HSV GTS Local Launch Phillip Island, Victoria What we liked >> Performance >> Chassis balance >> Incredible dollar per kilowatt value Not so much >> Wonky gauges in centre stack >> No split-fold in rear seat OVERVIEW >> Is it the greatest? Is the HSV GTS the greatest ever Australian sports sedan, as well as the most powerful and quickest? It’s a logical line of questioning considering the immense outputs, performance and technology built into HSV’s supercharged Gen-F flagship. But when you are up against the GTHO Phase III, the A9X, the E49 and HSV’s own line of highly capable V8 sledgehammers, it’s also a tough call. Yes, the GTS’ 430kW, 740Nm, 4.4 secs 0-100km/h, 12.3 secs 0-400m and $92,990 Manufacturer Listed Price make a pretty compelling argument -- probably in the same way the HO’s (official) 276kW and $5302 price did in its day. But the GTS also stands pretty tall against modern offshore opposition too. Outputs and performance equivalent to Europe’s finest super-sedans (and a wagon) married with an MLP more than 50 per cent cheaper? That’s attention grabbing. The good news is that with the GTS about to go on-sale you can soon find out whether the driving matches the rest of the package. Our first assessment indicates it will. But because it’s restricted to the Phillip Island racetrack, it’s wise to be a little cautious in delivering the ultimate verdict. PRICE AND EQUIPMENT >> Price is up but so is performance The pricing and equipment details of the GTS have been out and about for some months now. In a nutshell, the GTS is one of few Gen-F models to increase in price – which is no surprise considering the new 6.2-litre supercharged LSA V8 engine brings with it an extra 105kW and a mere 190Nm compared to the old GTS. At $92,990 it is about $10,000 more than its E3 LS3 V8 predecessor, but also worth noting a couple of thousand less than the Reeves Callaway tuned 300kW VTII GTS of 1999-2002. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, while a heavy-duty General Motors 6L90E auto is a $2500 option. In addition to that and much more mechanical trickery (see below), the GTS’ standard equipment list includes many items passed on from the upgraded VF range including an electric park brake, push button and remote start (the latter auto only), automatic park assist, head up display, dual-zone climate control, Mylink and Bluetooth. GTS also features BOSE audio, HSV Performance seats in leather trim, eight-way power adjustment of the driver’s seat, front seat heaters and staggered 20-inch alloy wheels and Continental tyres (signalling the end of HSV’s 20-year relationship with Bridgestone). The Enhanced Driver Interface (EDI) continues in most Gen-Fs including GTS, cycling through everything from track lap times to instant kW readouts to lateral Gs on the monitor External signatures you are driving a GTS rather than a lesser member of the Gen-F range include an all-new front fascia that delivers the added air intake surfaced area required to cool the powertrain. At the rear LSA and GTS badging and a spoiler are the obvious give-aways. The look is more sophisticated than the old E3 range GTS, which had a boy racer bonnet scoop. Inside, the VF redesign is applied, with some HSV individual touches (see packaging). MECHANICAL >> Awesome numbers We’ve got into a lot of detail in other stories about the unique mechanical package that is the GTS. What is new are the claimed acceleration figures mentioned above. They easily eclipse the previous HSV pacesetter, the limited edition 7.0-litre $155,000 W427, and the old E3 GTS. The flipside numbers are fuel economy and HSV hasn’t got them yet. Don’t expect frugality… At the GTS’ core is the LSA V8 engine which is only seen in two other General Motors vehicles – the Cadillac CTS-V and the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. An OHV, 16-valve design from the Gen IV Chevrolet small block family, the all-aluminium LSA is provided with as much as 9psi of boost via an intercooled Eaton four lobe supercharger. A bi-modal air intake, high-flow exhaust manifold and exhaust (with bi-modal mufflers) takes care of gas flows. The package requires almost 130,000 mm2 of open frontal surface area to deliver the necessary level of cooling. That’s roughly 75 per cent more than offered by the E3 GTS. Transmission and diff coolers are standard. Unsurprisingly, the GTS comes with an upgraded 9.9-inch limited slip differential, drive and prop shafts and aluminium hubs. Along with the go there’s whoa, courtesy of a new AP brake package that includes yellow six-piston callipers and two-piece rotors front (390mm) and rear (372mm). An Australian-first is the introduction of brake torque vectoring, which is designed to help reduce understeer by braking the inside rear wheel and transferring torque to the outside wheel. Third generation Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) includes three independent settings – Touring, Sport and Track. A new Driver Preference Dial located behind the gear shifter allows the driver to adjust stability control, traction control, launch control in the manual transmission, torque vectoring, electric power steering, and the bi-modal exhaust through four modes – Touring, Sport, Performance (MRC stays in Sport) and Track. Like all Gen-Fs, the GTS picks up the redesigned VF front suspension including aluminium knuckles and lower control arms. But the rear-end is new, with a bespoke subframe accommodating the new diff and its oil cooler. The GTS rides on 255/35 R20 front and 275/35 R20 rear Continental tyres, which is the same as the rest of the Gen-F range and slightly less aggressive combination than previously fitted to the GTS. HSV claims ride improvements thanks to the taller sidewalls, and better grip because the fronts are wider. PACKAGING >> Just like a Commodore It might be groundbreaking in terms of the numbers, but HSV’s designers have made surprisingly little attempt to differentiate GTS from other Gen-Fs. And who could blame them, as the VF donates its new and much classier dashboard to the range. Clearly the GTS had other spending priorities. There is at least a GTS badge in the centre console, and the Gen-F is distinguished from VF by some HSV badging and trim and a large set of gauges set low in the centre stack. HSV argues the old gauges at the top of the stack looked tacked on, but these look peculiar and don’t feel that secure. The instrument panel is also bespoke, replacing the VF’s separate gauges with a linked speedo and tacho. Like Commodore, this is a nice and spacious place to be. The only drawback is the lack of a split-fold rear seat to extend the luggage space. Read our VF and Gen-F reviews for more details. SAFETY >>Basics and more covered The introduction of the Global A electrical architecture has introduced a whole raft of new driver assistance systems and safety features to the Gen-F, just as it has for the VF Commodore. As the flagship of the range the GTS benefits the most. Big tickets items include the head up display, forward collision alert and lane departure warning. That’s on top of automatic parking assistance, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and traffic alert, a side blind zone alert, hill hold control and hill start assist. More orthodox safety items include stability control, front, front-side (now with pelvis as well as thorax protection) and curtain airbags that come straight from the VF Commodore, as does a full five star ANCAP safety rating. COMPETITORS >>Europe to the fore Such an incredible combination of price and outputs makes the GTS hard to match up against. Traditional rival Ford Performance Vehicles has nothing that comes near it for power. But then it’s most expensive model, the GT-E sedan is $10,000 cheaper at $82,990. To find 400+kW competitors you have to start looking into the rarefied air beyond $200,000: Audi RS 6 Avant (412kW/$225,000 – on sale October); BMW M5 ($229,900/423kW – on-sale September); Jaguar XFR-S ($225,545/404kW); Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S ($249,900/430kW). ON THE ROAD >> Here we go then… Well, not so much on the road as on the racetrack, The Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit. And a single engineering-pilot automatic transmission GTS to share between 10-or-so motor noters... Oh, and no going over 180km/h… And just to make sure of that, pit every lap so you miss Gardner Straight. So lots of conditions and cautions to consider... Not least of which, we are driving a road car on a racetrack notorious for its ability to reduce quite outstanding machinery to smouldering messes. But taking all that into account, I can still deliver a cool, clinical assessment of the GTS. Phwoar! Or for 21st century readers… OMG! The sheer grunt of the GTS is its calling card. Obviously. Dial down the traction control as you dial up through the DPD modes and it’s very difficult to contain wheelspin when launching with any enthusiasm. But then it just doesn’t relent, roaring and whirring forward at an almost impossible velocity. This is an immense engine, undoubtedly the most capable and overwhelming to ever be installed in an Australian production car. The neat thing is it’s not at all temperamental or skittish. It just goes. Yet another classic Chevy small block. The regret? That the GTS tester was an auto rather than manual. While there was nothing wrong with the job the 6L90E did it would have been fascinating to see how the Tremec TR6060 would have stood up to the job. I suspect well, because other manual Gen F’s driven on the day provided that fraction more connection to the engine and control of rpm than the autos. Mind you, gear shifting would almost be optional in the GTS. If the powertrain is the headline act, then the chassis does a pretty good job of trying to steal away attention. Indeed, there’s no sense of opposing forces here, that the engine is testing the chassis to its limit. Instead there’s cohesion and co-operation. The revised front-end combined with electrically-assisted power steering points with clarity and certainty at speed, yet dodges witches hats at 30km/h in second gear with a lightness that belies the car’s 1892.5kg kerb weight (1881kg manual). Torque vectoring works too. One exercise involved driving into the looping left-hand Siberia [Turn Seven] and – against instinct - prodding the throttle when the front started to push. The nose actually pulled back into the corner and the GTS was flying by the time the exit was sighted… Just in time to clamp on those big APs and come literally to a tyre shredding halt. Very impressive. But the best bit? Easily, easily the best bit was the way the GTS put it all together. Set in Track mode on the smooth PI bitumen, it would suck down into the super-fast Stoner Corner, pull up with ease for (what used to be called) Honda hairpin, turn in with alacrity and then drive out in a nice big and easily controlled powerslide, before settling in for the short, fast haul to Siberia. Having said that, maybe the best bit was actually the way it cranked through the fast right-lefts past The Hayshed, sucked to the road over Lukey Heights then pulled up with ground to spare (even when I braked too late – sorry Murph) for MG, before again driving out sideways. Yee-hah! So no, it cannot be said with certainty that the GTS is Australia’s best ever sports sedan. Not based on a few laps at a racetrack. We have a sneaking suspicion it is though and we look forward to going through the process of finding out for sure! Stay tuned.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 09:03:21 +0000
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