Photo: Holden
General Motors is a big-time manufacturer, with operations in just about all corners of the Earth. Except for Europe, where Groupe PSA intends to take Opel and Vauxhall off GM’s hands for €2.2 billion. Being the all-encompassing behemoth it is, the biggest American automaker of them all has a bit of a difficulty with giving names to its export-bound vehicles.
Here’s a case in point: the crossover-like version of the NG-generation 2018 Holden Commodore Grand Tourer. Care to guess how the Opel Insignia Country Tourer-based model is called in Australia? Tourer. I may be overthinking this matter, but which of the two names sounds more upmarket to you? To my ears, that would be Grand Tourer, but actually, the Tourer is the model slotted just above the Grand Tourer.
I’m having a hard time imagining how Holden’s and General Motors’ officials agreed to go forward with this baffling naming convention, but then again, I’m nitpicking here. The 2018 Holden Commodore Tourer is arguably the most versatile member of the NG family, and it surely looks fine for what it is. What’s more, it’s also ready for adventure.
Thanks to a high-tech GKN AWD system and 20 mm of additional ground clearance compared to the Grand Tourer, the Tourer can definitely hold its own when the going gets off-road. Don’t think, however, that this wagon is as talented off the trodden path as something such as the Trailblazer body-on-frame mid-size SUV.
There’s a lot to like about the Commodore Tourer, but somehow, Holden managed to make a mess of the press release for the new model. Here’s a quote that has managed to grind arguably all of my gearhead-specific gears: “If Bear Grylls and James Bond had a love child...” Wait, what? Don’t know about you, but that’s too much of a hyperbole considering that this is, in essence, a jacked-up wagon.
And on a slight tangent, Holden doesn’t even bother hiding the fact the NG Commodore is not made in the Land Down Under. Here is a quote from the automaker’s design director, Richard Ferlazzo: “The Europeans have always excelled at finding this balance of style and robustness and the Commodore Tourer is a great example.” Buick appears to share the sentiment, seeing that the all-new Regal is also based on the Euro-spec Insignia.
I’m having a hard time imagining how Holden’s and General Motors’ officials agreed to go forward with this baffling naming convention, but then again, I’m nitpicking here. The 2018 Holden Commodore Tourer is arguably the most versatile member of the NG family, and it surely looks fine for what it is. What’s more, it’s also ready for adventure.
Thanks to a high-tech GKN AWD system and 20 mm of additional ground clearance compared to the Grand Tourer, the Tourer can definitely hold its own when the going gets off-road. Don’t think, however, that this wagon is as talented off the trodden path as something such as the Trailblazer body-on-frame mid-size SUV.
There’s a lot to like about the Commodore Tourer, but somehow, Holden managed to make a mess of the press release for the new model. Here’s a quote that has managed to grind arguably all of my gearhead-specific gears: “If Bear Grylls and James Bond had a love child...” Wait, what? Don’t know about you, but that’s too much of a hyperbole considering that this is, in essence, a jacked-up wagon.
And on a slight tangent, Holden doesn’t even bother hiding the fact the NG Commodore is not made in the Land Down Under. Here is a quote from the automaker’s design director, Richard Ferlazzo: “The Europeans have always excelled at finding this balance of style and robustness and the Commodore Tourer is a great example.” Buick appears to share the sentiment, seeing that the all-new Regal is also based on the Euro-spec Insignia.
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