In late February Holden’s all-new fully imported ZB Commodore arrives – an important model as the company transitions to full line importer. This week Holden released pricing of its Opel sourced model in six grades and across three body styles – Liftback sedan, Sportwagon and high-riding Tourer. Featuring four-cylinder power for the first time since the VN-series the ZB range will encompass LT, RS, RS-V, Calais, Calais V and VXR grades. Holden have sharpened their pencil – now starting $1,800 lower than its local VF11 predecessor. The entry level LT 2.0-litre turbo ZB Commodore liftback sedan starts at $33,690, however Holden are offering this model with a special drive-away launch offer of $35,990 – a saving of $3,935 over its predecessor. I viewed the new Commodore in Melbourne in October – a more compact car but still distinctly Commodore and good looking. There is a 2.0-litre turbo diesel option while all 3.6-litre V6 models will come in adaptive all-wheel- drive. The front drive 2.0-litre turbo petrol models feature nine-speed automatic transmissions, the 2.0-litre turbo diesel eight-speed units. In all there are 12 models in the imported ZB Commodore range, Holden has ensured they’re highly equipped with the latest safety and convenience equipment but importantly local engineers have done 150,000km of local testing focusing on suspension and steering tune. On top of that over 4000 customers have been hosted at their Lang Lang proving ground to gain feedback on their drive-ability. I’m David Berthon

Download this podcast here