2018 Holden Commodore prototype drive review

Conceived for global markets, made in Germany and with a choice of four-cylinder engines - and smaller than the one it replaces.

The script so far reads like any number of Volkswagens or BMWs, except the car we're talking about will be sold here as a Holden Commodore from 2018, partially revealed as two rough-and-ready prototypes recently arrived in Australia to finalise what is a crucial – and controversial – new model for Australia's first car maker.

To the faithful, it's about as un-Commodore as it gets. There's no rear-drive layout, no V8 engine and the fifth generation of the quintessentially Aussie family car won't even be built in Australia.

Just a decade ago any one of those things would have been enough to ensure it wasn't graced with the Commodore badge.

Yet as Australia gears up to farewell automotive manufacturing it's the new norm, albeit a norm that will take some adjustment for some.

Holden makes "no apologies" for the shift in focus of the upcoming Commodore.

"It's not a V8, it's not rear-wheel drive and we're not hiding from that," says sales director Peter Keley. "The focus is going to become increasingly on efficiency and economy and emissions, that will happen in the lifecycle of this vehicle."

For an idea of the gravity of the sales pitch on the all new Commodore look no further than how early Holden is giving us access to the car.

It won't hit showrooms until February, 2018 - some 16 months away - but already we're allowed to see it, sniff it, drive it.

To be fair. The first two bits would have happened anyway. Whereas every Commodore for the last 38 years has been born and bred in Australia, the new one is a product of Germany. It was designed there, developed there and will be produced there, to be sold throughout Europe as an Opel Insignia. That car will be revealed later this year and hit dealerships around the second quarter of 2017.

But Holden is at pains to point out its team of designers and engineers played a crucial role in ensuring the German Commodore lives up to expectation as much as the Australian ones before it.

"We've been involved with this program for over five years," says engineering chief Jeremy Tassone.

"It was a long time ago we started the journey of what's going to replace the large passenger car for Holden."

The new Commodore – so far referred to by Holden as the NG Commodore, or Next Generation Commodore – is 74mm shorter and 36mm narrower than the current VF model, which continues in production until late 2017.

The reduced length hasn't negatively impacted legroom; the distance between front and rear occupants is just 1mm shorter than the outgoing car. And while front headroom is unchanged, rear headroom has dropped 13mm, although with seats perched higher than those up front the space in the is more than adequate for tall Australians.

But the narrower cabin means the Commodore is no longer as well suited to three adults across the rear, long a sales pitch of the big-car-for-a-big-country (the new Commodore also has two Isofix
mounting points for child seats, down from three in the current car). Two adults will be comfy alone, but a third in the middle makes things squeezy.

The traditional Commodore sedan will be killed off, too, instead replaced with a five-door hatchback body style to be marketed as Sportback. The boot itself is narrower, but the additional loading
height afforded by the hatch makes for easier loading functionality for bulky items.

There will also be a wagon, or Sportwagon, which is expected to spawn a Subaru Outback-style light duty off-roader.

Of course, Commodores have always been about driving enjoyment and above average performance. Discussions around 2011 involved only four-cylinder engines, something that will form the core of the new Commodore. Holden will sell a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol, the latter arriving with more than 185kW of power.

Combined with the lighter body – weight savings are claimed at between 200kg and 300kg – and the low rev muscle of a turbo it promises decent punch.

As for whether it will be a hard sell - considering the sole failed attempt at four-cylinder Commodore propulsion a quarter of a century ago – Keley says the new engines are a very different proposition.

"We've done intensive research [on the new Commodore] … and it's about what the car does, not what it is," says Keley confidently.

"For the core of our customers the ability to have a V6 and have the all-wheel drive will give them a lot of comfort. Where we will have the opportunity to expand sales will be the fact that we have a great entry-level powertrain, which will be the best performing powertrain we've had in our entry level cars ever."

Besides, there will be a V6, an evolution of the 3.6-litre unit in today's car, hooked up to a nine-speed automatic. It's that V6 engine Holden seems most proud of, partially because it wasn't on the slate during the car's early planning.

"We then wanted to add V6 all-wheel drive to this vehicle," says Tassone.

"If it wasn't for us getting in there early we wouldn't have been able to have that powertrain in Commodore."

Holden has clearly had influence elsewhere. The indicator stalk is on the right-hand side, which is very unusual for a European car.

Yet at the same time it's having to slot into the requirements of global markets, which means Holden won't always get what it wants. A full-size spare tyre clearly wasn't a priority in development, although Holden isn't saying for now whether one will fit in what is a smaller boot.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

Just two prototypes of the new Holden Commodore exist in Australia, each handmade, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and clad in carefully constructed camouflage that hides the final look of the crucial new model.

The cars use the body of the upcoming imported Commodore but at this stage are so-called 65 percent prototypes, so a fair way off what will appear in showrooms in February 2018. These development vehicles will be used for tuning and calibration of everything from the drivetrain and suspension to the steering and brakes to bring them up to the standards of a car Holden wants to sell.

Between now and then each will travel up to 100,000km on open roads and at Holden's proving ground at Lang Lang. They'll be pushed and punished as engineers work to fine tune the first imported Commodore while also showing up any potential issues that could arise in the car's life across the country.

Today, though, we're allowed behind the wheel. It's unprecedented for journalists to be allowed access to cars this early in their development cycle, but Holden is keen to reinforce the message that
despite major changes the imported Commodore will live up to Australian expectations of the nameplate.

Sliding inside reveals an early Commodore win – great seats with good lateral support. But it's a mishmash of materials dominated by the wetsuit-like material covering the dash, something done to conceal the final look from spying cameras.

Space, though, is plentiful up front and the layout sound, from the 8.0-inch touchscreen loaded with legible icons to the customisable digital speedo that sits between traditional gauges in the instrument cluster.

Under way there's instantly more wind noise than the final cars will have; blame that on the camouflage that does nothing for the aerodynamics. That's one of the things with a development car –
they're far from perfect.

But the V6 engine is smooth and free-revving. Holden says the cars we're driving aren't yet making the full 230kW and 370Nm that production ones will, but performance is generous nonetheless.

However, the V6 requires high revs to make its best, stretching to an electronic cutout around 6800rpm.

The nine-speed auto is the jewel in the driveline, slinking nicely between closely spaced ratios. It's clear it's a big part of the claimed 0-100km/h performance the final car will boast. Shift paddles
on the steering wheel allow you to take control of the transmission, although during our brief drive it did a fine job in D for drive.

Despite its revvy nature the Commodore is lacking in punch lower in the rev range. There's a generous dollop of torque that makes for respectable mid-throttle acceleration, although there are plenty of turbocharged four-cylinders that will out-thrust it in that department.

The clever Twinster all-wheel drive system also plays a big role in its dynamic nous. Brisk take-offs on slippery surfaces showed it's adept at instantly transferring drive to wheels with traction.
Running on 18-inch Continental tyres the 2018 Commodore points with poise at a corner and shows no sign of relinquishing grip. While these cars drive differently to the ones we'll see down the track, it's clear stable high speed touring and confident cornering are high on the wish list.

Plus, the 2018 Commodore has a refreshing agility brought about by its lighter body.

The ride is also relatively supple, although our car had four people on board, something that naturally softens the suspension. Less impressive was some booming from the suspension over sharp bumps, something that may be quelled during the development phase.

Yet arguably the biggest challenge for the new Commodore will be public acceptance. Many will no doubt write it off as not deserving of the badge.

Early indications are it's not as Commodore as Commodores have been in the past. Then again, the new-car market has shifted dramatically and car buyers' expectations have moved with it.

If these 65 percent prototypes are anything to go by it's shaping up to be a comfortable and competent car that's enjoyable to drive.

Although we won't know for sure until 2018.

What the new 2018 Commodore misses out on

A boot: OK, so the new Commodore has plenty of luggage space, but it's accessed via a hatch, or liftback. The traditional sedan body style that has made up the vast majority of Commodore sales over 39 years is gone, with Holden instead focusing on the added flexibility of a raising tailgate.

V8 engine: V8s are synonymous with Commodores, but the 2018 car will be the first to miss out on what has helped define the model. Instead all Commodores will get the choice of a four-cylinder diesel or petrol or a V6 petrol engine. When the NG Commodore hits the Supercars championship in 2018 it will drop the V8 for a V6 twin-turbo.

Manual gearbox: Self-shifters are on the way out in all but affordable sports cars and entry-level city hatchbacks. No surprises, then, that the new Commodore drops the manual option that has  been a mainstay of the SV6 and SS performance models.

Rear-wheel drive: Holden used to market rear-wheel drive as ideal for Australians and Australian conditions. It even marketed the apparent negatives of front-wheel drive. Now the company is adamant front-wheel drive is superior for an affordable family car, with four-wheel drive part of the equation for the V6 models.

Full-size spare tyre: Commodores have had an optional full-size spare for years, but there's a chance the 2018 car won't be able to fit one in its smaller boot. Engineers aren't saying at the moment whether all cars will be available with a full-sized spare – something country drivers in particular appreciate – but it's likely many will have space savers or even a repair kit.

Sporty SS models: It's almost certain Holden will retire the SS name long associated with V8 Commodores, instead opting for fresh badges to denote the 230kW/370Nm 3.6-litre V6 that heads the range. Holden says it makes "no apologies" for stepping away from the V8 performance variants that account for more than one-third of sales, arguing that for all but the hardcore enthusiasts outright performance is not the number one reason for purchase.

Fuel cap: The development cars do without a traditional fuel cap, instead having the fuel door play a role in ensuring fuel stays in the tank. Accessing that fuel door is done by pressing on it, at which point it releases automatically provided the car is unlocked.

Hybrid drivetrain: Petrol-electric hybrid systems are commonplace, and expected to become more prevalent as emissions regulations tighten globally. But when it arrives in 2018 the Commodore won't have a hybrid option. However, Drive understands some versions of the car known overseas as the Insignia could have a hybrid option, something that could eventually end up in a Holden showroom.

Room for five: The new Commodore is 36mm narrower than the VE/VF is replaces, something Holden admits will make it less comfortable for three adults across the rear seat. However the company says that's one of a few compromises that were made to bring other benefits, most focused around fuel consumption.

A race car without a V8: Holden has confirmed it will enter the 2018 Supercars championship (previously V8 Supercars) but that the Commodore it runs won't have a V8 engine. The Red Bull Holden Racing Team is expected to be powered by a twin-turbo 3.6-litre V6.