Holden Statesman V6 2010 Review

Road Test

Holden Statesman WM (MY10) V6

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $63,990
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Satellite navigation (colour screen) $1990
Crash rating: Five-star (ANCAP)
Fuel: 91 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 10.3
CO2 emissions (g/km): 245
Also consider: Chrysler 300C, Ford Falcon G6E, Skoda Superb V6

About our ratings

If there's one virtue in the Middle East possessing vast quantities of fossil fuel, it's this: inhabitants of that region can afford to run the Chevrolet Caprice, the car that we know as the Holden Statesman. Why's that a good thing? For starters, the Middle-Eastern Caprice is built in Holden's factory in South Australia. Export sales of the long-wheelbase Statesman have kept it -- and its sibling, the more luxurious Holden Caprice -- from falling victim to the same fate as Ford's locally-manufactured Fairlane. That provides additional volume for Holden, justifies LWB development costs and keeps factory workers employed.

Some will argue that there's very little reason to build and sell cars as large as the Statesman in Australia, but there's certainly a market for such a vehicle. Also, it must be said, the Statesman is a quality example of its kind. With the introduction of the 3.6-litre SIDI (Spark Ignition, Direct Injection) V6 to the car, the Statesman has -- at a stroke -- overcome the major obstacle to broader acceptance in this stratum of the market.

That's not to say the LWB Holden is perfect. For those who expect at this point to read a complaint about the Statesman's A pillars, you'll undoubtedly be thrilled by the information that the B pillar poses a problem too -- especially looking over the right shoulder while backing. Despite the Statesman's sensational turning circle and its boast of a width no greater than a Commodore's, it can feel cumbersome at low speeds.

That's an attribute of the car's long wheelbase. If the driveway is narrow and you're constantly changing tack to avoid trees or rocks near the drive -- as is the case for this reviewer at home -- the long wheelbase is a hindrance. You quickly become very reliant on exterior mirrors and the acoustic guidance from the ultrasonic sensors front and rear. Frequently, the parking guidance system was beeping at the front and rear simultaneously.

While the Statesman may have a good turning circle, that's measured kerb to kerb, not wall to wall -- and it's the rear overhang and the wheelbase that make backing it a chore at times. Indeed, it's considerably more of a chore than in the shorter wheelbase Commodore -- there may not be much difference in wheelbase measurement between the two, but it's enough to make an impact (so to speak).

The flip-side of these external dimensions is packaging. Inside, the Statesman is outstandingly roomy. A full-sized (with alloy wheel) spare sits under the high boot floor, but the luggage capacity, albeit restricted by the spare and the floor, remains long and wide for great practicality.

For rear-seat occupants, there's just nothing like it this side of $100,000, unless you consider a car like the Skoda Superb. Even then, the Superb with V6 engine is only $7000 cheaper than the Statesman and won't accommodate five people the way the Statesman does. Like the Skoda though, the Holden is one car in which you can literally stretch out in the back seat and there's oodles of headroom there as well.

Seats are based around the same frame and contouring as in the Commodore SV6, but they're power-operated. That means that they're sufficiently comfortable, but also provide commendable support and lateral holding. For some buyers, they may not offer the sort of oozy, soft, sinking luxury of a leather recliner, but the Statesman will nevertheless cover long distances without the driver or passengers getting grumpy and fidgety in their seats.

If the seats in the Statesman are power-operated though, why not the steering column?

For all the Statesman's well-conceived blend of straightforward ergonomics and comprehensive equipment, there were some flaws. Bluetooth connection and MP3-capable audio are standard features in the Statesman, but the former couldn't pick up this reviewer's mobile and the latter wouldn't read an MP3 disc. The climate control system in the Statesman needed to be cranked up to 27 degrees before it would heat the cabin to a comfortable ambient level. What's the go with that? Most cars are toasty warm at around an indicated 23 degrees at the most.

On the whole though, the Statesman is not to be knocked for its comfort. As we learned from the Commodore SV6 driven the week before, the driving position in Holden's locally-manufactured large cars is relaxing. Drivers will quickly find a comfy position with ease, plus they'll still have a commanding view of the instruments and be within ready reach of the instruments and controls.

It's not immediately obvious until you've been driving the car a while, but the Statesman's accelerator pedal has a nice feel and action to it that combines with small but clearly delineated calibrations in the speedo, so you can keep it at a very precise indicated speed on the open road, without it being too demanding. It's not one of life's great pleasures, but it makes the Statesman an easier car to drive within posted speed limits, with or without the cruise control set.

Quality inside the Statesman meets the appropriate standard and the presentation was conventionally stylish (a bit boring perhaps, if anything?) with a dark woodgrain veneer for the decorative trim pieces. If you have to have woodgrain, you could do much worse.

The doors of the Statesman, as for the rest of the body, feel solid and safe, but don't just glide closed as they do in some lower-priced Japanese cars, for example. You do have to push them closed to latch securely and not just release them from your grasp.

With the power and torque available from the 3.6-litre 'SIDI' V6, the Statesman is quick in a straightline -- just not off the mark. There's some mass to move away from a standing start and while the six-speed automatic features enough ratios to keep the V6 on the boil once in motion, the Statesman launches in a way that could be described as 'cushy', rather than 'sparkling'.

Still, if you can live with that, the Statesman is quick enough on the straights. The V6 is good for up to 7000rpm, if you want to push it that hard, and the power delivery using full throttle is linear from negligible revs to at least 6000rpm. It's an engine with a satisfying note to it; not as delicious as an Alfa V6 (as we said about the Commodore SV6) but it sounds muscular and doesn't have the slightly off-balance drone some have come to expect from V6 engines. It's quite a refined unit.

With a combination of open-road cruising, urban commuting and some performance driving, the Statesman returned an average fuel consumption figure of 12.2L/100km for the week. The car was showing as low as 11.9L/100km on the trip computer, prior to the performance testing, which raised the average to 12.8, before it dropped back to the final figure of 12.2.

Our experience with both 3.0 and 3.6-litre SIDIs suggests that the direct-injected V6 can be remarkably frugal if driven for economy. Any advantage against conventional port-injected engines of similar displacement, however, is quickly eroded once you start using the car's power. It's something to bear in mind if you think you can buy a car like this and [still] do your bit for the environment while fanging it from one set of traffic lights to the next.

Unfortunately, it's tempting to use the power available because the engine is so refined, as already mentioned. Combined with the proficient six-speed 6L80E automatic transmission, it provides decent throttle response and stronger performance above 3000rpm -- which you can facilitate through the sequential-shift function by pushing the shift lever to the left and selecting a lower gear with a nudge forwards.

The Statesman, entering a corner with power off, turns in with a similar rate of response to the shorter-wheelbase Commodore, but applying power on the way out of the corner is where you'll find the difference between the two wheelbase measurements. There's significantly more understeer in the Statesman on the exit -- not helped any by the softer suspension, added mass and the longer wheelbase.

It has to be said though, that handling is relative to the Commodore, which is no slouch. The Statesman, for a car of its distinction, is impressively composed and feels remarkably agile and 'tight' entering a corner. Its communicative steering further enhances an experience that's like driving a car much smaller than the Statesman.

And when it comes to applying the stoppers, they bring the Statesman to a halt in a way that's unfussed and smooth. There's no lurch in the last few centimetres. ABS triggered briefly on a couple of occasions, but was not intrusive.

At open-road speeds, there was minimal wind noise and the road and driveline NVH was so subdued as to be almost imperceptible. It was hard to pick the tyres from the engine when cruising.

Holden has set up the Statesman (and other SIDI-equipped cars) to hold higher gears longer -- even when the engine's running as low as 1000rpm. At around 1200 or 1300rpm, there's a bit of booming from the engine if you feed it some fuel and the transmission doesn't shift down a gear. Because the Statesman is so resolutely quiet, you really notice this booming -- much more than you would in the Commodore with the same engine and transmission combo. It's the one significant blemish in the Statesman's NVH -- even if it's for a good purpose.

So we finish up with a car that's impressively refined for not a lot of money. It's not really practical if you live in an inner-urban area and parking's a mongrel, but the Statesman is still a car to appreciate for what it represents, as a combination of dynamic ability, comfort and safety.

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