Caprice Feedback

[GTS LSA]

OK, here we go ... dont post much, but I do read a lot........ Currently have a VZ GTO which is the ducks guts, but I am thinking of trading the wifes Territory (yes its the dark side, but great car when they came out) for a new Caprice, ..... basically what I want to know from anyone who has one is what you think of it...good / bad indifferent ....... have read all the reviews and propaganda and besides an ordinary re sale value on the old model which you would assume the new one would have????...they seem to be pretty damn good!!!

Any feedback or thoughts?


Thanks

[mustanger]

I have been in one and I must say I was impressed. Heaps of room inside,build quality was much improved than previous and just sheer value for money,for a new car. My only concern ,for your wife, is that they are very big car. Have you looked at a Calais V, Similar features but just a little smaller.I would take both for a spin before making a decision. If you have to buy a Caprice for its shear size, you won`t be dissappointed......Cheers John :thumbsup:

[strife]

have hired a staty for a week and was pretty happy.

Have previously had a wh grange and looking forward to ordering a wm grange, www.debadged.com worked well with a local dealer having a couple arriving in the next couple of weeks

im going to have to keep the 02 gto I have as well

[GTS LSA]

Thanks guys,

size was my concern also

other alternative I was looking at is the Senator......... for not much more

[Caprice270]

Hi HRT GTO,

I see you're having no luck getting feedback here, so I decided I'd sign up and help you out in your decision and then bring to focus the differences between the 3 luxury stablemates that are relevant - the Calais-V, the Senator and the Statesman. Everything I have to say is my opinion only, so I understand your preferences are different to mine and you may reach a different conclusion to mine when I was tackling the same problem. Also, I don't pretend to be an expert, so dont take everything I say to be 100% factually accurate.

I have owned a WM Caprice for six months and am approaching 5,000km. We have had many Caprices in the family - the HJ, HZ,WB,VQ and VS...and now a WM. i can tell you now, this car approaches luxury in a completely different way to the previous models. The aggressive exterior, the massive proportions set off by those flared guards, the huge lashings of chrome, the clean and classy interior with all the bells and whistles make this car the ultimate cruiser. But it delivers luxury in a modern, stealthy way with lots of attitude.

The equipment levels are fantastic, and although most of the features are available in lesser models, only the Caprice gets Xenon headlights, the amazing Bose sound system, the twin DVD screens in the back of the headrests, softer premium leather, aluminium trim on the doors and contoured rear seat (I note the Senator gets the same contoured rear seat).

But the interior stands out from the other models for a simple reason...SIZE. This car is gigantic. As the driver you will not notice any difference, but both your front and rear passengers will be amazed by the huge amount of room available to them. Everyone that has been in my car comments on the space available. If you have kids, or carry passengers, there is no substitute for the Caprice (except the Grange ofcourse!). The combination of luxurious interior and space means that your passengers enjoy their time in the rear seat like in no other car this side of a BMW 7-series or Mercedes Benz S Class.

One more small thing about the interior...the rear window is pillarless, unlike the Commodore, which provides more visibility to rear passengers, further immproving their comfort.

The 6.0 litre motor isn't strained by the additional weight. The power is delivered explosively, and there is welcome noise intrusion from the exhaust but little else. It is still very quiet at cruising levels as in the previous models, but under acceleration you get a subtle burble coming through that turns into a nice roar undner heavy acceleration.

Ofcourse, the Caprice cannot match your GTO in the performance stakes.

Handling - Well, your not gooing to buy a Caprice if handling is a priority. The Caprice is now designed for markets all over the world, so the tidy and comparatively flat handling in the WH-WL models has now been replaced by a much softer set up. It provides a lot of comfort, but you are now far more aware of the shifts in the car's weight as you attack the twisties. Sure, its a neutral handler as they say in the magazines, but the body roll may come as slight disappointment to someone coming out of a well sorted GTO. BUT, the Caprice is a cruiser, designed for someone who wants to occassionally give the 6.0 litre a squirt but who's not interested in speeding through blind corners. And if you can afford a Caprice, chances are you already have a performance focussed car as an alternative drive.

The final thing I'll say about the Caprice is that there is something special about it that isn't tangible. That big chrome wreathed holden badge in the grill has a long history now, it represents the best Holden has to offer in terms of comfort.

Now, moving to the second part of my post...comparing the Caprice to its luxury stablemates.

The Calais-V is not a short-wheel base Caprice, as many would have you believe. It is more accurate to say that the Calais V is a short wheelbase Statesman. It is an amazing car, and edges out the Caprice by a whisker in terms of performance by a little lighter, but if luxury, equipment levels and exterior looks are more important, then the Caprice is a better buy. The Calais makes do with the Blaupunkt stereo, misses out on the additional lashings of aluminium trim on the doors, the sunken driver's gauges, the premium leather, the contoured rear seat, and the twin DVD screens in the back of the headrests and the xenon headlights. Yes the Calais-V has a DVD screen on the roof, but viewing a full length movie with your head angled toward the centre of the roof can give you neck pain very quickly.

Now the Senator. Performance wise there's no question the Senator is leagues ahead. But the Senator suffers in the same way as the Calais-V in terms of luxury. Additionally, the front buckets have great big bolsters, which some love, while others, particularly those not interested in cars, will despise them because it makes entry/exit difficult. Additionally, the view of rear seat passengers is a little obscured by the bolsters. I should say though, the Senator makes use of black carpet and lower trim in combination with the light urban interior, which makes it easier to live with than the full light urban interiors the Holden offers. Kids love making a mess of light urban carpet.

Both the Senator and Calais-V treat rear seat passengers as second class citizens. The commodore is a big car, but rear seat room is still not ideal. Your kids, or kid-like adults will fight for the front seat, while in the Caprice your passengers will prefer the comfort of the rear.

The Statesman has not yet gotten a mention in this thread. You get all the space and a lot of luxury for a good price, but the suspension is too soft, the rims too small, the grill and front bumper scream grandpa car.

Goodluck with your choice. I hope this has helped in some way.

[BadMac]

Great first post Caprice270 and welcome to the forums. Members like you are why this place is so good. I personally have never seen the new caprice. Although its a little off topic, can the headrests be swapped into an R8 or are they differnent in some way?

[cashie]

Excellent first post Caprice270 and I agree with your comments...

[GTS LSA]

Caprice 270, your the best, I doubted I was going to get much response, but you cannot imagine how helpful that was................. you dont work for Wheels or Motor by any chance........... maybe you should:thumbsup:

[HSVMAN]

Without being biased - I have sold about 8 Caprice now. We have had to buy in cars from around NZ to keep up. It is one of my favourite cars. Luxury, looks and power. The ride is better than Calais but not as level in corners. I'm sure you could firm it up but you would lose the ride.

I can imagine what the Grange must be like.

Resale wise they have been shocking in the past but then practically none were sold. That has changed for the better now
Was going to say more but Caprice 270 summed it up well

[Caprice270]

Caprice 270, your the best, I doubted I was going to get much response, but you cannot imagine how helpful that was................. you dont work for Wheels or Motor by any chance........... maybe you should:thumbsup:

Glad to help HRT GTO. When I was typing the post I realised that Holden fans have a great range to choose from, but the drawback is that it makes the decision of what to buy far too hard.

[spank]

quite a few of the limo operaters in melb are now running the new wm caprice and none of them that i know and speak to on a daily basis have had any issues so far and some of these guys do 120000klm per year , the highest klm one i know off has already done 40k (there is no doubt there are others who have done more k's) and nothing but servicing required, i know of a few wh k and l models that have done over 500000klm that have never even had the rocker covers off, so no reason as to why the wm should be any different

[mac06]

The Caprice was a little overpriced for what you got in the past, hence most buyers went for Statesman. Now the price is only 7K different there are way more Caprices sold, more than Statesman even. Is the Caprice value for money? No doubt about it!!!

[KingClifton]

I wonder if the Statesman/Caprice can shed the 'old man' image. There was a time when Statesman/Caprice/Fairlane/LTD were the 'aspirational' car...if you'd done well, you bought one. Now that seems to be a market dominatedby Europeans.

The new Caprice does look mighty fine, and interesting most of the drivers seem to be under 40.

[HSVMAN]

I wonder if the Statesman/Caprice can shed the 'old man' image. There was a time when Statesman/Caprice/Fairlane/LTD were the 'aspirational' car...if you'd done well, you bought one. Now that seems to be a market dominatedby Europeans.

The new Caprice does look mighty fine, and interesting most of the drivers seem to be under 40.

Caprice was always aimed at the successful under 45 market but failed because of the old man image they had in the past. Statesman still covers that but in much more style but Caprice is the hands down champion IMO

[GTS LSA]

Thanks guys,

Have the wife test driving one today, she is pretty keen after sitting in one and checking it out yesterday........ the thing is to get the same in a Euro brand your looking at big bucks and will still depreciate at a fast rate.........

I think if the deal is right we will go Nickel with Onyx interior........:yahoo: