Holden Calais V 2018 Long-term Review - 3

Time to move on...

Colleague Feann Torr has laid the boot into our long-term Holden Calais V, stating (correctly) that the latest ZB-series model is nothing like the VF II-series it nominally replaces.

That's a good thing.

And for all the punters who say it should not be known as 'Commodore' (or 'Calais', in this instance), I don't care if they call it late for breakfast.

Let's judge this car, the ZB-series Holden Calais V, on the basis of its actual strengths and weaknesses as an automotive product – not on the basis of how it stacks up subjectively measured against historic and cultural memes.

Praise for powertrain

The naturally-aspirated V6 is a far cry from the VF-series equivalent, which displaced the same capacity. Unlike the earlier engine, the powerplant in the latest Holden Calais V is not coarse at all.

There's a warm, sporty burble from the exhaust, it's very smooth right up to the redline and loves to rev. It's much quieter and more subdued most of the time than the old V6. This is an endearing engine, in fact.

In his earlier review of this car, Feann noted that acceleration could be "almost too sharp". It certainly is on a hair trigger, which I don't mind, but it takes a little practice to pull off a chauffeur-style crawl away from the lights. The engine appears to have been calibrated for immediate punchiness to satisfy drivers of locally-built Calais or Commodore SV6 models from the past.

When performance is required, power seems to hit its straps above 4000rpm, but there's enough torque from low revs to make the new Calais V easy to drive around town.

Over the days the vehicle was on test, the trip computer posted a fuel consumption figure of 12.2L/100km, which is significantly better than the figure of 12.9L/100km for the VF Calais V I drove in similar conditions during 2015. The ZB Holden Calais V achieves that with more refinement overall, plus the safety of all-wheel drive.

Fuel economy was aided by the car's idle-stop system, which is exemplary. It restarts as quickly (and gently) as anything this side of a Porsche Panamera – the Holden system is THAT good.

The engine is coupled to a nine-speed automatic transmission, which delivers utterly seamless shifting and doesn't hunt for the right gear – indicating the engine has the necessary torque to maintain speed on hills.

About the only niggle with this transmission, which is something we've noted before, is that it’s slow to shift up using the paddles in manual mode. Half the time, if you're of a mind to drive the Calais V a little harder, it's better to leave the transmission in Drive and reserve the paddles for engine braking, changing down for corners and hills as required.

In calibrating the transmission to shift so very smoothly at all times, GM engineers have failed to set it up for more aggressive (and therefore faster shifting) in manual mode.

Road noise dominates at cruising speed, although there's also some wind noise present, but the powertrain is subdued at all times. While the Continental tyres fitted are noisy on coarse-chip bitumen, they are certainly exceptional in every other respect – ride comfort, feedback and grip.

Driving dynamics that deliver

Light steering in default mode helps make the Calais V easier to park, naturally, although the Holden will do that for you anyway. The steering in this mode isn't as communicative as it is in Sport mode. There's a moderate but significant gulf in the Calais V's turn-in and feedback between Sport and Normal modes. It's a delight to drive in Sport mode, but the normal mode delivers what most buyers want around town and driven day-by-day.

The normal mode also brings with it a softer, suppler ride. Pummel the Calais V over the sort of speed humps that would have a Subaru Levorg flopping around like a dying fish and the Holden takes it all in its stride. It's better damped, but not to the point that the springs don't have time to react to some new input.

In Sport mode the Calais V is undeniably less compliant on ropey country roads, but body control in either mode is better than I recall of the Ford Mondeo Titanium we reviewed in a medium-car comparison late last year.

To be frank about it, and as capable as the Calais V is in Sport mode, most drivers would be perfectly happy leaving the car in Normal mode. Unlike other cars, for which sports settings need to be the default mode if you appreciate driving at all, the sport mode in the Calais V is really only necessary if you're flinging the car through a series of bends for your own enjoyment.

The Calais V in Sport mode turns in responsively and it delivers grip that's certainly in the same league as the made-in-Oz VF model, the difference being the ZB's east-west engine layout and all-wheel drive, which results in dependable, consistent handling in wet conditions. Owners of VF models will miss the meaty feel in the steering, but in this respect, the ZB Calais V certainly matches or betters the current crop of medium and large cars.

Brake-pedal feel is commendable and the Calais V will pull up hard but safely when you stomp on the pedal. The Holden will also slow to a halt very softly and the braking and idle-stop systems don't conflict, so you won't unsettle the passengers in the last two metres before the intersection.

Over the several days I drove the Calais V, the pads were noisy under moderate braking. Load up some weight on the pedal and they were fine, or roll on to the pedal gently and they were also fine. But brake somewhere in between – as most drivers will – and there was some noise from the pads as they made contact with the rotors.

It was disturbing initially and detracted from the otherwise refined demeanour of the Calais V. Driving the car again a week or two later, however, the noise was no longer apparent. I have no explanation for this, other than possibly some grit or detritus subsequently dislodged from between pad and rotor.

The inside story

The driving position is generally appropriate, although I found the pedals a little too close for comfort, even with the seat adjusted back and the squab raised closer to upright. But the driver's seat itself is a very effective balance of comfort and contouring, either for cruising or holding the occupant in place during high-g lateral movements.

Instruments, controls and infotainment functions are intuitively easy and pleasant to use, with a quality feel to the wiper and indicator stalks, for example. Almost every function – scrolling from digital speedo readout to fuel consumption or changing tracks/stations for the audio system, as examples – can be accomplished from the uncluttered switchgear on the steering wheel. It all becomes second nature in next to no time.

Although just 26mm (barely an inch) longer than the Mondeo – and just 9mm wider – the Calais V is a 'large' car in VFACTS terms, whereas the Mondeo is deemed a medium passenger car. But in packaging the two vehicles are much closer, especially as they're both five-seat passenger cars with a lift-back tailgate.

That tailgate results in a flatter roof at the rear, slightly compromising headroom in the rear for average-sized adults. That was offset by the deep boot, which benefits from the space-saver spare wheel.

To finish off, the Calais V falls somewhere between good and great. Along with the powertrain and underpinnings, the Calais V offers terrific adaptive headlights with intelligent high-beam.

But on the debit side of the ledger there are the noisy brakes and the intermittent rattle in the dash. In isolation, however, those issues shouldn't deter buyers from laying down their hard-earned for a new Calais V – provided a competent Holden service technician can fix those niggly, noisy problems.

How much does the 2018 Holden Calais V cost?
Price: $51,990 (as tested, plus ORCs)
Engine: 3.6-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 235kW/381Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.3L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 212g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2017)