HOLDEN, Ford - and now Chrysler - are still holding out as purveyors of genuine American V8 muscle. Ford (via multi-camshaft breathing, four-valve cylinder-heads) and Chrysler (via the 300C's Multi-Displacement System, that cuts out four cylinders when not needed) approach the fuel consumption issue with technology, while Holden has just given us a new, enlarged version of its all-alloy V8 that provides the useful mid-range torque its predecessor lacked via a bigger capacity and a few refinements. It's a tangible improvement over the already quite meaty Gen III, improving the on-road experience, but the big thing is that it now comes with the electronic stability control and more refined ABS that were missing in previous Holden V8s.

Holden WL Caprice
Released: August 2004
Ended: January 2006
Family Tree: CapriceThe latest Caprice tested here is unchanged from the WL series launched in August 2004 - apart from the new Gen IV 6.0-litre V8, more refined ABS and the fitment of stability control. The Gen IV replaces the 2004 car's 250kW/470Nm 5.7-litre Gen III V8, which fails to meet tighter new emissions regulations from 2006.
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