HSV Clubsport R8 E Series
22 Aug, 2006
43 Comments 
To all the regular daily readers who come back everyday to get the latest car news and car advice, you should be well aware that I am not much of a Holden fan. No I am not exactly a Ford fan either. So, everyone take a deep breath as this may come as a big surprise to you all. I have, officially, taken a liking to the new VE or E series range from Holden Special Vehicles (HSV). So I want to go over each vehicle on offer in the next few days, and which better car to start with than the HSV Clubsport R8.
Okay so it looks really nice, I don’t know if that is mainly a credit to Holden with the new VE series or HSV with the bodykit and the 19″ rims. The wheels at the front are 19″x8″ running 245/40 R19 98Y tyres while the rear ones are 19″x8.5″ running 275/35 R19 96Y tyres. If you don’t know what that means, lets just say, they are rather big and thick, not to mention expensive.
So given its looks, you’d expect whatever sits beneath that bonnet to have some serious guts. The all new LS2 6.0 litre Generation 4 V8 engine is what powers the clubsport R8, HSV puts the figures at an almighty 307kW @ 6000rpm and 550Nm of torque @ 4400rpm. For the business types and those who are lazy, the Clubsport comes with a choice of a new 6-speed sequential auto transmission, but for the rest of us who dream about this car, the obvious option of a new optimised 6-speed manual transmission is the way togo.
I can bombard you with lots of technical information, but you can find all of that here. Nonetheless other things worth noting about the car are its brakes. HSV claims that in dry conditions, only 36 metres is the distance required to stop from a speed of 100km/h. Front brakes boast 365mm x 32mm ventilated and grooved discs, with sports-styled 4 piston calipers in Holden Racing Team red with silver logo. Wider rear tyres combine with a bigger rear brake – 350mm x 26mm ventilated and grooved discs and 4 piston rear calipers. Not bad!
However, the best parts of the new HSV E Series Clubsport R8 aren’t all on the outside, the new redesigned centre console looks fantastic with three gauges consisting of an oil temprature, pressure and battery voltage guage. Last few years a great deal of criticism has gone HSVs way for producing tacky and cheap interiors, and whilst I haven’t exactly sat in the new R8, from all the interior photos, I am rather impressed!
But all that aside, there is one thing that cought my eye about the new HSV Clubsport R8, and as a fan of 4 cylinder turbos, it seems that the days of turbo fours, heck even turbo sixes (Ford XR-6 Turbo) beating an HSV from 0 to 100 km/hr are over. The HSV Clubsport R8 E Series gets to 100 in…. wait for it… 0-100 km/hr in 4.96 seconds for the manual and 5.05 for the auto. My god, to give you so perspective on how fast that is, a brand new 2006 model BMW M3 that costs $140,000 will get from 0-100 in 5.2 seconds. So there you have it folks. HSV have made a car faster than an M3! Bring it on!
For more details about the HSV Clubsport R8 click here
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August 22nd, 2006 at 10:38 pm
[…] Update : Click for a report on the new HSV Clubsport R8. […]
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August 24th, 2006 at 11:48 am
Anyone can make a car that’s fast in a straight line. It’s much more difficult making it go around corners. HSV cars have been and will *always* be barges.
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August 24th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
That is true to a great extent, muscle cars aren’t usually the best when it comes to going around corners, but for what it is, you have to give HSV a little bit of credit!
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October 4th, 2006 at 9:28 pm
Dear HSV fans …… sorry to upset the status quo here but the new HSV VE R8 car is a disappointment. Unlike the guy that wrote the opening article on this blog I have sat in an R8 and I have driven one here in Western Australia. The 3 gauges are very kitsch and too “try hard” whilst the fit n finish and interior plastics remind us we’re still in a Holden.
Do not be fooled by the quoted 0-100 times of 4.96s for the manual. Seldom will you actually achieve this. The car has very little low end torque and needs revs above 4000 before it really starts singing and pulling like the freight train V8 it purports to be. The car is 100kg heavier than the old 297kW HSV and only gets an extra 10kW (now 307kW) to haul that extra 100kg mass around with. And it feels it.
That lack of low end torque and extra weight make day to day driving somewhat disappointing, even when you fancy a quick fang on an open road or motorway. In contrast the Ford FPV F6 Typhoon has all this torque on tap from 2500rpm upwards making it extremely driveable as an all day driver. I am neither a Ford or Holden fan and don’t care for the perochial rivalry that exists in Australia for these brands.
But if you’re about to shell out $81k for a new GTS or $68k for a new R8 drive-away ….. at least know what you’re getting into. Sure the look, body styling, brakes and handling are a huge improvement over the old model but lets face it …… HSV’s differentiate themselves over standard Holdens by being “performance focussed drivers cars” …… but they do not go far enough.
There is no question the new R8 and GTS handle and stop better than HSV’s of old ….. but that extra 100kg mass and peaky revving Mexican made 6L V8 pushrod engine (yes, they’re made in Mexico by GM of the USA) does little to make you feel like you’re behind a car that “performs” to your every command via solid throttle response that efficiently puts most of that 307kW to the rear wheels.
The R8 is a heavy slug (and GTS I’m sure) and will fail to convert motoring die-hards away from more driver focussed cars like the Evo IX, BMW M3, Audi RS4 or STi Subaru. These cars pull harder and make you feel connected to the road …….. and their resale is better. Sure you spend more for an M3 but you get more of it back when you trade or sell them than an HSV …….. which will become superseded in 2 years when HSV release another Mexican made V8 update pumping out an extra 10kW to 317kW.
I am a proud Australian but can’t help but feel we in Australia are using fat inefficient outdated American engines to power our Australian designed and made performance cars ….. which are better than the clunky pushrod engines we put under their bonnets.
Give me a qud cam 6L V8 HSV engine that pumps out +350kw with +650Nm torque on tap from 2,500rpm upwards and I’m in. For now, the new VE HSV R8’s and GTS leave me completely uninspired.
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October 4th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
excellent comment
thanks for your input
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November 30th, 2006 at 7:10 pm
How can u say that. the Holden VE SSV car is voted car of choice in the world and everyone else in Australia loves it so dont know what your expectations are but this is a car that everyone loves, the only complaints are from fellow Ford fans yes iam one and i have to admit this is a great car. Ford has to pick up their gain to have a car as good as this car. Come on Ford its time that you updated if you want to stay in the game.
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December 12th, 2006 at 12:25 am
“The 3 gauges are very kitsch and too try hard”.
Completely agree with you there.
“The fit n finish and interior plastics remind us we’re still in a Holden”.
That’s to be expected because I’m pretty sure HSV use mostly the same interior plastics as Holden do. So they remind us we’re in a Holden, is there anything actually wrong with that in the first place?
“Do not be fooled by the quoted 0-100 times of 4.96s for the manual, seldom will you actually achieve this.”
This sort of puzzled me because you’re saying that it can still be acheived, just not by many people. Doesn’t that contradict the point you were trying to make? Seldom will most Porsche 911 owners dip below a 4 for the 0-100 sprint, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
“The car is 100kg heavier than the old 297kW HSV and only gets an extra 10kW (now 307kW) to haul that extra 100kg mass around with.”
This one I’m not to sure about, but I think Holden and HSV have tinkered with the diff ratios. How else could a VE SS, approximately 100kgs heavier than the outgoing VZ, clock a 13.4 quarter mile in Motor’s Bang For Your Bucks competition. The best a VZ could do was 13.9 if I remember correctly, so I’m fairly sure the HSV’s have copped the same treatment in the E-series.
“And it feels it.”
C’mon, you can’t really say that in all objectivity unless you drive them back-to-back and have a correvit to back up your gut feeling.
“But if you’re about to shell out $81k for a new GTS or $68k for a new R8 drive-away ….. at least know what you’re getting into. Sure the look, body styling, brakes and handling are a huge improvement over the old model but lets face it …… HSV’s differentiate themselves over standard Holdens by being “performance focussed drivers cars” …… but they do not go far enough.”
I assume you’re comparing them with Europe/Japan when you say this, and it’s 100% true. Everybody knows that. Look at what you pay for these vehicles, 68k for an R8 and 81k for a GTS. Let me just say what I say to everyone who bag HSV and FPV for not being able to match it with the Euros/Japs: The R8 and GTS are more “performance focussed drivers cars” for 68 and 81k than a BMW M3 or AMG Mercedes will EVER be for God knows how much money. What I’m trying to say is, the M3 may be double the price, but it’s sure as hell not double the performance car. In fact, as it stands HSV and FPV are nipping at its heels. Not bad for half the price or less. Herein lies the essence of Australian performance cars: a ****load of performance for relative peanuts. So who really has the better cars?
“The R8 is a heavy slug (and GTS I’m sure) and will fail to convert motoring die-hards away from more driver focussed cars like the Evo IX, BMW M3, Audi RS4 or STi Subaru. These cars pull harder and make you feel connected to the road”
Tick the DTS option when ordering a Z-series and watch them all disappear into your rear view mirror on the track. I’d say there will be a similiar option made available for the E-series sooner or later. I agree it probably won’t convert any diehards, but HSV probably couldn’t care less. I’m willing to bet there are more HSV die-hards out there, just look at how many are sold compared to M3’s evo’s etc…
“and their resale is better”
Can’t argue with that.
“which will become superseded in 2 years when HSV release another Mexican made V8 update pumping out an extra 10kW to 317kW.”
Agree 100%. That’s the worst thing about them. What’s wrong with the engine being made outside of the US, you have a beef with Mexico? Aren’t all European and Japanese perfromance cars engines made overseas?
“we in Australia are using fat inefficient outdated American engines to power our Australian designed and made performance cars ….. which are better than the clunky pushrod engines we put under their bonnets.”
HSV use the 6.0L LS2 Gen IV V8 engine in all vehicles. Wasn’t that only introduced in 2004 to power the C6 Corvette? Hardly what you would call “outdated” don’t you think? In fact, HSV were second in line to receive it, hence its appearance in the Z-series, gives you an idea about the high regard HSV must be held in in the GM universe. I find your comment about “clunky pushrod engines” to be particularly amusing, considering how Japan turned their nose up at such technology and now get routed by pushrod-engined Commodore SS’s with brakes and track tyres at club days. Blunt, but still very effective weapons.
“Give me a qud cam 6L V8 HSV engine that pumps out +350kw with +650Nm torque on tap from 2,500rpm upwards”
May not be too far off.
“For now, the new VE HSV R8’s and GTS leave me completely uninspired.”
Oh no! I’m sure HSV are absolutely devastated!
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December 16th, 2006 at 4:49 am
i’ve had the new VE GTS for a couple of weeks, the bang for the buck is in my opinion the best around,
it’s a total change in handling and performance from the last 297kw R8 i had,
all this for under 100k, i’m laughing at my mates who are die hard european buyers, congrats to HSV
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December 20th, 2006 at 10:07 am
ive recently bought a 06 caymen s……jealous?
after owning 03,05 and 06 hsv’s, all ive got to say is, yes, you are jealous. holdens are getting a lot better, but they are still far under the cut. GO PORSCHE!
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December 20th, 2006 at 10:56 am
I am with you Michael, a Caymen S would be my choice too over any HSV
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December 28th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
Well said matt.
I have just been reading Wheels’ comments, excuse my language but what a wanker.
I have driven the new VE GTS and recently test driven the FPV F-6 Typhoon in which was a complete disappointment.
The new VE HSV range is pretty impressive compaired to what Ralliart, STI and Nismo have produced in the last years. As I own a rally enhanced WRX that produces 250kw at the wheels, and have test driven rally cars with manufactered teams, I can honestly tell you that HSV are on the right track.
Oh and… can you say nnaturally aspirated?
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January 9th, 2007 at 8:30 am
I think i will keep my supercharged v6 with the modifications i have made as it will leave 6.ol v8’s standing still at the start and hold a steady 2 car lengths all the way to the end of the quarter i have yet to line up against a f6 but am confident of a fairly even match as boost starts straight of of the line unlike the turbo which has to wait until it spools up to produce power
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January 12th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
hi. i agree that european cars are a better car and so they should be for the price your paying.
im an owner of a Z series r8 clubbie and i love it.
two things i don’t like about the zr8 is the way it takes tight corners and rear end grip. besides that, short corners are taken so fast its unbelievable and performance, unquestioned.
my car has been supercharged and had some engine, exhaust work and CPU programming.
it pumps out 580kw at the fly and 530rwkw.
on the 1/4mile high 10’s and all that on auto! (If u didn’t already know, the auto in the z series r8 is faster in a straight line than the manual)
when i do the chasis work and stiffen, and upgrade the rear end i should get better times.
as for the new GTS i am impressed, but HSV still have to work on it for a few more years to perfect it.
i don’t know if anyone agrees with me, but for some reason, i hate the all VE steering wheels. don’t know why.
anyone driven an m5?? the best balanced 1800kg in the world definately and oh so smooth and the v10?? smooth as. though not as ferocious as the muscle cars off the line. its more linear. i wish i had 250000 to spare. i would love to get one.
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February 18th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
CAN SOMEBODY ADVISE ME IF THE THE TRIPLE GUAGES CAN BE FITTED TO VE SSV ???????????
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March 19th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
I am in the process of purchasing a HSV R8 after having a Mercedes C350 then Trading up to a E350.
The C350 in less than 4 months had the Steering Pump the steering Rack replaced, the gearbox recoded several times and the Valve Bank replace. After all this they still could fix the problems.
We Upgraded to an E350 with a reasonable replacement price as it was German Made not South African. For over 12 Months ownership of this vehicle had this car until left it at dealer and requested clear car for what we owed. The following what was required prior to returning.
Gear Box Valve Bank replaced
Gearbox recoded several times
Gearbox stripped and checked
Lefthand control unit replaced
Air conditioning Dash control unit replaced
Air Conditioning Failed
Car Put on truck as gearbox smoking and engineer failure light on.
During this period had loan car for 3.5 months.
After discussing this with several person that own these types of vehicles this is not uncommon.
Therefore it just goes to proved twice the price twice the problem.
I have exact dates of all these problems and emails to back all these statements.
They also advised by email they would upgrade car at $8K but when came to the crunch it was $23K.
Also be aware that all these details were sent to motor magazines and road services and no one wants to comment, but see how many will comment if it was a Ford or Holden . !!! so come on HSV !!!!
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April 8th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
By the totally il informed coments I can only assume that some of you bunnies didnt qualify to buy or at least ride in the car.
The engine may be mexican but the car aint and to assume that it weighs 100kg more than the old model means it will be slower would be an uninformed statement.
I have driven and owned many euro cars including an 02 Boxster and;
The build quality is as good or better than a German built car. It is superior to a South African built car. FAR superior!
The quality of materials on the whole is good, in some cases better than many German built cars. The standard features and equipment is superior.
The engineering although perhaps in some views not as refined (Mexican 6.0L) is extremely effective and to make mention of the superb computer nanny that contains the 6.0L and all its torque in smooth whilst swift delivery is an understatement.
Bunnies almost always make a throw away statement like; It doesnt handle as good as an M3… But in real world on the road an M3 is incredibly painful to live with. If you live on Sydney’s North Shore, you would know that we have the worst roads in NSW. This is a result of Labour being in power for the last 12 years and do they spend money on Liberal roads?
A good friend on mine has an M3 and it is now parked in his garage. He hates driving it as it is a pig in traffic or an on anything that isnt a freeway road.
Having driven his M3 with SMG, I can comfortably quote that it isnt as quick as the R8 Auto, anywhere.
And the fact that his SMG shat but 2 months out of warranty and cost him 9k to fix….. is probably another reason not to play with a fragile toy which BMW’s are reknown to be.
My dissapointment in the R8 is the 6 speed Automatic transmission. Although on comparison with a Benz transmission in a friends brand new C series, its better. Much better in fact, the benz hunted gears, dropped, shunted then farted and then thought about it for a minute then after a long lapse….. got on with it.
I will buy the car with the Auto as most of my driving is in the city and the pain associated with a manual… The Auto is fine!
Take into concession that for 70k, I get a South African C series with an agricultural 1.8L Konpressor (no spelling mistake intended but isnt the badge 200?) The whole package is just pittiful. Really crap for the dollars and form me substance means more than badge…. and the R8 is all about substance!
People will telly you that they are so refined. CRAP, they just dont want you to know that evey time they get behind the wheel it is a totally uninspiring package of crap to drive.
Now compare the C series to the HSV R8 that is a serious door sucker, put your foot to the firewall and let it unleash and just experience the smooth and sumptuous torque all the way to 200kmph and beyond…. 200 really didnt take that long, and it just keeps pouring it on like a good old turbo engine should - but it aint…. its a V8, and all the while it sounds sublime.
NOTHING, I repeat nothing sounds as good as this 6.0Litre V8 when it is being peddaled.!
So tell me guys, where can I spend 70k on a New car with an automatic that can carry a family in comfort and can suck its doors off.
When was the last time you drove a car and got out with a smile on your face? for me its been about 15 years and today a 70k car did it for me. Not even my Boxster gave me a smile like I had today. Sure the Boxster is smooth and its capable and it corners hard, but its bloody boring, uninspiring and painful to live with. It scrapes over every gutter, watch out for parking blocks… it was a painful experience for me.
Its just bloody brilliant that we can all go and buy one of these and to those who prentend to have CASH and really have not and drive a 3 series or c series, dont you look like a prize looser!
For 70K the HSV is a masterpiece! Thank you HSV.
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April 8th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
i think these hsv clubsport r8 is a awsome car holden have done it again with this 6 litre v8 my mate has one and they just go that hard it’s not funny so keep up the good work holden
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April 25th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
first of all who the hell buys a porsche boxter?! i mean come on a poor mans porsche that looks like shit and has a pathetic price tag for what it delivers. personally ive always liked hsv but not because im like sum of the fans out there, they hav just proved what a capable car they can be. now the new hsvs are even more incredible with that little bit more power and torque but like some ppl were arguing the car now can rival the other cars on a race track thanks to its new more rigid body (zetta). but if your actually going to race on track then buy the GTS with its awsome magnetic ride control (MRC), this is only used by corvette and the ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano aswell as the Audi’s all-new TT coupe and the gts has a 50/50 weight distribution for even more help with cornering and braking. so now the gts does go in a strait line and around bends like a proper race car shuld. i dont htink i need to mention how beautifull the new gts as well the ve series all together look, we all kno this but seriously for the comments from ford lovers stop fukin whining u little bitchs and get over such a shit company..ha i wuld love to see them bring out the next ‘gt’ only 2 hav its ass handed to them again. however i still think hsv culd bring out a supercharged gts-r or sumthing so us holden fans can actually brag about our fav car being consistantly under 5.0 seconds 0-100 hopefully 4.5 seconds
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April 25th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
^
You mention this car going around a track, over at the drive blog it has been mentioned a while back that in a test by wheels their V8s (not sure if it was just an SS or a HSV) made around 2 laps then fluids started to overheight. My point, these are not track cars… and at the end of the day a boosted 4 pot or even 6 is going to be close in straightline speed and absolutely rape the V8 barge on a track. In saying this, as a road car, the HSV does offer reasonable value for money… but as people have alluded to, value for money doesnt come for nothing, it will still lack relaiablity over its european rivals, it will lack refinement over its european rivals, it will lack comort of its european rivals, it will lack the quality of its european rivals… list goes on.
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April 25th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
ur a dipshit..just becuase one test car that has been flogged shitless overheats doesnt mean they all do. yeh they are race track cars, mabey repacing some of the smaller cheaper parts that seperate european cars to the cheaper ones will improve some aspects of quality like better transmission coolers ect will fix this problem. my point is the features such as MRC, TCT, ESP, 50/50 distribution ect and the price you pay makes this car as good if not a better performer then some much more expensive european models, older hsv models and anything ford has to offer. i wuld like to see the times a professional driver pulls off untill then i dont think you shuld b making statements like that when this car is focused on track racing. yeh this is a n/a engine of course a turbo will be a close race but then y not make it fair and supercharge the v8… the turbo 6 and 4 wuldnt hav a chance in hell in strait line anyway, and are probly just as even around corners. the only thing against the gts is weight but like i sed MRC and the other features more then makes up for this. yeh ur dam rite it offers exeption value for money. holden is pretty good for realiability we all kno that and the best thing is when ur european make car will fuk up its gona hurt ya wallet, which it will. at least parts are cheaper for the holden. i think your forgeting what value for money is…the holden has plenty of it with all its features and the build quality isnt near as shit as u make it sound which makes value for money as your only paying half as much as the equvilant european car. i think you should read some of the reviews about the new hsvs because what u just sed is plain dumb… they are as big and comfortable as a 5 series bmw (especially the senator) and looks as good if not better. but hell u wana b biased thats fine just keep it 2 ya self
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April 25th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
QUOTE = yeh this is a n/a engine of course a turbo will be a close race but then y not make it fair and supercharge the v8… the turbo 6 and 4 wuldnt hav a chance in hell in strait line anyway, and are probly just as even around corners
Lol supercharge the V8 to be fair. Your talking about 2L engine, albeit turoed, that can compete with a massive 6L V8. Its already unfair to the smaller turboed engines!!! And the Evo X does the 100 in 4.5secs… so it rapes the HSVs in a straigt line AND around corners.
QUOTE = the only thing against the gts is weight but like i sed MRC and the other features more then makes up for this
Lol it doesnt matter how great its suspension is, 1.8 tonnes is 1.8 tonnes, sure it will handle great against other 1.8 tonne beasts with inferior suspension, but it will always get smashed by a lighter car with decent suspension.
QUOTE = holden is pretty good for realiability we all kno that and the best thing is when ur european make car will fuk up its gona hurt ya wallet, which it will
What the hell? Holdens in general are known for their unreliability… their previous generation V8s in particular have been anything BUT reliable.
QUOTE = but hell u wana b biased thats fine just keep it 2 ya self
Yes Im biased…. im the one who tries to say Holdens are reliable, that supercharging a V8 would make it more fair to compete against a tiny 2L tubocharged engine, that the HSVs have a chance against something like an Evo which is now quicker in a straightline and has always been quicker around corners (AWD + lighter) etc!
Bonehead your not only a bonehead but a goose.
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April 30th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
I hate the argument that come from Aussie Muscle Car owners when it comes to getting done by a Euro 3.0 litre . I normally get ‘Well what do you expect bro,my fully sick Commodore didn’t cost me $140.000,it doesn’t come with all that technolgy” Grow up ! In the UK last year you could buy a Fully Sick 6.0 litre Monaro for 36,000 pounds or an E46 M3 for 37.000 pounds.Don’t think they sold more Monaros,do you? If you want to put the VE up against BMs Motorsport range then stop complaing about the cost of it! Apples with apples please. And whats with Holden every time they add another litre and extract 10 kilowatts from it putting a badge on the back .OH look its got 307 kw oh impressive. Thank god BMW doesn’t put 373 kw on the badges on the M5 and 309 on the new M3.Even Ford doesn’t bother with that crap. Yes I have owned Commodores , had 2 SS and 2 Brock. Kept buying another each time one would go back to the dealer for yet another problem. Finally learnt that for my driving style,BMW was the only one that could handle the punishment {got an M3}. Didn’t even Holden in an early Wheels article for VE state something about the VE being a bogan BMW. Hey Holden you know China make there own BMW’s un badged of course ,maybe instead of spending a billion on the VE you should have put an order in to China for some copies and then just rebadged them Commodores? Similar quality too ! Get original Holden,stop coping every one elses ideas.Should have called the VE a Heinz,it has sooo many of every one else’s stuff on it. And finally if Holden could match BMWs policy of extracing 100hp for every litre then that would mean the 6.litre would have as much grunt as V8 supercar! Hows your drive train like that Holden ? Bang!!!
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May 2nd, 2007 at 8:05 pm
u really are dikhead.. grow the fuk up and face that heavier cars can be quiker then smaller cars.. think about it bigger engines = bigger power, u will always get more power from more displacement wether its by aspirating or wateva.
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May 12th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
First of all every one has a good point and yes europeans have this have that and yes im a HSV fan ,but i have a Hsv zseries R8 phantom 4 speed auto ,now when purchased i payed $59,000 and ive driven the new R8,and have test driven a bwm m3 and m5 and a ford gt-p etc lots of high perfomance cars and Ford did absoloutely nothing to change my opinion ford is crap now an m3 is unispiring for me and if i had 250,000 grand to waste on an m5 i would buy an m5 but if i wouldve bought an m3 at 140,000 it would be standard .My interior is standard but i like it and an m5 the interior isnt a world of a lot better no matter what anyone says,I have done the exhaust ,supercharged and the engine now 408 cubic inches or for the stupid people thats 6.5 litres now (and lets not whine over petrol in the next reply coz i have this car for driving to enjoy and not for petrol costs otherwise i wouldnt have bought a v8 etc )and many more upgrades to my Hsv z series clubsport r8 and for the roughly estimated price of 80,000 dollars spent on my car produces 900hp and it leaves an m5 standing still and thats no joke so i beleave for roughly spent 150,000 dolars altogether (price of an m3)and does 0-100 in 4.08 seconds Hsv does rule and everyone who thinks there turbo 4’s and supercharged 6’s are good ill see you at eastern creek hey?and this is my everyday driving car not a race car i wouldnt have any other car HSV 4 life.
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May 17th, 2007 at 8:42 am
I think some people are missing the point - The HSV E-Series is a huuuuge amount of kit for the money, comparing the R8/HSV to the M3/M5 is like comparing the M3/M5 to a Lambo/Ferrari - simply put; more money = more car.
Personally I think they have a great look, great comfort and great performance all for a great price, no they don’t beat the M3/M5 in the first two but they shouldn’t at less than half the price. They shouldn’t even be comparing themselves to BMW, BMW is more refined no question, as someone said before; the M3/M5 are better cars, but certainly not twice the price better. I think it’s great Aussie are making cars this good, if they continue on this path the Australian car market could see considerable export growth which means great things for the economy.
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May 28th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Just another updated dunnydore taxi with plastic add on’s being driven by bogan rednecks who think they are driving V8 supercars.
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May 28th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
how do you know, youve never driven one
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May 28th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
I think Ford and GM should stop making cars world wide wide for individual markets. Why can’t they just come up with a package thats going to suit the market world wide ? I mean they stopped making rear wheel drive cars in the USA and then imported Holdens ? Surely the amount of money they spend in each models design ect could be spent in better quality ,design overall and performance packages ? The Japs and Euro’s manage too!
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May 28th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
HSV GUY you’re 900hp fully sick bombadore may be king shit at the local dragstrip,but try taking on an M5,M3 or Audi RS4 around Bathurst or a twisty windy road and see who comes off second best.
“My car produces 900hp and leaves an M5 standing still.” yeah right til you come to the first corner.
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July 11th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
you guys are loosers for actully writing car comments you think you know everything about cars yet you know jackshit
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August 29th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
i LOVE it… soo good lookin and SOO much better than a GTO!!
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September 3rd, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Funny how people are bagging the quality of the VE.
Top Gear broke 2x new M5’s in a day. Gearbox destroyed and a power steering pump. I did a shiteload of circuit laps and heaps of drag strip runs in my old Mexican LS1 and it would leave me with a big smile every time not to mention beating an F360 on the strip and track woo!
Get yourself an exhaust and LS2 edit which will see you doing easy 12sec runs and pushing out more than 340kw all day without breaking stuff. Unfortunately, Australia really doesn’t offer many alternative performance cars these days and import tariffs and tax make competitive euro cars out of reach for most. As much as I’d like an RS4, the aussie stuff wins hands down in bang for your buck!
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September 14th, 2007 at 11:20 am
i am 14 years old and my father has a ve clubsport r8.
it’s fucking shit!!
it only pumps out 299kw not the 307kw.
i was a holden fan, but now i go for ford.
GO TYPHOON!!
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November 20th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
There is many valid points raised by many..
Personally, I am a recent convert.
In 1994 I bought a Pugeot 406 MI6 and in 1998 I traded in for a 406SV (V6) and both cards were great (except for massive maintenance costs).
In 2004 I took a risk and purchased the HSV Avalance (279kW AWD wagon based on the Adventurer). Yes, this is a bloody heavy car - but I love it… I can blast past cars when I need to overtake (even with a trailor pined to the rear) and it handles great off road.
2 months ago, I added to my garage a GTS. Yes, its expensive at $ 85K with options - however, I dont care… Ive never been a huge Holden or Ford fanatic (although, Ive always loved the V8 supercar races) and I love this car. My mate has an 07 Ford GT which he loves more than life itself and concedes the GTS puts his beloved GT to shame. Of course, he then proudly talks up Fords turbo charged V6 Typhoon - which is not far off the GTS - but still short!
People have compained about weight and power (under 350KW) and compared to M3 and the like. Personally, I love the M3, however, I would soon rather spend $ 12K to my GTS and add a couple hundred extra kW than spend another $ 50K again on an M3.
Bang for buck is there in the GTS.. MRC is a great new feature which I have grown love pretty quickly. It makes a little noise over every bump in MRC mode, but the card handles round those bends just fanstastically.
Probably my ONLY criticism to my new GTS is the lack of SOUND… I added a new sports exhaust to my Avalanche (and have copped it from the wife ever since, so not allowed to do it to the GST - yet :) ).. HSV cars are just too quiet! My mates GT makes a much better sound just idoling.. The GTS does grunt nicely when you plant it - but how often in the city can we plant it? (for me at least, almost never.. I save those moments for highways).
I will no doubt have a heart attack when I am forced to replace the 275s on the back, but gee, its cool having 275s on the back as standard. I only wish I could afford the upgrade the the 6 piston brakes, but still, these standard ones do the job well enough…
I appreciate some points made by many, but as a recent convert to HSV, im in, and will no doubt consider a 3rd HSV in a few years if they continue to improve the way they are….
For my 2 bobs worth we (Aussies) should be proud to export these beasts internationally as OZ mussle cars… I know I am.
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November 24th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
i am 14 years old and my father has a ve clubsport r8.
it’s fucking shit!!
it only pumps out 299kw not the 307kw.
i was a holden fan, but now i go for ford.
GO TYPHOON!!
Huh?? Can you drive??
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December 24th, 2007 at 1:57 am
I have a VE GTS.
Sure they dont have the handling of a european car, but still pump for older technology engines. You people with jap crap would be left standing at the drag strip. I would then come back to the finish line after i have whipped your car and pack up your small car in my boot. The GTS is a very fast car which weighs 1845kg. You see jap cars which weigh less than that but with 2 turbos and they are still slugs. Hsv is value for money. They are roomy and are good to have sex in.
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January 1st, 2008 at 8:42 pm
A true driver understands what these cars are about,power great presence & bang for your buck!.In real life you all know they have no equal for what they offer. Check out the yank web sites there dying for good muscle.
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January 1st, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Your right there Chris……almost to the point of jealousy they ogle our makes!
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February 22nd, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I have stood by the blue oval over the years in the hope that they will release a car that can be classes a true performance vehicle. My EL xr6 (all 163kw) of it was a great car for the years i had it, but alas when tossing up between the GT or Clubsport, i had to make the switch… to the dark side. My allegience is still with the blue oval and when they manage to release a car that can be truly classed a performance car i will return. Until then i have found a new home.
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August 15th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
this is so funny
because….
Lots of Upset ford fan’ies
:( sorry
not our fault your fords look like shit and have no balls
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August 31st, 2008 at 12:01 am
Had a VZ Clubsport, got a VE R8 and they are the best bang for your buck by far. BTW, the resale is also great, even at trade in value I only lost $7000 per year after 3 years with a lot of Ks on the clock. If I had a $14000 BM I’d have lost the cost of a new clubsport after 3 years!
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August 31st, 2008 at 12:04 am
Sorry, that should read a $140000 BMW
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January 5th, 2009 at 2:07 am
Alborz nailed it. It’s a muscle car, it’s not meant to have superior handling. If you want handling go buy a Evo buzz box or something like that. I’d rather drive a HSV than a gutless Toyota TRD piece of shit that’s for sure.
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