New Adventra Ready to Tackle Territory

By Feann Torr - 4/02/2005

'Better late than never' is one applicable saying for Holden's new 6-cylinder VZ Adventra range, which goes on sale in April.

Despite the original VY Adventra beating the Territory to market, it was without a 6-cylinder option, and that meant that prices started at just below $50,000 and sales didn't blossom as expected.

Ford, on the other hand, offered its award winning Territory at under 40 grand for the rear wheel drive versions, and the results are startling - the Territory has spent many months at the top of the medium SUV sales charts often grabbing more than 30% of the market share, even taking a chunk out of the perennially popular Toyota Prado's piece of the pie.

But Holden's back in the hotseat with the VZ Adventra range, spanning four models - three V6s and one V8 - and together with a subtle new look and an entry level of price $40,990 for the 190kW SX6, the situation can only improve for the Australian arm of General Motors.

In addition to the revised Adventra range, Holden's spanner men have been very busy adapting its AWD system (dubbed 'Cross Trac') to work seamlessly with both 175 and 190kW Alloytec V6 engines and, as such, Holden will begin selling the Crewman Cross 6 and the One Tonner Cross 6 ute alongside the new VZ Adventra in April, which we'll cover next week.

But right now we're looking at the new 2005 model VZ Adventra, which will - Holden hopes - help reel in Ford's dominating Territory.

Though many people won't be able to tell the difference between a VY and VZ Adventra, Holden has made a number of subtle changes to the crossover's exterior and first on the new-look list is the front end.

It incorporates the sharper, more chiselled looked of the VZ Commodore range, complete with twin 'spears' (as Holden calls them) on the bonnet as well as new look headlight clusters, a new grille and below that black mouldings and aluminium protector plates that give it that quintessential rugged look.

Flared wheel arches contribute to the Adventra's tough veneer, and all models come with roof racks and a glass tailgate that can be opened separately to the rear door, and there's even a remote controlled operation of the glass tailgate to simplify access.

The VZ Adventra range consists of (in order of price) the SX6 CX6, LX6 and the LX8, where L can be inferred as luxury, and both the LX6 and LX8 get 5-spoke 17-inch wheels, fog lamps and chrome grille headers.

Holden's range topping V6 and V8 Adventra models also get items such as an electric sunroof, level ride suspension, a premium 10-speaker audio system with subwoofer and 260W amplifier, leather and suede interior trim, heated exterior mirrors with memory, rear park sensors, stainless steel scuff plates and even a first aid kit.

While the middle-of-the-range model, the CX6, and the entry-level SX6 come with 6-spoke 17-inch alloys, all VZ Adventras will arrive with rear park assist, power windows, CD player, driver, front passenger and side airbags, 60/40 split-fold rear seats, power exterior mirrors and a retracting cargo blind, and this extensive range of standard features will certainly pique the interest of the Ford Territory designers.

Holden's main man, Denny Mooney, today revealed the new Adventra AWD wagon line-up, saying "The introduction of our premium V6 engine to Adventra takes Holden's all wheel drive wagon range to a whole new level.

"The new Adventra V6 variants represent part of the broadest all wheel drive range offered by an Australian car maker and reinforces Holden as a leader in delivering safety, technology and value," concluded Mooney.

Mooney gets his "broadest all wheel drive range offered by an Australian car maker" comment from the fact that the Territory is only offered with a 182kW inline 6-cylinder engine, whereas the new VZ Adventra offers two, a 190kW V6 and a 250kW V8 motor. The Adventra's engines and their specs are as follows:

The V8-engined LX8 Adventra benefits from the VZ's recently upgraded electronic throttle control, which I can personally say makes a positive difference in the new V8 models' engine response, and the 4-speed automatic transmission has also been reinforced and upgraded to deliver smoother shifts at high revs.

Holden's locally-built 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 engine may not have as much power as the brutish V8, but it sips considerably less fuel, weighs a lot less and comes with many more electronic gizmos, not to mention the advanced 5-speed automatic tranny (CX6 and LX6 also come with Active Select paddle shifters on the steering wheel).

In addition to the 340Nm of torque on tap @ 3200rpm, Holden says its new 4-valve bent six produces 90% of this 340Nm between 1570 and 5870rpm, and after having just driven the SV6 that comes equipped with the Alloytec 190, I reckon that there's more than a bit of truth in that claim.

All three V6 models and the lone V8 come equipped with Holden's 4WD Cross Trac system, which apportions torque 38:62 to the front and rear axles respectively.

This hasn't changed since the VY Adventra, and as was mentioned in the VY Adventra road test, the 38:62 torque split works well and feels pretty good in all types of weather.

The Cross Trac system uses automatic brake differential (ABD) software and electronic brake force distribution (EBD) to make sure things don't go all pear-shaped while driving, and in layman's terms, the system helps to apportion torque to the wheels that can best make use of it.

All Adventra models have a 200mm ground clearance, and for those who spend lots of time outside of the major Australian capitals with their fancy 'bitumen' roads, extras such as more rugged 16-inch all terrain tyre/wheel combinations and full underbody protection plates can be optioned.

With only one V8 model and three V6 models, it's fair to say that Holden is pinning its hopes on the new Alloytec V6 variants, and with a host of electronic driving aids that the V8 misses out on, it's not hard to see why.

From the $40,990 entry-level SX6 to the $52,990 sports luxury LX6, all V6 Adventras make use of a range of active safety features, including hill descent control (HDC) and an electronic stability program (ESP).

As the name implies, the HDC feature helps drivers to negotiate steep descents in either drive or reverse, and you don't even have to touch the brake pedal. Like the Territory, this feature automatically applies the brakes to keep the vehicle at a slow and steady speed, which in theory will stop the wheels locking up. The HDC speed can also be adjusted.

Most readers would by now have heard of electronic stability programs, or ESP, and while useful on the road, these programs also come in handy on unsealed surfaces. Other electronic aids standard on V6 Adventra models include corner braking control (CBC), electronic brake assist (EBA) and electronic throttle control (ETC).

Along with the inherent safety features that the AWD system and a wider track provides, the new VZ Adventra range features driver, front passenger and side airbags, while the LX6 and LX8 luxury models benefit from active front seat head restraints.

To deal with the rigours of Australia's often unforgiving country regions, Holden has also reinforced areas of the VZ Adventra's chassis, with front and rear 'bash plate' undertrays, front strut bracing, reinforced front and rear suspension, a heavy duty engine cradle, brake and cooling systems.

So there you have it - Holden's new AWD crossover wagon, the VZ Adventra, is now better equipped than ever to take on Ford's seemingly unstoppable Territory. The new V6 versions, and particularly a starting price of $40,990, will certainly create more sales opportunities for Holden dealers, and though Ford's rear wheel drive TX model sells for $38,990, Holden can claim to have the more cost effective AWD model, undercutting Ford's $42,990 all wheel drive TX Territory by $2000.

The new VZ Adventra range goes on sale in April.

Pricing:

Adventra SX6 - $40,990
Adventra CX6 - $46,990
Adventra LX6 - $52,990
Adventra LX8 - $56,990