Holden Commodore RS liftback 2018 review

It's solid. I was in the Commodore RS which is a 2.0-litre, four cylinder petrol engine, so you're not getting the full V6 experience (though there are V6s in the range, seek them out if that's what you're after). But for family driving on the suburban route from home to work and school and daycare and round to sporting activities, the four cylinders were all I needed.

I found the steering slightly stiff but nothing major, and the handling was good. It has enough power to get up hills quickly and I didn't feel as though I was lacking in the speed department. It took corners well and I felt confident driving it. All in all, a good drive.

Parking was fine thanks to the reverse parking camera and rear collision warnings, but the turning circle was quite large, which is always a hassle when you're doing lots of turns to try and find a park for school pick-up.

It's lower than an SUV obviously, so you don't have that high vantage point on the road, but I'm used to that and it just depends on your personal preference.

The steering was slightly stiff but nothing major, and the handling was good.

There is lots of room in the front and passenger seats, both for me and my 185cm husband who drives as though he's reclinging on a lounge. It's also wide enough that we have our own space and don't feel cramped.

The back seat is big enough for my four-year-old and six-year-old to have a good amount of space in between them, and while I was able to fit a baby capsule alongside their seats, that doesn't mean it wasn't squishy - it was. So if you've got three children in child seats I would think about whether you wanted to bend down and buckle them all up every day, or whether an SUV is more sensible.

If you've got three children in child seats, an SUV might be more sensible.

If the kids are out of car seats though (or at least one of them), there is enough room.

I'm always surprised at how big the boots are in sedans, and while the RS is officially a liftback, the boot doesn't disappoint. It's 490 litres which is bigger than some mid-size SUVs. The boot is long and deep, and almost all of the space is usable without blocking your rear vision. It'll fit a pram, a full load of groceries and most other things that families need.

The boot is long and deep, and almost all of the space is usable without blocking your rear vision.

The Commodore is still a good ol' Commodore when you need it to be, in that it comes with everything you'd expect of a car in 2018. Two cupholders in the front and two in the back, along with bottle holders in each door. There's a small storage spot in the front to throw keys and a phone which I always think is very important, plus a centre storage bin and pockets on the back of the front door.

Even though it's lower than an SUV, the boot opens at a decent height to lift groceries in and out of, and the car is at a good height that the kids can climb in without needing help - something both they and I appreciate. Yes, the lower height does mean you have to lean over to buckle children up, but depending on how tall you are and what age the little ones are, this becomes less annoying over time.

There are rear air vents for the back row which is always a good thing while driving in this hot country of ours.

Even though it's lower than an SUV, the boot opens at a decent height to lift groceries in and out of.

Even in this lower end model, the Commodore RS comes with all the latest safety tech, including things like auto emergency braking, lane departure warnings and rear cross traffic alerts, which were very helpful when I was coming out of my driveway which is a total blindspot.

It has airbags covering the driver and front passenger and side curtain airbags extending to the back row. There are also two ISOFIX points and three top tethers for children's car seats.

All this gets the Commodore a maximum five star ANCAP rating.

The Commodore RS comes with all the latest safety tech.

The Commodore RS comes in at $37,290, with a fuel consumption of 7.6 litres for every 100km, and you'll need 95RON premium petrol for it to run at its best.

Holden offers its standard, three year/100,000km warranty and services should be scheduled every 12months or 12,000km.

The Commodore RS has a fuel consumption of 7.6 litres for every 100km.