Tech does talking in Commodore
The new German Commodore carries a lot of emotional baggage. But it has a lot of trick tech too, writes David Linklater.
Imagine for a moment that production of the Holden Commodore was continuing in Australia for the fifthgeneration model. Wonder what that car would be like?
Actually, I can answer that for you. It would be exactly like the one you see here. The newgeneration Opel Insignia was signed off as the base for the ZB Commodore back in 2011, when Holden fully intended to be building it locally. So lament the loss of Aussie manufacturing if you like, but the fact is that your new Commodore was going to be based around this front-drive German car no matter what.
The new Commodore range has just been launched in New Zealand, in a bewildering array of versions: four-cylinder and V6 engines, front and all-wheel drive, liftback and wagon, all arranged around separate ‘‘luxury’’ and ‘‘sports’’ themes. Twelve individual models in all, and that’s after some rationalisation of the Australian lineup.
It’s impossible to talk you through them all, but here are some ZB shortcuts: all fourcylinder models are front-drive and all V6 models are all-wheel drive. Anything with a ‘‘V’’ in the model name in NZ will have the V6 engine... although that’s not actually what the ‘‘V’’ stands for. It’s complicated.
We’ve had a taste of the whole range during Holden NZ’s monster media launch for the new car. To be honest, it’s hard to zero in on one model that’s truly representative of the ZB because they are all so different. The 2.0-litre, turbocharged fourcylinder petrol is the standout: it’s sweet and smooth and has almost as much torque as the V6: 350Nm at 3000rpm versus 381Nm at 5200rpm. Both drive through a slick nine-speed gearbox.
But there was a slight issue with the four-pot launch cars: they were erroneously fitted with Opelspecification dampers rather than the Holden-specific ones destined for our showrooms. Having driven both back-to-back in Australia, I can assure you they do feel different: the German car is firmer but the Aussie incarnation has superior ride control over undulating surfaces.
There’s also a turbo-diesel four, but we haven’t driven that yet. So on balance, let’s put aside the front-drive fours for the moment.
The standout V6s would seem to be the VXR and SUV-like Tourer. The former because it’s the flagship and dynamic high point, with adaptive suspension and special drive modes; the latter because cars with raised ride height and plastic cladding are very much of the moment. The VXR has the hardest suspension of any ZB, the Tourer the softest.
They are also both for the fortunate few. The VXR is $67,990, while the Tourer is only available in top-line Calais-V specification in NZ, at $65,990.
So let’s look to the more mainstream V6 versions. After all, the entry-level RS-V has the same 235kW as the VXR, gets a Sport drive-mode button, rides on a driver-focused suspension tune (including the more sophisticated ‘‘HiperStrut’’ front architecture) and can be bought as either a liftback (like the VXR) or wagon (like the Tourer). Like all the V6 models, it also has the trick Twinster all-wheel drive system.
The RS-V is $58,990 as a liftback, or $2000 more as the sportwagon pictured here.
The V6 engine is still somewhat shaded by the turbo-four: you have to work it hard at times, but it does have a suitably growly exhaust note. The six was only included in the programme at the Aussie brand’s insistence and the Holden boffins have done a lot of work on making it sound appealing. Although it’s not as aggressivesounding as the VXR, which also has Electronic Sound Enhancement (ESE) in its bespoke ‘‘VXR’’ drive-mode.
The key piece of technology in the V6 is the Twinster all-wheel drive system, which gives each rear wheel a separate clutch for true torque vectoring. It endows the ZB with a level of traction and composure that you could only dream about in an old-school Commodore. No, it doesn’t emulate the feel of a rear-drive car (it’s not supposed to) and no, the chassis still doesn’t have the sophisticated ride quality the best of the VF breed offered. But it’s a tremendously capable, quick and enjoyable vehicle on Kiwi roads.
All ZB Commodores get the HoldenEye safety package with autonomous emergency braking (including pedestrian detection), lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, forward collision alert and following distance indicator.
Commodore is a smaller kind of large car now, of course: 86mm shorter in the wheelbase and 36mm narrower than the VF. But Holden claims the ‘‘couple’’ distance from front to rear seats is the same as the old VF and all the width has come out of the centre console, not from occupant space. There’s less rear headroom in the liftback than the old VF, but if you opt for the even-more-handsome sportwagon you actually get a little more. Granted, you can’t get three
adults or child seats across the rear like you could in an all-Aussie Commodore; Holden’s argument is that people who want that kind of space buy SUVs now.
But it’s still practical, with 560 litres of loadspace and 40/20/40-split rear seats in the RSV (60/40 on lower-end models).
Holden reckons the ZB has enough load length to swallow a mountain bike with the wheel still attached. All sportwagons get a nifty hands-free tailgate that’s activated by a kick under the rear bumper. A Holden logo projected on the ground shows you where to aim your foot.
Inside, the ZB owes a lot to the smaller Astra. It looks stylish, although some of the fit and finish is in the acceptable rather than impressive category. The RS-V gets leather upholstery, eight-inch touch-screen, sports steering wheel with paddles, privacy glass (just the wagon) and wireless phone charger. Embedded sat-nav too, in case your Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto phone projection is out of cellular range.
You can’t escape the fact that medium/large cars are in decline: together, less than five per cent of the Kiwi market. Traditional station wagons are even more distressed, in this age of the SUV. But this cool Commodore RS-V estate car versus a similar-price top-line Equinox? As James Bond says in Skyfall, ‘‘sometimes the old ways are the best’’. Although he drives an Aston Martin.