KEY POINTS:
It's not a good time to launch a big car. But Holden hopes its Sportwagon will draw buyers from outsized petrol SUVs.
Certainly it makes a potent space argument. That boot can swallow 2cu m, while there's plenty of cabin space despite the swooping roofline.
Sportwagon also plays a strong dynamics card.
There's genuine driving enjoyment on offer - as our 227km circuit of the gorges and vineyards of South Australia revealed.
Holden didn't mess with the engines. Instead it paid plentiful attention to the handling.
Wagons aren't as stiff as sedans and bracing added 91kg to the equation. But the chassis department worked to offset that. Stiffer spring rates, gruntier stabiliser bars and three ball joints instead of two out back aim to reduce the oversteer wagons are prone to - while additional work hones the sportier cars.
Though the entry-level Omega's higher-profile tyres give it a soft ride they're all noticeably sure-footed and all proved impressively compliant over the lumps and bumps of our demanding rural test route.
Holden's handling guru Colin Sichlau said Sportwagons were tested with full loads - the equivalent of five 68kg passengers and 130kg of baggage for standard cars or 68kg of baggage for sports versions. All had to handle as predictably when loaded or in the wet.
"We spent a lot of time on weight distribution and centre of gravity," he said. And yes, it shows.
The end result has plenty of attitude if you want it - an attitude matched by the car's macho looks. That muscular outline concludes with purposeful haunches; the swooping roof suggests speed. But it's practical, too.
Apart from the sizeable boot, with its higher load floor, bag hooks and tonneau, there's the forward mounting of its rear door. That makes for wide access and a lift that requires only 26 free centimetres behind the car without taking it too high for your average mum to reach.
A generous features list includes ESP stability control, six airbags and park assist as standard, while the options list proffers roof rails and cargo barriers to those planning to extend their load.
But the question remains - is a big wagon more politically correct than an SUV? In the public mind, perhaps.
Holden's Sportwagon is indisputably more fun to drive, though it won't get four-wheel drive. Its 11.1 litres/100km thirst for the base car makes it more frugal than many petrol and even some diesel SUVs, though not in SS performance V8 form, of course.
