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.
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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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