HSV Grange 2007 Review

All this Australia '1', Germany '0' stuff that HSV carries on with is pretty misleading. Oh, it's a nice "creative" as the pony-tailed ad gurus might say, but as far as truth in advertising goes, it misses the mark by a the length of an autobahn.

This is a realisation that dawns after spending a few hours in HSV's newest and most expensive model, the WM Grange.

By dimension, weight, power and torque outputs, the Grange is indeed a rival for some of Germany's heaviest metal - within 15kg of a BMW 750Li and 56mm of a Mercedes-Benz S500L. And it outguns both for kilowatts and Newton metres, too.

But move to price and the comparison goes awry. The Grange undercuts the Beemer by more than $150,000, and the Benz by nearly $190,000. At $82,990 (impressively that's $7,000 less than its WL predecessor), the cost of the Grange is closer to the amount a 7 Series or S-Class  buyer will drop in resale value per year. Then there are issues like badge prestige, technology and sheer sophistication... No matter how much we kid ourselves, Clayton is a long way from München or Stuttgart.

So yes, let's put the slick ad lines to one side. Rather than a direct challenge to Germany, what the Grange actually represents is the ultimate luxury expression of the Aussie-built, big-engined, rear-wheel-drive large car.

It's a point tacitly acknowledged by outgoing HSV managing director Phil Harding: "It's a model that we would like to think would be driven by someone who feels Australian. A [company] chairman, maybe, or managing director - even a car enthusiast who is looking to upgrade from something ... a little smaller.

"The Grange must have a combination of luxury and performance. That's defined in several ways, in the feel of the engine, in the feel of the chassis, and in the general feel of the environment within the car."

Like its predecessors dating back to the 1996 VSII, the current Grange is based on Holden's long-wheelbase Statesman/Caprice. And that's good news this time round, as the WM Caprice is a particularly good car to use as a developmental basis.

For those who haven't been paying attention for the last year or so, WM is based on VE Commodore, the current Wheels Car of the Year. From VE to WM, the key changes include an additional 94mm of wheelbase behind the B-pillar, 43 unique panels, and only a slight reduction in bending stiffness and torsional rigidity.

The VE's redesigned strut-front suspension, relocated steering rack and compact multi-link rear end all carry across to WM, the result being the best long-wheelbase car Holden has ever built.

Like all V8 HSVs built these days, the creation of the Grange from this excellent base begins at Holden's Elizabeth, SA, assembly plant and is completed at its Clayton, Victoria, facility. The most obvious change in this process is the replacement of Holden's L98 V8 engine in favour of its LS2 6.0-litre close relation. Apart from longer exhausts and fuel lines, its drivetrain is identical to that in the E-Series HSVs, including the Grange's luxury compatriot, the Senator Signature.

That means 307kW at 6000rpm, 550Nm at 4400rpm (on 98 RON mind) and the 6L80E six-speed auto as the sole transmission choice. No performance claims are made for the Grange as yet, but low fives and mid-13s are expected.

Move to the chassis, and Magnetic Ride Control makes its long-wheelbase debut under the Grange, which means it swaps from 'Luxury' to 'Performance' mode at the press of a button. The settings are unique, although the objective was to align it broadly with Senator. The longer wheelbase, rather than nearly 100kg more kerb weight, was the driver for its retune.

"Pitch control is one of the big issues with a longer-wheelbase car," explains HSV chief engineer John Clark. "You can get scenarios where the car can do some interesting movements, so pitch control is something we work on to make sure it is very linear, and very controlled through corners.

"[Electrical] current is the key to the MRC. How much current you put in [to] control the fluid in there means we can control any piston position, any time, and control the ramping loads instantaneously."

The Grange also gets its own ABS and ESP tunes (developed in close concert with Bosch Australia), and massive AP brakes and 19-inch rubber, as per the Senator and Clubsport. Unlike the short-wheelbase cars, however, the Grange gets no bespoke sheetmetal, so there are no alterations to fenders or tail-light structure. Instead, cosmetic surgery is limited to a more pronounced lower front intake, a rear lip spoiler and a bib that wraps over the quad pipes.

"It's a business-case issue," says Harding. "We chose to put our money into the technology in the chassis, rather than elsewhere, because we thought it would be a better Grange if it had the MRC."

Inside, the Grange also misses out on the E-Series' three-gauge binnacle at the top of the centre stack, so the MRC control switch shifts to the left side of the console and, as a result, the tiny on/off light remains nearly indecipherable. Seats are trimmed in Nappa leather and suede, with the Grange name stitched into the backrest of the front seats. The instrument cluster and the leather-wrapped steering wheel are also distinguished with unique HSV graphics and badging.

What isn't all that different to the Caprice is the equipment level. Headline items like tri-zone air-con, rear headrest-mounted DVD screens, Bose premium audio system, six airbags, 10-way powered front seats, bi-xenon headlights, front and rear park assist, tyre pressure monitoring, LED tail-lights and side indicators are all familiar.

Likewise, the fundamental interior presentation in its tubed instruments, the 6.5-inch media screen, the broad plank of aluminium that runs across the dash, the flip-out door bins, the way the rear seat is set up for two rather than three, and the sheer amount of sprawling space back there.

Outside, there's a bit more chrome and a whole lot more aggression, primarily thanks to the grooved 10-spoke alloys and the low-profile Bridgestone Potenza RE050A that give a big hint at the primary pay-off an extra $13,000 delivers Grange buyers over Caprice. The Holden is itself a capable and enjoyable super-sized sports sedan, but the HSV turns things up that extra notch - or five.

There is, of course, that mighty engine. Happy to amble and cruise, it transforms into a bellowing, urging, friendly monster once its taps are opened. There's no question of the kerb weight holding it back, or of it giving anything other than an overwhelmingly broad and deep response via a beautifully calibrated electronic throttle.

The auto transmission is working better now than examples sampled in the early days of VE and WM production. But it's still no ZF 'box, and when under pressure, it's still capable of confusion, indecision and delayed response. Its transmission is actually at its best when in 'Sports shift' mode. HSV worked hard on a unique calibration and it shows. The changes come sharper and higher in the rev range. Gears are held onto longer, even when throttle inputs are indecisive, but downshifts are made with alacrity when braking.

Sports shift banishes any pretence at goody-two-shoes fuel conservation, and the 'active select' manual control mode accentuates it even further. The Grange becomes a hunter-gatherer and revels in it.

MRC is the key in being able to carry this transition off successfully. In 'Luxury' mode, it's tamped down, but still eminently liveable for cruising and bump absorption. It matches well with the drivetrain in its more relaxed gait.

There's also still enough capability in its standard setting to enjoy a sporting drive. The body attitude stays flat, the front and rear ends track well, and the surprisingly light steering is pretty precise for a car of this size. It's certainly a better drive than you would initially expect.

But go to performance mode and the whole experience gets that much more intimate, and that much more earthy. Turn-in is quicker, but steering rack-rattle becomes intrusive on broken, chopped-up corners. There is bump-steer out of the rear over corrugations, and big isolated hits experienced when braking shudder back through the body from the front end. Then there's the hard feel of the brake pedal.

Yes, the big APs are doing their job, but there's not a lot of communication coming back to your foot.

It's kind of invigorating, a bit scary, rough, tough, noisy, and very, very fast. What you have to do at this point is review the road and the car, and realise that two tonnes of V8 express is being hustled at a rapid rate along a rough, narrow, sometimes off-camber, piece of bitumen. The old Grange would be a humbled heap by now, betrayed by its smoking brakes, flexi-body and lumpen four-speed auto.

An E-Series HSV would be quicker across the same road, but the Grange would not be disgraced. And once you got back to the freeway into town, the experience would be that much more relaxing and comfortable.

Maybe a 7 Series or an S-Class or some other megapriced Deutsch über-limo would be more comfortable, quieter and prestigious. In fact, there's little doubt about that. But who gives two pfennigs? The Grange is not German, it's an Aussie. And a bloody good '1'

Exporting the Grange
HSV expects to sell between 200-250 Granges in its first 12 months on sale in Oz. History then dictates that its curve will be gently downward. But, as per the Caprice (Holden's biggest seller overseas), there are export ambitions.

"In long-wheelbase terms we could end up selling more overseas than here," concedes HSV managing director Phil Harding. "There is a great opportunity but it's too early to say how much."

Harding is better informed than most on this subject as he's now HSV Director of Exports - he steps down from the MD's job in May, to be replaced by former Toyota Australia exec Scott Grant.

Harding will stay on the HSV board, but returns to his native England to live, as many of the export targets HSV has for the Grange and E-Series are more accessible from the UK than Australia.

Apart from New Zealand, the US and Middle East are obvious Grange targets, as is China - 100 examples of the old model were shipped there in '06, rebadged as the Buick Royaum.

Maturing the Grange
HSV's luxury long wheelbase history dates back to the Statesman SV90 of 1990, but it wasn't until 1996 that the Grange nameplate was launched as part of the VSII update. In those days, the Grange was based on the Statesman, as the HSV Caprice 215i sold between 1994-1999 in VRII, VS and VSII models.

Images: Cristian Brunelli