Holden Caprice: Holden’s long-wheelbase luxury sedan

The Holden Caprice was a full-size luxury car built by Holden in Australia from 1990 to October 2017. It was a long-wheelbase version of the Commodore, and below it in the range sat the similar Holden Statesman, which was discontinued in September 2010.

Holden Caprice at a glance

History of the Holden Caprice

Statesman before 1990

Before the Caprice and Statesman of 1990, Holden sold its long-wheelbase sedans under a separate Statesman marque with no Holden branding at all, from 1971 to 1985. Those cars were based on the mainstream range — Belmont, Kingswood, Monaro and Premier — with more luxury and extra length; the Statesman shared the wheelbase of the Holden wagon, utility and panel van. The first was the HQ Statesman of 1971, which replaced the short-lived Holden Brougham, and HJ, HX and HZ updates followed before the final WB series introduced a six-window glasshouse.

VQ: the 1990 revival

In March 1990, after a six-year gap since the WB, Holden brought back the Statesman and Caprice names with the VQ series. These cars used the long-wheelbase chassis of the VN Commodore station wagon rather than the shorter sedan floorpan, and compared with the Commodore sedan they were 110 mm longer, still 64 mm longer than the VN wagon. Holden worked hard to distinguish them: a formal grille, a very different glasshouse, the rear number plate moved to the bumper, and the doors and headlights of the Commodore wagon. Both models had independent rear suspension, a feature that reached high-end VP Commodores a year later.

In 1991 came the VQ Series II. Anti-lock brakes became standard on the Caprice but stayed optional on the Statesman, and the Commodore’s 127 kW (170 hp) 3.8-litre V6 became optional on the Statesman only, with the 5.0-litre V8 still standard across the range. Both engines used the four-speed THM700R4 automatic. HSV offered its own versions, the Statesman 5000i, SV90 and SV93.

VR and later series

The VR of March 1994 mirrored the VR Commodore with engineering and sheet metal changes. A new electronically controlled GM 4L60-E automatic arrived, along with the latest Buick 3.8-litre V6, which now had rolling-element bearings in the valve rocker arms and a higher compression ratio, lifting output to 130 kW (174 hp). The V6 became standard on the Statesman and was offered on the Caprice for the first time, and a driver’s airbag became standard on both. From the 2003 WK series the Caprice suspension was often more sport-oriented than the Statesman’s.

The end in 2017

Statesman and Caprice were essentially long-wheelbase Commodores, and by 2006 they were the largest rear-wheel drive sedans GM offered. Abroad they were rebadged as the Buick Royaum, Daewoo Statesman and Chevrolet Caprice, and they formed the basis of the Chinese-built Buick Park Avenue and the German Bitter Vero. As Holden announced in 2014, its entire Australian production, Caprice included, ended in 2017.

Design and features

• Long-wheelbase Commodore: extra length and a formal roofline instead of the Commodore’s shape.
• V8 bias: Caprices were commonly V8-powered while Statesmans often used the V6.
• Distinct trim: a unique grille insert and interior set the Caprice apart from the Statesman.
• Independent rear suspension: standard from the VQ of 1990.
• Sportier settings: from the 2003 WK the Caprice suspension leaned towards handling.

Holden Caprice versions

• Statesman (HQ–WB, 1971–1985): the separate marque that preceded the 1990 cars.
• VQ and VQ Series II (1990–1994): the first Caprice, on the VN wagon chassis.
• VR (1994): new automatic, uprated V6, standard driver’s airbag.
• WK (2003): more sport-oriented suspension for the Caprice.
• HSV Statesman 5000i, SV90 and SV93: tuned versions of the VQ cars.

The Caprice was the long-wheelbase relative of the Holden Commodore and the successor to the Holden Brougham. More cars are in the Holden collection.

Video: 2014 Holden WN Caprice V V8 0-100km/h and engine sound

Video by PDriveTV on YouTube.

Sources

• Holden Caprice, English Wikipedia: models, dates, equipment, exports