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N O R T H E AST V I C TO R I A
MAY 11 - 17 | 2018
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HOT: Long and sleek, the all-new Holden Calais Tourer may well sell on style alone.
2018 Holden Calais Tourer
WE reckon the Holden Tourer wagon will be the one buyers will opt for, preferring it to the five-door hatchback. Why? See the Styling section of this review for details, but let’s give it a general look over to start with. Tourer is a European Opel design but features a V6 engine specific to Australia, all Euro models have a turbo four-cylinder. It competes mainly with European highriding wagons such as Audi Allroad, VW Alltrack and Volvo Cross Country, as well as the Japanese wagon with the very Aussie name, Outback. Though bulky SUVs are all the rage at the moment we have talked to owners who have been a little regretful about
By EWAN KENNEDY buying one, saying they miss the better handling and smoother ride they have been accustomed to in regular station wagons. STYLING Based on the standard Commodore station wagon, the Tourer is longer due to larger bumpers. Calais Tourer, as tested, is long, low and sleek, with a nice slope of the roof. You wouldn’t call it a coupewagon, but it comes close. The deep swages in the sides add to the sleek effect. The black-plastic wheelarch surrounds add a toughness to the look as well as providing protection if you do take a
Tourer into a mild off-road area. INFOTAINMENT Controlled through an 8-inch touchscreen the Calais Tourer provides Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; AM, FM and DAB+ radio. As part of the Australianisation of the radio, emphasis was placed on reception at long distances. Ours is a big country and few radios in European sourced cars can hold their signals in the outback. Sadly, we couldn’t spare the time to go for a long trip west from our base on the Gold Coast, maybe next time. POWERTRAIN The 3.6-litre V6 is an updated version of the one previously fitted to the Australian-
built Commodore and Calais. It now produces 230 kW and 370 Nm. A high-tech nine-speed automatic sits beside the engine. All-wheel-drive and a 20 mm higher ride height give it added ability if you want to do some mild offroad exploring. SAFETY Like all models in the new ZB Commodore range the Calais has a five star ANCAP rating. Passive safety features in the Calais include auto emergency braking, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, blind-sport monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
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