Holden Commodore Sportwagon 2018 spied in Melbourne

Holden's all-new European-built Commodore wagon has been spied wearing just a tease of camouflage in city road testing less than eight months from its official Australian launch.

Spotted by quick-thinking CarsGuide reader Derek Nelson in Melbourne this week, the Commodore Sportwagon will join the liftback-sedan and high-riding Tourer that Holden said is planned for launch in the first half of 2018.

The wagon holds few secrets after being outed at the Geneva motor show in March this year as its clone, the Opel Insignia.

Styling lines show a sleek wagon with hints of the Mercedes-Benz CLS wagon's tapering bootline and side glass.

GM Holden's product communications manager said the camouflage striping is to remind curious eyes that the car is still a pre-production model.

GM Holden's product communications manager Mark Flintoft said the camouflage striping around the LED tail-lights and roof-mounted rear spoiler were there mainly to remind curious eyes that the car is still a pre-production model.

"There's a few cars around undergoing testing," he said.

"We have had some in the Victorian Alps for tests and now the city ones would be looked at for things such as the performance of the DAB (digital) radio in CBD and suburban areas, and for the performance of the suspension tuning over roads including those with tram tracks.

"The program is being expanded and later on you will see a lot more Commodores on the road."

Holden has spent considerable time on the suspension engineering of the car, adapting its sophisticated three-mode Flexride system to Australian conditions. It has also been honing the all-wheel drive system – that includes torque-sensing – to be fitted to some top-shelf V6-engined variants, to our conditions.

The 'Flexride' will join a drive-select program on the Commodore Tourer to enhance its all-road capability. The modern-day equivalent of the Holden Adventra, like other European high-ride wagons such as the Audi A4 Allroad and Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain, is based on the wagon version but has a 20mm higher ground clearance, all-wheel drive, protective body panels and different wheels.

The Commodore will be powered by a choice of three engines, including a 230kw V6.

The Commodore will be powered by a choice of three engines, a 230kW/370Nm 3.6-litre petrol V6, a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four and a turbo-diesel four with a nine-speed automatic transmission.

The Sportwagon and Tourer will have 1640 litres of total cargo room, 40/20/40 split rear seat and the Tourer will add standard roof rails.

Available safety features across the board includes auto emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, blind spot monitor, adaptive cruise control, and rear cross-traffic alert.

Buyers will also be able to specify ventilated and massage front seats, heated front and rear seats, head-up display and a choice of multimedia systems.

Could you see a Commodore wagon in your driveway? Tell us what you think in the comments below.