Holden’s New Commodore Has A Thing Or Two To Say To The Kia Stinger Police Cruiser

The Holden Commodore has been a mainstay of Australian police motor pools for decades. In fact GM’s been supplying Commodores to the South Australian police for 70 years now.

Then comes along the Kia Stinger, thinking it can muscle in on Holden’s territory now that the Commodore’s being shipped in from overseas on a front-drive platform with four or eight cylinders, instead of manufactured locally with a rear-driving V8. But Holden will not go gentle into that good night. At least not without its lights flashing and sirens blazing.

Holden is preparing to supply more than a hundred new ZB-generation Commodores to the South Australian police, which has been using Commodores since 1948.

“SA Police have run an exhaustive comparison of vehicles from every manufacturer,” said Holden sales director Peter Keley, “and we’re proud our latest Commodore has once again proven its credentials when it comes to vehicle safety, specifications, durability, dynamics, performance and importantly manufacturer and servicing support.”

The new ZB Commodore is based closely on the Opel Insignia, built in Germany. For official duty, the South Australian PD has chosen the top 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6, sending its 306 hp (228 kW) and 282 lb-ft (382 Nm) of torque to all four wheels. Which may not be quite as robust as the small-block V8 in the previous VF Commodore (and the models that came before), but such are the times in which we live when muscle sedans have become an endangered species.

“Holden’s Australian engineers have worked collaboratively with SA Police to ensure this vehicle meets the leading safety and performance requirements needed for modern policing and importantly to ensure it is the safest vehicle possible to protect their frontline officers,” added Keley. “I’m sure members of the SA Police will enjoy driving it as much as we do.”