Holden Monaro 2001 Review

The most eagerly awaited Aussie car of the last two decades arrived in November, 2001. Prices at launch for the Monaro CV6 will start from just $47,990, and the CV8 version from $56,990. Both models are available with a 4-speed automatic gearbox, the V8 also with a 6-speed manual.

Holden's CEO Peter Hanenberger believes the Monaro is a landmark car for his company. "It opens the door to a more flexible company better placed to meet the needs of a diversifying market."

So does that mean we'll see more Commodore variants down the line? Definitely. Word is already out about a Commodore-based 4WD wagon, due in 2004. Die hard fans waiting for a convertible version of the coupe, though, are likely to be disappointed. Holden insiders we spoke to believe a Monaro convertible wouldn't sell in big enough quantities to justify the investment. In the current climate, that is.

Holden spent $60 million developing the Monaro coupe, a project that took an incredibly short 22 months to go from concept to production reality. Of that, $20 million went on design and engineering, the rest on bringing the Elizabeth plant up to spec.

The production Monaro is surprisingly close to the original Coupe Concept car. The only real visual difference is the new front end, said to point to the next generation Commodore. The rear end also features a unique light cluster, and stylish, integrated boot lip spoiler.

Monaro rides on the same 2788mm wheelbase as Commodore, with a roof 40mm lower for a sleek, sporty silhouette. To compensate for this inside the cabin, the seats are mounted 25mm lower. The coupe's rear overhang is 100mm shorter than sedan, making the coupe 100mm shorter overall. Ther windscreen is raked 2deg further, while the doors are 150mm longer and the B-pillar moved rearward by the same amount to provide easier access to the rear seats.

Inside, the Monaro has a more luxurious air about it, though the Commodore lineage is undeniable. Brushed aluminium has been employed to highlight the doorhandles, gear selector and various other points of interest, while the instrument backing is colour coded to match the exterior - and interior of your choice.

On that subject, the Monaro is available in a range of seven exterior colours, three of which are new and exclusive to the 2-door. Each colour has its choice of interior colour schemes. We feel the red, green and blue external colour options are a bit flat, especially after some of the astonishing new colours we've seen recently on Commodore such as Tiger Orange and Hyper Yellow.

Monaro also shares Commodore's attention to safety. Dual front airbags and side airbags are standard on both models, and the coupe's revised front end structure has been rigorously crash tested.

Monaro CV6 kicks off the coupe lineup at $47,990 and comes equipped with air-conditioning, leather trimmed sprts seats, cruise control, remote central locking, electric windows and mirrors and an in-dash CD player. The CV8 adds, among other things, a 10-stack CD player with 10 speaker sound system and a more comprehensive trip computer.

We drove the both the CV8 and CV6 versions at launch, though only with the automatic gearbox. First impressions of the new Monaro are of a significantly better handling car, but still undeniably a Commodore.

The supercharged CV6 model weighs 1603kg, exactly the same as the Commodore S, which does 0-100km/h in 8.7 seconds. The Monaro's more aerodynamic form may knock a tenth or two off this.

Interestingly, the CV8 weighs 40kg more than the V6, even though the alloy V8 block is actually lighter (Commodore SS is 10kg lighter overall than supercharged Commodore S). Even so, it should be good for a 0-100km/h time around 8.0 seconds and a quarter mile in the high 14s.

The reason behind the weight discrepancy, says Andrew Hynson, Holden's Manager: Special Vehicles, goes right back to the start of the Monaro production line.

"The CV6 parts list is based on the Commodore S, while the CV8 comes from the Calais." The Calais, being a more luxurious vehicle, carries more sound deadening, more equipment, leather seats, etc...

"It all adds up: Climate control, sound deadening, leather. Then you've got the weight savings of a coupe over the sedan. Two less doors, less window glass, and the reduced reart overhang which reduces overall mass."

Less rear overhang, says Hynson, also improves the coupe's cornering. "Reducing mass from the extremities reduces the moment of inertia, [an object's desire to revolve around its centre of gravity, or, as the experts call it, to spin]."

The Monaro is built on the Commodore large car platform, which means the same engines, gearboxes and major suspension components. The front springs have been revised, the rear springs replaced, and the front and rear stabiliser bars replaced with bigger versions to further sharpen the handling characteristics of the Monaro. The front struts and rear dampers have been retuned to improve bump soaking.

The steering gear has been replaced to slow the steering rate down fractionally, allowing the driver to place the car even more precisely on the road.

The end result is a Monaro that turns and tracks better than any Commodore ever has before. The Monaro reacts more quickly to steering inputs, and the slower rack lets you finesse the coupe down the road rather than wrestle it. Straight line stability also feels better, a byproduct of the slower rack, mods to the front suspension, and the Control-Link IRS rear end. We still don't agree with the steering weighting, though the V8 version, with its tailor made 18in high performance, low profile Bridgestones, actually improves somewhat on the CV6's too light setup.

Tractability out of corners benefits from the Control Link IRS, but more so from the spring and shock revisions and more rigid body structure. It's never been easier to get the power down on exit, and predictably control the rear end while doing so.

Power has never been a weak point of Gen III powered V8 Commodores, and the Monaro is no exception. The CV8's 225kiloWatt engine sounds even more ballsy than it used to, thanks to significant improvements to the air induction system. These modifications have the flow on effect of enhancing throttle response marginally and, more importantly, creating a better V8 induction growl.

You'd be wrong if you tried to label the Monaro simply a two door Commodore. Yes, it is derived from Australia's best selling family sedan, but the blokes from Fisherman's bend have put a substantial amount of effort into giving the Monaro a look and feel all its own.

Holden's V8 Monaro coupe may be hogging the headlines, but the supercharged six is still worthy of attention.

Black is not the best colour for this car. Undoubtedly the most anticipated launch of 2001, the 2-dr Commodore - aka the Holden Monaro Coupe - was a coup of phenomenal proportions. One that Ford still hasn't recovered from, or answered to.

A car evoking such extreme emotion, devotion and nostalgia deserves a standout colour. A real look at me colour. Not a blend into the background black. Thankfully the Holden Monaro CV6 is available in more colours than the black we drove.

CV6 stands for Coupe, V6. Supercharged for 171kW of bitumen blasting power. It's the baby of the Monaro range, playing forgotten sibling to the one everybody realy wants, the CV8.

Some will argue that nothing beats the primal power and aural delights of a hard charging V8, and while they may have a point, the blown V6 is more than capable of ripping roads and drwaing smiles. It may not have the right number of pots for us boofy Aussie blokes, but it doesn't deserve the tag as the Clayton's Monaro.

Even linked to the 4-speed automatic transmission, the blown six can still overcome the 16inch Bridgestone's adhesion levels. Traction control off and you'll be leaving lines and attracting onlookers - and officers - at every intersection.

Leave the shifter in D or shuffle it yourself from one through three, either way you'll hit 100km/h in second in little over 7 seconds. Third's good for a standing quarter mile dispatched in the 15s and fourth will get you to a top speed in excess of 220km/h. But only in the Territory or on a track. Remember, there's police saving your life and lightening your wallet around every corner.

The Monaro's anchors are good at retarding speed in a hurry, but we found them strangely deviod of feel. Four piston calipers at each corner acting on vented discs haul in the 16??kg coupe without any complaint or fade, and can call in the antilock troops in a panic, but they just don't give you any real clues as to what's going on.

Same problem with the steering. Monaro gets a slower steering rack than the Commodore, which means 12percent more driver input for the same turn. But that in itself is not a problem, because the Monaro turns alright, points just fine, it just doesn't give the driver the benefit of interacting. Commodore steering is often criticised for being very detached, the weighting seemingly unrelated to what's going on out front. Monaro's the same.

Compare it to the boys on the Star Trek bridge and you'll have an idea. "4 points to starboard Mr Sulu." "Aye Captain. 4 points it is."

Which is a bit of a shame, because the coupe is a dream to drive. Turning Commodore into coupe - the removal of two doors, the lower roofline and more laid back windscreen - produced a stiffer chassis and body that gave Holden's suspension gurus some room to develop.

Softer suspension produced a slightly more supple ride than otherwise might have been possible, at no expense to handling abilities. The Monaro corners like a pro, tipping in and hunting the apex like a lion on a scent.

The back end rolls into corners a little, like it's cocking the inside leg. It's a feeling exaggerated by the blown V6 engine's ability to easily break rear wheel traction in corners, but we never had a problem with the levels of grip at the rear. If you're really concerned, then do what we didn't and leave the switchable traction control on.

On a fast trip along a favourite mountain pass the Monaro coupe shows all the characteristics of a fast, capable sports coupe. Well balanced chassis, plenty of power, solidly dependable brakes, and plenty of grip. The only things we wish for is sharper steering with more feel and feedback, and a more evocative engine and exhaust sound. The supercharged six sounds flat, like a high speed hairdryer. Not a performance coupe.

Back in suburbia and it's no surprise that the coupe that stole the 1998 Sydney motor show still knows how to turn heads. People stop and stare as it passes, and plenty will take a peek in the windows when parked. We even had one bloke do it while we were stopped at a set of traffic lights. Hey buddy! Do you mind? We're still in here.

A coupe that gets this much attention on the outside deserves to be more than just a Commodore on the inside. Holden made a concious decision to get the Monaro to market at a realistic price. And that meant using as much of the Commodore as possible. So it's no surprise that sitting behind the wheel of the Monaro feels like sitting behind the wheel of a Commodore Acclaim.

That's not a bad thing. Everything in the Commodore works well and is placed well, so why change it. Well, because we expect something different, something special from the Monaro. Something that makes us - the driver, the owner - feel part of something special. Not something that's found in more than 200,000 fleet streeters on this country's roads today.

It's all here with a few minor differences. Tilt and reach adjustable steering, CD player, electric mirrors and windows, and leather sports seats electrically adjustable for height and backrest rake.

Even the dashboard looks the same, though if you stump up the extra cash for the V8 you'll get the dial backs colour coded to your exterior choice.

Air-conditioning is standard, as is cruise control. Tilt the front seats forward and the electric motor slides the squab to to ease rear seat entry. Lock it back and the seat returns to your original position.

Buying a coupe means you're buying the inconvenient access to the back seats, and though there's plenty of room back there for two people in the sculpted buckets, you'll quickly get sick of loading and unloading the lads and ladies. Coupes are for two people, sedans are for more. Remember that if you're thinking of buying the Monaro.

The Monaro CV6 a great looking coupe with plenty of power and performance, and the knack of putting a smile on your dial. It's a little underdone in a couple of departments, the steering and the brakes quickly spring to mind, and the interior needs the kind of attention devoted to the exterior.

It's a shame that the driver's seat is not the best seat in this house. From here, all we see is Commodore. The real enjoyment goes to the turning heads on the pavement. From there, they see the best looking Australian car in years with bitumen belting performance to match. Pity the soundtrack doesn't match the show.