is designed to load up as wheel-angle increases, the Holden version is more consistent and precise.
The suspension of the ZB has been recalibrated to take full advantage of wheel travel over large primary bumps, but maintain better control to reduce ‘‘floating’’ over undulating roads.
Holden says its setup also benefits secondary ride on rough roads.
There are three powertrains: a
2.0-litre turbo-petrol with 191kW/
350Nm, 2.0 turbo-diesel with
125kW/400Nm and 3.6-litre petrol
V6 with 235kW/381Nm. In Australia the specification choice is truly bewildering, particularly in the way you can mix-and-match engines with specifications.
The Kiwi lineup is rationalised, but still has its complexities.
Let’s start with the LT, RS and Calais models. The LT starts at
$45,990, which is actually $4000 cheaper than the outgoing Evoke
V6 (see bottom of story for a full ZB price list).
All of the above are fourcylinder, front-drive only: petrol or diesel for LT, petrol-only for the two higher-specification versions.
There are also RS-V and CalaisV models, and they add the V6 AWD powertrain.
The ‘‘V’’ badge doesn’t actually designate the V6 (it’s just a trim level, as in the Astra RS-V), but for NZ anything with a V in the name does have the larger engine.
All of the above are available in liftback or Sportwagon and there’s also a Calais V Tourer – essentially a crossover-SUV version of the Sportwagon, with raised ride height and extra plastic cladding.
At the top of the range is the alldancing-and-singing VXR, which really steps up in terms of technology and equipment.
Now the matrix gets a tad more complicated because there are four levels of chassis specification.
There are Tour, Sport, Performance and Touring suspension packages.
Tour is the base line for all four-cylinder models and also fitted to the Calais-V V6.
However, the four-cylinder RS also gets a Sport button (not to be confused with the Sport suspension) that allows you to sharpen up powertrain calibration and steering.
The RS-V rides on Sport suspension.
Both RS-V and Calais-V (still on Tour suspension, remember) get the Sport calibration button as well.
The VXR has the Performance suspension package with adaptive dampers, which means that Sport button on the console also gives you different levels of suspension tune.
In addition to Tour and Sport, there’s an additional ‘‘VXR’’ mode (yet another button) that takes the whole dynamic package up to another level of aggression.
Finally, there’s the Touring suspension-spec, which is fitted to the Touring pseudo-SUV wagon. Got that?
Even with the simplified range we’re getting in NZ, it’s a daunting prospect choosing the specification that suits you best.
The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine is tremendously smooth and strong.
Holden makes much of the fact that it’s the quickest entry-level Commodore it’s ever had, but what’s more impressive is the real-world performance, which matches the 3.6-litre V6 in many ways.
That’s down to the torque output: 350Nm at 3000-4000rpm gives the V6’s 381Nm/5200rpm a run for its money in 100kmh conditions, working seamlessly with the standard nine-speed automatic.
The V6 is also a dirtier engine. It meets Euro V emissions standards, compared with VI(b) for the 2.0-litre.
The four-pot petrol achieves
7.4-7.6 litres per 100km (diesel
5.6-5.8), the V6 8.9-9.3 litres. Why choose the V6 then? There’s more grunt up top, a nice noise (again, carefully engineered by Holden and unique to Commodore) and especially the clever AWD system.
It uses what’s called Twinster dual-clutch technology to control each rear wheel individually, checking in with the drivetrain
100 times per second.
It can go 50/50 front-to-rear but also apply 100 per cent of available torque to either rear wheel.
We drove on public roads and at high speed on tarmac and dirt around Lang Lang.
The AWD seems to keep traction no matter what and the torque-vectoring can help ‘‘push’’ you around a corner by shifting power to the outside-rear wheel.
The front-drive, four-pot models are still a spirited drive and strong on comfort and control.
It’s just that AWD versions are next-level in terms of traction and responsiveness.
There are a few quirks based around chassis-specification and wheel size.
An RS-V on Sport suspension with 18-inch wheels is a very different-feeling car to a Calais-V that keeps the Tour chassis but has aggressive 20-inch rims.
The VXR is really a standalone model, loaded with tech and equipment.
It’s also a good deal more aggressive than anything else in the range: Tour mode in the adaptive dampers is still a lot firmer than a Tour-specification RS, for example.
❚ LT 2.0 petrol $45,990 (Sportwagon $47,990).
❚ LT 2.0 turbo diesel $48,990
($50,990).
❚ RS 2.0 $49,990 ($51,990).
❚ RS-V 3.6 V6 $58,990 ($60,990).
❚ VXR 3.6 V6 $67,990.
❚ Calais 2.0 $52,990.
❚ Calais-V 3.6 V6 $61,990.
❚ Calais-V Tourer $65,990.