Wheels Australia — June 2017

@wheelsaustralia 141

Spark LeadsthesmallHoldenfightback
Fresh interior; punchy engine; classy dynamics; Apple Carplay/Android Auto standard
Not as cheap as some, but at least this is offset with features; no manual on top-spec LT
 The Pick: A far more polished car than the larger Barina, and surprisingly fun to drive
LS $13,990 L4 1.4 73 124 M5 — — — 5.2 91 44 F
LS $15,690 L4 1.4 73 128 C 990 10.8 17.7 5.5 91 44 07/16 F
LT $ 1 8 ,9 9 0 L4 1. 4 7 3 1 28 C — — — 5. 5 9 1 45 F
Barina Mucholderthanitlooks
Handsome new nose; standard rear camera; decent handling; torquey LS manual
Ancient 1.6L donk way beyond retirement age; uncomfortable seats; scratchy plastics
 The Pick: LS manual because it’s the cheapest, best-riding and has a pleasant gear change
LS $14,990 L4 1.6 85 155 M5 — — — 91 F
LS $17,190 L4 1.6 85 155 A6 — — — 91 F
LT $20,390 L4 1.6 85 155 A6 — — — 91 F
AstraCoupe Lessstellarwithage
Way cooler than a Cruze; cheaper and faster than its Opel-badged predecessor
Ageing model – and interior; ditsy auto calibration; no reversing camera
 The Pick: VXR has the herbs to give Golf GTI and Megane RS a run
GTC $26,990 L4T 1.6 147 280 M6 1485 — — 6.9 95 50 F
GTC $29,190 L4T 1.6 125 260 A6 — — — 6.9 95 50 F
GTC Sport $29,990 L4T 1.6 147 280 M6 1498 — — 6.9 95 50 07/15 F
GTC Sport $32,190 L4T 1.6 125 260 A6 — — — 6.9 95 50 07/15 F
VXR $39,990 L4T 2.0 206 400 M6 1543 6.0 — 8.0 95 51 07/15 F
Astra Gettingseriousagainwithsmallcars
Space and comfort; infotainment interface; quality and refinement; grunt of 1.6 turbo
Tall gearing of 1.4 turbo hurts driveability; small boot; getting the power down in 1.6
 The Pick: Skip the base R and head for the RS with the good engine and decent gear
R $21,490 L4T 1.4 110 240 M6 — 7.8 — 5.5 95 F
R $22,490 L4T 1.4 110 240 A6 — 8.0 — 5.5 95 01/17 F
RS $26,240 L4T 1.6 147 300 M6 — 6.6 — 6.1 95 F
RS $27,240 L4T 1.6 147 300 A6 — 6.6 — 6.1 95 F
RS-V $30,740 L4T 1.6 147 300 M6 — 6.6 — 6.1 95 F
RS-V $31,740 L4T 1.6 147 300 A6 — 6.6 — 6.1 95 F
Malibu Betterthanexpected
Surprisingly pleasant ride and handling, good seats, big boot, sweet petrol drivetrain
Diesel a bit gruff, weight hampers performance and economy, horrible auto tip-shift
 The Pick: All are decent value on paper, but we’d drive a hard bargain. Or save for a Mazda 6
CD $28,890 L4 2.4 123 225 A6 1583 10.2 — 8.0 91 37 F
CD $32,890 L4TD 2.0 117 350 A6 1659 9.9 — 6.4 91 38 08/13 F
CDX $32,790 L4 2.4 123 225 A6 1610 9.2 16.6 8.0 91 38 08/13 F
CDX $36,790 L4TD 2.0 117 350 A6 1684 9.9 — 6.5 91 38 F
Insignia Tractionstation
All-pawtraction;greatfrontseats;decentgruntonceitgetsgoing;digitalinstruments
Expensive up against V8 Commodores; grunt dialled down to protect the auto ’box
The Pick:A Commodore Redline would be a better bet, though Insignia has rarity on its side
VXR $51,990 V6T 2.8 239 435 A6 — 6.3 — 10.9 95 50 A
Commodore TheV8sarebloodygreat
Fantastic V8 grunt and sound; brilliant body control and balance; practicality and value
Evoke still plain; chunky A-pillars; sedans miss out on wagon’s split-fold rear seats
 The Pick: SS-V Redline for its superb chassis, arresting performance and Brembo brakes
Evoke $35,490 V6 3.0 185 290 A6 1622 8.1 15.9 8.3 91 39 07/13 R
Evoke Sportwagon $37,490 V6 3.0 185 290 A6 1717 — — 8.6 91 40 R
SV6 $40,490 V6 3.6 210 350 M6 1688 — — 9.0 91 42 R
SV6 $41,490 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1685 6.6 14.7 9.0 91 42 09/16 R
SV6 Sportwagon $42,490 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1776 6.9 15.0 9.3 91 42 04/14 R
SS $47,490 V8 6.2 304 570 M6 1729 4.9 — 12.6 95 42 R
SS $48,490 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1744 5.0 — 12.9 95 42 R
SS Sportwagon $51,690 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1849 5.0 — 12.9 95 42 R

Holden

3yr/100,000km

holden.com.au

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SS V Redline $54,490 V8 6.2 304 570 M6 1766 4.9 13.0 12.6 95 43 11/15 R

SS V Redline $56,190 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1780 5.3 13.4 12.9 95 43 04/16 R

SS V Redline S’wgn $59,190 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1851 5.0 — 12.9 95 43 R

Calais $41,290 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1702 7.1 1 5 .1 9.0 91 41 02/15 R

Calais Sportwagon $43,290 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1798 — — 9.3 91 42 R

Calais V $48,750 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1730 — — 9.0 91 42 R

Calais V $56,750 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1778 5.0 — 12.9 95 43 R

Calais V Sportwagon $50,750 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1808 — — 9.3 91 43 R

Calais V Sportwagon $58,750 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1866 5.0 — 12.9 95 44 R

Ute Aussietwo-doormuscle

Greatdynamicsforacarwithsuchahugeboot,especiallyRedline;mega-strongLS3V8

No passenger overhead grab handle; V8 noise not as pronounced as in sedan

 The Pick: SS for its V8 value, though the superb Redline (even on 20s) is where it’s at

Evoke $33,490 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1656 — — 9.0 91 39 R

SV6 $33,990 V6 3.6 210 350 M6 1680 — — 9.0 91 42 R

SV6 $36,190 V6 3.6 210 350 A6 1681 — — 9.0 91 42 R

SS $40,990 V8 6.2 304 570 M6 1720 4.9 — 12.6 95 42 R

SS $43,190 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1733 5.0 — 12.9 95 42 R

SS V $44,490 V8 6.2 304 570 M6 1736 4.9 — 12.6 95 42 R

SS V $46,690 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1749 5.0 — 12.9 95 43 R

SS V Redline $50,490 V8 6.2 304 570 M6 1739 4.9 — 12.6 95 43 11/15 R

SS V Redline $52,690 V8 6.2 304 570 A6 1753 5.0 — 12.9 95 43 R

Caprice Theworld’sbest-valuelimo

Loadsofrear-seatlegroom;toughelegance; great value for money; nice ride; grunt

Badge snobs won’t like it; exterior unchanged for years despite Commodore updates

The Pick:WN Caprice has always been great and new LS3 V8 raises the bar

V$61,490V86.2 304570 A6 1851 5.0—12.9 95 44R

Cascada Astrasansroof,grunt

Connected steering and capable chassis; well-equipped; spacious; handsome

Weight hurts agility; performance and economy; cabin design far from cutting edge

The Pick:An Astra, although Cascada is fresh metal in a class where fashion rules

$41,990 L4T 1.6 125 260 A6 1744 9.9 — 7.5 95 65 07/15 F

Trax Babyrhinoplasty

Fresh nose sharpens looks; steering and handling; excellent auto; value for money

Hemmed-in rear seat; 1.8’s raucous manners; LTZ’s vinyl trim; autos drink premium fuel

 The Pick: Entry-level LS auto with its torquey boosted engine and capable dynamics

LS $23,990 L4 1.8 103 178 M5 — — 91 F

LS $26,490 L4T 1.4 103 200 A6 — — 6.7 95 F

LTZ $28,890 L4T 1.4 103 200 A6 — — 6.7 95 F

LTZ $30,490 L4T 1.4 103 200 A6 — — 6.7 95 F

Captiva Readyforitsretirement,notyours

Simplified range uses larger Captiva 7 body; sharp pricing; great standard connectivity

Commodore-derived 3.0 thrashy; old basic design, and showing it; average dynamics

 The Pick: LT diesel is affordable and torquey and benefits from AWD, but Captiva is past it

LS $26,490 L4 2.4 123 230 M6 1712 — — 9.5 91 43 F

LS $28,690 L4 2.4 123 230 A6 1737 — — 9.5 91 44 F

LS 7-seat $30,490 L4 2.4 123 230 A6 1762 — — 9.5 91 46 F

LS 7-seat $33,490 L4TD 2.2 135 400 A6 1873 — — 8.1 D 46 F

LT $36,490 V6 3.0 190 288 A6 1844 8.9 16.5 10.1 91 44 10/16 A

LT $37,490 L4TD 2.2 135 400 A6 1974 — — 8.1 D 45 A

LTZ $40,490 V6 3.0 190 288 A6 1934 — — 10.1 91 45 A

LTZ $41,490 L4TD 2.2 135 400 A6 1984 — — 8.1 D 45 A

Trailblazer FaceliftedColorado7withanewname

Ruggedandcapableoff-roader;solidvalue; torquey engine; progressive steering

More 4x4 than car; no steering adjustment; middle-row seats don’t slide

 The Pick: What a difference a new name makes (and some major engineering updates!)

LT $47,990 L4TD 2.8 147 500 A6 2194 — — 8.6 D A

LTZ $52,490 L4TD 2.8 147 500 A6 2203 — — 8.6 D A

H6 Sixandout
Roomy interior; sprightly 2.0 turbo; decent design; Euro feel to elements of interior
Choppy ride; laggy dual-clutch auto; flat front seats; wants PULP; no sat-nav
 The Pick: Stick to the Premium because there’s less to lose with questionable resale
Premium $29,990 L4T 2.0 145 315 A6 — — — 9.8 95 F
Lux $33,990 L4T 2.0 145 315 A6 — — — 9.8 95 F
H8 Sizeandpresence
Decent cabin presentation complete with Aussie leather; looks quite handsome
Only five seats; heavy and thirsty; patchy track record of other Chinese brands here
 The Pick: A lot of money for an unknown – we’d be looking at a Kia Sorento
Premium 2WD $38,990 L4T 2.0 160 324 A6 2051 — — 12.2 95 49 R
Premium 4WD $41,990 L4T 2.0 160 324 A6 2128 — — 12.2 95 50 A
Luxury 4WD $44,990 L4T 2.0 160 324 A6 2128 — — 12.2 95 50 03/16 A
H9 China’sseriousoff-roader
ZF gearbox with dual-range transfer case for decent off-road ability; seven seats
It looks old-school Chinese, with an old-school separate chassis and sub-par dynamics
 The Pick: If you must go there, grab an H9 Premium – it’s cheaper
Premium $46,490 L4T 2.0 160 324 A6 2206 — — 12.1 95 52 A
Luxury $49,990* L4T 2.0 160 324 A6 2236 — — 12.1 95 52 A

Gen-F2 Australia’sbestmusclecar.Ever

Brilliant LS9 in W1 with spot-on gearing and superb brakes; regular GTS-R a great, too

Some interior finishes a bit budget at these prices; blown V8’s thirst; finding a W1

 The Pick: GTS-R W1 is an instant classic and a superb car. Good luck finding one, though

C’Sport R8 30 Years $82,990 V8S 6.2 410 691 M6 1890 — — 15.3 98 44 R

C’Sport R8 30 Years $84,490 V8S 6.2 410 691 A6 1907 — — 15.0 98 44 R

C’Sprt R8 Tourer 30 $88,990 V8S 6.2 410 691 A6 1974 — — 15.0 98 44 R

Senator Sig 30 Years $95,990 V8S 6.2 410 691 M6 1885 — — 15.3 98 45 R

Senator Sig 30 Years $95,990 V8S 6.2 410 691 A6 1902 — — 15.0 98 45 R

GTS 30 Years $98,990 V8S 6.2 435 740 M6 1886 — — 15.3 98 47 R

GTS 30 Years $100,490 V8S 6.2 435 740 A6 1903 — — 15.0 98 47 R

HSV

3yr/100,000km

hsv.com.au

DEALER DIRECTORY

Dealer Quick Finder

VIC

25 Lonsdale Street, Dandenong 3175

Sales: 03 8751 2655 DL:8846

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