AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE | 59THINGS WE LIKE
Potent, responsive, tuneful V6
Smooth, effi cient nine-speed auto
Great handling
A lot of car for your money
Full-house safety specifi cation
THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE
Worst resale values on the market
The ride can be a bit rugged
Limited infotainment functionality
A few quality niggles
SPEX
Made in Germany
3.6-litre V6 petrol/nine-speed auto/
all-wheel drive
235kW of power at 6800rpm/381Nm
of torque at 5200rpm
0-100km/h in 6.2 seconds
7.1L/100km highway; 12L/100km
city; 91 regular; CO2 emissions are
206gkm
Warranty: Five years/unlimited km
Standard: Six airbags, stability
control, autonomous emergency
braking, lane keeping, forward
collision alert, blind spot monitoring,
rear cross traffi c alert, Apple
CarPlay and Android Auto, semi-
automatic perpendicular and
parallel parking, remote starting,
keyless entry, rain-sensing wipers,
automatic headlights
Redbook future values: 3yr: 36%;
5yr: 19%compare with ...
Kia Stinger, Skoda Superb, Subaru
Liberty 3.6R, Toyota Camry V6, VW
PassatT
here was never going to be
a ZB Commodore V8, so it
was at Holden’s insistence that
the 3.6-litre V6, with all-wheel
drive, was included in the 2018
Insignia range as an Australia-
specifi c model, in the belief that
many Commodore customers
would demand stronger
performance than the 2.0-litre
turbopetrol and diesel four-
cylinder engines, offered with
front-wheel drive in other ZB
variants, could deliver.
Holden’s engineers — it still
retains about 100 to tweak
imports for local requirements
and conditions — were given
responsibility for the V6 drivetrain,
bespoke suspension that goes
with it and steering calibration.
Priced at $40,790 for the
Liftback — with a fi ve-door
coupe-style body and roof-
hinged tailgate — RS is the base
sports-fl avoured V6.
Its driver’s seat has a
fi rm, extendable cushion,
supportive side bolstering and is
exceptionally comfortable for tall
drivers on a long journey. You sit
low, in BMW-style sporty repose,
with plenty of room to move. Back
seat and boot space are generous.
The $46,990 RS-V gets
leather, navigation, wireless
phone charging and a head-up
display; and the $55,990 VX-R
performance hero includes
20-inch alloys, adaptive cruise
control, adjustable suspension,
Brembo front brakes and high-
tech LED matrix headlights.
RS-V is also available as a
wagon, at $49,190.
Calais V Liftback is $51,990.
Calais Tourer, pictured below, a
faux SUV with raised suspension,
starts at $45,990; Calais V Tourer
is $53,990. It includes 20-inch
alloys, a full length sunroof, BOSE
audio and leather upholstery, with
a massage driver’s seat.
The V6’s 235kW is serious
power — BMW’s 3.0-litre
turbopetrol straight six in the
540i produces 250kW — and the
smooth, sophisticated nine-speed
launches the RS to 100km/h in a
respectable 6.2 seconds.The engine’s relatively peaky
torque delivery — 381Nm at a
high 5200rpm — is compensated
for by shift mapping that selects
the correct ratio without delay,
and it always feels responsive
and refi ned.
In today’s turbo times, it’s a
great pleasure to again drive
a potent, naturally aspirated
engine that delivers effort in
direct proportion to revs and the
movement of your right foot. The
V6 also makes a rich, throaty
warble as revs rise.
Gearing is the same as
the 2.0-litre four. Unlike that
engine, the V6 will actually
hold ninth at 100km/h, ticking
over at just 1250rpm, so fuel
consumption is comparable with
the four at 6-7L/100km. Both
engines have automatic stop/
start. The V6 is thirstier in town
(12-14L/100km compared with
four’s 9-11L/100km) but it runs
on regular unleaded, whereas the
four requires premium.
Drive goes to the front wheels
with up to 50 per cent dispatchedSafetyPerformanceHandlingQuality and reliabilityComfort and refi nementValue for moneyOverallSTARS
to the rears on demand. Holden’s
engineers have set a low-demand
threshold because in corners,
the RS feels quite neutral under
power, a characteristic amplifi ed
by mechanical torque vectoring
on the rear axle.
ContiSport tyres (245/45 on
18-inch alloys) stick like the
proverbial, the suspension
provides disciplined body
control and the steering is
sharp, accurate and free
from torque-induced tugging.
Feedback from the front wheels
is muted, though.
ZB’s ride is less compliant than
its home-made predecessors,
especially around town. Comfort
improves on the open road, but
it’s still pretty fi rm.
This is a capable, refi ned,
enjoyable car at what should be
compelling prices, but terrible
resale values — j ust 19 per cent
after fi ve years, the worst of
any car on the market — refl ect
ZB’s struggle to fi nd buyers and
doubts about the Commodore’s
long—term future.S HOLDEN COMMODORE V6 FROM $40,790