If you're wondering what happened to the HSV Jackaroo, you 're looking at it.
Toned down a little and without its distinctive grille and spoiler Holden's new SE is the HSV Jackaroo by any other name.
When Holden restructured
its Jackaroo line-up late last year it introduced what is, at first
glance, a new spec level - the SE. The SE (for Specially Enhanced) is in
fact an XS with wheel-arch flares, alloy wheels, two-tone paint and new
badges.
While the SE - like the
HSV Jackaroo - is mechanically identical to the XS, Holden has made a
number of running changes to the entire 1994 Jackaroo range. Most
significant of these are modifications to the engine management computer
of the V6 engine and to the computer controls for the automatic
transmission.
According to Holden, the
two computers now "talk" more freely due to a simplification of the
wiring which links them, smoothing out their previously rocky
relationship.
The Jackaroo's 3.2 litre
24-valve V6 is a high-revving engine which makes most of its power high
in the rev range. Peak power of 130 kW is reached at 5200 rpm and peak
torque of 271 Nm at 3000 rpm.
Prior to this revamp the
automatic had a tendency to "hunt" for gears, especially under hard
acceleration, in hilly count1y or when towing a trailer. The shifts were
also abrupt and jerky.
The work Holden has done with the engine management and transmission computers has made the drivetrain smoother.
On our brief drive of the
SE - a week of urban driving and a day trip for photography with no
four-wheel driving we found that the upshifts of the automatic
transmission are now smoother and the tendency to "hunt" for a gear has
been reduced.
The engine is still
peaky. While the Jackaroo was always quick and sure-footed, the changes
make the auto more pleasant to drive. Under gentle throttle the gears
will change at around 3350 rpm, while under hard acceleration the
up-shifts happen much later, at around 5750 rpm. The changes do not
appear to have made any difference to fuel consumption. We used an
average of 19.1 litres/100 kilometres, about the same as that achieved
on our last automatic comparison.
The specification is
similar to that of the GLS Pajero, which is now around $1700 less
expensive. The Pajero has selectable full-time 4WD and seven seats, but
is less powerful than the Jackaroo, offers less interiors pace and has a
poorer quality sound system.
But the improvements to
the Jackaroo are not enough to make it a serious threat to its
archrival, the Mitsubishi Pajero. In 1992/ 93 Holden sold just 3577
Jackaroos, compared with 17,141 Pajeros in the same period. Holden's
major hurdle is the Jackaroo's price tag, which has been climbing
steadily since its launch two years ago. Even the least expensive wagon,
the V6 manual "S", is now $43,595, while the XS is $47,616 with manual
transmission or $50,161 for the automatic.
The SE package bridges
the gap between the mid-spec XS wagons and the top-spec $66,045
Monterey. The manual SE is priced at 51,011 and the automatic at
$53,556. The SE comes well equipped with cruise control, electric
windows, heated electrically adjustable mirrors which fold inwards at
the press of a button, a good stereo with height adjustable electric
aerial, and central locking. A third row of seats is a $1400 option and
air-conditioning adds another $1600.
With 4WD prices at their
highest ever, it will be the dollars which count against the Jackaroo.
By the time you add air-conditioning and a third row of seats, the SE is
looking seriously expensive, especially when compared with a Land Rover
Discovery.
A five-door Discovery V8i
automatic, which is just as quick as either Jackaroo or Pajero, better
off-road, has electric windows, electric mirrors, central locking and
standard air-conditioning, costs $48,650.
FINANCIAL REVIEW Aug 11, 1993 - LIZ DONNELLY
NOT content with jazzing up conventional family sedans like the Holden
Commodore or developing bold engineering and styling exercises like the Holden
Maloo ute, Holden Special Vehicles has turned its attention to the offroad
contender in the Holden line-up, the Jackaroo, producing, appropriately enough,
the HSV Jackaroo.
Aimed squarely at the 4WD buyer who is after a decidedly
sports-oriented vehicle, the HSV Jackaroo has been given the treatment by the
special vehicle operation set up in 1988 by General Motors-Holden's Automotive
and the British-based Tom Walkinshaw Racing Group.
The vehicle's 3.2-litre 24 valve six-cylinder engine
develops 130kW of power at 5,200rpm and 260Nm of torque at 3,750 rpm.
The HSV Jackaroo (developed from the standard 4WD produced
by GM's Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturing affiliate Isuzu) has an
Australian-designed four-link coil suspension.
It comes with a choice of manual five-speed transmission
(with a three-cone style synchro on first and second and synchro mesh on
reverse, or an optional four-speed automatic with a torque converter lock-up
clutch on third gear and overdrive, as well as power, economy and winter modes
of operation for varying weather and road conditions.
Most of the HSV work has been done on the appearance, rather
than the mechanicals, of the vehicle.
Modifications include freshly designed wheel-arch flares, a
rear-mounted roof spoiler, HSV sports grille, HSV graphics, a roof rack, fresh
seat-trim front and rear, side skirts and HSV steering wheel ornamentation.
Isuzu GM and HSV trialled the concept of a spruced-up 4WD at
various motor shows around the country.
Both companies said the final add-ons and trim treatment
were a direct result of public feedback on the concept vehicle put on public
display.
All special-edition Jackaroos are covered by Isuzu-GM's
two-year 50,000 km warranty and a three-year 100,000 km power-train warranty.
Holden is running third in the market statistics for light
commercial vehicles, with rival Ford Motor Company Australia close behind.
Holden has 10.9 per cent of the market, with 7,231 units in
the year-to-date June sales charts, with Ford (6,330) not far adrift in the
same period. Ford's market share is 9.5 per cent.
The HSV derivative is, of course, just a limited edition
model.
Most Jackaroos sold are the standard variety, and in the
January-June period this year Holden sold 1,153 units, well ahead of the 782 in
the corresponding period last year.
The company has also achieved impressive gains with its
four-wheel-drive Rodeo models, lifting six monthly sales from 1,529 last year
to 1,831 this year, according to figures from VFACTS, the Australian motor
industry's sales-collation service.
Ford's presence in the passenger 4WD market is not as strong
as Holden's.
Its two contenders, the Maverick and the Raider, are both
products made by other manufacturers and sold by Ford dealers badged with the
blue oval.
The Maverick is a Nissan Patrol, while the Raider is a
re-badged Mazda.
According to the VFACTS figures, sales of the Maverick
wagon, at 706 units, were well down in the first half of this year, compared
with the 1,134 units sold in the corresponding 1992 half.
Similarly, Raider sales (258 in the six months to June 1993)
lagged behind the 478 units which Ford sold in the comparable 1992 period.
The Raider builds on a product strategy used by Nissan and
Toyota, which involves using a commercial vehicle as the basis for a passenger
vehicle derivative.
Toyota's offering in this class is the 4Runner, while Nissan
offers the Pathfinder.
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