Review: Holden Epica The comfortable ride has to be the best part of the package

by Ryan Broadfoot

Published in Features

Cheap, bland, unreliable and slow are some of the things that spring to mind when I hear the words Korean Cars. These cars have always had the unfortunate reputation of being inexpensive knock-offs of their prestige German rivals. So you can only imagine my excitement when I learned that behind the Epicas shiny Holden badge lurked a Daewoo Tosca.

At first glance the Epica seems to be business as usual. The steering wheel is situated too close to the driver; the rear window is so high it might as well be a sunroof, you cannot see the clock if the sun is shining and every time you attempt to select Drive, you get second gear instead. It also beeps at you for all the wrong reasons and doesnt beep at all when it should, like when you leave the headlights on.

p>But despite these minor imperfections the Holden Epica is actually a very good car. When compared to its rivals, the Hyundai Sonata and the Kia Magentis. The Epica is a handsome brute. It sports the wraparound projectorstyle headlamps, large shiny grill and silver finishing strips all over for that elegant touch. The interior is neatly laid out with easy access to all the controls and everything is where youd expect it to be. The steering wheel has full multi-functional controls for the audio system and the cruise control. The quality and finishes of all the peripherals inside the Epica are what youd expect from a luxury car.

And once youre moving, things just seem to get better. Although its not very fast, 0 -100kmh takes just under 11 seconds, it is a fantastic car to drive. The engine is a 2.5 litre, 24 valve DOHC, inline 6-cylinder that is transversely mounted to the 5 speed automatic gearbox. The max power output is 115kW @ 5800rpm and max torque of 237Nm @ 4600rpm. The engine was designed by Porsche and as a result delivers silky smooth acceleration no matter what speed or gear youre in. The Epica manages to attain impressive cruising speeds with very little effort and makes for a very civilised drive. The most impressive thing about the Epica is the distinct lack of road or wind noise. Even at highway speeds the cabin is whisper quiet. Driving the Epica long-distance is so pleasant and so relaxing that you soon forget all about the stupid clock and all the birds in the rear window.

The ride comfort has to be the best part of the package. Even at speed on the most unforgiving surfaces, the Epica soaks up the bumps with absolutely no drama whatsoever. The handling is almost boat-like when driving around town. Although there is a fair amount of body-roll, the car corners very well.

The ride and handling is mainly thanks to the highmounted multi-link rear suspension and Macpherson struts upfront. The steering is light and ultra precise and the compromise between handling and ride comfort is perfect. Braking is achieved through vented discs in the front and solid discs at the back. ABS, Traction Control and ESP are standard on all Epica models. The CDX is available with a 5-speed manual transmission but only with the snail-like 2.0 litre engine.

The Epica has not cut any corners when it comes to safety either. It has driver and passenger front and side airbags (optional curtain airbags), advanced crumple zones and EBD and ABS for greater stopping ability. Even the heightadjustable seatbelts are intelligent. In an impact, explosive charges are fired to tighten up the belt at the moment of impact and then load limiters incrementally unspool to minimize seatbelt injury to the occupants.

Standard features on the Epica include 16 Alloys; front and side airbags for both driver and front passenger; air conditioning; 6 speaker audio system with MP3 player; automatic headlamps; automatic windows; automatic mirrors; TCS; ABS; ESP; Cruise Control and the list keeps going. Couple all this into a cavernous 480 litre boot, loads of rear legroom, headroom and storage room and you have a pretty complete package for a mid-size family saloon.

Its easy to forget that this car is Korean with quality and appeal like this, until you examine its price tag. At $27 990 this car is a bargain. Forget the A6, the 5 Series and the E-Class; the Epica gives you 80 percent of the excitement for 30 percent of the price. Now the only thing I cant work out is why Holden says it sells more Commodores in a good month than they have sold Epicas since its inception last year. Daewoo says that Tosca is an acronym for Tomorrows Standard Car. You know what, theyre right.

Holden Epica CDX

ENGINE:

Cylinders

6 cyl - inline

Fuel Supply

multipoint direct injection

BoreStroke

77 89.2 mm

Cubic Capacity

2492 cc

Compression Ratio

9.8 to 1

Valve Gear

d-o-h-c, 4 valves per cyl

ENGINE OUTPUT:

Max Power ISO (kW)

115

Power Peak (rmin)

5800

Red Line (rmin)

6000

Max Torque (N.m)

237

Torque Peak (rmin)

4600

TRANSMISSION:

Forward Speeds

Low gear

4.575 to 1

2nd gear

2.979 to 1

3rd gear

1.947 to 1

4th gear

1.318 to 1

Top gear

1.000 to 1

WHEELS AND TYRES:

Road wheels

16 x 6

Tyre size

20560 R16

BRAKES:

Front

278mm ventilated discs

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Rear

TD vAlign=top 276 solid discs

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Hydraulics

TD vAlign=top ABS, EBD, TCS

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 colSpan=2 STEERING:

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Type

TD vAlign=top Rack and pinion. power assisted

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Turning circle

TD vAlign=top width=284 10.78

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 colSpan=2 SUSPENSION:

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Front

TD vAlign=top Independant MacPherson Strut, coil springs, stabiliser bar

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Rear

TD vAlign=top Independant multi-link, coil springs, stabiliser bar

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 colSpan=2 DIMESIONS:

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Length (mm)

TD vAlign=top 4805

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Width (mm)

TD vAlign=top 1810

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Height (mm)

TD vAlign=top width=284 1450

TR TR Wheel Base (mm)

2700

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 colSpan=2 CAPACITIES:

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Seating

TD vAlign=top 45

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Fuel Tank

TD vAlign=top 63 litres

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Boot

TD vAlign=top 480

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 colSpan=2 WARRANTY AND SERVICE NTERVALS:

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 3 year 100,000km warranty

TD vAlign=top

TR TR TD vAlign=top width=284 Service every 15,000km

TD vAlign=top

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