A couple of days ago, Opel published a video of the next-generation Holden Commodore undergoing handling trials at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, giving us some valuable insight to how composed it stays at the limit and how good of a base it will make for potential future performance variants.
Naturally, the car itself was still wearing copious amounts of camouflage and will only be shown in its full skin closer to its premiere at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show early next year where it will officially debut as the Opel Insignia Grand Sport.
In the video feature, Andreas Zipser, the car’s chief engineer, was tasked with detailing added traction and driving excitement permitted by its new all-wheel drive system and FlexiRide chassis calibrations which adjusts its dampers 500 times per second in its three settings: Standard, Sport, and Tour.
It still has a ways to go before its debut much less the production rollout, but a significant weight reduction over the older Commodore and even the outgoing Insignia points positively to a car that has a wide scope for Holden to make their own, if they so choose.
"You can feel that the Insignia has been developed from a white sheet of paper, as soon as you get into the car. The integration of the driver is outstanding and this provides a much better feel for the car. The Insignia has become more agile, even with the same engine", Zipser said.
The next Commodore will also be sold in the US as the Buick Regal, based on GM’s new E2 modular architecture. Four-cylinder petrol and diesel engine will be the most common configurations available for the new car, with a higher output V6 paired with the all-wheel drive system set to take the top spot on the hierarchy.
For more on Holden vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
