By EWAN KENNEDY 
4 September 2006

Hot on the wheels of the new VE Commodore, Holden has introduced the long-wheelbase variants to the market. Tagged as the WM Statesman and Caprice, these models have been launched about 18 months ahead of the time we would normally have anticipated.

The reason is simple, Holden is exporting these LWB models to many countries, principally in the middle east, in large numbers. Indeed, far more go overseas than are sold in Australia. We can only assume that Holden is making pretty good money on these exports, something it will, obviously, neither confirm nor deny, and therefore wants the new model on the market as soon as possible.

Interestingly, most of these exports are badged Chevrolet, not Holden, and have the steering wheel on the left side of the car.

The beneficiaries are Australians who love the stretch out space offered by the Statesman and Caprice.

The losers are those who want to buy a new VE Commodore station wagon, ute or Crewman. They will have to wait for an unspecified period, rumoured to be as long as 18 months before Holden launches them, as the engineering resources simply weren’t available to do every model at the same time.

In the meantime the VZ station wagons, etc have been slightly updated to let them struggle through the intervening period.

On top of the $1.04 billion spent on the VE Commodore, Holden put another $190 million into the WM series. Huge sums of money, but that’s what it takes to design and manufacture cars in this day and age.

We have just toured the revamped Holden factory at Elizabeth, near Adelaide and have come away impressed by the strong emphasis on global quality the company is putting into all its products.

Styling of the WM models is big and imposing in keeping with the upmarket image they will have in export markets. Differentiation between Commodore and Statesman/Caprice is greater than ever before, with only the front doors being shared. Naturally a lot of the out of sight parts are identical between the standard and long-wheelbase.

The interior has also received a major redesign, though it does share the same ‘wave form’ of the dashboard. The seats are larger and the trim is more luxurious.

As before, Statesman is aimed at the luxury market and the Caprice at a more sporting buyer, though still with an eye on luxury fittings.

Powertrains are identical to those in the upper variants of the Commodore. Statesman comes with the 195 kW V6 and a five-speed automatic transmission, with the 270 kW V8 and six-speed auto as an option. The Caprice does it the other way around; the V8 is standard fare, the V6 is there if you don’t want the big power of the V8.

As with the Commodore, Holden has significantly reduced the price of the topline model to make it ultra competitive. Thus the WM Caprice V8 at $69,990 is $5400 cheaper than before. The V6 is now $65,990, down $4700. Statesman’s recommended retail has increased $2000 in both variants, the V6 coming in at $58,990 and the V8 $62,990.

Our initial test drives were truncated due to pressure of time and we have managed only about 80 km of total driving in the new Holden flagships. First impressions are most favourable with the Statesman having a soft, quiet ride and a real feeling of space and luxury. The six-cylinder engine still has plenty of punch even in this larger car.

The Caprice has plenty of performance from its big V8, the firmer seats have taller side bolsters for added cornering support and the firmer suspension can certainly be felt. Handling we really couldn’t experience properly but the sharper steering feels good and those who like to punt their cars along should be impressed with the overall feel.

Having said that, our preference at this stage is for the Statesman V6. Its more luxurious feel appeals and the latest V6 is an excellent engine and is likely to have more than enough performance for all but the revhead.

‘Big cars for a big country’ may sound a bit hackneyed, but it really does apply to these spacious WM Holden long-wheelbase models that are so well adapted to long country trips on poor quality roads. Not to forget the stretch-out cabin that will pamper business people who like comfort as they do their deals around our major cities.