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| Car review - HSV VY GTS |
| By Nathan Ponchard (Wheels Magazine) It still isn�t the M5 rival that HSV purports it to be, but the new GTS remains one mean muscle car � even as an auto. What is up with you people? Niggling complaints about the over-designs Y Series HSVs and their busy are already starting to bore me. I know styling is a subjective thing, and HSVs have always looked about as modest as Marilyn Manson, but I can�t help feeling that you�re all wrong. The new GTS looks Blade Runner cool. End of story. The wedgy, android headlights, the meshed intakes, the fake extractor vents and those gorgeous 19-inch carrot-slicer alloy wheels really suit this gilt-edged Dunnydore. It�s different enough to not look like an over-tyred Executive, and swank enough to go close justifying the $93k sticker. Certainly that much-maligned VY rear looks a whole lot better when garnished with some shapely Tupperware and two fat exhaust pipes. The GTS�s cabin isn�t too shabby, either. Ignore several mismatching plastic finishes (a shared VY foible) and you�ll relish the excellent chain-mail-effect leather seats, the silver-highlighted dash (with Saab 9-5 cupholders, and HSV ancillary gauges), the chunky, new airbag wheel and the rubber-dotted metal pedals. The Kermit-green night lighting (behind HSV-specific gauges) is a bit much, though, and I have a major gripe about the New Beetle-esque steering wheel. Use your thumbs to activate the horn in a quarter-to-three position and you�ll most likely change the CD function to AM radio and/or mute the volume. Almost every VY does it, and it�s maddening. Head, leg and shoulder room in the GTS are as abundant as ever, but the Y Series version also conveys a genuine feeling of expense. And is the booming 6-CD stereo with subwoofers and eight speakers isn�t tickling the ear wax, there�s always the wonderful C4B V8 engine. Three years on, this engine remains a delight. It�ll rev easily to six-five, it sounds delicious under full throttle, and it isn�t that thirsty during cruise-controlled interstate hauls (as opposed to 20-something litres per 100km in hard fanging). But the hot topic here is that Callaway�s finest can now be mated to an automatic gearbox � a heavy duty version of GM�s arthritic 4L60-E four-speed. And the union, while hardly one made in heaven, isn�t quite on the Michael Jackson/Lisa Marie Presley scale of disaster. Refrain from selecting the auto�s �power� mode and it�ll shift with almost seamless smoothness � under moderate, consistent throttle pressure. Get stuck into it and the auto responds well to urgent demands, but it�s all about attitude. And, with power engaged and your right foot on the floor, auto has about as much couth as the port-a-loos at Bathurst. The GTS tacho swings to over 6000rpm before the tranny hesitates momentarily, and then lurches into the next gear. Kickdown is deceive (and always effective), but unless if you�re after maximum overtaking grunt, shift quality is crude and too abrupt. The GTS auto does the job � arguably better than expected, and certainly with more civility than the T56 manual � but GM�s superb five-speed auto would transform it. However, it at least allows the driver to manually shift between second, third and fourth without using the d�tente, and without slipping into neutral. And like the 300kw manual, the auto runs a lower final drive ratio than its lesser-powered relatives � 3.46:1 verses 3.08 � for tremendous punch out of corners, and noticeably more urge (and sharper throttle response) than the 260kw auto. All of which makes the new GTS remains a great drive, regardless of transmission. The chassis isn�t the last word in refinement and finesse, but that�s part of the GTS�s raw, addictive character. Considering the 35-profile rubber and the obvious handling focus of its suspension tune, ride quality is more than acceptable, and marginally improved over VX. The steering revisions common to VY (firmer on-centre weighting, more progressive response) make the new GTS feel more positive on its front tyres, and more eager to turn in. And it does turn in, this GTS � fast, biting and precise. The butch weighting does seem to compensate for a lack of ultimate steering feel, but feedback remains abundant. The new GTS sedan now shares its massive AP Racing brake package with the GTS Coupe � cross-drilled, grooved and ventilated discs (362mm front, 343mm rear) with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers. And to brilliant effect. The last Coupe I drove felt gritty under foot, with fade resistance its only real ace. But in this case, simply prodigious stopping force. They even felt good. And that�s how the GTS makes you feel � chuffed, and rather proud. The ancient underpinnings and lack of ultimate sophistication prevent it from being a genuine Euro sports/luxury rival, but as a sporting drive, it�s hard to fault. Rating: 3.5/5 |
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Fast Facts Price: $93,500 Warranty: 3yrs/100,000km Body: steel, 4 doors, 5 seats Drivetrain: front engine (north-south), RWD Length/Width/Height: 4891/1842/1450mm Weight: 1716kg Fuel tank: 75 litres Power to weight: 175kw/tonne Engine type/capacity: V8 (90degrees), ohv, 16v /5.665Litres Power: 300kw/5200rpm Torque: 510nm/4000rpm 0-100km/h acceleration: 6.0 seconds -------------------------------- Home Holden wallpapers Commodore information Useful car-related info -------------------------------- New Holden car reviews Used Holden car reviews -------------------------------- Wheels COTY winners -------------------------------- Guestbook Contact Technical difficulties? -------------------------------- |
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| Click on the interior images of the GTS for larger, clearer images. |
| Classy new VY dashboard finally has the look and feel to justify its price. |
| New Blaupunkt CD/Radio unit and satin chrome automatic gearbox. |
| Lower centre console and grippy and supportive GTS sports seats |