Monaro’s chassis is purely Commodore, even without shortening wheelbase. However, Holden replaces nearly all body panels and windows, lowering the roof by 40mm, shortening the rear overhang and lowering the windscreen and fastback angle. The car looks particularly handsome from side and rear, although the nose is quite ordinary. Compare with Peugeot 406 Coupe, it looks big and less elegant.  

The interior is disappointing for looks and build quality. Once again, the hard-plastic dashboard is carried over from Commodore, just adding fake aluminium decoration. In the positive side, it has plenty of space front and rear, because the car is actually very big.  

If you expect a sportier handling and performance, you will be disappointed. The Monaro not only shares the same engines with Commodore, but the suspension setting is even softer than Commodore SS. It seems that Holden wants to make it a comfortable tourer like 406 Coupe or 3-series Coupe, but then again its semi-trailing arm suspensions prevent it from offering true supple and quiet ride quality. Strangely, steering ratio is tuned slower than the sedan to make it more progressive and less nervous. Push the car hard, it is really more composed. It will understeer safely at the limit, it will power slide under hard throttle, but something seemed missing: agility and sharpness. By coupe standard, it feels too big and heavy. 

There are two familiar engines - 230hp supercharged 3.8-litre V6 and 315hp 5.7-litre V8. The latter is definitely the better one, being powerful, torquey, good to ears while adding little weight. The Monaro is slightly heavier than Commodore, but given so much cubic-inches it should do 0-60 in under 6 seconds. That said, you need a M3 to beat it.  

Performance and space are what the Monaro excels, but it has too many flaws - a sticky 6-speed manual, an old 4-speed auto, weak brakes and poor brake feel, undesirable interior, poor quality ... most disappointing, it does not offer more excitement than the Commodore, which is a fatal fault for a coupe. 
 

HSV Coupe - see 2005 update

That’s the HSV Coupe GTO. Priced lower than a BMW 330Ci, the HSV Coupe GTO is unique in the coupe world. No one else offers so much grunt for so little. Not even Nissan 350Z can match it in this respect. However, the Australian car is not as quick as the Z, blame to its 1.67 ton weight. According to company figures, it takes 6.3 seconds from rest to 60mph.  

To be honest, Coupe GTO offers no advantage over the equivalent HSV sedans. Its coupe bodyshell might be a little stiffer, but no lighter. They share the same engine, gearbox, steering and brakes. Even the suspension setting is no stiffer. On the contrary, you may be disappointed that it is set a little softer than HSV Commodore SS. However, cleverer damping eliminates the harshness experienced in the standard Monaro. 

For a 4-door sedan, its performance and handling are adequate. Unfortunately, for a 2-door coupe, we expect more. We hope it could be more agile in the twisty roads, but its sheer size and weight denies that. We hope it could be pushed towards the limit without loosing composure, but it understeers like a performance sedan. It does not encourage you to drive it towards the last two-tenth. We admire the rich and linear output of its 5.7-litre V8, what a pity the brakes of the GTO fade quickly after hard use. The steering, while more responsive than Monaro’s, needs more feel. The 6-speed gearbox has shorter throw than the Monaro’s, but shift action is still slow and rubbery. Lastly, we would like more performance to reinforce its giant-killer role. The fact that 350Z and Mustang Cobra offer higher performance for less money is not amusing to HSV’s fans. 

At least the performance and braking issue can be solved by the flagship GTS model. GTS employs the 402hp Callaway-enhanced V8 (first used in the Commodore GTS 300) and a set of huge brakes - 362mm disc with 6-pot calipers up front, 343mm with 4-pot at the rear. It might not challenge BMW M3 for performance and quality, but it is cheaper. 

Anyway, if I insist to have a HSV, I would choose the 4-door sedans instead. They feel as exciting to drive as the best European rivals while costing a fraction, that is the point. In contrast, the Coupe’s identity is less clear. It is neither the cheapest nor the best to drive. 
 

Pontiac GTO - see 2005 update

Bob Lutz, GM's product director, tried the Monaro and thought it has the right ingredients to fill the space left by Camaro and Firebird. The Monaro has V8 grunt (it actually shares the LS1 engine with Corvette), rear-drive layout and an affordable price tag, matches exactly the taste of American buyers. Yes, it is low on refinement and quality, but American doesn't care. Lutz decided to bring it to the United States and sell it in the name of Pontiac GTO. Strangely, the Monaro looks and drives nothing like the original GTO, which was a famous muscle car in the 60s. But that doesn't matter. The most important is that GM now has a weapon to attract 18,000 units of sales a year. 

The GTO is produced by Holden in Australia. It has a number of differences from the Monaro however. Firstly, it gets a subtle restyle, most obviously is a Pontiac corporate grille. Secondly, the LS1 V8 is tuned to deliver more power and torque (350hp and 365 lbft) compare with its Australian sister. This is done by using the high-lift camshaft from Corvette and larger diameter intake and exhaust manifolds. Thirdly, in response to the criticism that the Monaro's suspensions are too soft, the GTO employs stiffer springs and dampers, but ride quality is compensated by higher profile tires. Finally, the GTO gets better noise insulation and a relocated fuel tank to deal with Federal safety regulations. 

On the road, Pontiac GTO is quicker in acceleration. Although it weighs 1710kg, both Car & Driver and Road & Track found it took just 5.3 seconds to hit 60mph from standstill. 0-100mph was done in 13.4 sec and 12.9 sec respectively. The chassis is also better sorted. Handling is more responsive and accurate than the Monaro, although it is no Corvette. The only criticism it gets is the styling - isn't it too civilized for a Pontiac?