First published in the October 2004 issue of Street Machine

Looks like a serious weapon, this HSV Avalanche XUV. That’s the sporty version of the Holden Cross 8, which is the four-wheel-drive version of the Crewman. Which is Holden’s four-door ute. Got that? HSV makes a wagon version, also called the Avalanche, but without the XUV initials.

The X in XUV stands for Extreme and this baby is a big, fast beast, loaded up with plenty of extra luxuries, a bunch of extra power, bigger brakes, 18-inch rims and low-profile tyres. Not to mention a very imposing body kit. That little lot will set you back around $69,990 (including hard tonneau and liner) and if that sounds expensive, well it is. Unless you’re in the market for a Porsche Cayenne turbo, pretty much the ultimate 4WD for people in a big hurry. The XUV is a little slower than the 331kW Cayenne’s mid-14s over the quarter but if the $200,000 Porker is just beyond your reach, the XUV starts to look like a bargain.

Bargain or not, we took the XUV out to the sand dunes at Stockton Beach, a cool 4×4 playground north of Newcastle, NSW. Now, my only experience of four-wheel-driving is watching my brother-in-law try to pull a tree stump out of the ground with his Suzuki Sierra, so I decide to take along an expert: 4×4 photographer Michael Ellem. I figure Mike is experienced enough to stop me getting into too much trouble and, more importantly, experienced enough to get me out! Mike says we should take another fourbie just in case, so chief sub Adam Morrissey volunteers the services of himself and his trusty Pajero.

The first thing I learn is that the relatively low-profile Bridgestone S03s fitted to the XUV might be great for highway driving but they aren’t at home in the sand. We drop the tyre pressures to give the treads a larger contact patch but there’s only so far you can safely go with this rubber.

The second thing I learn is that driving on sand is fun! You mean we have all this space to get this two-tonne baby sideways and without chewing up those expensive tyres? Beautiful! With the 270kW LS1 roaring at the top of its voice, the XUV carves up the hard sand, shooting massive rooster tails in its wake. Jeez, I could get used to this, but I must remember to switch the air con onto recirculating next time…

We do get bogged on the softer stuff, which is only to be expected. Mike says the 38:62 front/rear drive split is the main culprit here.

“With more power going to the rear, the back just digs itself in and the fronts can’t help,” he explains. Adam pulls me out using his snatch strap and we’re on our way again.

Having satisfied our sandy urges, we head out to find the kind of dirt roads the XUV was really designed for. On a long, winding stretch of country dirt, the Avalanche comes into its own. It’s fast, stable and grips like a five-year-old on the first day at school. It’s devilishly hard to upset the XUV on corners: it just wants to hang on for dear life.

On the highway it behaves almost like any other Commodore, with only a little more body roll and road noise. The higher seating position is handy, as is the ground clearance! However, the steering shares the same vagueness as the Cross 8 and feels heavy at low speed.

Extra goodies you won’t find on the Cross 8 include leather trim, alloy pedals, six-stack CD, fog lamps, fire extinguisher and four-way adjustable electric seats.

The upshot is that the XUV is the perfect weapon for a cockie who lives on the end of a dirt road, but wants to own an HSV. It offers the power and on-road performance you are never going to get in a traditional 4WD but also has the ground clearance and traction needed by those who regularly travel on less-than-perfect surfaces. A handy 2100kg tow rating, five-seater capacity and a good-sized tray seal the deal.

HSV Avalanche XUV