2005 Holden Statesman Reviews

Ewan Kennedy reviews the VS, WH, WK, WL, WM and WN Holden Statesman and Caprice from 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 as a used buy.

Domestic sales are down, revenues are down and the cost of production is the same. GM's predicament is complicated by huge bills for workers' health care and superannuation.So the bosses in Detroit are battening down for a rough ride. Moves to date include cutting its salaried North American work force this year by 5 per cent — 2800 jobs.Among the freshest cuts was the axing of the Zeta platform as a global exercise. This Australian-engineered platform was to be the basis for a range of rear-wheel drive cars, aimed particularly at the North American market.GM product guru Bob Lutz was the mover and shaker, as he had been impressed by rear-drive Holdens.But while Zeta architecture will still underpin the next Commodore range, the VE due next year, it is no longer headed offshore. Internationalisation of the project was deemed too expensive in these tight times.So the Americans, having had a small taste of Australian rear-drive engineering with the Pontiac GTO, nee Monaro, miss out big time.Imagine how the boys and girls in California would head to town over an SS Ute. And imagine how the Statesman, in long, black colours, would go down among limo drivers.For the Holden Statesman is one of those machines which would suit customers from LAX to JFK — a big and simple rear drive machine with road presence, V8 available, big boot and some of the world's best back seat leg-room.It is a nice piece of work from front to back, a tribute to Holden engineers who build a mix of machines on different variations of the Commodore platform. The Statesman, and richer Caprice, share the longer wheelbase version of that platform which dates back to the 1997 VT Commodore.This time the WL Statesman picks up LED tail lights with quicker brake response times, a new grille, new alloy wheels plus leather trim as standard gear.The rest is much as before.A smooth V8 with improved four-speed automatic allows the Statesman to move in and around the traffic with ease. The powertrain's easy delivery, now through electronic throttle control, helps mask the size of the big Holden, as does the well-tuned chassis and steering.The five-metre Statesman is not the first choice for a sporting drive but it can be driven with verve. For a big car it is supple and swift. There is plenty of grip and plenty of punch and on long hauls the Statesman offers serenity from either front or back seat.Standard gear includes ABS brakes, traction control plus front and side airbags. There's dual zone, climate control airconditioning, six-disc CD, eight-way electrically adjustable front seats and plenty of cupholders and compartment.The Holden Statesman is a comforting machine from driving dynamics to cabin luxury. It would be just as welcome on an LA freeway as a cross-country run to Mount Isa.The Yanks don't know what they'll be missing.

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.