HSV Grange 2007 review: snapshot

The few opportunities I've had to sample products bearing the Grange name have all been memorable. Apparently. The cork-restrained variety has something of a haze surrounding it, but the four-wheeled versions have been pleasant and better-recalled experiences. Not that I've mixed the two. That would be most unwise.

The latest incarnation of the HSV flagship has done nothing to detract from the fond memories.

There is something nice about getting from A to B in a leviathan. There's a sense of supremacy about it. It could be the 19 inch wheels, quad exhausts and the stance of a well-dressed bouncer that helps.

The Holden Caprice donor platform provides a decent drive for such a large car, so expectations from the Grange are high.

There are still some minor panel fit and paint finish issues but the overall quality of the car shows how far Holden and HSV have come.

The other gripe is the fog lights. There's no problem with the lights themselves, but the pull-out function of the headlight switch to turn them on is impossible to use as there's no grip, a fault also present throughout the VE/WM range.

Commuting in the big cruiser is unfussed, with precious few engine revolutions required to slice through traffic.

The six-speed auto is a major improvement on the old four-speed automatic and part-throttle shifts are generally smooth and quick.

A couple of shifts were a little rough; Ford's ZF six-speed still takes the cake overall.

The Grange drives smaller than its considerable road footprint.

Once accustomed to the girth, the Grange can be swiftly directed through traffic or up a winding Hills road. The latter can be achieved with considerable pace, thanks to 307kW and 550Nm from a six-litre V8, although the A-grade underpinnings can't completely deny Newton's laws of physics in the corners.

The chassis performs admirably, with Magnetic Ride Control making its presence felt by offering decent ride quality despite tall rims and low-profile rubber. The system took HSV several years and over $4 million to develop.

The dampers have a special fluid that contains metal particles that “respond to changes in an internal magnetic field to provide continuously variable damping force without any mechanical delays,” according to HSV.

The ride quality is decent, although in Luxury mode there was a little bit of noise from the rear dampers; Performance mode tightens things up and makes the Grange quite agile for a car this size, but broken bitumen is best avoided in this mode.

The cavernous and comfortable cabin is covered in light-coloured material, not a great colour for long-term wear characteristics or muddy Adelaide winters.

Unlike some of the earlier VE/WM vehicles, we had few electronic problems with the centre screen and associated systems, although the Bluetooth failed to hook up once after being paired to the phone. The Bose sound system is top-grade and has considerable scope for volume, with a two-screen rear DVD setup that should be legislated as compulsory equipment for long drives with rug rats.

In metal-for-money or power-per-peso terms, there's not much that will go with the Grange.