|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
14 February 2005
Holden's big Statesman offers exceptional
value-for-money. You get so much for so little that this Holden limo
really gives the everyday man a chance to buy the sort of car normally
only available to the very wealthy. Tell the average European car owner
that an Australian family man can afford something the size of a BMW
7-series or Mercedes S-Class and they simply don’t believe you.
Before going too much further, let's hasten to
say that the Holden isn’t as good a car as the big Bimmers and
Benzes. But compare $55,990 for a V6 Statesman, with $201,200 for
a 745i Bimmer or $226,900 for an S430L Merc and you will get some
idea of the difference in value. It’s hard, no it’s
impossible, to do a direct comparison on dynamics and quality, but
may we suggest that the Holden is at least 85 to 90 per cent of
the big Germans in the way it handles and in its build quality?
Holden's big Statesman (and the further upmarket
Caprice) are stretched versions of the Commodore sedan. In its
latest format, designated the WL series, the Statesman comes as
standard with the new Holden Alloytec 190 engine, and a five-speed
automatic transmission with some manual overrides. The 190 engine
is a 190 kW unit (in case you hadn't guessed) that uses the latest
in twin-cam, multi-valve technology and electronic engine
management. It is smooth and quiet in its operation, though
there's a feeling that perhaps it really should be just a little
smoother than it is. It’s certainly not rough in absolute terms,
but it doesn’t have that ultra-silky feeling you get in some
other V6s.
Performance is fine and those who still think
that you need plenty of cubic inches to make a big car go well
should sample this latest Holden unit.
Fuel consumption is a strong feature of this
3.6-litre V6 and we were able to see figures of under 10 litres
per hundred kilometres in steady country road driving. Around town
the figure is significantly higher, though still respectable,
typically running at between 12 and 14 litres per hundred
kilometres.
Since the introduction of the WK series in May
2003, Holden has taken an interesting decision to differentiate
between Statesman and Caprice in their attitude to roads. While
the Statesman continues in much the same manner as before, as an
affordable luxury car, the Caprice is a sporting sedan these days.
However, on the road the big Statesman feels fine and will prove
more than adequate for most owners. It doesn’t feel all that
large, being more like a Commodore than the spacious
long-wheelbase that it is. Until you come to park that is, some
garages won’t like the extra length and we even found a public
carpark that had the nose of the big Holden sticking our more than
we liked.
Statesman may not have the sports suspension of
the Caprice but it can still be tossed at corners in a manner that
is unlikely to be ever attempted by the typical corner, and come
out of the other side with nary a squirm of the tyres or
suspension. Only when you try to change direction suddenly do you
become aware that there’s something like 1.8 tonnes of car under
your control.
If you can’t afford (or don’t need) the
additional prestige offered by big German saloons you will find it
extremely hard to go past the value offered by the very spacious
Holden Statesman. And in its own interesting way the Statesman
does have a fair degree of prestige, having for many years been
the car of choice with the successful working class man in
Australia.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Statesman 3.6-litre four-door sedan - $55,990
Statesman 5.7-litre four-door sedan - $60,790
Caprice 3.6-litre four-door sedan - $69,650
Caprice 5.7-litre four-door sedan - $74,390
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: Standard on all models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Standard on all models
Power Windows: Standard on all models
Driver Airbag: Standard on all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard on all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Holden Statesman 3.6-litre
four-door sedan)
ENGINE
Capacity: 3.565 litres
Configuration: 60-degree V6
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.2:1
Bore/Stroke: 94.0 x 85.6mm
Maximum Power: 190kW @ 6500rpm
Maximum Torque: 340Nm @ 3200rpm
DRIVELINE
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Five-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 2.87:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES
Length: 5193mm
Wheelbase: 2939mm
Width: 1847mm
Height: 1444mm
Turning Circle: 11.5 metres
Kerb Mass: 1686kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 75 litres
Towing Ability: Up to 2100kg with Holden approved towing equipment
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES
Front Suspension: MacPherson struts, coils springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, control link, semi-trailing arm,
coil springs, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 7.9 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 16.7 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION
City Cycle: 13.7 L/100km
Highway Cycle: 9.6 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY
Three years/100,000km
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
