8 February 2011
Holden has launched the fourth vehicle in their line up sourced from Korea.
A mid-size sedan to replace the Vectra, the Epica is yet another lovechild from Holden's relationship with GM Daewoo (GMDAT) following the Barina, Viva and Captiva models. In GMDAT's domestic market the Epica goes by the name Tosca.
With the exception of the Captiva that was a combined, ground-up build from Holden and GMDAT, the rest, Epica included are all vehicles based on Daewoos but tweaked by Holden to better adapt the vehicles to conditions and tastes down under.
This is not unusual practice however; remember the Vectra was essentially a rebadged Opel/Vauxhall product out of Europe. A total of 64,000kms were racked up in Australia during the Epica's development for 'our' roads. There does seem to be an about face in Holden's culture with the Epica though. It will be sure to appeal to a new client base, but Holden risks losing existing Vectra customers who value the high-brow perception the outgoing Vectra exudes.
Holden feels buyers in the mid-size market segment fall into two categories, performance and prestige or cruisey and comfort orientated purchasers. The Vectra was definitely a prestige and performance type of vehicle, sold on its technology, distinction, dynamics and safety. The Epica is a car for the later demographic, marketed on its refinement and affordability.
Styling is conservative though not without likable highlights, the wrap-around headlamps and projector type bulbs give an attractive European look, accented tastefully with bright work in the grill and along the sills, beltline and front valance.
Vanilla lines and uninspired taillights domineer the rear view however, which may polarise opinions.
Given its price advantage over some competitors, the Epica stacks up well in the goodies count. Items like an MP3 CD player with auxiliary input are standard across the board along with steering wheel mounted buttons for cruise and audio controls.
Of the two variants (CDX and CDXi) the range-topping CDXi is the best buy; it carries a $4000 premium over the $32,990 entry-level CDX, but adds a raft of bonus features. 17-inch wheels over the CDX's 16's, sports body kit, fog lamps, leather upholstery, climate control air conditioning, leather bound steering wheel, eight speaker, six-disc CD shuttle and curtain airbags are all included in the CDXi's $36,990 price tag.
Performance comes from an unusual drivetrain configuration, a transversely mounted in-line six cylinder.
The east-west layout for a lengthy straight six in it's own is peculiar, but the use of such an engine is doubly odd for Holden who haven't utilised a straight six engine - be it front, or rear wheel drive - for over a decade.
Porsche can be credited for the compact engine design, which is stubbier than the average inline six thanks in part to a finer gap between cylinders.
A problem with the inline design is that it's more top heavy than a V6, when mounted transversely this makes attaining a low centre of gravity through corners far more difficult. Hence why the transverse layout for such an engine is so unpopular in modern vehicle design, The Epica's approach to dealing with this is utilising a lightweight engine that tips the scales at only 151kg.
The 2.5 litre power unit develops 115kW @ 5800 rpm and 237Nm @ 2600 rpm, that's within cooey of Toyota's Camry, which is the Epica's key target. It doesn't deliver hair raising pace, but it is quite adequate for those comfort and cruisey orientated purchasers Holden spoke of.
The Epica's launch drive route, along Melbourne's freeway and beeline back roads was devoid of decent twisting sections we could test the mettle of the Epica's chassis with, but through the occasional acute bend a definite erring towards comfort rather than agility became apparent.
It may not be the sharpest handler in the class, but it is one of the smoothest. Holden has altered the suspension's spring rates and dampening characteristics from the original Daewoo settings, the result is commendable ride control. We were impressed with the Epica's ability to soak up corrugations without hassle, and the isolation of road noise was also a highlight.
Holden have already experienced a media backlash to one Korean-sourced vehicle that replaced a European one, after the current Barina failed to match its predecessors NCAP safety rating. While the Vectra nameplate has now been put to rest, and the Epica is a different class of car, it would be a disappointment to see the Epica perform less effectively than the model it replaces in future crash testing.
Holden's design and technical representatives were not able to offer an indication to how Epica compared with the Vectra in their in-house crash testing.
Active safety features are limited to ABS and Traction Control, no Electronic Stability Program (ESP) is offered.
Given the Vectra at CDXi level offered ESP, as well as the importance Holden has placed on the VE Commodore and Korean-built Captiva offering ESP across their range, we feel the omission of the safety feature from the Epica range is a mistake.
Holden's Marketing department admits it was a difficult decision, but didn't believe that the comfort and cruisey orientated buyer would push the handling envelope enough to justify including ESP. A feature that is included on range-topping models of even the most budget conscious of the Epica's competitors.
Perhaps Holden should've re-read their own 2006 press material that quotes TAC road safety manager David Healy on ESP technology: (source: http://www.holden.co.nz/press/article/78 )
"Consumers should vote with their feet. We are talking about (saving) 50 lives a year."
The lack of ESP in the Epica also underrates the word's of Holden's own Chairman and Managing Director, Denny Mooney, who when speaking of the VE said "The decision to make ESP standard was easy because it's the right thing to do for our buyers"
"We hope this will create the momentum which governments and road bodies have sought to push ESP further into the mainstream."
A shame Holden doesn't feel making ESP available at any level is right for Epica buyers.
The Epica exhibits excellent ride control over bumps, a well-equipped and roomy cabin and refined isolation of road noise, but you can't help but feel it isn't the car Holden's world-class engineers and designers would've come up with, had they built the vehicle from scratch.