KEY POINTS:
The forthcoming Sport-wagon versions of the Holden Commodore VE will cost just $1500 more than their sedan equivalents. As with the VE four-door, all Sportwagons have six airbags and stability control, while also gaining rear parking radar.
The VE Sportwagon range will start from $46,390 for the entry Omega V6, topping out at $68,990 for the Calais V with the 6.0-litre V8 engine.
Holden New Zealand's managing director, Peter Keley, argues that value and choice will be key features that will attract buyers to the VE five-door.
"The Sportwagon range offers real choices in practicality and flexibility to both the business buyer and Kiwi families," he says.
Sportwagon V6 models are the Omega, sports-oriented SV6 and luxury Calais V.
The V8s come in enhanced V-series specification only, in SS or Calais trim.
As the name suggests, the sexy estate puts the emphasis on styling and dynamics rather than ultimate load-lugging ability.
It's based on the same wheelbase as the VE sedan, rather than the extended platform of the VE ute and WM Caprice (the previous VZ wagon was substantially longer than its four-door equivalent).
It draws on the VE sedan at the front, while at the rear the designers have created a wider opening by positioning the tailgate hinge well forward into the roofline.
