Holden Monaro Reviews

The pleasure of being behind the wheel of the new Holden Monaro V8 is a serene sense of having nothing to prove.There are not many times in average driving that one really needs the sort of muscle these cars have, but it is sweet to know it is there. I adored it on Willunga Hill where I was barely touching the accelerator as I hummed effortlessly up the outside lane. I am not sure that the car actually noticed the incline at all. And it was novel to be watching the speedo, not for changing down gears to continue the climb, but to make sure one was not exceeding the limit. It is nice to have that extra oomph for an overtake on a country road, too.But, in day-to-day life, the V8 has to do what ordinary cars do – go to and from work, manoeuvre into tight parking station spots and generally play among the city cars.The Monaro plays very nicely, indeed. I was tickled pink to be given a "devil" yellow one. I have always yearned for a yellow car – and this one was a picture of sporty emancipation. I couldn't wait to hit the open road.Ironically, the first thing I did hit was my head. One has to learn a certain way to get into these low-slung beasts. But once inside, it is five-star comfort. Unless one is in the back, which is not easy to achieve. The leather trimmed seats slide electronically back and forth, and tip forwards, but it is still a tight scramble even for a bag of shopping.But the Monaro is not that sort of a car. It is a spoil-me car. It's a single woman thumbing the nose at convention car. A divorced woman's revenge car. A retired woman's claim to equality car. And a fun car. The Monaro nips around the city like a dream and slips easily into tricky parking spots. It has a neat turning circle and one of the best steering wheels I have ever handled – leather, sporty and artfully moulded with bulges for grip.The dashboard with its glossy piano black fascia trim, is nothing less than divine – mirroring the car's cheeky yellow with a slightly muted colour-coded instrument cluster in the centre as well as the usual dials. The airconditioning system is state of the art, climate controlled with outside temps and inside temps, and air flow temps, breeze speed and you name it. Easy to set.In fact nothing at all is difficult about the Monaro. It has reversing beeps, excellent cupholders, a fair amount of console storage, a small but reasonable boot, excellent lighting outside and in, a top sound system ... the only thing lacking would seem to be a roof hand-hold bar for the passenger. No, he was not nervous. He just wanted something to hang on to.Best of all, with the nostrils flaring, so to speak of the bonnet scoops, it gives one that smug feeling of being so strong and smart that the last thing on earth one needs to do is to show it off.

Take the new $60,000 Monaro for example. Two years ago, you needed to get a Clubsport for 260kW of power. That's now available in the new Monaro coupled with a swag of other performance and handling goodies that really sharpen up the Holden product.The engine output is one thing but there's a new six speed manual transmission that eliminates previous manual transmission issues and the brakes are massive. There is also a dual pipe a side exhaust and bonnet scoops. It stops people in the street, especially the new turquoise blue colour.Has excellent engine performance aided by 500Nm torque output.Real GT feel out on the open road and quick off the mark too.Exhaust has cackle on the over-run, just like a Maserati. Sounds awesome.Handling is good compromise between comfort and handling. Quite accomplished for a big, weighty coupe.Electronic dynamic controls keep things in check. Traction control is switchable.Massive tyres provide prodigious grip for corner- ing, braking and accelerating.Stylish five spoke alloys look the goods, impress- ive for factory fitted items.Exterior upgrades include rear mesh diffuser and mild aero skirts, no wing but the car doesn't need it from a visual point of view.Love the new colours.Drinks premium unleaded at an average of about 15 litres/100km, not bad for a 5.7-litre high performance V8.New transmission is a vast improvement – gear ratios are closer and lower overall gives gains in throttle response.Shift feel is better too but still has relatively long throws between gears.Driving position is comfy – great wheel with multi functions, fully adjustable front seats with good side bolsters.Access to rear seats spoiled by front seats that don't return to original position.Small boot, good rear seat room for two.Some squeaks and rattles in test car.New instrument cluster above console looks sporty and car has plenty of luxury features.

Or more precisely, there is no chance of anyone having the thing confiscated for breaking traction on the road.The more you try to load the Coupe 4 up around challenging corners, the more it tells you that it's pointless trying to invoke any kind of tail wagging.Let alone spinning wheels for a spirited squirt off the line.Quite remarkably this all-paw Monaro sticks and sticks, the 62:38 rear-to-front split giving it a rather large hoof print on the road and the Cross-Trac constant all-wheel-drive giving it grip like no other HSV.What it lacks in advertised grunt – 270kW, only 10kW more than the standard CV8 – it more than makes up for in the raucous ruffle thumping away behind the quad tailpipes.And beyond the sonorous charm it sits, squats and attacks with relish while maintaining supreme balance, no matter how much you tear into the right pedal.Where it makes up for a power deficiency over other rear-drive HSVs is that it is not compromised on the dirt or in wet conditions.Put the boot in no problems and you can put extra power down earlier around a corner than if all the power and torque are fed through the rear.As with most performance cars, everything is relative, and the brakes are more than up to the task.These 336mm grooved and ventilated discs grabbed by twin-piston calipers up front and 316mm at the back are fine.Although at some point, after braking later and harder and given the 1830kg bulk of the Coupe 4, the anchors become less effective.The car is heavy, it feels porky and it is a little docile on turn-in.The ride is rigid, not helped by the super-low-profile 35-series tyres.These tyres have differing widths, with 245/35 19-inch Pirellis hanging off the front axle and 255/35 Italian rubber holding station at the back.An extra 120kg over a rear-drive HSV GTO Coupe is added to the frame with the quad-drive system.There are elements of the Coupe 4 that are absolutely stunning, and there are those that leave you scratching your head.Like the clunky old four-speed automatic transmission.While the car is a dream to drive in heavy traffic you are really screaming for a manual when you want to have a bit of fun on a quiet piece of spaghetti bitumen out of town.Gosh, even an Active Select (tiptronic-style) tranny like the one Holden debuted in its VZ range would be a heap more fun than the old tyrant of a slushbox.The cabin is tastefully kitted out in leather and suede, the seats among the most comfortable yet supportive in the business for lateral and side loads.This pilot Coupe 4 has been around and done tough, torturous time on the road, 17,000km ticking over halfway through this 490km test.It had, on previous duties, for anyone from newspapers to magazines, been through mud and slush and been pulled out of bogs.The tranny was becoming a bit clunky and jerky finding gears at times.A few of the shutlines were also awry around the front bumper and boot areas.As you would expect the Coupe 4 is thirstier than a shearer during a beer strike.It was gulping about 14.5 litres/100km on the highway but anywhere between 18 and 20 litres/100km around town. And no, it doesn't break into the 5sec-100km/h range. Given the extra weight and kilowatts it does the standing-start sprint in about 6.7sec.It is about the slowest of the HSV range but definitely not the worst.And while it goes against what the majority of HSV owners want: rear-drive, power oversteer fun, the more kilometres driven in the Coupe 4 the more appealing it becomes.

And it highlights a package of improvements that includes more power and torque, bigger brakes, a refreshed cabin and an exhaust burble that has more of a V8 signature.The all-round improvements give the Monaro a kick that is expected to revive sales as well as restore bragging rights in a high-performance category that has gone wild since the original Commodore coupe.Importantly, particularly for owners, the VZ Monaro has no problem passing the 100m test. From that distance you can easily tell it's a Monaro and not merely a big-wheel Commodore.Monaro sales in the first 10 months this year were down from 2561 to 2149, but Vfacts numbers for October show the immediate impact of the VZ. Sales rose from 223 in 2003 to 321.The Monaro motor has been tweaked to produce the highest output of any mainstream Holden.The numbers are 260kW and 500Nm, which would once have qualified it as a racer or a hero car at Holden Special Vehicles.Holden says the latest Monaro has better throttle response and a stronger kick from a standstill.The exhaust is a little louder, just as Holden has boosted the note on the SS Commodore with a V8 rumble.But don't think the Monaro is a safety worry. It also comes with the biggest disc brakes on any Holden as well as new-look 18-inch alloys with special Bridgestone rubber.The speedometer reads beyond 130km/h but the Monaro is safer at cruising speed than any 15-year-old clunker on bald tyres at half the pace.The latest Monaro picks up two extra dash-top dials and some highlighting to give a more up-market look.Holden has also added several body colours, including a soft blue that's the new signature shade. It probably won't last long, but it is the hot pick at the moment.The new nose, with two good-looking but non-functional bonnet scoops, came as part of the Pontiac GTO update introduced this year for the US.The VZ Monaro's headlights have a sharper edge and the bigger grille has a mesh insert.It's a bold look that works, though the Monaro's creator – Mike Simcoe, now in the US partly as a reward for his work – probably prefers his original European look.The CV8 is $60,490, which is good value and there is always room to move with the HSV Z-cars if you want more go and have more money.THE new Monaro has more impact. The new nose turns heads and tells people, the instant they look in the rear-view mirror, that it's not just a common Commodore on their tail.It is a welcome change for a car that had lost some impact and is facing tougher competition from rivals, including the Nissan 350Z, Mazda's RX-8 and even – despite four doors and a Ford Performance Vehicles badge and price – the Typhoon.Drop the hammer on the VZ CV8, feel the kick in the back and hear the roar from the pipes, and you know the car has changed.When the traction control kicks in on a brisk 1-2 shift in the manual box, you are convinced.But we are less in love with the dynamics. The V8 Monaro feels a little less responsive, a little more ponderous, than before.Holden says the dynamics are just as they were, and the VZ Monaro is still a swift machine that's great to drive on any road.But we needed more steering lock in corners and the car was set a lot softer than the SV6 sedan.The engine response is crisper, it is keener to rev, and you always seem to have more than enough pulling power for any job.We're still not in love with the six-speed manual, but the engine smooths the glitches.You can easily hold gears and have more fun, or do a 1-3 shift for economy or dribble around the suburbs in sixth.We averaged 13.8 litres/100km. The readout was as low at 9.3 for some 100km/h cruising, but went over 18 after a Sunday sprint, so the payment at the pumps – in premium unleaded – can mostly be chosen by the driver.We like the updated cabin, even if the extra dials are no real benefit, and the seats are as comfy as ever. Equipment includes a punchy sound system and cruise control.The boot has far less space now the fuel tank has been moved to satisfy American safety rules. It still holds two sets of golf clubs, but it has been pinched. And the space-saver tyre still seems like a short-change job.We haven't had time for a full-scale test of the Typhoon, but the VZ Monaro changes have freshened the car against the Zed and the RX-8.It has more space than the Japanese sporties, and the advantage of that Aussie V8 kick, but still has to face-down the SS Commodore and compete with the Falcon GT.Still, the Monaro is an Australian success and the body changes make it special again.

It's now more fun to drive, partly because of the boost to the engine's output but mainly because I'm getting used to its idiosyncrasies. Like wearing in a pair of Kmart slippers.But though this third generation is better than its ancestors, not a lot has really changed.The coupe's body looks more aggressive, finally getting the bared-fang look that its predecessors desperately needed, thanks to twin bonnet nostrils. They don't do anything, just look good.The tail has two big-bore exhaust pipes that produce an engine burble so rich it can clog your arteries.Idle this beast up King St in the city and hear, no, feel, the exhaust reverberate off the shopfronts.The engine has more power and torque than before, though catch it below 2000rpm and it feels weak, especially for a 5.7-litre V8.It is at its best from 2500rpm up to the 5600rpm red line.It's not a particularly revvy mill, though you can spin it past 6000rpm before the engine management system abruptly stops the fun, but it has mountains of mid-range torque.It is the torque of the V8 that creates the performance.It wasn't immediately apparent until the Monaro was led on to the track at the AHG Driving Centre southeast of Perth.Here, let loose with no traffic, the Monaro surprised, with neat tracking through the bends and controllable handling when things started to get messy.The standard traction control is well designed so it doesn't smother the fun factor, coming into play when the car is starting to dance to the wrong tune.Turning the traction control off, – there's a console switch -- unleashes the coupe's potential. It will hang on to the bitumen for a surprisingly long time before breaking away to oversteer.It is predictable with the tail hanging out, though I went gardening once when it snapped back too quickly from my reflexes.The steering, which I'm critical of for its heavy feel at low speeds, lightens up nicely at speed.In fact the whole car washes off its cholesterol-induced lethargy – it weighs a portly 1692kg without fuel or humans – and comes alive in the right hands.The six-speed manual gearshift is still too stiff and trucklike; the steering wheel feel too firm for a stress-free inner-city life.But on the plus side the Monaro is practical enough to seat four adults and, though it may be a bit of a physical exertion to get in and out of the rear seats, once ensconced it's very comfortable.The boot will hold a golf bag or two and while not huge, is a lot better than other coupes.This coupe is stylish, well-equipped, comfortable – but expensive.

From thumbs up to cheers of delight and bowing on the side of the road, the Monaro got a big reception.Sporting the unmistakable twin nostrils and "look-at-me" CV 805 number plates, there was no chance of laying low.A stop at Lithgow McDonald's on the Bathurst race weekend, probably the only weekend of the year when the queue is out the door, led to a frenzy.It was as if a movie star had entered. The pointing fingers and curious looks were followed by a quick dual-pipe check.There were many testosterone-charged attempts by other motorists to prove their car was more beefy than this new Monaro.But the Monaro was content cruising.Opening the bonnet and boot and starting it up so enthusiasts could check out the new model got tiring.Turning the key was extremely popular, as fans wanted to hear the new "burble" produced by the dual pipes, which is noticeably deeper and more pronounced than the previous model. And, when backing off, the Monaro is a wondrous mix of popping and crackling.But it was not all good news.Current Monaro owners were united in their opinions of the reduced boot space. They didn't like it."That is ridiculous. I was really looking forward to the new model but I would definitely not buy one, that boot space is just too small," one remarked at a service station.The smaller boot is due to the relocated fuel tank, which makes way for the dual pipes.It seemed odd that buyers of a sports coupe (not a family wagon) would not buy the new model because of boot space.Feedback on the exterior had been mixed – most saying they did not like the new nostrils. But for the past two weeks the vibe on the streets was unanimous – they're hot.Holden has upped the ante on the VZ – power increases to 260kW and torque is up to 500Nm. Both can be felt under foot and are helped by the electric throttle.Gone is the intrusive (and painful) traction control system that shot the accelerator pedal back at you when traction was lost, causing a sharp twang in the shin.The clutch is a little heavy but more user-friendly than the earlier model.As expected, the automatic and the manual models feel different but an interesting point was fuel consumption.The auto was content to sit at around 1600rpm in most situations, while the manual provokes the driver to rev out gear changes.The auto's average fuel consumption (according to the on-board computer) hovered between 13 litres and 14.8 litres/100km. In the manual this figure stayed above 17L/100km.The increased braking package boasts 320mm ventilated front discs, 286mm rear discs, ABS, brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution. It all means the Monaro stops with minimal pedal pressure.Comfort levels are good, the electric adjustable seats making light work of finding a comfortable drive position.The height- and reach-adjustable steering wheel is a big bonus, as is the time delay on the power windows – you can still put them up after the car is switched off.In the recent rain, the speed sensitive wipers were great. In stop-start traffic, they switched automatically to intermittent mode and then sped up as your speed increased.It has taken two weeks, but ducking low when getting in to avoid hitting my head is finally a reflex-like action.Despite the smallish boot the Monaro does have a centre console (with phone charge socket), a large glovebox and side pockets in the doors to store stuff in.The dash-mounted cup holders don't inspire confidence with big drinks as they tend to wobble around a bit.With its new look, increased power, torque and brake package but mere price increase of $500, the new VZ Monaro is sure to win buyers.

The new 260kW Monaro uses the same scoops added to the version of the car sold in the US (as a Pontiac GTO) to cater for more overt American tastes.The US influence doesn't stop there. The Monaro also gains the same GTO twin exhaust system and relocated fuel tank, which reduces the boot from 370 litres to 245 litres.Holden says the reason for choosing the scooped bonnet was partly because it was easier and cheaper to produce one the same shape as the GTO's, but primarily because Australian customers liked it.Holden's chairman, American Denny Mooney, says Holden sales and marketing manager Ross McKenzie wanted the scoops and some members of the Holden team conducted research to prove him wrong.The results showed most people loved the new bonnet."It wasn't my decision," Mooney says. "This is the voice of the Aussie customers."The Monaro is $550 more than the current car and costs $60,490 as an automatic or manual. The 5.7-litre GEN III V8 stays, but has another 15kW of power for 260kW with 35Nm more torque for 500Nm.The improvements have been made with a more effective induction system and camshaft modifications, meaning the engine is meatier through a wider range of revs.The same modifications were made to the GTO in the US.Holden says the more powerful GEN IV engine, from the new Chevrolet Corvette, won't be available for Monaro in the short term.The Monaro is still available with a six-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.The manual has shorter gear ratios and the automatic is the same unit as used in the HSV models, which can handle the extra torque.All Monaros come with new performance brakes that feature large twin-pot front calipers (with Monaro branding) and large-diameter 320mm front discs and 286mm rear discs hooked up to an anti-skid system.The Monaro's tail is dominated by twin-flow exhausts that reduce back flow to the engine for better performance.Holden chief engineer Tony Hyde says fitting the twin exhaust system was worth the reduction in boot space."We will probably cop some flak over it but people can open the boot, look at it and buy it if they like it," he says.NO ONE will be able to miss a Monaro on the road because of the two nostrils on the bonnet.The updated front styling, new alloy wheels and large twin exhaust pipes show Holden is giving the Monaro more bark to match its V8 bite.It still has the elegant, sleek coupe tail fans love, and Holden has not followed Pontiac, which fits all GTOs with boot-lid spoilers.Monaro has always offered a great fun drive with comfortable seating for four.The comfort level is the same, but the driving experience is better.The engine performance figures look good on paper, but drivers will notice them more in the real world.Engineers have improved the launch feel, which means you feel it every time you accelerate.The engine is fantastic to work hard with the six-speed manual and you will also want to wind down the window to hear the V8 burble from the exhausts.The four-speed automatic does the job, but not that well, and is missing the manual-shift mode you expect with an auto fitted to a $60,000 sports car.It's hard to find fault with the rest of the car, which impresses with its powerful brakes, firm and direct steering and supportive seats.The Monaro at 1692kg is 50kg heavier than the previous model, but is still nimble. A blast around a wet skid pan at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground showed the car can easily spin around witches' hats (with a quick handbrake grab).It is a comfortable cruiser that can easily eat the highway kilometres.The reduced boot space could affect buyers who use their Monaros to carry four people and a fair amount of luggage.But many will be happy to make the sacrifice for the twin exhausts.There is a lot of US influence in the Monaro, but it is a better car and that is what it is all about.

The "two door Commodore" as some choose to describe Monaro, has a sexy profile and really looks the business. When you lift the bonnet on the CV8, the effect continues – wow, a hulkin', heavy breathin' high-output V8 engine.Holden upped the ante on its Gen III V8 with the Series II Monaro by increasing power to 245kW while torque stays the same at 465Nm. It was a minor recalibration job rather than serious engineering changes.What it means is a bit more zip, easier cruising and coincidentally, better fuel economy.The six speed manual still struggles to maintain a given speed up hills because it is so high geared.The four speed auto doesn't suffer in this area.In the first five gears, the manual CV8 has excellent performance coupled with a resonating exhaust rumble. The big V8 engine sees the svelte coupe through a 0-100kmh sprint in quick time – we estimate about 6.5 seconds.It has superb roll-on acceleration from just about any speed and if you want more, just shift down a cog and it really, really gets going. The manual box is firm but fairly accurate and the clutch is light in operation.It's firm suspension gives CV8 a somewhat jiggly ride but the upside of that is confident cornering, complemented by large, sticky tyres, strong brakes and firmly weighted, direct steering. It is a good dynamic package and thankfully, the traction control is switchable.In terms of luxury features, the CV8 misses out on very little. The audio even has a sub-woofer and six in-dash CD capacity. But there are some compromises with the coupe body – rear seat access for one and the low roofline can be annoying when getting into the car.The front seats have an electric retraction system to make rear seat access easier but there is no return unless you push a preset button. The four seats are big and comfy featuring leather upholstery and lumbar adjustment.CV8 and some other Commodores now have active head restraints to reduce the chance of whiplash injury. For the 60 grand ask, Monaro CV8 has few competitors. There might be a few smaller V6 coupes or front wheel drives but nothing with rear wheel drive and a big V8 engine. It is an alluring combination.

The car that has hogged the headlines this year has finally hit the road. Holden's historic born-again Monaro is now officially on sale -- though if you ordered one today, you'd be on the bottom of a six-month waiting list. The Monaro is a significant car, not only for Holden but for the entire Australian automotive industry. Its advent has proved Holden's ability to build world-class cars under pressure, both financially and time-wise.In the end, Holden has delivered a car which has swayed very little from the original concept coupe.  Apart from eliminating the rear doors, the Monaro's major body changes include reducing the rake of the windscreen, dropping the roof by 40mm, stretching the doors by 150mm and chopping 100mm out of the boot.Every panel behind the A-pillars is new, which Holden claims adds up to 84 major new body panels.  Underneath, the suspension systems are the same as the Commodore, but the dampers, springs and anti-roll bars have all been revised to offer a more sporting driving experience with the Monaro.In terms of its detailed styling, the car has halogen projector headlamps and a wide-open grille with a prominent Holden badge. At the rear, the classy new tail lamps have a ``jet-engine'' look about them.  Inside, the Monaro is a dedicated four-seater with separate buckets in the back.Holden has created a two-model Monaro range with an entry-level CV6 powered by the 3.8-litre supercharged V6 engine and the range-topping CV8 getting the 5.7-litre V8.  The force-fed six produces 171kW of power at 5200 revs and 375Nm of torque at 3000 revs and the V8 pumps out 225kW at 5200 revs and 460Nm at 4400 revs.The CV6 is only available with a four-speed auto gearbox while the CV8 comes with the self-shifter or a six-speed manual for the same price.  Both models come with anti-skid brakes, front and side airbags, traction control, leather interior trim, power windows, CD sound and cruise control.  The CV6's 17-inch alloy wheels and the badges are the only visual cues that separate it from the CV8, which gets 18-inch wheels.Apart from the engine and wheels, the CV8 has a limited slip differential, colour-coded instruments, memory front seats and a premium sound system with a 10-disc CD stacker.  There is, for those extroverts, the option to colour the interior of the CV8 with either Cobalt blue, Red Hot or Flame Orange trim.On the roadTHE Monaro is more than just a car -- it's an event.  And right now, it's the main event in Australia. Everybody wants to see one and everybody wants to ask about it.  You often feel as if you're leading a parade when you drive it, because pedestrians turn to smile and wave, yell and scream, or even take pictures, while other drivers just line up behind to get a good look.It's even worse when you park: almost everybody takes a look and the questions never stop.  The most often and obvious is: ``How good is it, really?''  Really? It's great.  Our test car was the fully loaded CV8 manual at $56,990, painted in the signature chrome yellow which is impossible to ignore, and it was hard to find any real faults.To get them out of the way right at the start: the six-speed manual gearbox belongs in a truck, not a sports coupe; there were three nasty cabin rattles, not a good sign on quality; and the fuel economy can be lousy, easily running beyond 15litres/100km though a light foot and poor weather earned us 11.8.The solution to the shortcomings in the gearbox is pretty simple, as you only have to skip gears and use the massive torque of the V8 engine to do the work. Or hang on -- and we mean hang on -- to all the revs in the lower gears.The Monaro looks good, is very well equipped and excellent value. It's happy to dribble along at barely more than an idle, allowing you to enjoy the top-notch CD sound system -- probably the best in the business, at the price -- without thumping your kidneys or rattling your fillings.The Monaro's suspension has turned right away from the philosophy of the SS sedans, without the over-sensitive steering and shock-absorber settings that often had the cars lurching and rolling.  The key to the transition is ``slower'' steering with better feel and feedback, and better use of the new toe-link control in the independent rear end. It has allowed the engineers to smooth the slow-speed ride but keep the essential grip and balance for high-speed work.It's just about neutral all the time, though you can feel the weight working against it in slow corners and the power unsettling things if you really push.  The best way to drive the Monaro is with a light touch on the wheel, in a high gear in the fat of the torque, just loping along. That's when it really swallows kilometres, without stress or any battling.You can always downshift -- up to three gears -- and sink your foot if you're feeling bored, and it will respond with more pace and grace than an SS.  Actually, the Monaro's chassis feel is more like a Tickford-tweaked Falcon than the hotrod Commodores, and we can expect the philosophy and the settings to be transferred into the VY models next year.The brakes in the test car worked well enough, but the pedal was ``mushy'' with too much travel, probably from the press preview at a test track on the Gold Coast.  The cabin of the Monaro is basically just Commodore, but the ``piano black'' paint on the console, colour-coded dials and the leather seats make it much more special. The sports seats are good, too, but it still has a wheel that would look more at home in a taxi.The back seat is surprisingly roomy, with supportive twin buckets and reasonable headroom, and the boot is still huge. It's also reasonable to park, though the view through the back is restricted by the sloping window.  The Monaro has few real rivals, though comparisons with Fords are inevitable.It is a cheaper and better car than the Mustang, with a badge that's just as emotive, and has more impact and pace than the FTE Falcons.  It's actually closer in pace and styling to the best of the Euro sports sedans, including the M-series BMWs and AMG-badged Mercs. It's impossible to beat at the price, though it misses five stars because of the quality niggles and that gearbox.For once, it's incredibly simple to cut to the bottom line at the end of a road test.  The Monaro is simply the car of 2001.HOLDEN MONARO  CV8Price as tested: $56,990Engine: 5.7-litre V8 with pushrods and fuel injectionPower: 225kW at 5200revsTorque: 460Nm at 4400revsTransmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel driveBody: Two-door coupeDimensions: Length: 4789mm, width: 1841mm, height: 1397mm, wheelbase: 2788mm, tracks: 1559mm/1577mm front/rearWeight: 1640kgFuel Tank: 75 litresFuel Consumption: Average on test 11.8 litres/100kmSteering: Power-assisted rack-and-pinionSuspension: Fully independent with front McPherson struts and multi-link rear with anti-roll barsBrakes: Four-wheel anti-skid discsWheels: 8x18 alloysTyres: 235x40 R18Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmRIVALSBMW 330Ci **** (from $93,750)Mercedes CLK 430 *** (from $134,900)Ford Mustang Coupe *** (from $85,000)Peugeot 406 Coupe *** (from $74,900)The bottom line ****+ Looks great, performs well- Squeeks, gearshiftBottom Line* The class act of 2001