Reviews
Gallery 13
Performance station-wagons. Hmmm… a bit like Kid Rock with a gas welder. Oxy-moron, I think they call it.
This article was first published in MOTOR’s Magazine November 2008.
Then again, when Audi can make a car like the V8 RS4 Avant, which was both a station-wagon and one of the finest fast cars of its day, maybe there’s hope. The latest offering from HSV, the Clubsport R8 Tourer, also suggests some light at the end of the two-box tunnel.
Throw in the big brakes, Clubsport suspension retuned for the wagon body and the (optional at $2500) 20-inch wheels and tyres and you’ve got yourself some serious hardware. And serious is the right word. A standing quarter in the 13s is the reality of it all with 0-100km/h coming up in just about five-and-a-half ticks of the Rolex (ha, bloody, ha).
Turn-in on those 20s is sharp and immediate, and the excellent front end of the basic VE suspension package is there for all to see, feel and love, too. For all that, the ride quality is better than just tolerable and only a little body-roll in corners lets you know that the super-trick Magnetic Ride Control of the range-topping GTS is missing.
Okay, so the VE sedan is all about wheelbase in the first place, but the station-wagon no longer automatically looks like it’s headed for the boneyard, chock full of coffin and floral tributes. Nope, the Tourer is a fine-looking piece of work with the HSV treatment making the most of the sweeping roofline and slightly hunched look.
Of course, those lines have an effect on the accommodation and there’s no arguing the fact that the interior is much smaller than that of the old VZ Commodore. The load area is okay for dogs up to about Fred Basset size, but Lassie, Santa’s Little Helper and Beethoven are not going to be so thrilled about a ride to the park.
Cosy and cosseting the overall effect is not. Despite which, you still can’t see forward properly because those Colosseum-spec A-pillars are fatter than a Minnesota debutante. But those things are not deal-breakers for most of us and, for some reason (and it could be because I’m getting old), the R8 Tourer makes bloody good sense to me.
I’d have mine with the six-speed auto mainly because a self-shifter is a no-brainer in what is otherwise such a liveable critter. That and the fact that the manual is still a grumpy old thing when you’re doing the peak-hour shuffle.
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I guess I’m just attracted to the versatility of the end product. I mean, HSVs have never really been sports cars, have they? Muscle cars, sure, but lithe little sporties? Er, no. So, if you’re going to have an HSV, why not make it the most useful, practical one you can? Why not indeed.
Oh, there’s one other thing (and feel free to shoot me down in flames if you disagree, ’cos it’s personal), but I reckon the Tourer is actually the best-looking thing HSV makes right now. There, I said it.
2008 HSV Clubsport R8 Tourer specs: Engine: 6162cc V8, OHV, 16v Power: 317kW @ 6000rpm Torque: 550Nm @ 4600rpm Weight: 1914kg Top Speed: 250km/h (limited) 0-100km/h: 5.3sec (estimated) Price: $68,490 (as tested)
