Road Test: Holden Calais V-Series Sportwagon

Review by Peter Maniatis - 14/October/2008

Dads rejoice! Finally we can drive the family car to school or pick-up the kids on Saturday sports day and still look half respectable as we pop out of the driver's seat of this family wagon and say g'day to the other parents… 

Well, family wagon I would not call it: sports coupe with 5-doors and a bunch of extra space out the back I would. 

Based around the VE Holden Commodore sedan, the Sportwagon brings a great deal of practicality to the Holden stable, with a much larger boot and lots of standard safety features, such as six airbags, ESC stability control, and ABS. 

The reverse parking sensors are also a great touch, and with heaps of interior room the package is well put together.

Ford has continued with its older BF-style Falcon station wagon, while Holden has forged a new path with the Sportwagon's contemporary design.

This means the Sportwagon's rivals include imported cars such as the VW Passat wagon and BMW 5 Series Touring, which means the Holden is going to have to be pretty special to woo buyers.

Retaining all the things that make the VE Commodore one of the best cars Holden has ever produced, the Sportwagon is great to drive.

The big pro for this car - and it goes to the core of its design - is the short wheel-base format. 

It may mean that you don't fit as many bikes in the boot of the car, but it does mean that from the cockpit you have no idea that you are driving a station wagon.

The steering is nice and light making it effortless to steer, the suspension is compliant giving the Calais V a smooth ride even with the big 18-inch alloy wheels filling out the wheel arches.

I felt great driving the Calais V Sportwagon about town and to the boys soccer game. You really feel like you are driving a performance sedan.

It really is a car that looks great on the road (for dads (or mums) that are image conscious), has sensational get up and go, especially with 6.0-litre V8 engine we tested the car with.

Working smoothly with the 6-speed automatic transmission, the Holden V8 is a joy to drive thanks to a combination of rear-wheel drive and 270 kilowatts of unadulterated power.

Holden also has a more economical 3.6-litre version of this particular vehicle, which outputs 195 kilowatts and costs a fair bit less than the $60k V8 model ($55,290).

Then there's all the gadgets and convenience features inside the cockpit which make you feel like you are driving a luxury European car.

You should see the spec sheet on the Calais V Sportwagon - it will have European drivers taking notice.

On top of the 18-inch alloy rims, this car comes standard with front and rear parking sensors, dual zone climate control, six airbags, leather seats (8-way electrically adjustable in the front), 6-speed automatic transmission with tiptronic shift, and a DVD player with fold-out screen and infra-red headphones for rear seat passengers, which is good for keeping the kids amused.

There's also automatic headlights that come on when it gets dark (or you go through a tunnel), automatic wipers that flick on when it rains, Bluetooth mobile phone compatibility, an MP3 player jack, and a crisp 150 Watt stereo with 6-disc stacker and eight speakers [nine if you include the subwoofer - Ed].

It's not just the headline features that make this car nice to drive. 

Yes, the high tech features make long drives pleasurable, short drives effortless, and take the stress out of parking,yet there's also useful storage areas throughout the car.

There's lots of cup holders, plenty of storage bins and with a high load floor in the boot, loading and unloading is nice and easy. There's also child seat anchorages in the back seats plus tie-down hooks in the boot to secure larger loads, and even a couple of shopping bag hooks so the groceries don't spill everywhere in the boot. 

Normally the boot has a large 895 litres of space, but you can also fold the back seats down for a massive 2000 litres of cargo space andthe boot door (or tailgate) is a clever design solution as well, one that saves a lot of space. 

Because it hinges deep into the roof, it doesn't require as much room behind you to open it, so even in tight underground car parks you can open the boot without scratching the paint work.

Like most Australian-made large cars, the Sportwagon is very roomy inside, and accommodates three kids and two adults nicely. 

This model in particular is also very nicely finished with plush leather seats, lots of metallic accents and sports instruments.

This car is an absolute winner for those families that need space, a good engine to move about, but aren't in need of a third row for the rest of the soccer team.

The badge will play a part for many buyers – but you know (and I've mentioned it before) this VE Calais Sportwagon is definitely a rival for European stock.

But while badge value is important, the way a car sits on the road and the impression it makes are more crucial - and in this area the Holden comes up trumps. 

If you haven't seen a Sportwagon in the flesh, and particularly this Calais V-Series model, let me say it's a fine specimen of automotive design. 

The proportions are just right and the rear end is stylishly contoured (which can't be said for some Euro wagons) and it sits nicely on the road, which gives the car a confident look.

The design is very modern and very appealing, attracting a fair bit of attention as I drove the car around for a week. Not only because it is a new car – it just looks good: sporty, purposeful, and just a little European.

At $55k plus, the size, the engine, the ride, the comfort, the equipment that you get in this car: you just can't go past it for value for money, let alone it’s capability.

Overall: 4.5/5

Holden have done a great job of trying out different designs and models over the past decade to see if they can capture different niches in the market, evidence from the past being the Crewman and Adventra.

But unlike those models I suspect the Sportwagon will be around a lot longer.

The Calais Sportwagon is a well thought out vehicle, and you may be able to tell that I really like it. The only issue I can across was the V8 engine: it can be expensive to run.

But the V6 option is always there, and from January 2009 Holden will implement a new system on the V8 which shuts down 

For mine this is a top rating car, and would no doubt be of interest in the European market where wagons are big business (and if there was a diesel engine). 

If you need room to move the family and aren't interested in the compromised ride and handling of an SUV or 4WD, the Calais Sportwagon is the way to go.