Spacious, Sporty and Sophisticated: The Next Generation Holden Commodore Sportwagon

The all-new Holden Commodore Sportwagon has emerged from the gym; trim, toned and beautifully presented. Following closely on the heels of the reveal of the Next Generation (NG) Commodore, the Sportwagon is spacious, refined and offers exemplary safety, just as a flagship Holden should.

Offering space and sophistication in equal measures, the all-new Sportwagon offers 1640 litres of boot space and high-tech solutions ranging from the world-beating IntelliLux LED matrix headlights and ultra-modern driver assistance systems to the cool head-up display. In addition, the Commodore Sportwagon comes with Holden’s first nine-speed automatic transmission and intelligent all-wheel drive.

The next-generation Holden Sportwagon reinforces Commodore’s position as the most advanced Holden ever, includes tech such as autonomous emergency braking, adaptive suspension, adaptive cruise control and matrix lighting.

Drivetrain line-up mirrors NG Commodore’s with four-cylinder petrol and diesel options, alongside the flagship V6 model with 230kW and 370Nm, world-first ‘Twinster’ all-wheel drive system and 9-speed transmission for the first time ever in a Holden.

Thanks to the use of lightweight materials and efficient packaging, the new Sportwagon comes with significant mass reductions compared with the current Commodore. Depending on powertrain and trim, the new model is up to 200 kilograms lighter.

Style and sophistication

Holden continues the tradition of high-style wagons with the all-new Commodore. Inspired by the Opel Monza concept, the prominent grille and the sculpted headlight design add to the feeling of sophistication. The car’s stance is also emphasized by a long wheelbase. The signature ‘blade’ styling hallmark starts in the front door and sweeps towards the rear helps carry the eye from front to back.

The chrome window blade dynamically flows into the LED tail lamps and gives the Commodore Sportwagon an even more athletic appearance. The silver roof rails help stretch the car, make it look lower and emphasize the high-quality design.

The vehicle’s kinship with the Monza Concept is especially apparent at the rear: The shape looks much lighter than before with the newcomer defined by clear lines. Together with the slim, slightly protruding LED taillights in double-wing design, they help the rear end to make a strong impression. The high-tech look of the Monza Concept thus becomes reality.

Easy loader: Tailgate with an extra kick

Not just sleek and sexy, the next-gen Sportwagon is also practical with 1,640 litres of boot volume.

In order to make loading as easy as possible, the tailgate can be opened with a ‘kick’ – without touching the car.

In combination with ‘keyless open’ tech, a simple small kicking motion under the rear bumper is enough to open the tailgate (a vehicle silhouette projected onto the ground shows the correct area). A further kicking motion under the bumper will close the tailgate. The clever system can detect any obstruction and stops the mechanism in case of emergency.

In addition, for practicability, the height of the opening can be programmed, in case the car is in a garage. Furthermore, the tailgate can still be opened by a switch on the driver’s side of the car, a button at the rear or via the key’s remote control.

In order to increase loading space the new Sportwagon comes with optional 40/20/40 foldable rear seats enabling even more flexible loading space configurations. The rear-seat bank can be folded down by simply pushing a button located in the luggage compartment.

Additional driver assistance systems include:

Head-up-Display: Information on speed, traffic signs, set speed of speed limiter or navigation direction is projected onto the windshield and in the driver’s direct line of sight ensuring that the eyes remain on the road.

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which measures the distance to the vehicle in front and adapts the speed accordingly. ACC will initiate automatic emergency braking if the distance decreases abruptly.

Lane Keep Assist with automated steering correction and Lane Departure Warning (LDW). Provides gentle steering wheel movements (and LDW alerts if necessary) to help drivers avoid unintentionally drifting out of their lane.

Rear Cross Traffic Alert. The system uses radar sensors in the rear bumper to detect objects coming from up to 20 meters at 90 degrees from the left or right side behind the vehicle, a very useful function when reversing out of a parking spot with limited visibility.

The upcoming Holden Sportwagon will celebrate its world premiere in Opel guise at the Geneva Motor Show on March 7, and will go on sale in New Zealand in 2018.