My ute

[commodorenut]

I've changed my opinion of them now. Previously I wouldn't have even considered one.

But after taking a new Boss 335 for a really good spin yesterday, I'm convinced HSV have a lot to worry about. It's the first "modern" car I've driven in a hell of a long time that has some resemblance of a soul. The thing is unreal. It drives so easily & gently, but give the throttle a bit more (it has a fair amount of spring resistance in the fly-by-wire unit) and all hell breaks loose. Power comes on real strong from low revs, is absolutely hammering from 3000 - 4500 RPM, where I thought it would start to fall away, but no, it keeps on surging all the way to 6000. The N/A Coyote engines can spin to 7500, but the aussie supercharged versions are limited to just over 6.

I thought I was quite hard on it (bounced off the limiter a few times, and probably came close to overheating the brains in the traction control computer), but the FPV guy I was with claimed I was quite reserved! The exhaust has a real nice note in the car - but a little bit "slappy" from the outside - like a 253 used to be, but it makes all the right noise when the throttle is opened, and it has a real nice crackle on the over-run.

I'm almost converted.....

[HK1837]

At least it is a V8! So it makes the right sounds.
I must admit, when I came back from Europe a few months back i'd reverved a Calais with Hertz. They gave me a G6E instead. It was a heaps better car to drive than the VE Calais with the awful V6 in it. I always complain that hire company VE's don't drive half as good as my old V2 CV8, at least the G6E was closer. Give it a V8 and nicer suspension and it would be a good car.