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By
EWAN KENNEDY
3 April 2006
With the latest HSV models nearing the end of the
line the Melbourne based supplier of hot Commodores has come up with
strong styling changes guaranteed to grab serious attention. The front
end has been revamped with strong angular lines in the intake ducts, the
best news of all is that these now have race-car mesh grilles.
Unusually, mesh is also used on the rear diffuser
Gracing the flanks of the ClubSport R8 are
fender vents in an open-mesh look that works well, though
inserting the side-turn indicator doesn’t do it any favours by
distracting the eyes from the feature.
Wheels on the Z series ClubSport are 19-inch
units with an interesting ‘silver billet’ finish and have the
popular design that was used with such success on the HSV VY
Commodore GTS.
These days the ClubSport has a huge 6.0-litre V8
putting out a very handy 400 horsepower, or 297 kW if you like to
think in metric numbers, though very few muscle-car guys do. HSV
does attach a ‘297’ badge to the car’s rump, so is pushing
in that direction.
This latest HSV powerplant is an evolution of
the famed Chevrolet small-block. Tagged the LS2, it is now up to
generation four, or Gen IV. The engine not only has plenty of
grunt from a little over idle, it finally has the exhaust note HSV
buyers have been screaming for since the demise of the Aussie
5.0-litre. There's not a huge amount of volume of sound, the
wowsers amongst the rule makers have killed that, but the quality
is way ahead of that of the superseded 5.7 V8.
Both the six-speed manual and four-speed
automatic transmissions have been uprated and have revisions to
their gearing. Our test car on this occasion was a manual, as is
often the way with gearboxes designed to handle big torque, it’s
somewhat heavy and notchy in its action. The clutch pedal also
requires a fair bit of muscle to make it work.
We’ve also had a brief drive of the HSV with
an automatic transmission. The auto has been modified to give it a
sporting flair and is particularly effective, with sharp changes
that even have the ability to chirp the tyres if you really want
to get stuck into the car. We seldom favour an auto over a manual
in any car with the slightest sporting flavour in its makeup, but
we’ll make an exception in this case.
There's plenty of grunt from this big V8 engine,
but if you can avoid the temptation to get stuck into it all the
time it can be surprisingly economical. On motorway running at a
bit over the speed limit we were pleased to see the big HSV was
capable of dropping its consumption below 10 litres per hundred
kilometres. That’s in very easy running with the engine barely
over idle. During cruising trips in the country you would expect
it to use about 10 to12 litres per hundred.
Around town the fuel story does change and it’s
easy to push fuel use to the wrong side of 15 litres. And if you
care to take it to the track, and you should do so at least once a
month in our considered opinion to really understand what the car
is all about, the consumption can go sky high. But who cares…
HSV has added sonar parking to the rear of the
ClubSport R8 to let drivers better judge their parking distances.
That’s a sensible as the bulky rear of the vehicle is further
heightened by the rear wing and it would be all too easy to lose
sight of fast-moving toddlers back there.
On the dash there's a silver-finish on the
console. It looks good and adds a real sporting note to the
interior. The instrument layout with its interlocked circular
dials is simple to read. An additional binnacle above the centre
of the dash holds the oil-temperature gauge and voltmeter.
HSVs received further improvements to their
suspensions with the introduction of the Z series in October 2004.
This included modifications to the traction control to make it
less aggressive than in the past.
This is a car that can be punted hard and fast
for long periods. The engine is a real delight to sit behind. The
urge is all-but instantaneous when you hit the loud pedal and the
action continues in a nicely linear manner all the way to about
6000 rpm before tapering off slightly. The steering is precise
with plenty of feedback, yet not so fast as it would become a pain
when using the car as a daily driver.
The brakes were upgraded to match the rest of
the car with the launch of the 6.0-litre engine and stop the
ClubSport quickly with no loss of power or stability after a
number of hard stops.
Holden Special Vehicles produces an excellent
range of vehicles at very modest prices for the performance and
equipment levels they supply. We would be only too happy to have
one sitting in our garage at any time.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
ClubSport 6.0-litre four-door sedan - $61,850
ClubSport R8 6.0-litre four-door sedan - $70,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on both models
Air Conditioning: Standard on both models
Automatic Transmission: No cost option on both models
CD Player: Standard on both models
Central Locking: Standard on both models
Cruise Control: Standard on both models
Driver Airbag: Standard on both models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on both models
Front Side Airbags: Standard on both models
SPECIFICATIONS (HSV ClubSport 6.0-litre
four-door sedan)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 5.967 litres
Configuration: Longitudinal V8
Head Design: OHV, two valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.9:1
Bore/Stroke: 101.6 x 92.0mm
Maximum Power: 297kW @ 6000rpm
Maximum Torque: 530Nm @ 4400rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: All-wheel-drive
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.46:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4789mm
Wheelbase: 2788mm
Width: 1840mm
Height: 1397mm
Turning Circle: 12.0 metres
Kerb Mass: 1696kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 75 litres
Towing Ability: 500kg (2100kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, cast-iron lower
I-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, semi-trailing arm, coil springs,
anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Ventilated disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 5.8 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 14.0 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
City Cycle: 18.2 L/100km
Highway Cycle: 12.6 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/ 100,000 km
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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