One of the new HSV GEN-F cars pulled up next to me at the lights the other day, and no, I didn’t dare play races with it cause I was only in my little work truck.  I’d need an FPV to really get the blood going!  However, when I did check out the latest GTS model, the afternoon was one of a kind.  Not very many large family sedans can quite boast 430 kW and a level of torque to make a big rig look tame (740 Nm).  One of the great things about the evolution of the HSV cars is that the new ones are very refined and civilised for everyday tasks, regardless of however many horses are ready to jump the gate given half a chance.  Being able to smoothly harness all this raw power around town has been one of the best advancements in muscle cars like the all new HSV Gen-F GTS.  These are now just as happy toddling around the car parks as they are thumping around the race track.  I wonder where you’d prefer driving?

Like a fridge magnet, the new HSV Gen-F GTS sedan sticks to the road like glue.  It’s very hard to unsettle the monster, and controlled drifting is fun when the electronic driving aids are toned down or turned off.  In the wrong hands, however, any gun like a GEN-F GTS can hurt and cause some damage.  With a top speed in excess of 260 km/h and a 0-100 km/h sprint time of under five seconds this is a very sharp shooter, indeed.  Sitting on 20-inch rims, the rubber on the road has a healthy grip.  This is all backed up by the Generation 3 Magnetic Ride Control and the electronic stability control (Competition mode looks like it should be a lot of fun).

The GTS comes with a beautifully raw HSV Performance Body Design boasting side-skirts and an HSV Superflow Performance Rear Spoiler.  These enhancements have little use at legal road limits; however, once the speedometer needle starts to spin freely through the triple digits, the balance and control at high speeds is sensational.  Other juicy exterior design features in the HSV Gen-F GTS include the AP cross-drilled discs with forged 6-piston front callipers and 2-piece front and rear rotors (perfect for reining all that power in), HSV’s very distinctive LED tail lamps, dual function daytime running lamps for added safety (as well as making sure that all eyes are on you), HSV Quad exhaust outlets with chrome tips, projector headlamps, and the very classy fender vents and side mirrors with striking pitch black accenting.

The inside of the HSV GEN-F GTS won’t let you forget that this is a real sports car/muscle car.  The HSV Performance Seats (trimmed with Onyx leather) are adjustable eight ways so you can make sure that you’re sitting in whatever the perfect driving position is for you – they’re heated into the bargain.  The instrument panel is well laid out for convenience, complete with the driver preference dial; the HSV Sports Twin gauges, one of which shows the boost pressure; and the 8-inch high-resolution touch-sensitive display screen.  All of this centres around the GTS ID plate in the centre console and the leather-wrapped multifunction sports profile steering wheel. However, the head-up display is a bit more in-your-face – which is where you want it to be.  The head-up display lets you see the important stuff, like the tachometer, the speed and the lateral G forces. Other features of the interior include the 9-speaker premium BOSE audio system with iPod and USB input, Bluetooth preparation and the dual-zone climate control.

You’ll find a range of dials and aids for you in the control panel.  These are for all the “eyes in the back of your head” that the HSV GEN-F GTS provides – things like the side blind zone alert system to enhance the blind spot in your peripheral vision, forward collision alert, hill start assistance, lane departure warning, the reverse traffic alert and the automatic parking assist.  I never fail to be impressed as to how these auto parking assistants work – the sensors see if the space is big enough and, pick the right drive path so even a larger vehicle like the HSV GEN-F GTS can steer itself into place, while all the human does is press the accelerator and brakes (and the clutch in the manual).  Speaking of clutches and manual transmission, the majority of HSV GEN-F GTS examples are six-speed manuals, which means that they get the Launch Assist driver aid – autos, however, get remote start tied into the keyless entry. Another beauty of a driver aid is the torque vectoring (and boy, oh, boy, there’s a lot of torque to vector!) that detects and helps to correct understeer.

Looking over the HSV GEN-F GTS certainly left me salivating.  Head down to your nearest HSV and book in a test drive and you’ll probably be salivating, too.

The current HSV GEN-F GTS model series includes the:

• HSV GEN-F GTS

For any more information on the HSV GEN-F GTS, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of HSV dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!