Holden Calais V Series 2015 Review

Holden Calais V Series 2015 Review
Road Test

Holden's final Calais is an excellent example of why locally-manufactured large cars are ending on a high.

It's a comfortable car that feels dependable and safe, both in terms of active and passive safety.

Unfortunately, the other side of the coin is that perhaps it's a good time for the Commodore to end, because locally-built Holdens are slowly losing ground to international brands with deeper R&D pockets.

The SIDI V6 powering the Calais V-Series on test, for example, has been carried over from the 2010 model year VE Commodore. It makes a good partner for the VF II chassis, but it isn't as classically refined as V6 engines from Asia and Europe; it's arguably not even as refined as the latest turbocharged and direct-injected fours.

But it's quiet when cruising and sounds muscular at wide-open throttle in the upper reaches of the rev range. Compared with the long-stroke six in the Falcon, the Holden V6 feels peakier, but still musters a surge of power and torque that builds from just under 3000rpm (the torque peak arrives at 2800rpm, which fits with the power delivery in reality) and carries on right through to redline.

At lower engine speeds the V6 remains eminently relaxed – supporting the old axiom about cubic inches.

For all that, the Calais V-Series was acceptably frugal during the week, posting an average consumption value of 12.9L/100km, which is better than a couple of smaller-engined (and lighter) sports cars driven recently could manage in similar circumstances.

The Calais' six-speed automatic transmission was clunky at times. It's not going to rival a ZF or Aisin transmission in smoothness, but when the driver shifts to Sport mode, the transmission really delivers on its promise – holding lower gears longer and changing down sooner on downhill runs.

To the extent that it's highly adaptive, the transmission is an unlikely choice for the Calais (typical owners may never drive it that hard). But still, it's nice to know that the Calais is actually a much more capable car in the hands of someone who enjoys driving than its conservative looks suggest.

With its 50:50 front-to-rear weight distribution and very well tuned suspension (including a multi-link rear-end), the Calais is impressively adept and 'floggable' in ways that would shame more expensive cars from brands that traditionally boast more 'credibility'.

The Bridgestone Turanzas fitted to the 19-inch alloys are prone to squeal a bit once you start pushing the Calais harder, but they also provide a level of feedback practically exceptional in a car priced below $50,000.

There's enough feel in the brake pedal to encourage braking harder and later, but modulating the effort just enough for the car to be balanced precisely for the turn-in.

The tyres flex and squirm independently of each other in a way that you can feel through the wheel and the seat – just enough to encourage you taking the car right up to the 99 percentile of its available grip without detriment to car control, which is impressive for such a large, rear-wheel drive machine.

With the front tyres biting hard – and holding on like some rabid mutt – the Calais tracks around corners very neatly and allows power to be applied fairly indiscriminately for a fast exit. It's all very safe, but quick too.

And to cap it all off, the Calais actually rides well too! It's not just how the individual suspension units, wheels and tyres cope with a bump here or a pothole there, it's how the whole car is so composed and maintains a flat attitude over road surfaces that might have Euro prestige cars bouncing around all over the place. It's a little firmer than one might expect of a touring sedan of this size and distinction, but it doesn't wallow.

The headlights rate pretty well for halogen projector beams. Xenon lights would be better, as would LEDs, but the Calais' lights on low-beam were better than many conventional systems tried in recent times.

Nine years after the introduction of the VE Commodore, the VF II model's A pillars continue to hinder safe driving by obliquely obstructing the forward field of vision. Owners will soon adjust to it and make further allowances at intersections.

On the subject of meeting fellow road users in adverse circumstances, the Calais V-Series comes with Forward Collision Alert – which frequently activated a blaring alarm and bright red blinking display in the HUD whenever the Calais V-Series approached from behind any car completing a left turn. While it's clever technology in its own way, it's also bound to be an annoying distraction for a driver new to the Holden.

Inside, the Calais looks just a bit smarter in VF II guise. There are no readily discernible differences in the VF II edition, but the Alcantara trim that contrasts with the leather and plastics looks a little less tacked in place than in the case of the last VF Commodore driven, an SS wagon.

The major instruments are nice and large for easy legibility. They're not especially dramatic, visually, but for first-glance checking they're highly informative and foolproof. The unusual shroud over the instrument binnacle makes up for a lack of style in the instruments themselves and all the controls are simple to operate after just brief familiarisation. Mostly they're a carry-over from the VF anyway...

The MyLink infotainment system is crying out for a single-point controller such as the Euro brands offer in cars at this price level. It can be a stretch to reach the audio controls in the centre fascia. Granted volume and tracking are replicated on the steering wheel, but things like changing the music source can only be done by pressing a button below the touch screen, or pressing an icon in the touchscreen itself.

The layout of the touchscreen sometimes requires a downward extended thumb (much like a Roman emperor's signal to despatch a failed gladiator) to operate some of the icons at the base of the screen, just to clear the upright volume control knob. It could be better designed.

And MyLink doesn't pair all that well with an iPhone 6, for what that's worth. On start-up the system takes quite a while to connect with the phone, and to stream music from the smartphone always requires manual input from the driver or front-seat passenger. We had the screen freeze partially during the week, but it reset itself from the next engine start.

The Park Assist feature works after a fashion. In the underground car park at work it could basically detect an available slot – both parallel and perpendicular – but after the first attempt to back in, it would take two or three more attempts, if not more to settle on a final parking position. I quickly gave up and finished the parking manoeuvre myself.

There was no shortage of room for adults in the rear and the large boot, features a lid with slim gas strut rather than gooseneck hinges. That leaves room spare for packing more stuff, plus there's a useful luggage net near the very tail of the car for keeping smaller items safe from break-neck g forces.

Elements of the Calais V-Series' design seem lacking in the modern era, but the fundamentals remain highly competitive. And the price is reasonable too, for what's on offer.

Many motorists won't miss the sort of locally-built luxury Holdens that can trace their roots back to the EJ Premier of 1962. But for those who will, get in for your chop now...

2015 Holden Calais V-Series pricing and specifications:
Price: $47,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.6-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 210kW/350Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 216g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)

Also consider:
>> Ford Falcon G6E Turbo (from $47,050 plus ORCs)
>> Toyota Aurion Sportivo ZR6 (from $47,990 plus ORCs)
>> Hyundai Genesis (from $60,000 plus ORCs)