Holden Road Tests

Holden's new Cruze is already performing well on the sales charts, but how does it perform on the road? David Thomson takes to the wheel of the turbo-diesel version to find out.

Content to leave the utilitarian end of the large wagon market to the Ford Falcon, Holden has private lifestyle buyers in its sights with its new Sportwagon. David Thomson tests the flagship Calais variant to assess the new approach.

Has Holden's muscle car arm taken leave of its senses by sticking its badge on a 2-litre compact car? David Thomson heads out in the HSV VXR to find out.

The new HSV W427 is the hottest Holden ever and Australia's first genuine supercar. Richard Bosselman slips behind the wheel.

Holden utes have come a long way in recent years and, as David Thomson discovers, the VE version is the company's best effort.

FROM what I’ve been told, the three big things in Albury, a rural hub on the New South Wales-Victoria border, are as follows.

In this era of blended families, a few convoluted introductions are required from time to time, and such is the case with the Holden Captiva.

SOLID IN execution, largely unspectacular in operation, the Epica reminds that Bathurst bravura does not fuel every kind of new Holden.

Pragmatism, not passion, has driven this project.

HSV celebrates its 20th birthday this year with a range that comprises the fastest-accelerating Holden road cars produced. DAVID THOMSON gets to grips with the $77,990 ClubSport R8 manual.

Holden has set itself a difficult task with the new Calais V8 by seeking to combine the traditional Calais luxury with a sharper, sporting edge.

Amid all of the hype around the launch of the new VE-series Holden Commodore, a sleek new Holden has slipped into New Zealand largely unnoticed.

It has been a long time coming, but Holden's new Captiva is worth the wait.

The sports utility vehicle enters the market at a sharp price, starting at $43,990 for the base five-seater SX model and seven-seater LX at $49,990, both built in South Korea.

THE NEW Commodore represents a $6 billion investment by Holden, a reflection of the confidence General Motors has in its Australian manufacturer.

It takes more than new badges and a few dynamic tweaks to turn average cars into objects of desire: that is the key message provided by Holden's new bargain-basement models, the Barina and Viva.

The Barina and Viva are, respectively, rebadged and modestly re-engineered versions of the Daewoo Kalos and Lacetti, which last sold here in late 2003.

The new AH-series Astra and VZ Commodore will both enjoy their first full year on sale in 2005, and next month they are joined in the showrooms by new six-cylinder versions of the all-wheel-drive Adventra and Crewman ranges.

IT IS the little things that add class - in the case of the Commodore SS it was the fender vents
One on each side sit behind the front wheel arches, with a classy chrome strip that feeds back into "V8" at the leading edge of each of the front doors.

THE 20-something woman handed over her digital camera: "Can you take my photo with me in it," she pleaded.

"It" was the Holden Crewman S - the Australian company's double cab, up to five-seater version of the utility it has produced for decades.