Road Test: Holden Epica Diesel

Review by Feann Torr - 13/August/2008

Holden is well and truly on the diesel band wagon. 

The Lion has just launched the new diesel-powered Epica CDTi, which expands the size of its diesel range, but also adds a much improved mid-sizer to its ranks.

With diesel versions of the Astra small car, Captiva SUV and Colorado light commercial, the Epica is Holden's fourth. 

Will the Commodore be the fifth diesel car in Holden's range? We shall see...

What's clear is that Holden has seen the 40% growth in diesel passenger cars in the 07/08 financial year and is placing a renewed emphasis on diesel.

The new Epica is a good place to extend its reach in the growing market as it's an ideal vehicle to empower with diesel.

Not only were the previous petrol engines a bit limp, but with its turbo boosted diesel motor the new Epica has a much stronger, more confident feel on the road.

Most impressive however is the price. Holden now boasts a mid-sized turbo diesel car with a 6-speed automatic gearbox priced at under $30,000 in its range. Let's take a closer look:

Whenever talk arrives at the topic of mid-sized cars, the conversation almost always involves the word 'Camry'.

It's the market leader in Australia, and while Holden concedes that it's not yet ready to challenge the Toyota juggernaut head on, it is confident of stealing some market share with the updated Epica range.

And you know something? It's not unrealistic prediction, because the updated Epica is a much improved vehicle.

We're concentrating on the new diesel Epica here, but the whole range - including the 2.5-litre petrol model - has been updated with a new exterior look, and a range of other inclusions.

For example, the unloved entry-level petrol engine (2.0-litre, 6-cylinder) has been ditched as has the 5-speed automatic.

Holden Epica buyers now choose from the 2.5-litre petrol or the 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine, which both come standard with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Even if the Epica only benefited from the engine and transmission updates, it would be a much better car that it was.

The diesel Epica models motivate very nicely, and there's a moderate wave of torque (320Nm) that washes over the front wheels shortly after you belt the fast pedal.

You can feel the intercooled turbo increasing engine power when overtaking and to a slightly lesser extent when accelerating away from the traffic lights, and it adds a bit of character to what used to be a dull car.

The diesel is easily the best model in the Epica range, leaving the lax petrol-engined models in the dust - both in terms of performance and fuel economy.

The diesel Epica models use the same Korean-built diesel engine that powers the Holden Captiva SUV, but with about 200kg less weight to haul around it's a faster jig.

The 6-speed automatic transmission (GM built 6T40) is a much better cog swapper than the previous 'box and when mated to the diesel engine it contributes to excellent fuel economy.

Epica's new gearbox also has a tiptronic function that would be helpful when towing, but otherwise is rendered somewhat obsolete due to its counter intuitive up/down gear selection and the fact that in standard 'drive' mode the automatic gearbox performs fairly well.

We averaged around 7.2L/100km on our test drive and highway cruising saw figures as low as 5.3L/100km. That's impressive stuff for a car that's almost as big as a Commodore.

With a 480 litre boot and good sized rear seats, the Epica can fit a lot of people and equipment, and thanks to its mid-life update it looks more appealing too.

Granted, it's no Ford Mondeo but it's miles ahead of the previous design which showed it's Korean origins all too clearly.

The new look is more restrained and the rear of the car in particular looks great, thanks in large part to the redesigned brake lights. The front end gets a new grille, but because the entry-level CD model has been erased - leaving CDX and CDXi models - all Epica's now feature alloy wheels.

Petrol and diesel engine options are available in both CDX and top shelf CDXi models, and though the petrol engine has a couple of extra cylinders and more power, you don't feel it on the road. The diesel is the pick of the litter, no doubt about it.

What the 6-cylinder petrol model has going for it is refinement. It's not as fun to drive or as torquey as the diesel model, but it is quieter and smoother.

Another feature new to the updated Epica is speed sensitive steering. 

This system provides two different sensitivity settings which are dependent on your road speed. While the idea is nice, the execution needs a little work as you can sometimes feel when the power steering system switches between high and low speed settings.

We spent most of our time testing the diesel models on the Epica launch in Victoria, which benefit from revised front suspension. Because the cast iron diesel engine is a heavier unit hanging over the front wheels, the front springs were tweaked and the dampers were firmed, and it makes quite a bit of difference on the road.

What was once a wallowy, sluggish vehicle is now a more composed, slightly more involving vehicle. It's no Commodore SS, but it's far better than it used to be.

On uncurved roads, Holden's updated mid-sized car is a doddle to drive. It cruises along very smoothly, has a relaxed, compliant ride, and the steering is well weighted so that it's easy to turn the vehicle, but with a modicum of feedback too.

Step inside the Holden Epica, and the cabin looks very tidy, with flush-fit buttons giving the centre console a contemporary look and rubber-coated dials giving the car a premium level of tactility I wasn't expecting.

Leather is a $2,000 option, but in my opinion it's not worth it. The leather quality ain't brilliant, and the cloth seats are of a good quality anyway. By and large it's actually a very nice car to sit in, with lots of leg and head room and easy to use controls.

Take the steering wheel-mounted controls for instance: they're very large, clearly labelled and easy to use, especially cruise control, so that after a couple of attempts you don't even need to take you're eyes off the road to toggle it.

The instrument cluster is fairly bold and lights up green at night and the seats are very welcoming and are padded with soft cushioning, which is an aspect that may provoke long-time Camry buyers to check out the goods on offer here. Indeed, comfort levels in the Epica are fairly good.

While the safety aspects of the car - 6 airbags as standard, along with ESP, and a modern body structure helping the Epica to attain a 4-star safety rating from ANCAP - are very impressive and come as standard on all models, it's the little touches that put the icing on the cake.

Take the spring-loaded head rests. Possibly a first in a production car, the system is one of the best I've ever seen. The head rests have several settings that are easily reset without having to turn around a push a little button at the base of the head rest like most systems. 

Then there's the "curry hook" as one Holden executive called it, located in the front passenger's footwell. It's just a simple hook that flips out to hold a bag of groceries, or some take-away curry if you will, but it stops things from rolling all over the place.

Like it's rival, the Toyota Camry, one of the best aspects of the Holden Epica is its ease of use. You get in, you buckle up, slot the gear shifter into 'drive' and away you go. 

Everything works the way you expect it to and there's no rude surprises - something that perhaps Holden has learned from its Japanese rival.

While the competition may be more glamorous, models like the Ford Mondeo, Mazda6 and Honda Accord Euro, the Epica's key selling point will be value. 

With a huge range of standard features like automatic headlights, 8-way adjustable drivers seat, 6-speaker CD and MP3 stereo system, 4 cup holders, 6 airbags, stability control and a sub-$30,000 price, the Epica has just become a little more desirable.

Overall: 3.5/5

It's not a ground-breaking vehicle by any stretch of the imagination, but the Holden Epica doesn't have any glaring faults thanks to the mid-life update.

The new diesel engine gives the car an improved driving feel, and the 6-speed automatic works well with both petrol and diesel mills. Tweaks to the exterior design, a consolidation of the range, plus improved ride, handling and safety aspects have replaced the Holden Epica's dreary demeanour with one of ebullience.

The updated Holden Epica doesn't need money-back gimmicks to shift stock anymore; it's simply a better vehicle than it was. It drives better, it looks better, and the diesel models are super-competitive and will appeal to private and fleet buyers looking to reduce their running costs and cut carbon emissions. Now, where's the diesel-powered Commodore we've been looking for...