Selwyn Times: September 26, 2018

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Wednesday September 26 2018 27
Motoring
Track success boosts Commodore
• By Ross Kiddie
THE Australian V8 Supercar
championship is one of my
favourite motorsport viewing
events.
It’s even better when Kiwi
drivers are in the hunt for the
title, but I guess it’s always been
the epitome of the classic Ford
v Holden battles. Sure, there
are other marques within the
series, but for Ford and Holden
over the years it has always
been a matter of a win on Sunday,
sell on Monday scenario.
Of course, it’s all changed
now that Holden and Ford are
not manufacturing in Australia,
and from next year Ford
will ditch its Falcon body shell
in favour of Mustang.
Holden, though, will still use
the Commodore skin and as
we are seeing in the series this
year, it’s the ZB look, the new
Commodore which is selling
down under and sourced from
Europe.
The new model lands in two
body styles, liftback and what
GM-Holden call a Tourer,
which is effectively a wagontype
body shell. This evaluation
focuses on the rangetopping
model in the range, a
Calais-specced Tourer.
The new Commodore lands
here with three engine variations,
there’s a 2-litre petrol
and 2-litre diesel, both driving
through the front wheels. In
• By Ross Kiddie
A NEW seven-seat sport
utility vehicle will launch here
in October.
Named Acadia, it will be the
first time Holden New Zealand
has offered a GMC-based
product in its line-up.
While Acadia is unashamedly
American in its design, its
performance and driving persona
has that signature Holden
feel thanks to local engineering
input.
HOLDEN COMMODORE TOURER: Powerful V6 engine.
traditional Commodore form
there’s also a 3.6-litre V6, its
driveline flows power to all
four wheels. The engine has
a smooth operating manner
and is paired to a nine-speed
automatic transmission, I
would rate the combination as
one of the nicest I have had the
good fortune to drive in recent
times.
I particularly like the engine,
and although there is as little
bit of gruff howl at high revolutions
it is honest all through
the rev band and never falters,
and with the endless supply of
gearing there is never a point
where the engine doesn’t seem
to work at its optimum point.
Holden claims 235kWand
381Nm from the big quad
camshaft unit, they are strong
Using lessons learned from
recent Commodore and Colorado
programmes, Holden
engineers have focused on delivering
the direct steering and
composed ride that resonates
with Kiwis.
Acadia is driven by a powerful
V6 engine and nine-speed
automatic transmission. It
drives through the front
wheels, although an all-wheel
drive version will be available.
Pricing and full specification
details will be released closer
to launch.
outputs and ones which give
the big Tourer a healthy turn
of speed – a 7.5sec standstill to
100km/h time can be expected.
All of these figures add
up to reasonably impressive
ability and combine well with
the driveline which will cater
for the role Kiwis have come
to expect from the Commodore
nameplate. It also gets a
2100kg tow rating, in Tourer
form the rear wagon area is
cavernous, there’s a 560-litre
load capacity extending to
1665-litre with the rear seats
folded.
In Calais form the Commodore
is a true luxury car,
the front seats are amazing
and there’s adjustable bolster
support along with a back
massager.
•Price – Holden
Commodore RS-V
Tourer, $65,990
•Dimensions – Length,
5004mm; width,
1871mm; height,
1525mm
•Configuration – V6,
four-wheel-drive,
3649cc, 235kW, 381Nm,
nine-speed automatic.
•Performance –
0-100km/h, 7.8sec
•Fuel usage –
8.9l/100km
Other features are too
numerous to mention, but at
$65,990 it is a car that comes
well equipped for its price,
and if you take into account its
European build, it’s a car which
not only competes with the
mainstream vehicles, it is also
the large car which takes on
the big names from Germany.
If you look at it in that context
it is a bargain and a car you
would find hard to be disappointed
with.
I’m itching to get into
the four-cylinder
Commodore models. In the
interim, I’ll be glued to the TV
every weekend that amazing
championship series is being
held, just to see how the Commodore
– and the Kiwis – take
to the racing.
Holden Acadia here next month
HOLDEN ACADIA: Sourced from United States.
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