This is it, ladies and gents. Thanks to time differences, it’s currently December 7, 2016, in Australia. That is the day Opel has planned to showcase the 2018 Opel Insignia Grand Sport.
Except, Holden has done it first. Meet the 2018 Holden NG Commodore, the biggest step in Holden’s move from manufacturer, to import-only.
While it may be Holden for Oz, this is largely going to be North America’s 2018 Buick Regal. Swap the Holden lion badge for a red, white and blue tri-shield emblem, and this is it, Buick fans.
Holden gives credit to Opel for the exterior design, but the brand remains firm it certainly was involved with the first fully-imported Commodore to see the shores of Australia. We’ve heard many references to Mazda and its 6 sedan, but the design is largely taken from the Opel Monza concept vehicle.
That’s certainly not a bad thing because the design is quite striking. The Commodore will now sit as a five-door liftback with a rear hatch. Style lines flow sharply from the rear taillamp and taper just before the front quarter. The chiseled line running from the side skirt to the rear door is also quite dramatic.
For the sake of staying on one subject, we’ll focus on what this vehicle means to Holden and not Buick.
The 2018 Commodore will arrive as a midsize vehicle to replace the current full-size VF Commodore. While the 2018 NG (new generation) Commodore will have an overall smaller footprint, interior space has not been significantly compromised. Specifications of the 2018 Commodore compared to the current VF Commodore Series II can be found below:
- 2018 Commodore Wheelbase: 111.4 inches. 3.4 inches shorter than VFII.
- Length: 192.9 inches. 2.9 inches shorter.
- Width: 73.3 inches. 1.4 inches narrower.
- Head room: 37.5 inches. 0.5 inches less.
- Shoulder room: 56.9 inches. 2.3 inches less.
- Hip room: 55.5 inches. 1.7 inches less.
- Knee room: identical to VFII.
The biggest news is also some of the most dreaded news for the faithful: the 2018 Holden Commodore is riding on General Motors’ E2XX platform. This platform also underpins the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu for comparison.
What does that mean? There’s no V8 engine and there’s no rear-wheel drive configuration.
Instead, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder option will power most 2018 Commodores, and a 3.6-liter V6 engine will become the range-topping powertrain. GM’s new nine-speed automatic will provide shifting duties through a Precision Shift gear selector and send power to all four wheels through a “Twinster” all-wheel drive system.
As for driving itself, the Australian-specific chassis features a FlexRide adaptive chassis which includes a Standard, Touring and Sport mode. Sport mode also reduces brake dive and introduces a more buttoned-down chassis.
So, how about the amenities? The 2018 Holden Commodore, depending on trim level, will feature LED matrix headlights, massage seats, heated front and rear seats, ventilated front seats, one-touch folding rear seats, auto up-down controls for all windows and a powered liftgate on the wagon. It’s quite a technological step forward to what buyers may be used to with the current VF Commodore.
As for safety, the 2018 Commodore will arrive with a slew of active safety features including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, speed limit cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, forward collision alert, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and a 360-degree camera.
Take it all in, Holden fans. Although the 2017 Holden VF Commodore Series II has about a year left in it, the future is now. Holden has stated the 2018 Holden NG Commodore is shooting for a February 2018 arrival date.
Comments
Wow, it’s hot inside and out! It also looks very wide in the front end pic. I’m not sure that I completely understand the logic in not offering a sedan down under, just the hatch and wagon. As if getting rid of the V8 and RWD and importing the car from overseas isn’t a big enough change for people to buy into, the bodystyle has changed too. Why not offer both?… (or all three if you include the wagon). Also, if we get to see the Commodore now, and the Insignia in a few hours, when do we get to see the Regal? If we have to wait until closer to the NY auto show, then why? BTW: this isn’t “exactly” the Regal, which should have a Lacrosse/Encore style grille with vertical bars as seen in the spy pics.
Edit: Upon closer review, I believe the pics of the red car are photoshopped due to the location of the fuel door, which does not match the silver car below, or the uncovered spy shots of the Opel that we saw yesterday.
looks like a jellybean….and the profile looks like a turd.
I upvote the truth. Others are post-truth. It’s a turd, folks. Voting doesn’t change sheetmetal. Hammers do.
Looks good in these colors.
We should see the Buick at Detroit but it will little surprise other than some details.
Both the photos and most photos are retouched and has some form of photo shop any more.
This should be a very good chassis. While those who like burn outs may hate this those who like better handling and faster 0-60 time will love the wad.
At this point is there a sedan.? I have only seen the hatch and if the sedan has the same roof line you would never get any large boxes in the trunk. It will be interesting to see just what Buick gets.
I reserve final judgement till I see it in person but so far I like what I see.
Keep in mind too the guy who is designing at Mazda came from GM and at one time was at Holden. He did the solstice and sky.
No surprises here! We all knew what was coming, so the impact of revealing that the next Commodore is FWD with no V8 option has been softened. Nevertheless, it’s still the last nail in the coffin of Australian RWD performance. And it pretty much confirms no successor to the beloved Chevy SS.
This next Insignia\Commodore should still prove to be more than capable at being a refined, good handling sedan. And I’m looking forward to the potential high-end variants; hopefully with TTV6 and Audi-like performance!
Have to agree. With that AWD system you can do wonderful things to the engine (bucketloads of Horsepower for instance) and it will still stick to the road (like a Nissan GTR). 🙂
Personally I think it’s a great looking car. Having said that, a Commodore this is not! I’m a GM guy, but I think it’s shameful what GM has done to the Holden brand. Once the VF Commodore Series II is gone, Holden completely ceases to be an Australian brand. All they’ll have are a bunch of blatant, lazily badge-engineered vehicles sourced from other GM brands around the globe. And because of this, there’s no cohesive design language whatsoever. Some Holdens look kind of like modern Buicks, some look like Chevrolets, and for some reason they’re getting the GMC Acadia, so now they’ll have GMC’s design language as well. It’s like they don’t even care. “Eh, just slap on a couple Holden badges and it’s good to go.”
Buick also seems to be rapidly going in this direction, sadly. The Encore, Cascada and Regal are all blatantly rebadged Opels, while the Envision is Chinese designed and built. The soon to be discontinued Verano is nothing more than China’s Buick Excelle. Please don’t turn Buick into America’s Holden!
Actually Opel and Buick have been on the same design path for quite a while. Think of it going forward as less Opel/ Vauxhall and more Opel/ Vauxhall/ Buick. This also fits nicely into their history since both have a reputation for offering lower priced cars with higher end finishes and features. Additionally on the GMNA side, Opels were once sold with Buicks, and both have a history of Turbo technology… so relax. They make sense together.
And just because I’d like to inform you the Envision is only assembled in China, it was almost entirely designed in the US.. look it up.
Buick/Opel(Vauxhall)/Holden
Maaaaaaate! Lucky it’s got awd for all that snow in Australia! Of course, it would never make it down the Birdsville track or across the Simpson, because it’s got low ground clearance and way too much tech for serviceability in the Kimberly ranges. This car is for Sydney city slickers to drive to their cafe’s and tell their sheilah’s that “It’s a four wheel drive, y’know!”.
Of course with all that Euro tech in it, I guess it will be Euro priced?? (expensive)
I am off to Jag, good luck to you all