Holden WM series jackpot

Really, I ought to be ashamed of myself.

An invite to drive the latest Holden Statesman and Caprice should have been something to look forward to, but I was about as excited as a man who's just been told a new double DVD pack featuring extended versions of Sleepless in Seattle and Steel Magnolias is in the living room, ready to watch.

I blame my non-motoring colleague, who, when told where I was off to, made a sympathetic face and sighed "Ohh no, how boring, that's the sort of car my dad would buy. Or maybe my grandad."

Of course I was partly at fault myself, because I really never expect too much from our local product.

I imagined something slow, clunky and slightly cringeworthy - much like an Australian film.

But the new WM Statesman - the first of the new VE tranche of Holdens I've been able to try - was more like Crocodile Dundee, unexpectedly enjoyable and surprisingly close to world class.

For years, Australian cars have had half-decent powertrains, let down by clunky, steam-age transmissions and cheap and not leerful interiors.

The exterior styling of past Statesmans, in particular, has also been slightly obese and stodgy.

But the WM range is pretty much instantly impressive, with bold, chunky looks that complete the stylist's almost impossible mission - making a very large car look good.

While the side strakes are pure BMW M5 rip off, the rest of the car has the slab-sided, get-off-my-road presence of a Chrysler 300C, but none of the cheesiness.

This is the stereotypical Big Car for a Big Country, but carried off in a way that few have achieved before.

Personally, I'd go so far as to say it's the first Statesman I've ever seen that didn't make the word "ugly" belch forth unbidden.

The stylistic flair is carried on in the interior, which is cavernous in the back seat (with child pacifiers, aka DVD screens in the rear head rests, standard on Caprice).

While the chic sheiks who will buy this car in the Middle East will not want for rear leg-room, the front is also a pleasant place to be.

Finally, Holden has lifted its game, with a pleasant, uncluttered style to the dash, a functional display screen and a steering wheel - with track-ball style whirligigs to operate functions - wisely borrowed holus bolus from an Audi A8.

Australian companies have claimed in the past that they've been benchmarking their cars against European brands, but in this case, I actually believe them.

Ride and handling were rated against BMW's fabulous 5 Series (albeit the last model, rather than the current one) and the Holden engineers have done a laudable job.

The Statesman is more softly sprung than the Caprice, but not disturbingly so.

Over lumpy roads it will develop a kind of low-frequency wallow, with a slightly tidal effect, but generally it's surprisingly well sorted, with none of the understeer you'd expect from such a big-nosed vehicle.

Steering feel is also of an almost Audi standard, even if it still falls well behind class-leading BMW tillers.

Step up to the Caprice and the ride/handling balance is even more impressive - firm and capable, yet still as luxurious as a car like this needs to be.

When it comes to the automatic transmissions, the five-speed in the V6 Statesman is a big step forward from the old days, while the six-speed auto in the V8 Statesman and Caprice is simply light years ahead.

Changes are smooth, almost imperceptible, and gear hunting is rare. As for the engines, the 3.6-litre V6, with 195kW and 340Nm, does a reasonable job of hefting an 1805kg vehicle, and never sounds overly strained, either.

But the engine this car was clearly built to house, the 6.0-litre V8, is far more impressive. Its 270kW and 530Nm of torque make the Caprice an effortless cruiser.

The only shame is that the cabin's excellent sound proofing blocks out much of this refined eight's rumble.

The big engine never seems to be struggling, yet it can propel you towards the horizon with almost indecent haste.

The overall impression is of almost European quality.

The Statesman and Caprice are capable, unflustered and comfortable highway cruisers, and yet they manage to perform beyond what I thought we were capable of, even in enthusiastic driving.

Perhaps the only fault, when pushing on hard, is a lack of lateral seat support, but then you don't expect Recaro race seats in a limo like this.

The engineering effort might be enough to make you shake your head, and re-evaluate some old prejudices, but what really blows your mind are the prices.

The V6 Statesman is just $58,990 while the V8 is $62,990.

The big daddy V8 Caprice is $69,990, a staggering $5400 less than the outgoing model. The V6 Caprice is $65,990, some $4700 less than the old one.

No matter which model you're looking at, it's a hell of a lot of car for the money.

Compared to its European competitors, in fact, Holden is virtually giving them away.

So can you feel the differences between Aussie luxury and the European versions?

Well, obviously, yes. Every now and then the orchestra plays a bum note - a downchange from the transmission that's a bit harsh, a bit of plastic-wood that feels too cheap to even be allowed in the same city as a BMW factory.

Then there's the design of the handbrake, which looks like an upended golf putter and just feels totally wrong.

The indicators are also roughly 400 per cent louder than is absolutely necessary.

And yet these foibles are not so foul that they would bother you as an owner.

Indeed, this is, in some ways, as close to taking on the Europeans as we've ever come.

It makes a little Aussie heart swell with pride.

Of course, it should be noted that this car only really exists because of the Middle East market - which will buy more than 80 per cent of the WM cars Holden builds.

Without those oil-rich buyers, in fact, the Statesman probably wouldn't exist, or at least not in this form.

Still, the pay off is that, in building a car that's well and truly good enough to export, we've got a world class product for our domestic market.

It remains to be seen how many people will buy them here. As impressive as the Statesman is, I'd have to really, really like my regular rear-seat passengers before I bought a vehicle that big.

But it's a big tick for Holden that I'd even consider the question.

The Statesman and Caprice are worthy flagships for the brand indeed, and all those who sail in them should be well satisfied.

More reports from the CARSguide test team will follow during the week.

Stephen Corby is a senior roadtester for the CARSguide team whose work appears in print in the Sunday Telegraph. A version of this review plus more news and analysis will appear in this Sunday's newspaper.