2007 Holden Epica CDX Manual 2.0

[mikmak]

Firstly, sorry this is just a quick review. End of FY is always a pain in the U know what. Keep in mind that I went to test this car with very little in the way of expectations.

Exterior
So lets have a look at it first (CDXI pictured): Nothing special, lines are clean but barely raise the heartbeat let alone an eyebrow. Its not ugly but the back sits a bit high and the nose looks a little long. Standard 16" alloys are okay for the base model but aren't going to contribute to the style awards. (Note: Chrome 18" alloys are available at an eye watering 2800 oxford scholars!) Proportions sit well and I have seen a couple (literally 2) on the road that were easy to spot, but I am a spotter (VE to Aurion Count today 22:13)! CDXI bodykit makes a big difference but trust me, with the 2.0 you don't want to carry any extra weight and you dont need any extra downforce (regardless of any LOSERS guidelines)


Right, nothing to see here so lets move along.

Interior
Opening the door, I was immediately surprised at the interior design. I had to check the badge twice to make sure I hadn't opened a CDXI by mistake. I was very impressed. I like the finish on the dash and appreciated the attention to weighting and haptics with regard to most of the driver interfaces except for...
My first dissapointment came with the appearance of the horrible wheel. I knew it was coming but I can't stand to look at it. It is at total odds with everything else. Its just my opnion of course, but if you didn't want to know that stop reading my bloody review! The second dissapointment was short lived. Not only was it ugly, it was tilt only. I was, however, in a comfortable driving position with little effort, much of which , I attribute to the excellent seats. I could really see someone stuck in the daily grind (which is where most Epicas will spend their time), appreciating the support and materials used to provide such an amazing level of comfort. Looking around the glass house, I had excellent visibility for a modern car (ie little in the way of blindspots and I could see the extremities) and felt instantly confident in my spatial relationship to it. The surprises were quickly drowning out the dissapointments. I tried the back seat on for size and it was admirable as far as headroom goes for a mid sizer though I had to tip the 'hawk with my shoulders back. Knee room was also a problem but it may have something to do with my unusually large displacement from the ground.

At the (ugly) wheel
Now lets get down to business. The dealer drove it off the lot and we switched at the beginning of a very slight, but gradually steeper incline. Great place to start off, considering my concerns about the torque deficit. I take off nice and easy and find that I really need to keep my eye on the tacho as road and engine noise are very well insulated.
Low down in the rev range, it sucks balls for my style of driving. Normally (as was the case with the Vectra when I first got it) you get to know a cars sweet spot and ideal launch technique. Peak torque isn't always the key figure because you want it when you are taking off as well as in 3rd gear on the motorway on-ramp. The Epica just plain doesn't have it. You could feel it coming on at the mid to high end but it just wasn't enough for me.

One thing it does have, is smoothness. Perhaps the lack of torque excludes bunny hopping, but I found its clutch and gear shift easy to co-ordinate and reasonably fun to live with; which is good because I would be rowing the boat like an Olympic kayaker. The handling, on the other hand, seems to be from a different vehicle. Even with the incredibly low cabin noise, I could barely hear deliberately targetted potholes and inside corner corrugations as I threw it in with moderate gusto. It cornered very flat and immediately turned my frown upside down! I linked the next few corners together with enough enthusiasm to garner the now all too familiar look of dealer concern. The short drive back was one of familiarity, even though I had been at the helm barely 5 minutes. I felt comfortable and confident enough to autobot home, my concerns of the lack of torque melted away as I became the previously mentioned commuter, quietly appreciating the pews soft firm accommodation.

Then it came to me like a warm golden sunrise. The flow of Epicas theme is laminar, no variation in sight. It is pure automotive valium, the sole purpose of which, is honey smooth urban transit with nary a concern to lane swapping hooligans in their hotted up cars with flashy stripes up the side.
Just turn on the syndicated commercial radio and laugh at those same old jokes by the latest b-grade celebrity DJs. It's new but with a reassuring layer of familiarity. So this is what its like to be normal.

[mikmak]

Hmm, now that I look at those pics, it doesn't look that bad. Note: The CDX that I drove was metallic Biege.

[Butz]

If only they could put a V6 under the hood.

[Bravada]

Thanks a lot for a great review!

Gee, this reads like a perfect Buick to me... Given that the Daewoo-Porsche straight-six is meant as an alternative to four-cylinder engines, I believe torque is actually quite abundant, at least on paper - but I could understand comparing it to the V6 Vectra might be a disappointment (the V6 in the Vectra is doing a really fine job).

[mikmak]

Bump. Will hopefully be looking at the CDTi Epica tomorrow. So come back soon

Sorry, Bravada. I just realised that you said V6 Vectra. I was referring to the 2.2 in my Vectra B. Obviously there is considerably more bulk with an Epica, but torque from the I6 2.0 < my 2.2. The 2.5 beats it but I didn't bother giving it a go due to my penchant for cog swapping. Once again i would expect the weight to torque ratio to still hold favour to my sweet little Victoria.

Hopefully the CDTi will prove entertaining and having driven the Captiva Diesel, my expectations are reasonably high. I've also had a short blast in the Mondeo Diesel so it will be interesting to see how they compare. As I have indicated with the previous review, the seats are great so Mondeo is already starting on the back foot. As a prelude, HERE is a quick stats comparison between the 2.

[Bravada]

Link -> no worky I believe they remove comparos from cache after some time. The Mondeo's PSA-developed diesel should be vastly better than the VM Motori in the Epica. To me, the inline-six is the star of the range, for the diesel you should better look at brands having more experience with those.

[paul8488]

I can't help but love this car. I'm sorry, but I do. I really like the look... it just pushes the right buttons with me. I've only ever known underpowered cars, so this would certainly impress me.

Always love your reviews mikmak! Curious to hear if the extra torque in the diesel makes it a much different beast.

[mikmak]

Gosh darnit (giggle) stupid work got in the way of me clowning arund. Has to wait a couple more days, or possibly weeks depending on our customer throwing spanners in the works this Thursday. Why can't customers just take what they are given?