First published in the November 2003 issue of Street Machine

Man, I don’t know what’s in the water at GM-H’s Fishermen’s Bend engineering and design HQ, but their ability to conjure up new variants of the venerable Commodore platform is transforming the local car manufacturing scene.

First up, the Monaro coupe, then the new One-Tonner and twin-cab Crewman cab/chassis, and now the 4WD Adventra station wagon. Geez, next thing you know they’ll be building left-hand-drive Monaros for the US and calling them Pontiacs.

Holden prefer to refer to the Adventra as AWD, rather than 4WD, to differentiate it from serious full-chassis off-roaders like the Toyota Land Cruiser. And fair enough, there are plenty of places that a Cruiser will go that the Adventra won’t, but calling the new Holden a ‘soft-roader’, as most serious 4WD mags would, belies its purposefulness and strength.

And its performance, just quietly. Until the all-new Holden V6 comes on line next year, the Adventra comes only with a 5.7-litre LS1 V8 tuned for 235kW and mated to a 4L60 auto. While kerb weight is up around 200kg over a similar-spec Commodore wagon, to just under two tonnes (!), I had the thing cruising comfortably at 200km/h on the first tarred leg of a 500km test loop through South Australia’s Flinders Ranges. Try that in a Land Rover!

We didn’t have a 2WD equivalent there with which to make a direct comparison but, apart from the 80mm taller ride height, the Adventra felt to all intents and purposes like a normal Commodore V8 on a smooth open outback highway.

There are a host of detail changes made to the wagon platform to carry all the 4WD gear and make it perform so well both on-road and off, including a wider track (up 58mm front, 48mm rear), slightly longer wheelbase (up 10mm to 2948mm), front strut tower brace, heavy-duty engine cradle and beefed up transmission supports, strengthened suspension arms, longer-travel suspension with gas rear shocks, larger disc rotors and a heavy-duty engine cooling system.

Off road, the thing is way capable, although again we didn’t have a 2WD wagon to compare it with. The suspension is compliant and the ride remarkably quiet, courtesy of stiffer, braced floor panels and fully-enclosed wheel arch liners. After a short period of familiarisation, the Adventra started to get out of shape on some especially loose-shaled surfaces, but a glance at the speedo showed why and the slides were easy to catch and correct. Torque steer was all but non-existent.

Minimum ground clearance of 200mm (at kerb weight) can be augmented with an optional alloy bash protection plate, and approach and departure angles (20 degrees forward, 21 aft) are sufficient to classify the Adventra as a ‘proper’ 4WD. With the auto ’box, the car can crawl up hills at a snail’s pace without the benefit of low-range gears, and the rougher the going, the more you notice the Cross Trac traction control system (see breakout box) redistributing torque away from spinning wheels to those that have grip.

We ain’t the world’s greatest experts on off-roaders but it sure surprised us just where it could go. It’s certainly up to most tasks that owners ask of their 4WDs, like towing, launching speedboats, beach fishing and the like.

Holden’s designers have done a good job of disguising the VY wagon as a new model and giving the Adventra its own identity. The front facia is all new and way more robust than the equivalent Commodore item and flared wheel arches highlight the wider track. The arches are moulded one-piece with the new sideskirts. The rear end is totally redesigned and accommodates a new rear door (with the window portion able to be opened separately), bumper and tail lamps.

The Adventra comes in two models: the Berlina-spec CX8 and the luxury LX8 at $52,990 and $60,990 respectively. We’re talking maybe $4000 on top of the equivalent-spec 2WD V8 Holden wagons.

There wasn’t a lot we didn’t like about the new model, apart from its ill-spelt name perhaps, although we suspect it will like a drink with two extra diffs to drive and all that extra weight that comes with them. This will make some buyers question whether the 4WD option is worth the cost, particularly in suburban environments where the vast majority of 4WDs live. On the other hand, the beefing up of just about every driveline, suspension and braking component must augur well for long-term reliability.

A remarkable car, from where I sit.

How Holden’s AWD works GM-H’s Cross Trac AWD system is based around three open diffs: one in the normal place down back; a second, which splits torque 38/62 front to rear, is located amidships at the rear of the three-gear transfer case, which is itself bolted to the end of the modified 4L60 auto; and a third diff is solidly mounted to the redesigned engine oil pan to drive the front axles.

The neat bit is that Holden then married up its traction control and anti-lock braking technologies to constantly control the amount of torque distributed to each corner of the car.

It does this by sensing the surface, deciding on the optimum level of allowable slip for the conditions, then mildly braking any wheel that slips more than it is supposed to. The available torque is then redistributed to the other wheels via the linked diffs.

Similarly, the system senses slip from the rear axle when the brakes are applied, reapportioning braking force between the front and rear to account for weight distribution, again after taking into account the road surface. Just about foolproof.

There are acronyms aplenty – ABD for the Automatic Brake Differential algorithm; EBD for Electronic Brake-force Distribution; and CBC for Corner Braking Control – and textbooks of tricky detail for those who wish to delve further, but the short answer is a system that can handle mud, gravel and sand in its stride and even make a reasonable fist of snow.

Even better, Holden was not shy at the Adventra launch of flagging the imminent release of ‘low ride’ (as opposed to the Adventra’s ‘high ride’) versions of the Cross Trac AWD system in the not-so-distant future too. That’s right, a genuine AWD sports Commodore is on its way to tackle the imports at their own game.

How Holden’s AWD works

GM-H’s Cross Trac AWD system is based around three open diffs: one in the normal place down back; a second, which splits torque 38/62 front to rear, is located amidships at the rear of the three-gear transfer case, which is itself bolted to the end of the modified 4L60 auto; and a third diff is solidly mounted to the redesigned engine oil pan to drive the front axles.

The neat bit is that Holden then married up its traction control and anti-lock braking technologies to constantly control the amount of torque distributed to each corner of the car.

It does this by sensing the surface, deciding on the optimum level of allowable slip for the conditions, then mildly braking any wheel that slips more than it is supposed to. The available torque is then redistributed to the other wheels via the linked diffs.

Similarly, the system senses slip from the rear axle when the brakes are applied, reapportioning braking force between the front and rear to account for weight distribution, again after taking into account the road surface. Just about foolproof.

There are acronyms aplenty – ABD for the Automatic Brake Differential algorithm; EBD for Electronic Brake-force Distribution; and CBC for Corner Braking Control – and textbooks of tricky detail for those who wish to delve further, but the short answer is a system that can handle mud, gravel and sand in its stride and even make a reasonable fist of snow.

Even better, Holden was not shy at the Adventra launch of flagging the imminent release of ‘low ride’ (as opposed to the Adventra’s ‘high ride’) versions of the Cross Trac AWD system in the not-so-distant future too. That’s right, a genuine AWD sports Commodore is on its way to tackle the imports at their own game.

HOLDEN ADVENTRA

CX8: $52,990 (2003)
LX8: $60,990 (2003)