Holden Calais-V Tourer 2019 Review

It may no longer be built in Australia, but the fact is the latest generation Holden Commodore is a very solid European designed, engineered and built offering that brings a wide variety of choices to the staid mid-size car market.

Backed by competitive pricing and one of Australia's biggest dealer networks, the German-built ZB Commodore is available in liftback, wagon and crossover body styles powered by four-cylinder turbocharged petrol or diesel engines, plus a petrol V6, matched to a nine-speed auto and both front- and all-wheel drive.

We’ve already tested a number of variations of the new Holden Commodore, including the Calais-V and Commodore RS sedans. This time we’re driving the Sportwagon-based Commodore Tourer crossover, equipped with a V6 AWD powertrain.

The Tourer comes in two specifications: the entry-level Calais ($45,990 plus on-road costs) and the slightly more premium Calais-V, which we’re testing here and is priced at $53,990 plus ORCs.

Like all new Holdens, the upmarket crossover is backed by Holden’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and five-year roadside assistance package, as long as the car is serviced at a Holden dealer.

Service intervals are recommended every 12 months or 12,000km (which ever comes first) and will cost $817 over the first three years (or $1535 over five years).

Options such as floor mats, headlight protectors, bonnet protector and a tow ball can be added for an additional cost.

Station wagons are a great alternative for those wanting the space offered by an SUV, minus the height, weight, fuel consumption and handling penalties.

While the Commodore Sportwagon is available only in LT, RS and RS-V equipment grades, making it popular with fleet buyers, the Tourer is aimed squarely at families and, in Calais-V form, is the most expensive version of the German-made ZB Commodore range.

It might lack the diesel engine option of the similarly roomy Sportwagon, but apart from the visual appeal of its ‘crossover’ look via lower body cladding it also brings a little more ride height, so getting in and out is easier and there are two ISOFIX child-seat anchor points in the back seat.a

Indeed the Calais-V Tourer makes for the perfect family car and, because there’s all-wheel-drive to go with the extra ground clearance, those looking to do some light off-roading can venture off onto unsurfaced roads with more peace of mind.

The Holden Calais-V Tourer is really well equipped. Jet Black leather-appointed seat trim (with heating up front), a leather steering wheel, 18-inch alloy wheels, tinted windows, heated mirrors, LED daytime running lights, wireless phone charging, hands-free tailgate and rain-sensing wipers are all standard.

Safety features include lane keeping assist, reverse camera, front and rear parking sensors, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert and autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

And note that while the base Calais does get AEB, it only gets the low-speed version (up to 30km/h) while the Calais-V gets high-speed AEB as well.

Other Calais-V extras include adaptive cruise control, brighter LED Matrix headlights and a cool colour head-up display, so those planning on frequent highway driving will be better served in the Calais-V.

Back-seat passengers get plenty of head and legroom, but not a great deal of storage (one bottle holder in each door pocket and map pockets behind each front seat). There are also two USB ports, air-vents and a centre armrest in the second row.

An easy to navigate infotainment via an 8.0-inch colour touch-screen sits in the centre of the dash, offering navigation, digital radio, Bluetooth, USB and smartphone mirroring (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), although we had some glitches using Apple CarPlay which required the phone to be unplugged then plugged back in.

Space is one of the Holden Calais-V Tourer’s best qualities. The rear seat can be split 40:20:40 and folds flat, turning an already impressive 560 to 1665 litres.

Grocery runs are made easier thanks to shopping bag hooks located around the boot and a handy electric tailgate.

It also gets a space-saver instead of a full-sized spare wheel/tyre, giving you extra boot space but not being the tyre of choice if you’ve ventured off the beaten track and end up with a flat.

The Calais-V Tourer also has decent brake towing capacity of 2100kg, although a tow pack costs an extra $1300.

There isn’t a great deal of choice when it comes to off-road capable wagons, as car manufacturers concentrate on SUVs and utes for the adventurous.

Some worth considering though, if you’ve got your heart set on a medium/large all-paw wagon, are the German-built Volkswagen Passat Alltrack or Subaru’s Levorg or Outback.

The Commodore range falls under the large passenger car category and is Holden’s second best-selling car (including both sedan and wagon) after the Colorado ute.

Inside, the leather seats are comfy with plenty of adjustment (eight-way electric for driver) and the steering wheel has telescopic adjustment too, so getting settled should be easy for most.

The 3.6-litre V6 looks good on paper, sending its 235kW/381Nm to all four wheels, but it doesn’t feel that strong on the road – at least until you get it going – so don’t expect to win any traffic light grands prix.

The nine-speed automatic transmission makes up for any performance shortfall though, always feeling smooth and well calibrated.

The lane keeping assist on this model is one of the better systems we’ve tested in that it doesn’t aggressively steer you away from the lane markings whenever you’re not exactly in the middle of your lane. And during normal driving, the steering feel is super light and gives you the impression you’re driving something much smaller.

There’s a distinct hissing noise that comes from the air-conditioning unit behind the dash, which once noticed cannot be unnoticed. The distracting sound occurs no matter the fan speed and only stops once you’ve turned the air-conditioning unit off completely, which not many people do these days. Deal breaker? Only if you’re not prepared to have the music turned up loud enough to drown it out.

Another small niggle was the position of the pedals, which feel too upright and make your ankles cramp up unless you move the seat further back than is comfortable for your arms to reach. It’s a lose-lose situation in that department, but probably not so bad for those with longer limbs.

As far as crossover wagons go, the Holden Calais Tourer is definitely worth a test drive. And if you’re planning on doing lots of kays (especially at night or on the highway) and can afford to spend another $6K, the Calais-V makes a lot of sense.

How much does the 2019 Holden Calais-V Tourer cost?
Price: $53,990 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 3.6-litre V6 petrol
Output: 235kW/381Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 212g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (2017)