Holden Calais 2018 Review

Holden's homegrown Calais is gone and in its place comes a radically different fifth-generation luxury model wearing the same name but this time imported from Germany and built by Opel, which ironically donated Holden's first Commodore.

Though it's only slightly smaller overall than the big homegrown VF Calais, the European model's pricing and mechanical makeup place it firmly in the mid-size segment with stalwarts like the Toyota Camry, Mazda6, Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat.

The first imported Holden Calais couldn't be more different to the full-size, rear-drive, V6-powered sedan and wagon range that's no longer produced in Australia.

For a start it's available only in five-door Liftback and higher-riding Tourer crossover forms (the Sportwagon is offered only in entry-level LT, mid-range RS and top-spec RS-V forms).

Secondly, like the base LT, it's available for the first time with 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel engines, matched with nine-speed and eight-speed automatic transmissions respectively, both driving the front wheels.

There is a Calais-V spec Liftback priced at $51,990, making it the ZB Commodore range-topper except for the $53,990 Calais-V Tourer and the $55,990 VXR Liftback, all of which are powered by a 3.6-litre V6 all-wheel drive powertrain.

There's also an entry-level Calais Tourer with the same drivetrain, priced at $45,990 (or $47,990 drive-away) and likely to be the most popular ZB Commodore variant, at least among non-business buyers.

So the Calais range is even bigger than before, and it's also cheaper than before, starting at $40,990 for the 2.0-litre petrol auto Liftback, with the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel — which was unavailable to drive at the launch — costing $43,990.

That makes the base Calais more affordable than most of its semi-premium mid-size rivals, except the Toyota Camry SL V6 (from $39,990).

Others in this class include the Volkswagen Passat 132TSI Comfortline (from $41,490), Mazda6 GT (from $42,690), Subaru Liberty 3.6R Premium (from $42,740) and Ford Mondeo Titanium (from $44,790).

Despite undercutting them on price, the cheapest Calais is better specified, with standard fare matching them with autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, part-leather seat trim, heated front seats, LED tail-lights, keyless entry/start, digital radio and 18-inch alloy wheels.

There are no rear side (torso) airbags, but not all of its rivals also come with lane departure warning and lane keeping assist, rear cross-traffic alert, an active bonnet, 8.0-inch colour touch-screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic parking, front and rear parking sensors and wireless phone charging.

That said, the base Calais lacks features some of them come standard with, such as LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and auto high-beam.

And some of them offer a better factory warranty than the average three-year/100,000km coverage offered by Holden.

Importantly, we haven't yet driven any base LT versions of the new ZB Commodore, because none were available at launch.

For reference though, we know the entry-level Commodore LT Liftback (priced from $33,690, or $35,990 drive-away, plus $3000 for the diesel) gets a smaller 7.0-inch touch-screen, smaller 17-inch alloys and cloth seat trim.

It's otherwise well-specced, carrying over the Calais' driver-assist functions via the Holden Eye forward-facing camera and also offering a reverse camera, push-button and remote start, LED daytime running lights, auto headlight/wipers, front/rear parking sensors, Bluetooth with Siri Eyes Free, cruise control, eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat and leather-trimmed steering wheel.

Step up to the pricier Calais-V though and you get big-ticket items like V6 power with AWD, 20-inch alloys, Adaptive LED Matrix headlights, sunroof, 8.0-inch colour cluster screen, colour head-up display, 360-degree camera, BOSE premium audio, powered driver's seat bolsters, massaging driver's seat, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and a sports steering wheel with shift paddles.

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Inside story

But enough of the brochure features … is it a real Commodore inside? The short answer is yes, more or less.

The first thing you notice in the high-tech cabin is the classy but understated 8.0-inch central touch-screen, which looks monotone until you start digging into the menus but requires two touches to adjust the air-vents, which is less convenient than good old-fashioned push-buttons.

The twin-gauge instrument cluster is simple but functional, there are soft-touch surfaces everywhere and it's the same story with the leather-trimmed seats, which are spacious and positioned closer together up front.

This almost cancels out the fact the ZB is 36mm narrower than the VF Commodore and offers 57mm less shoulder room, although rear vision is far more restricted.

The ZB is bigger than the VF in every other key dimension - except overall length (by 50mm), rear headroom (by 13mm) and cargo space (by 5 litres) - and it's a fair bit larger than the old VT Commodore.

It's also more high-tech, with important safety and convenience functions like AEB and smartphone mirroring now standard across the range, and Calais models adding wireless phone charging and blind spot monitoring.

The switch to right-hand drive for the German-built Commodore puts the steering column stalks on the correct sides, but the convex wing mirror and electric park brake switch haven't been swapped and the driver's foot rest is far too close.

Out back, however, there's still acres of rear head room, legroom and knee room -- 2mm more than in the VF, in fact -- thanks to the lack of a rear diff and longitudinal engine (and despite a wheelbase that's 89mm shorter at 2829mm).

For the same reasons, the super-handy large rear hatch can swallow up to 1450 litres of cargo with the 60/40-split rear seats folded - something the old VF sedan couldn't do - but this is partly because there's a space-saver spare instead of a full-sizer.

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Under the bonnet

The biggest changes happen under the bonnet though, where the 191kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four is the most powerful entry-level Commodore engine ever.

Matched with a silky-smooth nine-speed GM auto that's always in the right gear, the powertrain is muscular, responsive and refined - all the way to its 6500rpm cutout - although it runs on premium unleaded.

In fact, the Calais cabin remains whisper-quiet at all road and engine speeds (you can barely hear or feel the four-pot turbo engine, even at 6000rpm) and its locally developed ride and handling set-up is another highlight.

Especially in Calais form, the new Commodore rides over all manner of road surfaces in comfort, yet almost always delivers composed road holding and a flat cornering attitude.

There's the occasional thump over big potholes, but the way the chassis soaks up gravel corrugations and high-frequency bitumen lumps is testament to its local tuning, and its ability to quickly settle after even the nastiest high-speed bumps makes it well suited to Aussie B-roads.

Throw in electric steering that's lighter but just as responsive and talkative as before -- with only a hint of torque steer at low speed -- and a big dose of midrange turbo torque, and the ZB is probably as fun to drive as class-leaders like the Mazda6 and capable of a surprisingly quick turn of speed.

Of course, because it only has to haul 1515kg at base level (and just 1535kg for the base Calais), the 2018 Commodore's entry engine is also far more efficient than the old 3.0-litre V6 it replaces (8.3L/100km).

This is partly due to the standard idle-stop system but also the tall gearing of the nine-speed auto, which sees the turbo four spinning at less than 1500rpm in top gear at 100km/h.

But with a low first gear, plenty of urge from well under 2000rpm and clever adaptive shift functionality that holds a gear when you need it, the base ZB engine never lacks performance.

Yes, the 2.0-litre petrol four likes a diet of 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, but at just 7.4L/100km (7.6L/100km for the Calais) it will be cheaper at the pump - where you'll appreciate the capless refulling system -- and the diesel version consumes just 5.8L/100km.

All ZB Commodores can tow a 750kg unbraked trailer, rising to 1800kg braked for 2.0-litre models and 2100kg for V6s. On the downside, service intervals have been reduced in terms of mileage, from 15,000km to 12,000km, but increased from nine to 12 months, whichever comes first.

The ZB Calais is far from perfect, but apart from a persistent instrument binnacle buzz in the pre-production prototype we drove, it's clearly a quality German product.

In value terms, the cheapest Calais offers more equipment than most of its mid-size rivals and more power than all but the Subaru Liberty 3.6R, for less money than all but the Toyota Camry SL.

So it's a Calais like you've never seen before, but against a new breed of upmarket mid-size competitors, it's a standout performer.

2018 Holden Calais Liftback pricing and specifications:
Price: From $40,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Output: 191kW/350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 173g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANACP)