Six new Commodore myths (not quite) debunked

GM Holden has launched a marketing campaign defending the brand’s first imported Commodore ahead of its launch next February.

Full pricing and specification details of the all-new 2018 Commodore, which is twinned with Opel’s latest German-built Insignia and will include Liftback, Sportwagon and Tourer crossover models, were released in recent weeks.

We’ve also previously documented the 15-variant ZB Commodore’s engine line-up, which will include 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel four-cylinders driving the front wheels, plus a V6 all-wheel drive powertrain, all matched with a nine-speed automatic transmission.

But alongside a new Commodore configurator on its public website, Holden yesterday launched a campaign aimed at debunking what it claims are myths concerning the first front-wheel drive Commodore.

“Every now and then something new comes along that seems to fly in the face of what you’ve always believed,” said Holden in an email to customers.

“A bit like the upcoming all-new Commodore. It’s changed a lot from the current Commodore.

“But for the better. Way better.

Naturally, big changes always come with a few myths floating around with them.

“So let’s bust a few of the ones you may have heard.”

Recipients were asked to click through to the Holden website, which states: “We've taken a bunch of myths about the all-new Commodore and burst them wide open to prove there's more to our reimagined icon than some might think.”

Holden then goes on to list six so-called myths about the European-sourced Commodore, as follows:

“Myth 1: Power only comes from the rear wheels.

The new ‘Twinster’ All-Wheel Drive system is the first time AWD has featured across the Commodore range.

This powerful V6 engine channels 235kW and 381Nm to all four wheels, with torque distributed exactly where it’s needed for superior power, grip and safety in all conditions.

Even on those tight corners, Twinster uses pre-emptive torque vectoring to constantly monitor your driving style and send torque to the right wheels, for confidence and excitement around every twist and turn.”

The only problem here is the new Commodore’s V6 all-wheel drive powertrain is only available on some models, including the $40,000-plus RS-V Liftback and Sportwagon, the Calais Tourer, the Calais-V Liftback and Tourer, and the VXR Liftback flagship, which costs more than the outgoing SS-V Redline V8.

Unlike every other Commodore before the ZB, all other models are front-wheel drive.

“Myth 2: It's a lot smaller than before.

The only noticeable difference is the sleek sloping roofline of the Liftback, leaving 12mm less headroom.

We’re talking millimeters here. The overall dimensions are very similar to the current Commodore, so when you hear ‘a lot’ smaller, it just proves how little they know.”

In an automotive world in which car-makers spruik every millimetre of extra head, leg, shoulder and hip room in a new model, 12mm less rear headroom is not insignificant.

Besides, rear headroom isn’t the only interior dimension that shrinks for the sleek ZB Liftback compared to the homegrown VFII sedan.

Measuring 74mm shorter overall, as well as 36mm narrower, the new five-door Commodore also offers 58mm less shoulder room and 44mm less hip room, although front headroom and rear legroom are the same.

“Myth 3: It can't be both drivable and versatile.

The all-new Commodore Tourer says otherwise. There’s plenty of boot space to pack in all your adventure gear; 560 litres with the rear seats up or 1665 litres down.

And once you set off, All-Wheel Drive gives you the confidence that, no matter where you’re headed, you’ve got all the power and grip you need.”

Holden busted this myth itself a decade ago with the Adventra…

“Myth 4: It's not built for Australian roads.

The Commodore was designed and built in Germany, but this is our most technically advanced Commodore ever, and has been adapted specifically for Australian roads.

Holden engineers have accumulated over a hundred thousand kilometres of local testing to fine-tune features like the suspension, steering and stability controls, and ensure crucial additions like V6 All-Wheel Drive.

Fact: The Opel Insignia was designed and built for European roads, before its chassis was adjusted by Holden for local conditions in a development program that began in 2012.

Indeed it’s “built for Australian roads” even less so than the original VB Commodore of 1978, which was loosely based on Opel’s four-cylinder Rekord E not long after the 1973 oil crisis when Holden needed a smaller and more efficient model to replace the HZ Kingswood.

Even more ironically, Holden borrowed the Commodore name from Opel, which had used it since 1969.

Anyway, when Holden launched its clean-sheet, billion-dollar VE Commodore after seven years of development in 2006, it said it undertook 3.4 million kilometres of testing.

“Myth 5: It has to be big to be powerful.

Better beats bigger when it comes to the new 2-litre turbo petrol engine. It’s the fastest and most powerful entry level engine ever offered in a Commodore.

With 191kW/350Nm through the front wheels, the all-new Commodore has more power than the 3-litre V6 in the VF Evoke and the same torque as the 3.6-litre V6 in the VF SV6!"

Yes, the entry-level ZB’s 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four outperforms the base VFII Evoke’s 185kW/290Nm 3.0-litre V6, but not the 210kW/350Nm 3.6-litre V6 in the discontinued SV6 and Calais.

And yes the 235kW/381Nm V6 AWD drivetrain in selected models including the VXR out-guns the latter, but not the SS Commodore’s 304kW/570Nm 6.2-litre V8, which Holden makes no mention of and which comprised up to half of all VFII sales this year.

“Myth 6: Some say we're leaving motor racing.

Motorsport continues to be a vital part of Holden’s DNA, from the Red Bull Holden Race Team to multiple teams racing Holdens in the Supercars Series.

2018 will see Colorados take to the track in the new Super Utes Series, and the all-new Commodore Supercar is set to change our expectations of how a supercar ‘should’ look.”

It’s true that from next year almost all Supercars teams will race the new ZB Commodore – or at least a race car that looks like it.

But the fact is the new twin-turbo GM V6 that’s currently under development at Red Bull HRT (but won’t be available in the road-going Commodore) will only be used at selected rounds of the 2018 Supercars series.

Instead, Red Bull and other Holden Supercars teams will continue to run their existing 5.0-litre V8 until the 2019 season, but longer-term the ZB Commodore’s Supercars future is unclear.

Because Opel is now owned by Groupe PSA, the lifespan of the new Insignia/Commodore is reportedly guaranteed only until 2021.

Beyond that, even if the ZB Commodore is replaced, Holden could switch to the Camaro coupe that will become available here via official Chevrolet dealers from mid-2018.