2009 HSV Clubsport Reviews

As if a Clubsport ain't enough, HSV have gone and put a blower on the 6.2-litre, high performance V8 engine.That ups power to a withering 470kW and torque to a mountainous 770Nm.That's 630 horsepower in the old money or right up in V8 Supercar territory.It's part of an upgrade kit for the Clubbie R8 that takes it well beyond the W427 in performance terms. The kit is available at certain HSV dealerships.Why would HSV do this especially after just finishing production of 200 “be all to end all” W427s?Obviously they want a hero car on the books all the time and this one certainly fills the bill.It is one of the quickest cars we have ever driven, eclipsing some `supercars' including highly regarded models from Lamborghini, Porsche and Maserati. German bahn-blasters like the Benz C63 AMG, Audi RS6 V10 and BMW M3 don't even rate a mention.“Rubbish” … the nay-sayers will scoff. But rest assured, one drive will convince even the biggest sceptic. It puts away a 0-100km sprint in about 4.0 seconds but the real strength is roll-on acceleration — like no other.The 1825kg Walkinshaw Performance Supercharged Clubbie we drove not only blows plenty “exotics” into the weeds, with all the option boxes ticked like our test car, it costs a `mere' $97,160.The engine is essentially a 6.2-litre Clubsport unit with a Harrop supercharger mounted in the vee and a big-bore stainless steel exhaust out the back complete with a `rolling thunder' burble on the over-run.The supercharger makes an incredible whine when you're on the gas competing with the blatting sports exhaust note for dominance.For the mechanically attuned, it's music to your ears. Others may find it offensive but it's certainly frightening if you're not prepared.There's so much grunt percolating out of that all-alloy, pushrod V8 that it's difficult to stop the rear wheels spinning under brute acceleration in the first three cogs and there's no need to feather the clutch to get them going.The Poms already have a similar car called the Vauxhall VXR8 — also a Walkinshaw effort — but it only puts out 420kW/715Nm.The red monster we had for 24 hours is a step up again.It has special equipment to tame all that poke — adjustable coil-over suspension with 15-way damping adjustment, six-piston front brakes, four on the rear, a special clutch, oil cooler, vented bonnet and other go fast goodies.The result is a Clubbie like no other.There is no point at which brutal acceleration isn't available. It hits hard and fast as soon as you push the accelerator. The front of the car rises, the rear squats, its emits that blood-curdling whine and blatt, and the rear wheels scrabble for grip. After the first rocket thrust, you hit the cut out at 6600rpm, select the next cog in the close-ratio six-speed box and it starts all over again.It's a handful on tight roads because of the instant power and torque but once you spool your driving up to the task and figure out the best technique, the WP Clubbie is devastatingly quick point to point.The brakes cope OK and the adjustable suspension is best set up firm because it's easy to bottom out on comfort setting.Steering? We didn't pay that much attention because you can nearly get this car around corners on the throttle.It looks better than a Clubbie because of the 22-inch wheels and large bonnet scoop. But inside it's pure Clubbie except for the WP badging.This is a car to be reckoned with and certainly shouldn't be driven by people with an attitude problem. It also likes a drink with the average on our mad fang hovering in the 22-litres/100km area. It's no Prius that's for sure but you've got to have some fun in your life, eh.The WP Clubbie is for the mechanically attuned with considerable driving talent, oh, and a large wallet.

...and made some changes for the better with its range up date for 2009.The first HSV wagon since the Avalanche will be $1000 above its R8 sedan equivalent at $65,990 and available with the new six-speed manual or a re-calibrated six-speed automatic, which ups the pricetag ante to $68,320.The recalibrated auto and new Tremec TR6060 manual transmission are part of the MY9.5 HSV model upgrade, which also includes some engine recalibration.As is de-rigeur for the HSV models, there's a bit of a bodykit - focussed mainly on the nose and side skirts - with the rear remaining largely similar to the Sportwagon.Unlike the sedan variants, HSV has left the rear lights alone, something that would have cost $1.5 million to alter and the company is taking a measured approach to this wagon.The company will get just over 160 built but the orders already stretch well into the first quarter of 2009 - even HSV boss Phil Harding wants one, but he's waiting patiently for sales to be fulfilled first.The interior gets upgraded seats (full leather trimmed versions are $2490), a new rear seat, dual-zone climate control and also adopts the new white-faced instruments and centre-pod of gauges, which will go range-wide for 2009.The Tourer is also fitted standard with a reversing camera and rear park assist and gets a shorter final drive ratio.It sits on 19in wheels with 245/40 front and 275/35 rear rubber as standard, but can be optioned up to a 20in wheel with slightly lower profile tyres for $2500.The R8 Tourer is 20 per cent firmer in its suspension but has a reduced rear roll bar diameter.HSV chief engineer Joel Stoddart said the aim was to leave the wagon driver with the same wheel-time experience as that of a sedan."One of our main objectives when we decided to embark on this car was that the driver should lose nothing in the driving experience in this car over and above the sedan," he says.The suspension tune differs a little bit from its sedan sibling as the HSV engineers have tweaked a few things during the development - it's about 20 per cent stiffer all round, with the same rear dampers as the Maloo utility and a smaller-diameter rear anti-roll bar than the Clubsport R8.On the launch drive through the hills north-east of Melbourne, the first R8 Tourer sampled had the 20in wheel option, which gives the handsome wagon a more aggressive look.The company was working from a more-than-competent base with the Sportwagon and the suspension tweaks - with either wheel package bolted on - has only enhanced the drive experience.The tighter tune keeps the body under control but rolling (and oversteer) from the rear takes a lot more provocation before it becomes evident.For the driver, the addition of a new six-speed manual to the range almost overshadowed any other changes - while HSV says it's not a massive change from the old gearbox, the new six-speed is quicker and sharper to change, with better defined gates and a cleaner action.The six-speed auto also benefits from recalibration and the benefits are most felt in sport mode.It's not a hyper-aggressive alter-ego and seems to have a little more in the way of smarts on the way into corners under brakes.The addition of the camera makes parking and manoeuvring quite a bit easier - given the whopper D-pillars it probably should have been there from the get-go at Holden.For those shopping for load-luggers and/or kid carriers but not interest in SUVs, HSV has plenty to offer.In terms of performance wagons, they are few and far between that could match the R8 Tourer for pace, let alone on price - Audi has its $270,000 RS6, Benz has the $146,000 C63 and $239,000 E63 wagons.The R8 Tourer seems to have the versatility of a wagon and the performance and driving manners of a home-grown hotrod sedan.