Dave Moore.

No longer a bruiser in a suit, the HSV Commodore has gained manners, refinement and technology without losing a skerrick of attitude and punch, writes

IT’S a lot less complicated than its name, this car. In full, it’s a Holden Special Vehicles ClubSport Generation F R8. In most fans’ vernacular this translates into ‘‘the hot Commodore’’, though of course that nameplate is not to be seen anywhere on the car, despite it indeed being among the hottest of current VF Commodores.

Instead, my orange HSV’s bootlid carries a massive badge consisting of an overlapping chequered flag and a red background lion and helmet banner next to ‘‘R8’’ in chromed block caps. It’s as subtle as a HarleyDavidson belt buckle, but thankfully, apart from the retinasearing orange paint, the 2013 HSV R8 is a remarkably subtle car for one boasting on the other side of its bootlid that it has 340kW on tap.

If you’re an imperialist that sounds a little like a car park full of electrical appliances, so how do you like the sound of 462 horsepower instead? That’s better, isn’t it? There’s also a new GTS model with the same engine blown to 430kW (585hp), but the R8 will do for the time being.

The previous models’ groundsucking aerodynamic splitters and skirts seem to have been restrained a tad, while instead of a massive painted plank on the bootlid, which always gave the HSV driver the impression they were being tailgated by the cast from Planes, a simple vestigial carbon fibre finished blade replaces it.

Sitting on huge 20-inch black alloy rims, wrapped in Continental 5P tyres – which ride astonishingly well, by the way – the whole car, black-tipped orange detailing included, looks a treat, though I’d still opt for gloss black all over rather than squeezed citrus.

Inside it has grown up a tad too, with new sports seats, a loungeroom of gorgeous Alcantara suede, a redesigned instrument panel, clusters, gauges, centre console and appliques all contrived to impart a premium look and feel. It works.

One of the biggest makeovers for ClubSport, which has mainly come about from it being drawn into the use of GM’s Global A electronic architecture, is the standard fitment of items like: a heads- up display, collision warning systems, blind spot monitoring, an electric park brake, electric power steering, passive entry/push button start, and automatic front and rear park assist.

To improve your fun, another bit of technology that until recently was exclusive to luxury German machines is what HSV calls its: Driver Preference Dial.

Set behind the gearstick, it allows adjustment of the car’s electronic stability and traction control, and if you have a manual car allows you set the launch control. There are three pre-set modes – Touring, Sport and Performance which even adjust your desired steering weight and the exhaust (growl or grumble – your choice). The changes in handling and feel are instant and obvious. Such a set-up would be ideal for those who like to properly exercise their HSVs on the track and, truth be known, you shouldn’t do that anywhere else. For those who do don race overalls at weekends, the ClubSport R8 affords a lap-timing set-up using local race circuit mapping.

Fire up the new R8 and there’s a new feeling under the hood. Oh it’s the same big V8 6.2-litre power unit, but instead of settling into a rocking, rumbling idle, a lot of the rocking has gone, no big eight ever felt so smooth when cold in a hot Commodore in my memory.

There’s barely a suggestion of metal hitting metal – which has to occur when you’re using pushrods to actuate your valves – and most of the time, all the big V8 does is breathe deeply and when pressed, dramatically.

Lolloping along at traffic pace, the 6.2-litre unit is easy on the ears and the gas (my overall figures were better than the factory’s) though the pleasingly meaty throttle allows instant access to the caged thunder that resides under

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