Road Test: VZ Holden Monaro

By Feann Torr - 20/05/05

The number of emails we received concerning the issue of the twin bonnet scoops on the new Monaro beggared belief. Some were all for it, signalling nothing but delight at the busy front end; some thought it looked tacky and was a just a lazy design crossover between the Pontiac GTO and Holden Monaro.

Me? I think the bonnet scoops inject some menace and dare I say 'muscle' to the front end, and judging by how many people gawked at the car as we drove past, I think it would be fair to say they are at least eye-catching.

But apart from this most obvious visual update, the mighty Monaro has also been tinkered about with in a number of areas, most intriguing of which are a handful of mechanical changes, such as revised gear ratios and more power at the crankshaft.

As one of Australia's most revered nameplates, the Monaro is a very special car for many drivers, not just because of the go-fast connotations and 2-door body style, but also because of its motorsport links and its heritage. We put the updated Monaro, which was part of the VZ Commodore upgrade, to the test in order to find out whether the new revisions really make a difference or are simply window dressing.

Drive

Driving the 'Naro is better than washing it, but both are rewarding

Stepping into the Monaro is quite a treat - it feels lower and has a more encompassing cabin that Holden's other sports offerings.

The dash and centre console are eerily familiar, but upon plonking your derriere in the generous leather bucket seats, you'll be smiling. And then crank up the engine and you'll notice a much throatier growl than in previous iterations, the sound emanating menacingly from the coupe's attractive twin exhaust system.

Indeed, with 260 kilowatts of power on tap the VZ Monaro is fighting on Falcon XR8 turf, albeit with less weight and more revs.

On the road, the extra power is felt - this Holden fair flies! Revised gear ratios make the most of the re-tuned V8 Gen III engine and in a straight line the Monaro feels much quicker than it should.

It's also quite partial to bouts of wheelspin, and doesn't mind letting others know about its profusion of power when up-changing from 1st to 2nd gear with a cheeky chirp of the rear wheels.

Though the Monaro doesn't have the instant torque bash of the Ford XR6 Turbo, it has much longer legs, and down the straight at Calder Park raceway in Melbourne, I reckon it'd get the better of the force-fed Falcon.

In the city and through the suburbs, in commuter traffic and what not, the Monaro is quite an easy car to live with. The abundance of torque means you can just leave it in 2nd gear and not drink too much petroleum with gentle take offs.

The power delivery feels great - torque is bountiful from low in the rev range thanks to camshaft modifications and it contributes to the cars everyday usability, plus the throttle response is very neat, very quick. Slap in a gear, tickle the accelerator and away she goes.

Alternatively you can slap in a gear and floor the accelerator, and the Holden coupe is happy to comply with such heavy-handed demands.

The 5.7-litre V8 lurking under the Monaro's be-scooped bonnet loves to rev, and it has a sure-footedness that the SS Commodore sedan lacked. Even when the rear wheels aren't completely gripping the road surface the Monaro still feels very predictable.

Punted along Victoria's Great Ocean Road, the Monaro really came into its own, and I was quite surprised with the amount of grip that the 1692kg 2-door coupe had to offer, even when cornering on the rougher stuff.

The front end tips into corners crisply, and despite a touch of body roll, once settled in to its line the big coupe could be coaxed through bends with quite a bit of speed.

Riding on 235/40 ZR18 tyres fitted to good looking 18-inch alloy wheels, the Monaro has never felt more confident through corners, and more than just offering plenty of lateral grip, it's a whole lot of fun to drive as well.

The steering feels more direct than past Monaros too - could be something to do with the updated VZ steering and the LSD - and with a 500Nm whack of torque generated by the eight beefy cylinders, you can hang the rear end out in short bursts exiting corners if you want, letting the traction control to intervene or simply countersteering in to it.

Deceleration has been improved dramatically too, and the Monaro is much more sure of itself heading into corners. The brakes have been upgraded over the VY Monaro and in addition to offering more pedal feel they really give the chassis a boost, raising the whole car to a more serious level of performance, matching its fierce acceleration with cornering and stopping prowess.

I had a ball driving the Monaro, and would described it as 'entertaining'. It handles well and communicates grip levels through the chassis quite well, it has fairly good ride for comfortable cruising and where more nimble vehicles may leave it behind in corners (though not by as much as you'd think), they'll see the snarling twin nostrils of the Monaro bearing down angrily whenever a straight is in sight.

Engine

For more than five years Holden has been using the all-alloy 5.7-litre V8 mill, and this side of a VY HSV, the Monaro's engine is one of the best versions Holden's ever released.

It feels stronger in the low rev range, from between about 2000 and 4000rpm, which has been one of the Gen III V8's biggest shortcomings.

There's no denying the 8-cylinder engine's top end, which is where most of the action occurs (once it hits 5500rpm, hold on to your hat) but together with revised gear ratios, an electronic throttle, plus induction system tweaks and camshaft changes, the 500Nm engine is a much more balanced beast.

You can still scare yourself silly by revving the Gen III lump beyond 6000rpm, which even in second gear results in law breaking speeds, but the engine tweaks ensure that more than 90% of the engine's torque is now on offer over a wider rev range than before.

This relatively simple exercise in making the torque more abundant right across the rev range turns the Monaro into a much more approachable vehicle than before, but at the same gives you more power and torque to play with, which is great if you, like me, are an enthusiastic driver.

The bellow from the twin split exhaust system is also much more prominent than before, but not intrusively so. The door seals have been upgraded to help reduce outside noise, so you feel the engine through the seat of your pants, rather than hear it audibly.

Shorter gear ratios improve the Monaro's acceleration, which transfers power to the rear wheels, but also come in handy when you have to slow down quickly; the stronger engine braking came in handy on more than one occasion. Fuel consumption isn't brilliant, in fact it's pretty shabby, but the tall-ish 6th gear helps keep things in check somewhat.

Exterior

Holden's VZ Monaro has a bold muscle car look and performance to back up the razzle

Where do I start? I know, the bonnet scoops. The first thing I did when the Monaro was out of sight of the Fisherman's bend HQ was to pop the hood and check out whether these scoops were functional, or in fact just automotive jewellery, like the side vents in the VZ SS Commodore.

They are in fact functional, but there are rubber grommets (of sorts) stuffed in there that appeared to me to be directing air out of the engine bay. That said, if you were to pull them out and leave them out, there could be a case for some extra air entering the engine bay.

As well as the provocative bonnet, the front end of the VZ Monaro has been reworked to allow for a larger front air dam that looks great, and helps to feed a higher volume of air to the stronger engine, and flanking the larger air dam are technical-looking vertically stacked fog lights that give the Monaro even more character.

New-look 5-spoke 18-inch wheels are the gear, and big red 'Monaro' embossed brake calipers up front allude to its improved stopping power, and the headlight clusters, while largely unchanged, still look quite contemporary though the same can't be said of the brake lights.

The overall body shape of the Monaro still stands proud when lining up at the traffic lights next to more expensive Euro coupes. It's big, but everything's in proportion, and the rear of the car has been given a spruce up with the twin exhaust system fooling the eye in to thinking the car is wider than it actually is.

The car we tested came with the optional small rear wing with integrated LED stop lamp, but its curvy design does the Monaro's pure lines no favours - but this is about the only blemish on the Monaro's otherwise appealing exterior.

The red Monaro we drove had personalised plates - bless Holden - and turned many heads on the street, both in the centre of Melbourne cruising past the motorcycle precinct on Elizabeth Street, down trendy sprawls like Chapel and Fitzroy Streets, and even in the suburbs; the Frankston boys loved it when we gave them the molten rubber salute too.

And this is some months after the initial release of the car, which I believe is testament to Holden's design crew, who in the last five years have done wonders with the old VT shape. Can't wait to see the VE... if it happens.

Interior

Drilled alloy pedals, a leather wrapped steering wheels and sports instruments all contribute to the Monaro's sporty feel

Step inside the Monaro and your eyes will be met with a very luxurious space. It's classy, it's sporty, it's very comfortable and very welcoming. I love the fact that it's a four seater, or a 2+2 coupe if you will. It gives the car a very single-minded and resolute feel, and will impress the pants of all but the snootiest of passengers, sitting front or rear.

The leather quality isn't up to Mercedes-Benz standards, but that's not to say it's naff. The upholstery is quite good, and fit and finish isn't too bad either, particularly for an Australian-built vehicle.

Both front and rear bucket seats have good side bolsters to keep occupants from sliding about through corners and things such as a 6-disc CD player and colour coded sports instruments contribute to the Monaro's upmarket ambience.

The 10-speaker stereo is very powerful (260 watts), and offers good sound quality and plenty of bass thanks to the inclusion of subwoofers, and other small touches, like the oil pressure gauge and volt meter binnacle lend the cabin a sporty feel, as do the shiny scuff plates/door sills.

I dislike finalising a car review on a negative point, but Holden really should have its spanner men look at the electric seat adjustments on the Monaro. They work just fine (though it takes forever for the electric slide to allow passengers access to the rear seats), but tend to pitch ever-so-slightly between acceleration and deceleration, suggesting they're not sitting flush on the rails.

Being an optimist, I'd like to think that this issue was limited to our test car, but the previous Monaro we tested a few years ago also had a similar issue. When you're going at it hammer and tong (driving, that is), it doesn't help to have a millimetre of give in the seat rails. Sometimes you don't notice it, sometimes you do.

Another gripe I had was the relocated 70 litre fuel tank. This was introduced as part of the Pontiac GTO upgrade, and it impinges on boot space considerably. What used to be a gaping cave that would fit a few bags of cement is now more of a pokey hidey hole, complete with a 17-inch space saver spare wheel.

Overall: 4.25/5

Despite the VZ Monaro's interior shortcomings - the front seats, the small boot - it's still a fantastic Australian-built sports car in my book.

The way it motivates is eternally pleasing, the way it looks parked on the street likewise. And it faces very little competition from either imported V8 coupes or Ford's local line-up, which doesn't include a two door model (unless you count the XR8 ute).

The engine upgrades make a world of difference in almost all real world situations too, from commuting to hacking through your favourite collection of corners, and the omnipresence of the V8 engine lets others know that this ain't no humble pie four-banger.

People stop and take notice when the VZ Monaro rolls past - it's bold bonnet scoops, high waistline, stylish wheels and of course V8 burble make it hard to ignore. And together with a chassis that takes it closer than ever to the cornering abilities of Ford's Falcon, it's no pretender either.

A true 2+2 coupe with heaps of interior space and a relatively low price, I find it hard not to award the VZ Monaro with a high score, and compared with the European V8 coupes on offer, it's an absolute steal at $60k.

The VZ Monaro is quite possibly a better steer than the Holden Commodore SV6, the extra rear end power overcoming its heavier front end, which is quite something, and all the upgrades and revisions are indeed more than just window dressing, making this one of Holden's classiest cars and the best Monaro yet.