Holden Statesman 2007 Review

Consider last October's $13.4 million handout by the federal and two state governments to GM Holden so it might "introduce safety and fuel-management improvements, and further reduce greenhouse emissions on Commodore vehicles".

This would be the same "billion-dollar baby" we'd been hearing about ad nauseam all year.

Are we to take it that such crucial considerations — ones that every other car-maker in the world addresses as a matter of course — weren't factored into the Commodore series' endlessly vaunted eight-figure development sum?

One hopes — though with no great optimism — this money is being well spent. To say nothing of the the $7 billion earmarked for the protection of local car manufacturers under the Fed's Automotive Competitiveness Investment Scheme.

All of which will be of enormous comfort to the 600 workers Holden made redundant last month ...

Howard can claim that when he's being moved around in a long-wheelbase Commodore, he's merely making like foreign leaders do. Not least his favourite foreign leader.

The US President is often transported in an armoured Cadillac — the bar, no doubt, having been removed to avoid the incumbent suffering relapses or nasty snack-food incidents.

In France, le prez is carted about in a massive Citroen. And in many of the African countries the French once called colonies, the local despot wouldn't be seen dead in anything except a Mercedes-Benz.

Nice symbolism, that, given that the history of France largely consists of being invaded by Germany. Such were the thoughts that occurred when driving Holden's Statesman V6.

By now, you've possibly reached the conclusion that we dislike the Statesman. Or perhaps you'd rather we shut up and simply told you about it.

Certainly, this is the best-looking large Australian car for yonks, the designers having emulated (to put it kindly) within and without the best bits of desirable European sedans, not least Audi's A6.

In terms of ride and handling, the Statesman is a vastly more attractive proposition on NSW's third-world roads than any foreign marque. It also steers and handles with an adroitness that not only belies its size, but compares favourably with the Euros.

Not so the transmission. It's difficult to attain frenzied levels of patriotism about the Statesman's five-speed auto, which is a cog shy of contemporary (think Ford's Falcon) and two (Mercedes-Benz has seven), if not three, short of cutting edge (Lexus does eight).

It is, of course, way better than the improved, but still old-world, four-speeder that remains in lesser Commodores. The top-line Statesman and Caprice get six speeds but eight pots.

The "entry" Statesman's 3.6-litre, 195kW/340Nm V6 does a convincing job of hauling a kerb weight of 1805kg — but not so good a job that one won't pine for two cylinders more.

After a week of urban driving (government ministers catch planes on intra-city trips, so open-road figures are irrelevant) the V6 had consumed an average of 19.25 litres per 100km.

This was over several days of typically stagnant Sydney traffic — but what is a Statesman asked to do if not cart statesmen from hotel to ribbon-cutting and back?

At least these occupants are cosseted within fit and finish that noticeably exceed Holden's previous norm, the final touches needed to make the Statesman the fine executive mobile it is.

And, at $58,990, the V6 Statesman embodies the exceptional mega-metal-for-your-money equation that is the marque's hallmark.

Which, paradoxically, is the Statesman's problem.

When the car was placed out front of the office — our litmus test for gleaning the opinion of the generality — one colleague merely, but tellingly, remarked: "It's just a big Holden, really."

Another sniffed and said he was about to chuck his VZ-series long-wheelbase Holden for a Lexus IS250 Sports Luxury — thus personifying the paradigm that confronts all local car-makers.

Their traditional, and formerly captive, audience are not only defecting to imported marques, they're also downsizing and up-speccing.

As the polls indicate, what's good for John Howard is no longer considered good enough for the country.