Australian Car Advice | News Blog

HOW IT HANDLES

1. Intro
2. A bit of history
3. How it goes
4. Behind the wheel
5. Interior comfort
6. The Look
7. Safety Features
8. Cost of ownership

These days, it’s just not good enough to be able to drag race. European carmakers place equal, if not, more importance on chassis balance and handling. Aussie sports sedans have almost always suffered in this department, usually due to inferior suspension set-ups and the sheer weight of the cars.

The 2007 R8 ClubSport is a big car, and at around 1800kg, you’d have to say, physics has not been one of its strongest subjects. Even more worrying was that GM’s brilliant “Magnetic Ride Control” (around in the US since 2002) standard kit on the GTS, is unavailable on the R8.

No cause for alarm though. With massive 275/35 nineteen inch Bridgestone Potenzas (developed specifically for this car) on the rear, we assumed that at least grip would be taken care of, over the sixty-kilometre ‘twist fest’ we had planned for this test.

This notorious stretch of road in NSW is a favourite of large capacity sport bikes who “own” this highway to hell. ‘Notorious’ due to the number of lives it has claimed. Keeping up with these guys requires superior handling, first and foremost.

Standard suspension on the R8 is nothing special. McPherson Strut set-up on the front, and Multi-link independent rear suspension on the rear. But when you add HSV’s calibrated Electronic Stability Control (ESC) incorporating Traction Control System (TCS), ABS, EBD and EBA, together one of the most effective braking systems in the world by AP Racing, you get something very special indeed.

The brakes need more of a mention. The R8 stops in a shorter distance than BMW’s $240,000 plus, M5. Even more impressive, is that similar components are used on Aston Martin’s fleet, all Lotus models and even Sweden’s Arctic rocket, the Koenigsegg.

I’m in awe of this car and the way it blasted through a difficult stretch of road, besieged by literally hundreds of bends – many blind. Not once, did the car get out of shape or lose its line during this test. The acceleration out of tight corners is staggering, as is, how late you can leave braking on the approach.

You have to take your hat off to the HSV boffins who calibrated the ESC for this car, as I put it at a near perfect job. Only ever working its magic at that precise moment before gentle rear end power slides get out of hand. It allows for more natural driving characteristics than many higher priced competitors.

The flat-bottomed sports steering wheel is a standout, and that includes anything from Germany that I’ve driven in the last twelve months. It’s perfectly moulded for precision steering input and is well weighted for most driving styles, although less assistance might be useful for that occasional track day, when speeds grossly exceed our city limits.

HSV might want to look at the “speed sensitive system” in the Volvo S80 T5 AWD, which allows you to dial up the level of power assistance you require. It works.

There’s some body roll on initial turn in, but that’s where it stops, and it’s effect on the car’s line through corners, is negligible.

With this kind of all round performance, there’s normally a trade off with ride quality and compliance. Not so, with the new ClubSport. With the exception of some nasty Sydney potholes, which would ruffle all but a Rolls Royce Phantom, the R8 is a more comfortable ride on Australian roads than most of the sports imports.

1. Intro
2. A bit of history
3. How it goes
4. Behind the wheel
5. Interior comfort
6. The Look
7. Safety Features
8. Cost of ownership

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Location: Home / Holden, Behind the Wheel, Sports Cars, Top Australian Cars / ...

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