Holden Statesman 2005 review

The five speed, sequential auto features Active Select which allows the driver to change gears manually via steering wheel mounted paddles.

It's a handy feature, giving the driver greater control of the car.

The extra cog delivers excellent fuel economy.

Statesman V6 is priced from $55,990 before on-road costs.

• Alloytec 190 3.6-litre V6 replaces both the V6 and supercharged V6 engines of the previous model. It produces 190kW of power at 6500rpm and 340Nm of torque at 3200rpm. That's significantly more stick than the old 3.8-litre Ecotec, but much less torque than the supercharged V6.
• The supercharged six which ran on premium unleaded produced 375Nm, also at 3200rpm. The reduction in torque shows, because the car lacks punch off the line.
• However the V6 scores top marks for economy. After a very heavy weekend of travelling up and down the coast, during which we clocked up several hundred kilometres, the trip meter showed average fuel consumption of just 10.1L/100km.
• With Active Select there is a paddle on the right for changing up and a paddle on the left for changing down. It's a relatively simple system in theory but can become confusing, particularly if you forget you're in manual.
• Can also be confusing when trying to change gear and operate the high beam switch at the same time. Also, if it is necessary to switch the position of your hands on the wheel, say when negotiating a series of hair-pin turns, it is easy to lose track of the paddles.
• The steering itself feels a little vague at times times and the car tends to wander in three-lane city driving.
• Trip computer had a mind of its own. One night the fuel gauge showed just under half a tank and 280km to empty. The next morning we were almost dead empty with about 33km to go?
• Statesman is renowned for its rear leg room and the current model is no exception. Even with the front seats set right back, you won't get any complaints from rear seat passengers.
• Excellent lights, especially the high beam. Turns night into day on dark, tree shrouded country roads.
• Statesman lacks some of the luxury features of the more highly specified Caprice. There's leather and a splash of wood, but you get an excellent in-dash, six- stack CD sound system. Hit the load button and keep feeding it discs until you reach the limit. The system includes equaliser pre-sets for different styles of music.
• Standard features include driver and front passenger front and side airbags, climate airconditioning, ABS brakes, electronic stability control and rear park assist.