Holden Monaro 2005 Review

What we liked
>> Shorter gears, sharper action...
>> delivers major performance boost
>> Nostrils add visual aggression

Not so much
>> Nostrils are just for show
>> Turismo blue's an acquired taste
>> Road noise can be intrusive

OVERVIEW
Then, when it hit the road for real in 2001, Monaro graced more magazine covers and newspaper inches than any other vehicle that year. Then the Yanks got their grubby little paws on a boatload of Monaros, rebadged as Pontiac GTOs -- 18,000 left-hand-drive examples of our shiny new sportscoupe were earmarked for a Trans-Pacific trip in 2004 to sell Stateside.

Of course the Americans didn't quite fall in love with our Monaro, and sales were unexpectedly slow. Turns out Holden's smooth, sleek design wasn't lairy enough for 'em. "Nostrils!", they cried. "Wings!" they wailed, and they got 'em as part of a 2005 model year upgrade.

But Holden Australia never told us these changes were being considered for our simple yet stunning Aussie Monaro. But the new model's here, and so are a couple of purely cosmetic bonnet scoops. And now, after staring at the Monaro for an entire day at Holden's national media launch, we're struggling to remember what it used to look like. Because now the nostrils somehow seem a natural part of the car. Even if they do look alarmingly like those on the 1973 Ford Falcon XB GT.

FEATURES
The two-door Holden Monaro coupe is built on Holden's ever-versatile VT-VZ Commodore platform, which means shared chassis, suspension, wheelbase and track. Major modifications include roofline, windscreen angle, unique front and rear panels, and -- of course -- those two missing doors.

Holden launched the Monaro with two engine choices in 2001: a 5.7-litre V8 and less powerful supercharged V6. In 2003 it dropped the V6, of which only a handful were ever sold.

With the VZ-based Monaro, launched in September 2004, Holden's maintained the V8 only policy, but given the sports coupe its most significant makeover. A number of these changes have been driven by the need for parity between GTOs shipped to North America and Monaros sold in Australia.

That means relocating the fuel tank to a position behind and below the rear seats and ahead of the rear axle for safety reasons -- though Holden says the car was safe before. It also means a free-breathing split/dual exhaust system which liberates a bit extra power and a whole earful of aural emotion.

VZ also welcomes the bonnet scoops and those, err, vertical foglamps on either side of the bumper scoop.

Other visual changes are more minor, such as new-design alloy wheels, sharper headlamp design and grille opening, and that blacked out mesh panel under the rear bumper, flanked by twin 95mm exhaust tips.

Monaro's price at launch in September 2004 has tipped over $60,000 for the first time. One CV8 model, one spec level, and yours for $60,490 with 6-sp manual or four-speed auto. That's roughly a $500 price increase on the previous model, and there's plenty more than $500 extra performance to be found.

COMFORT
Anyone who's driven a current model Commodore will feel at home in the Monaro. Same basic dial layout, same centre stack (radio controls, aircon knobs, vents etc) greet the driver's view. Topping the centre stack for the first time are two ancilliary dials, handed down from VY HSV models. Front seats are well bolstered, almost to the point of intimacy, and the back seats are sculpted two buckets, not a bench three.

Typical for Holden, the driving position is near perfect, with four-way adjustability on the steering wheel and eight-way on the seat (slide, height, tilt, backrest rake). There's also two nifty fold-out cupholders either side of the centre stack, and a nicely sized oddments bin behind the park brake.

Back seat room is second to nothing else with two doors. Legs, heads and bodies will be more than comfortable, unless you're on the starting five for the Boomers. Boot-space is pretty good, but it has taken a hit because of the relocated fuel tank, so it's smaller than before. But not as small as it could be, because Holden package a thin space-saver spare tyre under the boot floor.

Equipment levels are impressive, as you'd expect from a $60k coupe. Electric windows and mirrors, remote central locking, trip computer, CD stacker, cruise control, dual zone climate control... all the necessities.

SAFETY
The ANCAP Australian New Car Assessment Program did the unthinkable in May 2004 and crashed a couple of Monaros for the sake of safety. It rewarded the big Aussie coupe with a four star crash rating (out of five), putting it in the same league as more expensive coupes from Europe.

Passive safety features standard on Monaro include dual front airbags, front-side airbags, anti-whiplash active headrests in the front and lap sash seatbelts in all four seating positions.

Active safety features take a step up this time with bigger brakes, more advanced ABS and traction control, EBD electronic brakeforce distribution and BA brake assist. Monaro's big 18inch tyres also deliver a fair amount of grip, wet or dry.

MECHANICAL
Look past -- or through -- the bonnet scoops and your eyes will fall on that familiar 5.7-litre V8 lump of alloy known as the Gen III. In what may be its last time in Monaro, the Gen III produces 260kW of power and a nice, round 500Nm of torque. Peak figures are measured on premium ULP, but Holden says the engine will happily drink regular ULP.

The 10kW increase comes from a new induction and exhaust system and revised camshaft courtesy of Pontiac GTO. Coupled with a slightly easier shifting six-speed manual with shorter ratios (except for fourth), this makes for quicker acceleration and more aggression from standstill.

The four-speed automatic gets the same modifications as in VZ Commodore, which makes it somewhat more responsive, smoother shifting and -- along with the 3.46:1 same final drive ratio as the manual -- marginally quicker also.

Holden's new electronic throttle, which does away with a mechanical link between pedal and power, helps this feeling of immediacy and performance along.

More go, and also more stop. Monaro wears the biggest brakes of any production Holden. Bright red twin-pot calipers decorated with the Monaro moniker grab larger diameter 320mm discs up front, and there's 286mm ventilated discs down back. A new brake booster and master cylinder are said to encourage maximum braking performance up to 50 per cent quicker than before, and reduce stopping distances by up to four per cent.

Aerodynamic work has been carried out on the Monaro's underbody to reduce lift, though drag is up marginally due to the new bonnet nostrils.

Holden has also replaced the power steering pump. The new one is said to keep fluid temperatures down during high stress applications, thus improving feel and durability, and reducing noise.

Mechanical and technical changes have impacted Monaro's bottom line; it's now 50kg heavier than before at 1692kg (manual), and 1698kg (auto). Fuel consumption has also increased, now rated against ADR81/01 at 15.3litres/100km (manual) and 13.7litres/100km (automatic).

COMPETITORS
For a locally-built two-door coupe with a V8 under the bonnet? None. No natural predators for this Holden. Which means we have to throw the net wider and allow in vehicles like the Ford and Holden Ute, and V8-engined Commodore and Falcon sedans, strange as it may seem.

In performance and price terms, the two-seat Nissan 350Z rivals Monaro, as does Chrysler's Crossfire coupe. Alfa Romeo GTV is worth considering, along with BMW's 330Ci coupe, Mazda RX-8 and Mercedes-Benz CLK.

None of these cars, however, can match Monaro on performance for the price and carry four people in similar comfort.