Holden Monaro CV8-Z 2006 Review

As a fancy Ford sidled up next to me, with music blaring and your typical revhead in the driver's seat, I thought nothing of it.

Then, there was the glance. The "are you ready to drag because I am going to kick your butt" look.

The glance was followed with a couple of quick revs, just in case I didn't get the subtle hint the first time. Are you kidding me? Here's my subtle hint, buddy, as I motioned my head to the back seat – check out the baby on board. The lights went green, I was left for dust and junior was none the wiser. And, yes, I know putting a baby in a Monaro is probably a sin but if a car has baby seat hooks then all bets are off.

The bright orange Monaro CV8Z (or Fusion colour in Holden terms) is a definite head-turner.

It's pure muscle and grunt. It makes a statement and as many friends informed me it is an "icon". Or was. This model is the last Holden is putting out, which makes it a classic. Suddenly, I was everyone's best friend.

From a gal's perspective, it's not the most chick-friendly car. The doors are big and heavy, the seat low, the two-door requiring almost a university degree to manoeuvre a child into the back seat and, well, orange is not really my colour.

Inside, the leather seats are amazingly comfortable. The colour-coded instruments really boost its sporty look, as does the leather-clad steering wheel and six-speed manual gear stick.

Surprisingly, the back seat is quite roomy despite the deceiving Monaro's sleek shape. However, the bucket seats send a clear message that there is only room for two.

But to truly test its head-turning potential, I again bundled the toddler into the back and headed off to Murray Bridge's Sturt Reserve. The tourist spot is a magnet for the drive-bys in souped-up cars, so I thought: why not? And what do you do when you are in the company of an "icon"? Introduce it to another, the Bunyip. For the uninitiated, it's a monster that comes out of the water to impress but, more to the point, scare the youngsters who come to see it.

Even scarier is that the Monaro stole the Bunyip's limelight. Parked not far from the attraction, the Monaro beamed its orange smile, basking in the glory of onlookers. As I say, a true icon.

LOVE IT LEAVE IT

Monaro CV8Z

Price: $60,490

LOVE IT

Comfy leather seats, comfier than a lounge chair.

Sporty style, everything from the smooth curves to the leather steering wheel.

Colour-matched instrument panel. Fashion is everything.

LEAVE IT

Dodgy colours like Fusion, but it's all a matter of taste.

Heavy doors, for those of us who don't have muscles.

Fuel consumption. She's very, very thirsty (17.4 litres/100km).