First Drive: Holden VE Sportwagon

Review by Feann Torr - 11/July/2008

Holden has just launched the new Sportwagon, a vehicle that may well change the way Australian's view the station wagon.

With a bold plan to entice drivers away from SUVs in their droves, Holden has added a good deal of sex appeal to the humble wagon. This trendy new vehicle has all the practicality of an SUV, but with more boot space and at the same time delivering superior ride and handling qualities.

In Europe the station wagon has a much higher profile than here in Australia and is generally seen as a trendy lifestyle vehicle.

The Europeans even have a unique name for it: the Estate.

In Australia it's known as a wagon, has the profile of a soggy dim sim, and is most often seen as a bash-about workhorse. GM Holden's chief designer put it succinctly, describing the traditional station wagon as "a sausage on wheels".

The new Sportwagon is anything but traditional and the Australian car maker is on a mission to change local perception of the station wagon.

Will Holden succeed in this ambitious plan? Let's take a closer look:

Setting out on a 227km drive through the Barossa Valley in South Australia, the first noticeable difference with the Holden Sportwagon compared to the VE Commodore sedan is rearward vision.

Because the rear tailgate is a different design rearward vision is hindered somewhat, but with reverse parking sensors as standard on every model, parking the vehicle is rarely an issue.

With a higher standard features list than the Holden Commodore sedan and a distinctly European flavour, the Sportwagon makes a very good first impression. 

Pricing begins at $37,990 for the Omega model and tops out at $60,290 for the V8-powered Calais V.

You get quite a lot of equipment for the money, and all models come with alloy wheels, reverse parking sensors, cruise control, and a strong safety suite including six airbags, stability control and ABS as standard - here's the full price list:

 Sportwagon Omega: $37,790
 Sportwagon Berlina: $41,290
 Sportwagon SV6: $42,290
 Sportwagon SS: $46,290 ($48,290 auto)
 Sportwagon SS V: $53,790 ($55,790 auto)
 Sportwagon Calais: $46,790
 Sportwagon Calais V V6: (auto) $55,290
 Sportwagon Calais V V8: (auto) $60,290

The Holden Sportwagon sits nicely on the road and looks plenty stylish, yet it has a smoother ride and handles almost as well as the sedan, the latter of which is impressive considering it's a heavier vehicle with a higher centre of gravity.

There's 895 litres of boot space - enough for even the bulkiest of sports equipment - and up to 2000 litres of cargo room when the rear seats are folded down. 

Access to the boot is made easier by the wide opening angle of tailgate, which is a remarkably clever design solution.

When you actually stand there and open the tailgate it's quite surprising how wide it opens, and this means less stooping and rummaging when fishing out belongings. 

As Holden's chief designer, Richard Ferlazzo put it, the Sportwagon is about "pragmatic family motoring".

There's a number of small touches that give the large boot more functionality and indicates that Holden put a lot of thought into the design. This includes things such as drop down shopping bag hooks, floor tie down hooks, a 12-volt power outlet, a movable luggage net and a neat cargo blind that slides up and down so you don't have to retract it to retrieve things deep within the boot.

There's also a light that's positioned low under the cargo blind to illuminate the boot at night, and the high load floor makes loading and unloading from the boot much easier as you don't have to stoop too low.

As Richard Ferlazzo said, "You can still sleep in the back of a wagon" as there's an almost 2.0 metre long bed length with the rear 60/40 seats folded down. All you need is a foam mattress and a doona and you're set.

Ferlazzo said that his team's mandate was to balance style and space, and that the new model hits sweet spot between form and function and offers "more floor space than most SUVs".

Sitting in the driver's seat, the cabin comes across as very presentable, virtually identical to its sedan - or should I say saloon - stablemate, with plenty of room for drivers of all sizes, easy-to-use controls and highly legible instrumentation.

With an intuitive cabin, driving the Holden VE Sportwagon is a piece of cake. 

The reversing sensors take the edge off reversing and performing three-point turns, while the light steering is well suited for slow speed and parking manoeuvers and makes the car feel smaller than it is.

Weighing around 90kg more than the Holden sedan models and possessing a higher centre of gravity, the Sportwagon isn't quite as decisive as the sedan when snaking its way along fast, twisting turns, but it's a vast improvement on previous Holden VZ wagon and in general drives very nicely indeed.

We started our drive in the V6 models which motivate well thanks to the rear-wheel drive setup, and the smooth shifting automatic gearboxes make for continuous acceleration. 

Overtaking causes the 3.6-litre entry-level engine no troubles, and these 6-cylinder engines have rather pleasing acoustics as the revs rise which adds personality to the cars. 

The Alloytec V6 engine is a much more refined powerplant than when the first iteration of the 3.6-litre block debuted some years ago, and comes in two grades:

 Alloytec V6 : 180kW, 330Nm, 4-speed auto
Models: Berlina, Omega

 High Output Alloytec V6: 195kW, 340Nm, 5-speed auto.
Models: Calais, Calais V, SV6

The Calais V can be optioned with big bruiser - the 6.0-litre V8 - which generates 270kW and 530Nm. This potent 8-cylinder engine is standard in the SS and SS V models.

The less exotic Holden VE Sportwagon Omega, Berlina and Calais V6 models have suspension setups well suited to Australian roads, which is the result of more than half a million kilometres of testing and suspension evaluation.

These entry-level Sportwagon models have responsive handling and can be quite satisfying to drive through twists and turns, but what stands out most is the smooth ride.

These large family wagons ride well, and are impressively quiet too, and this facilitates easygoing conversation and a relaxed atmosphere.

On the open road, coasting along at 100km/h with cruise control switched on, the V6 models can be relatively fuel efficient, and Holden claims a fuel usage figure of 11.1L/100km on the combined city/highway cycle. 

The entry-level Omega, mid-level Berlina and luxury Calais wagons soak up all but the most diabolical pot holes and like most Holden models they still involve the driver should he or she want to blow away a few cobwebs along winding roads.

However, the SV6 and SS models impressed this scribe the most.

With upgraded sports suspension and larger anchors they have less bodyroll while tracking through corners and much better stopping power, and though ride quality is reduced somewhat these sports models are still pretty smooth - even on dirt roads.

The big 6.0-litre V8s in particular are a lot of fun to drive, with effortless acceleration. 

To get this sort of V8 performance from a European 'estate' you'd be spending well over $150,000 (the V8-powered SS Sportwagon is priced from $46,290).

Showing off their eye-catching sports body kits, pumped wheel arches and riding on large 18- and 19-inch alloy wheels, the SV6, SS, and SS V models really bring out the Sportwagon's upmarket styling to boot.

They appear to hug the ground and along with the sloping roofline and attractive rear end styling create an arresting aesthetic.

The entire range of Holden VE Sportwagons look very attractive in the flesh, even the base model Omega. Unlike the Holden Commodore sedan, all models get alloy wheels which give them a better grouding.

The best looking Sportwagon models? 

It's a toss up between the Calais V and the SS for mine. The Calais exhibits a discernible European air, with its attention to detail on the two-tone door handles and subtle chrome accents at the front and rear ends.

But I think the SS model takes the cake. 

It's sports body kit works well with the Sportwagon's European styling, while the large alloy wheels, quad exhaust pipes and aggressive front end design give it a touch of menace.

GM Holden's chief designer, Richard Ferlazzo, said it's "Not often designers get excited working on a wagon" and expects that many buyers will driven "as much by desire as neccesity".

I'm inclined to agree; these are indeed rather sexy looking machines.

Holden's design team has done a sensational job styling the Sportwagon, which looks even better in the flesh than it does in these photos. 

I reckon if Holden managed to export these to Europe, you'd see a lot of premium buyers lining up for the Calais V and SS V. 

At the time of writing however, Holden had no plans to export the VE Sportwagon beyond New Zealand.

Cruising around in the Sportwagons is a seamless experience and requires very little effort and can also be very rewarding, which a testament to the thorough engineering job Holden's techno boffins and chassis engineers have carried out. 

The new generation station wagons are very pleasant to drive and though they're not quite as sharp as the Commodore sedan models when it comes to spirited driving, they represent a huge leap forward for locally-made station wagons.

And best of all they look great, sporting a far more modern look than anything else built in this country.

Conclusion

Holden's ambitious plan to change the local perception of the station wagon is off to a very positive start. 

The new Sportwagon excels in many areas and falls down in only a few, and over the next couple years the humble station wagon has every chance of going through a revival thanks to this striking vehicle.

With its bold design that takes a leaf out of the European handbook of style, increased levels of practicality thanks to the huge boot, high levels of safety and a thoroughly involving drive, this new family car could very easily pilfer a good portion of current SUV buyers.

Holden has redefined the station wagon, crafting a very impressive and highly practical family car. 

We'll have full road tests on the Holden Sportwagon in the coming months, but if first impressions are anything to go by, this wagon will be hard to ignore.