All The Best Tech In The Holden Commodore VXR Liftback

All The Best Tech In The Holden Commodore VXR Liftback

After roughly seven years of production, the release of Holden’s 2018 range is finally drawing close. Unsurprisingly, we are particularly excited about the fun tech that has been integrated across the fleet.

While even the baseline LT sports an impressive array for tech, particularly when it comes to safety features, we’re heading straight for the most expensive model. Let’s take a look and the bells and whistles that come with the big daddy VXR.

Safety

  • 360 Degree Camera
  • Autonomous Emergency Braking
  • Adaptive Cruise Control
  • Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keep Assist
  • Adaptive LED Matrix Headlights
  • Forward Collision Alert
  • Pedestrian Detection
  • Pop-Up Bonnet
  • Rear Cross Traffic Alert
  • Front and Rear Park Assist
  • Rain Sensing Wipers
  • Colour Head-Up Display

I really appreciate that even the entry level LT Liftback has the majority of the safety features that the upper range models do. All that is missing is the side blind zone alert and the rear cross traffic alert.

But my favourite safety feature is the adaptive LED Matrix Headlights. I used to frequently drive 4+ hours for work, which included a great deal of night driving along the highway and through country areas. It required a lot of concentration and the fleet helps to ease the burden in a really cool way. Lead Development Engineer at Holden, David Johnson, describes it best.

“It’s a completely set and forget system – you leave it on auto. That’s no surprise, lots of cars do that. But then when you go out into the country it will automatically detect that, and you will get high beam. But where it gets really, really cool is when you get a car coming towards you from the other way.”

He continues, “Instead of just dimming the headlights it puts a little dark spot just where they are and it tracks them as they come towards you. You just see this dark blob coming the other way. It also works if you’re going behind another car in the same direction. You’ll see the back of the car is just a bit dark and everything else is lit up. As soon as you come back into town it will go back to low beams.”

I would be interested to see how these would behave in fog, and whether the car would treat the light reflection as an oncoming vehicle.

General Tech

  • Auto headlamps with LED Daytime Runnings Lights
  • LED Tail Lights
  • Passive Entry and Push-button Start
  • Remote Start
  • Phone Projection with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
  • 8″ Colour Touch Screen Display
  • Wireless Phone Charging
  • Embedded Satellite Navigation
  • One-Touch Folding Rear Seats

My pick here has to be the wireless phone charging. While not all phones will be compatible with this feature, it’s a neat future proofing inclusion that will definitely speak to people who spend a lot of time in their car, or appreciate getting their hands on the latest tech in market.

Luxury

  • Ventilated Front Seats
  • Heated Rear Seats
  • BOSE Premium Audio
  • Electric Sunroof
  • Dual Zone Climate Control
  • Illuminated Vanity Mirror
  • Massage Seats For Driver And Passenger

My personal favourite here was the ventilated front seats. When I had a chance to road test the new fleet recently it was over 40 degrees outside. Having the option to cool down your back and butt after being roasted was absolute heaven. Add in the massage seats and you’re going to have a good time.


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