HSV Grange 2007 Review

Not so much
>> Too subtle for HSV diehards?
>> Handbrake execution lets down dash/console
>> Where are the personalization options?

Overall rating: 4.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 4.5/5.0
Safety: 3.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 4.5/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

OVERVIEW
The Grange is unique -- in the true sense of the word. You see, there is no other domestically-built car that competes head-on with the latest from Holden Special Vehicles.

Sure, the 'donor' Holden Caprice is a lot of car for the money, but ultimately it misses out on the Grange's tweaked cosmetics, dynamic abilities and extra power. Ford's announcement it has killed off its local Fairlane and LTD limos (coincidentally just a week or so before the Grange's launch) ensures that the Blue Oval's go-fast division, FPV, has no opportunity to take the HSV flagship on head-to-head. Not now or even when Orion arrives sometime in 2008...

And the other local carmakers? They've never even looked like pitching a car against the long-wheelbase models from Holden and Ford. They're not about to start now. Little wonder then that this model is HSV's strongest performer in terms of customer loyalty.

And that retention and reputation is only likely to improve with this latest model. Based on Holden's billion-dollar-plus VE/WM range, the latest Grange is simply, in this tester's opinion anyway, the best looking HSV or Holden ever.

That it packs more goodies, more neddies and more refinement into its Euro-style glasshouse than any General Motors Holden product before speaks volumes. That it's a hefty $6960 cheaper than the model it replaces -- even before specification adjustments are considered -- is simply icing on the cake.

According to HSV, the best ever annual sales of Grange to date was 241 units in 2001. We're betting that given half a chance, this $83K luxo could eclipse that -- by a factor of three or four!

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
In an industry that loves to talk of price points and option packs, HSV has kept things elegantly simple for Grange buyers. The car arrives at $82,990 and everything's included. Well, almost everything.

Save for a handful of Monaro-based GTO Signature Coupes that remain unsold, the Grange is HSV's most expensive offering. But while previous generations offered seemingly myriad performance (and price) increases in terms of engine packages, brake upgrades and the like, the decision-making process is made simple for the current Grange buyer.

All the good mechanical bits come as part of the standard spec. There are no boxes to tick, no extras to pay -- the 307kW HSV-specific V8 engine, high-performance AP Racing-sourced brakes and HSV's ace-in-the-hole Magnetic Ride Control suspension (see more below) are all standard.

The non-mechanical standard equipment level is also high -- think Holden Caprice plus.

Power windows, park assist, upgraded HSV-specific seats et al are a given -- as is a full suite of airbags, traction and stability control and so on. There's a heavyweight integrated audio DVD system with twin rear screens and 11 speakers (including sub woofer!) that is satnav and Bluetooth ready. Add to this trizone climate control and extra goodies like an alarm and auto-on and variable-off Bi-Xenon headlamps. Getting the message?

The standard Caprice is one of the best looking large cars in the world today and the Grange is even better. Though the hotshoe Holden brigade is not known for its subtle appliqué of add-ons, the Grange is spot on.

In this case HSV's special touches like the subtle body tweaks (including a rear boot lip spoiler and more aggressive front valance), individualised rear lamps and its own, snazzy machined stainless steel exhaust tips (four thereof) set off the base car perfectly.

Fortunately the stylemeisters at Clayton have also spared the Grange the indignity of the cut-and-shut front quarter panels the HSV E-Series short-wheelbase cars must endure. The Grange looks all the better for it

HSV will send buyers looking for more personalized options down the road to its aftermarket 'partner' Walkinshaw Peformance. Options ex- factory for the Grange therefore are currently limited to metallic paint, and a choice of Urban instead of Anthractite leather, both at no extra cost. A sunroof will add $1990. Later, satnav and Holden Assist Telematics will also be offered (cost $POA).

Under the Grange's higher and wider bonnet (with HSV-specific heavily chromed grille surround) is a revised version of the LS2 Gen IV 6.0-litre V8 engine which first found service in the HSV VZ range.

The full set of tweaks the engine underwent is detailed in our E-Series coverage here. With 307kW at 6000rpm and peak torque of 550Nm at 4400rpm, this is a very effective bent eight.

Effective too, but not perfect, is GM's 6L80E six-speed automatic transmission -- the sole gearbox option on the Grange. Also standard on the Senator Signature, the gearbox has HSV-specific calibration but doesn't quite match the almost telepathic ZF-sourced six-speeder that Ford uses Down Under (and BMW, Jaguar and even Maserati bolt into their cars).

The Grange gets a limited slip differential with HSV's own componentry and final drive ratio.

Debuted in the E-Series also was HSV's Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) suspension. Recalibrated for the Grange, the system is used on just a handful of cars worldwide. Indeed, the big HSV limo is in exalted company in this respect -- the same system graces the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Audi TT and latest Corvette.

The system alters the compression and rebound characteristics of the dampers by varying the viscosity of the special magneto-rheologic fluid inside the shock. This is achieved by altering the magnetic field (rather than fancy valving) and can be achieved in milliseconds and throughout the stroke of the shock allowing almost infinite suspension tunability.

In the case of the Grange, HSV engineers say they sought to replicate the driving feel of the short-wheelbase Senator. This required quite significant changes to the calibration, nonetheless.

And like the Senator, the Grange offers the choice of standard or Performance suspension settings. Alas the relocation of the MRC switch from the dash to the passenger side of the centre console makes it nigh-on impossible to see the telltale without taking your eyes a long way away from the road.

You can feel the difference though. Indeed there's no doubt in our mind MRC is an impressive application of technology and the refinement of the system goes a long way to justifying the not inconsiderable $12,000 premium between Grange and Caprice. Not only is the ride more tightly controlled on the Performance setting, but turn-in is sharper and there's less pitching for and aft.

At track-like levels of commitment (yep, HSV reckons some Grange owners like a punt occasionally) HSV engineers claim mid-corner grip levels are enhanced too. Again more details on MRC can be found at our E-Series launch review.

The Grange rolls on the same 19-inch multispoke rims as the Senator. Fronts are 8-inch rims (as is the full-size spare) with the rears beefy 9.5-inchers. All five were wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza RE050As on the launch cars.

Peeking through the big rims in blazing HRT red are AP Racing-sourced four-piston calipers and thumping great discs -- 365mm up front and 350mm at the rear. HSV has standardized these brakes across its VE/WM-based range.

Anti-lock braking with EBA and EBD are also standard, as you'd expect.

PACKAGING
All the room you get standard with Holden's Caprice also comes with the HSV Grange. Save for the same dimensions with the added multi-adjustable back seats that the HSV car's distant Buick-badged Chinese-built cousin boasts, the Aussie WMs probably have the most accommodating interior in the GM world today.

The Grange steps the delivery up an extra notch. The seats front and rear are big and built for wide Aussie butts. Up front they get extra shape in HSV fettle and the rear, though it has an almost two-place look, is very definitely a three-seater.

The Grange also gets Nappa leather facings for an even more upmarket feel.

Though three memory settings are offered for the 10-way power adjustable driver's seat, there's no offer of seat heating or cooling. Expect Holden and HSV to add these sorts of features down the track.

HSV's own flat-bottomed thick rimmed steering wheel makes a return in the Grange while the Caprice's own deeply-recessed individual instrument treatment is retained though with HSV specific surface treatments to the dash, console and so on, and HSV liveried gauge faces.

We weren't fans of the fussy calibrations of the E-Series and alas they're not much better on the Grange.

And while we're picking faults, Holden needs to rethink the handbrake arrangement on VE/WM. Indeed, in this long-wheelbase environment why not adopt the electrically operated park brake which will be used on the WM-based Chinese Buick Park Avenue.

What else do you say about a car that has near 1000mm of rear legroom? Oh yeah... The Grange's boot is quite large. At last count we'd loaded 37 10-inch golf bags and were looking for three eskys to fill the remaining space.

Seriously, if you need more luggage space buy a trailer. If you need more people space buy a minibus!

SAFETY
The VE and WM ranges represent a significant improvement in the inherent level of safety offered by Holden in its large cars. HSV buyers are also recipients of this upgrade.

Six airbags are standard (front passenger and driver dual stage front and side airbags, plus full-length curtain airbags) and there are load limiters and pretensioners on the front belts. Active safety aids include Electronic Stability Control and antilock brakes with electronic brake assist and brake distribution.

Note that given the sporting pretensions of the HSV brand, traction and stability control can be fully disabled.

In terms of vehicles with comparative levels of performance and accommodation HSV would like us to cite the likes of the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJR and Mercedes Benz S-Class.

Do we think buyers who are looking to spend between $160,000 and $300,000 on one of the above are really going to shop the Grange? No, but were they to drive the car, they might be surprised at its competence and completeness.

Indeed, we'd love to see the sort of reception Grange would get from typical 7 Series and C-Class buyers in the Fatherland. Perhaps our friends at Wheels magazine might oblige with a story in the mold on the great 'Coals to Newcastle' yarns they did in Germany in the very early days of HSV.

More likely something like Chrysler's 300C SRT8 might grab a Grange buyer's dollars. That said the Grange's less muscular Holden equivalents must be placed as its closest potential competitors. Given the quality of the 'standard' Caprice offering, it's a serious competitor too.

There's no doubting the new cars are very competent, but they're not perfect. Much has been said about the steering feel of the VE range. Having recently reacquainted myself with a bog stock XR6 care of Hertz, I can confirm that Holden's bettered the 'old' Falcon, but only just.

No, above all, the real strong point of the VE is its more consistent response to control inputs -- a product of the vastly improved rigidity of the car's base structure. This is equally the case in the long-wheelbase WM range.

We've said before that the WM is our pick of the two Holden variants. The Grange is by far the best WM so far.

Though a significant part of HSV's launch loop for the Grange involved relatively low speed follow-the-leader driving, there was just enough open space to get a taste of the car's capabilities.

This open space corresponded with a stretch of the Great Ocean Road between Lorne and Skene's Creek for yours truly. Damp from occasional showers, you'd be hard pressed to find a better piece of road to allow the Grange to shine. And shine it did.

With the MRC left in default (Luxury) mode, the ride over the GOR's potholes was accommodating but no magic carpet. The low-profile rubber doesn't help much in absorbing road shock but only really big bumps intrude. Medium and smaller divots seem to be heard more than felt.

Left to its own devices the V8 and six-speed auto teamed well, though there were still times when the box seemed to hold a gear too long or conversely, was a touch too tardy to kick back. As noted earlier it's good but not perfect.

Punch MRC into Performance, click the auto into sport (or better still choose to shift for yourself) and the Grange performed better than a car this size has any right to.

The most noticeable change to the suspension tune was that body movement was better controlled. Turn-in was sharpened up and there seemed to be substantially less body roll. At the same time suspension compliance was not lost -- big bumps were still shrugged off.

The Grange also remained more settled in fast changes of direction and under serious brake applications -- and there are plenty of those on the stretch of road in question.

Though the car felt better tied down, there remained plenty of 'seat of the pants' feedback. This wasn't always the case in HSV cars of old. Even in the damp to wet conditions the Grange only troubled the traction control a couple of times -- its inherent levels of grip are impressive.

It's an oft quoted cliché that a good car shrinks around you. That's certainly the impression the Grange conveyed in this case -- though not enough to cramp my two burly passengers.

Again like its E-Series short-wheelbase equivalents, the raw speed of the Grange, though far from run-of-the-mill, is not the real story of this car -- rather the blend of pace and refinement. Did I ever think I'd be writing that about a car with a HSV build number. No...

HSV stalwarts fear not, however. It's not a totally sanitised experience -- you can still hear and feel the big V8, it's just it never gets rowdy.

The competence of the overall Grange package is truly impressive. It's only when you jump back into the expensive Euros that you start to notice some of the things you're not getting. Not just the abovementioned seat heating and cooling, but features like gearshift paddles, better integrated instrumentation, smarter cruise control systems and the like.

Nonetheless, the HSV Grange belies its humble origins and improves on Holden's own Caprice. Though $83K is far from small change, against the six-figure pricetags of the Europeans it looks like suspiciously good value.

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