Road test: Holden Caprice

By Feann Torr

Over the years, Holden's Statesman range has always been well regarded by Australians for its smooth ride, well-appointed and impressively spacious interior, and the Caprice is the 'Big Daddy' of all Statesmans.

This side of a Holden Special Vehicles Senator, the Caprice is the most prestigious car Holden builds.

The new WK series Caprice heralds sharp and aggressive styling cues, a retooled interior that is unique in the Holden line-up and, perhaps most importantly, it's focus has changed from being an all-out luxo cruiser to a more sporty-but-well-equipped long wheelbased (LWB) prestige vehicle.

Having recently tested the updated BA Fairlane G220, Ford's version of the go-fast LWB was extremely impressive, offering good levels of interior pampering, while managing to contribute a pleasantly sporty on road character.

Holden's mission - as always - is to beat Ford into a bloody pulp with superior product, but can more power and cooler gadgets win the LWB war for the General?

Make: Holden
Model: Caprice
Price: $72,990 ($78,840 as tested)
Transmission: 4 speed auto
Engine: 5.7-litre, 16-valve, Vee-eight cylinder
Fuel Consumption: Highway cycle - 9.0-litres/100km, City cycle- 16.0-litres/100km
Seats: 5
Safety: Driver and passenger front and side (thorax) SRS airbags, ABS, traction control, active head restraints

Drive

2003 WK Holden Caprice

Once comfortably seated inside the Caprice, one can't help but smile. While quality may not be up to the level of handcrafted Euro-cruisers, there is something about the new Caprice that instantly pleases.

Everything you touch and look at is silver lined, the upholstery is wonderfully cushy, and everything smells so sweet - but perhaps one of the more endearing aspects of the new Holden is the way it motivates.

While Ford's G220 has a more modern and indeed more efficient motor in terms of torque generation - it makes 5 Newton meters more than the Holden from nearly 300cc less - the Caprice feels more fleet of foot.

The four-speed automatic transmission that General Motors hands Holden for use in the majority of its large cars is an ugly piece of work, arguably undoing much of the 5.7-litre V8s good work, but it's not all in vain.

While the shifts between gears often feel slow, lingering between ratios in no-mans land for a few tenths of a second, and downchanges are abrupt and clunky, the huge amounts of torque and power on offer help to mask most of these issues.

The engine doesn't feel particularly forceful at low revs, but this is deceptive, as I found myself often being taken aback when glancing at the speedo, thinking I was travelling at much slower speeds. The power delivery starts off feeling somewhat lacking, but when the tacho needle passes 3500rpm, it's on for young and old as the bulky pushrod V8 really starts to sing.

The engine's vast reserves of power and also the good work that Holden's suspension wizards have performed help give the almost-5.2 metre long (5193mm) car a 'best of both worlds' character.

While the Caprice is still a Statesman at heart, soaking up much of the disfigured and mangled mess that we call country roads, it offers a well-damped and smartly sprung setup that is fairly responsive when the curves begin to tighten. Well measured rebound damping is also effective at keeping mid-corner nasties under control.

Sitting on tasteful 17-inch alloy wheels, the 225/50 tyres (the same profile as the Fairlane G220) provide good levels of grip, and on long, open, sweeping corners, the Caprice feels very planted, particularly under half-to-three-quarter throttle.

Pouring on the power as the exit of a corner looms feels awesome, as the big LS1 mill functions best in the upper echelons of the rev range - and it's controlled-but-stirring V8 roar is addictive, which adds tremendously to the driving enjoyment.

Getting used to the way the Caprice drives, the way it behaves on the bitumen doesn't take long, and while it does have its limits, it can also be a forgiving car. It exhibits good chassis dynamics for a car of its size and, even in the face of its heavy steering feel, it offers good feedback through the steering wheel with little jarring and jolting as the car rides over larger pot holes.

The Caprice corners with aplomb, despite it's near 5.2-metre length

Like Ford's G220, however, the LWB Holden isn't fond of quick 'left-right-left' changes in direction - in fact it hates them, moreso than the sporty Fairlane.

The steering is much heavier than the Ford's and turn-in isn't quite as instantaneously crisp either, but at the end of the day there's very little separating the two when it comes to ride and handling.

While the luxury cruiser's agility defies it's gargantuan size, most Caprices will cover more distance on the highways and freeways, and in this capacity there is no better car. As a straight-line luxo-cruiser, there is no better option.

It's effortless power gives you room to move as you leave others behind at the traffic lights, and it'll cruise happily at 100km/h, sipping about 11.0 litres of fuel (on average) for every 100 kays covered.

True to Holden form, the ABS system works well in wet weather and emergency braking situations, and the traction control system is brusque and sometimes off putting, cutting torque with prejudice and reprimanding your right foot in the process.

The Caprice's 1780kg kerb weight may sound a bit tubby, but is actually lighter than the G220's by a good 55kg, and the brakes (296mm ventilated discs up front, 286mm solid discs at the rear) performed well under moderate pressure, but did tend to get a little spongy (or hot) when frequently stamped hard, resulting in more pedal force for original performance when fade sets in.

Engine

Holden's engine tuners are proving to be worth their weight in gold when you consider the Gen III's Australian evolution. The VT series II ditched the 5.0-litre V8's in favour of the first 5.7-litre Generation III alloy powerplants, producing 225kW.

Today, many of Holden's more sporting models ship with 235 and 245kW engines, the Caprice gifted with the latter. It's current state of tune is easily one of the best in the Holden line-up, and it shows when you plant your foot.

While peak power of 245kW arrives @ a lofty 5600rpm, peak torque of 465Nm joins the party @ 4000rpm, endowing the elongated luxury car with an impressive (for a Gen III) 1600rpm power band, which sees the Caprice accelerating to 100km/h from rest in about 7.5 seconds, possibly a bit quicker on a cold night.

The motor's vital statistics look a bit old-tech on paper, but I guess when you've got almost 5700 cubic centimetres of capacity, these things aren't too much of a concern. That said, I can't wait for the new Gen IV in a few years time.

The V8 Caprice makes a potent 245kW @ 5600rpm

The 5665cc all alloy (block and heads) V8 has a 90° vee angle, and makes use of gear-driven overhead valves, or pushrods, rather than overhead camshafts.

With a shorter stroke than bore (92 and 99mm respectively), the sequentially fuel injected small block mill squeezes out 245kW of power @ 5600rpm and 465Nm of torque @ 4000rpm, hits the rev limiter @ 6100rpm, and has two oversized valves per cylinder (one intake, one exhaust) for a total of 16-valves.

A compression ratio of 10.1:1 means that the big and blokey V8 can operate with lower quality 91 RON fuel, or ULP if you like, while a 75 litre fuel tank gives it touring distance bragging rights over the Fairlane's 68 litre tank.

At idle, the Caprice's V8 is almost silent - the V8 badge on its flanks and shiny trapezoidal exhaust outlets the only real give-away to the power hidden beneath the bonnet. As the revs rise, the engine almost perceptibly awakens, and there's a decidedly crisp and deliciously wob-wobby mid-range feel.

On top of the rising V8 throb, there's a fairly aggressive induction roar as air is sucked into the engine bay, and the engine feels great to about 5700rpm, but after this it struggles to breathe.

Interior

One of the area's where the Caprice comprehensively beats the Fairlane, whether G220 or range-topping LTD, is in the standard features and interior departments.

While Ford's Fairlane range gets a mildly rejigged interior when compared to its donor car, the BA Falcon, this here Caprice feels much fresher, and is more impressive in general. Starting up front, the steering wheel, centre console (radio, temp controls etc.) and instrument panel are new, and all aspects are very pleasing, both on a visual and tactile level.

The steering wheel, for example, is largely leather, but there's also smooth woodgrain inserts at 12 and six o'clock that grip a little better and make 90° T-intersection turns much easier. Leather cladding on the auto column-shift is also a nice addition, further removing the car from the Commodore mould, and though they don't immediately jump out at you, it's little touches like these that make the driving experience more pleasant.

The new centre console is quite a busy area, with what initially looks like too many buttons. It's a fairly fiddly setup, but when you're familiar with all the controls it works well enough. And, as a bonus, at night it lights up like a Christmas tree.

Apart from the usual electrically powered mirrors, windows and so forth, items like automatic headlights and rear parking sensors are very practical, but Holden didn't stop there and decided to include anti-fog [heated] monochromatic [self-dimming] mirrors all-round, and the passenger side mirror dips when reversing, so as to more accurately gauge distance from obstacles.

The cockpit, shown with Light Shale Leather

Rear seat DVD screens, shown with Anthracite Pewter Leather

As soon as you step inside the cavernous Caprice, it's hard not to marvel at all the space. Granted, the WK Statesman and Caprice models are only 200mm longer than the standard VY Commodore underpinnings, but it's almost like stepping inside the Tardis, such is the feeling of spaciousness.

The front seats are very accommodating, with a good blend of supple leather for comfort and solid under-cushions for support. There's electric adjustment for slide, tilt, height, lumbar and rake/trail, plus the driver seat gets memory presets too.

We tested the Caprice with the Light Shale Leather, which looked a treat and the lighter shade (it's kind of beige or cream-coloured) helped give the cabin a more airy and open feel. The other choice is the traditional (and darker) Anthracite Pewter Leather.

One of the few areas where the General is beaten by Henry's boys is in relation to the satellite navigation system - it pales in comparison to the Ford setup. Sure, you can have a male or female voice talk to you, but it's a far less intuitive system, one that jumps from page to page (no smooth scrolling) on screen, and is mounted lower making it harder to read.

This, in my humble opinion, doesn't really justify the $3800 extra you have to shell out for it. The $2050 factory-fitted sunroof, however, is well worth the price, adding even more sophistication (and another gadget) to proceedings.

But perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Caprice is to be found further back - rear seat passengers have never had it better.

Not only is there acres of head, shoulder and leg room, but there's also stereo override controls (so those in the rear can choose what comes out of the high quality 12-speaker, multi-stack CD stereo system too), pop-out ceiling-mounted vanity mirrors, DVD screens and rear compartment heating.

The Caprice is listed as a five-seater vehicle, but the deep, luxurious, almost airliner-like ergonomic rear buckets are generously sculpted for two occupants - like the Monaro - and though there is a centre seat belt, the third rear passenger must sit on the edges of both side seats, which is uncomfortable.

Moving along, and the well publicised dual-DVD screens (complete with DVD player to make them useful) mounted in the rear of the front head rests are a sensational idea. The theory is good, and thankfully so is the execution.

Offering very good visual detail on LCD screens and impressive sound quality via the included headphones, RCA jacks (red/white/yellow) also form part of DVD player (located underneath the centre seat), so if you have the correct power cabling, you can even bring the Playstation, Xbox or betacam VCR to keep the whippersnappers occupied.

The audio from the DVD system can also be relayed through the remarkably crisp and thoroughly rousing 12-speaker stereo - something the Ford's can't do and a great idea for those with music DVDs.

At the end of the day, there are no other Aussie cars that can match the Caprice for rear passenger comfort and amenities - and the cockpit is also well above par for this market segment. The level of opulence is unmatched by any other Australian car, and this side of a BMW 760Li, the interior impresses like few others.

Exterior

Holden's Caprice sets new standards for locally-built prestige vehicles

The Caprice - like Ford's G220 - is aimed at a younger executive demographic, and this is evident not so much in the styling cues, which will still please retirees with good usage of chrome and wreathed lions, but more in the way it sits on the road.

The sporty suspension tune has sees the WK Caprice sit lower than the superseded WH, and this makes 17-inch mags fill out the wheel arches in a most satisfying manner.

The dual, rectangular exhaust pipes are also a nice touch, again lending the car a more sporty feel, but without killing off its cultured image.

The front end has also been sharpened up when compared to the curvy WK, and the xenon globes that act as the main headlight beams look smart surrounded by silver bezels.

Overall, the newly adopted angular styling lends the Caprice a more businesslike demeanour, which should sit well with its target demographic. The rear end gets huge Caprice lettering, more chrome and big bad brake light clusters to match the vehicle's 'large' aesthetic.

Overall: 4/5

In 2003, history will record that the BA Falcon has shown up the VY Commodore in almost every respect, but bragging rights go to Holden when it comes to the stretched vehicle stoush.

The main reason for this? Interior packaging. If you want to compare the closer priced $72k Fairlane LTD (as opposed to the more similar on road performance of the $62k G220) to the Caprice, it's still no match for Holden's luxurious and well appointed interior and, on the road, Ford's LTD isn't as decisive as its G220 either.

The Caprice has effortless performance, and will put many other hot sixes and eights to shame with power mode on and traction control switched off, and for $72,990 with the flush-mounted dual DVD screens, massive interior and muscular V8, it makes for a good value-for-money proposition.

Ideal for towing with 465Nm of torque, perfect for grand touring and perhaps best described as a "mobile comfort station", the WK Caprice is Holden's most prestigious and indeed one of its most impressive models - and it shows.

The Caprice is better than the Fairlane in almost every respect - straight line speed, standard features, interior space and of course all the gadgets. Where the Fairlane shines through - albeit only marginally - is in the handling department, but in the overall scheme of things, the General's men have outflanked Henry and his upstart troops.