THE IDEA of a performance wagon is not a new one. The practice of combining performance and family practicality has been a concept that European manufacturers have turned into an art form.

Take the BMW 335i Estate that we recently tested. It was hard to fault: close to perfect, even. But then, for $112,000, it would want to be.

Audi is also partial to a fast wagon, except the German luxury marque calls it an ‘Avant’ and fast is now a relative term, recently put into context by the fearsome V10 twin-turbo RS6 Avant.

With a sticker price of $270,000 (give-or-take), the RS6 Avant is well out of the reach of all but a few, though that stack of cash will buy one of the heftiest amount of kilowatts currently doing the rounds in a wagon (or any car for that matter) - 426kW to be precise.

Will it buy you a deeply satisfying drive though? Apparently not, according to some RS6 reviewers.

Which is where a car like HSV’s R8 Tourer, at a quarter of the Audi’s price, has an unexpected advantage. Driving it is a deeply satisfying experience.

This time around, Holden’s Sportwagon (which is based on the short wheelbase sedan platform), has provided HSV with the perfect base for a hi-po wagon and the folks at Clayton have taken the ball and run with it.

As a result the R8 Tourer shares nothing with the AWD Avalanche or the VT Commodore-based Senator Signature of 1997, its slow selling, long-wheel-base wagon forebears.

Instead it presents as a muscle-bound European-style wagon. One that provides enough extra luggage capacity (over the sedan) to satisfy most families, but not so much that it appeals to Telstra’s fleet buyers.

Styling

Up-front the R8 Tourer is identical in styling to the sedan. There is the same snub ‘bulldog-like’ nose and stance, and while the Commodore may look a little cartoonish in standard form (largely due to those oversized wheel arches), it all comes together on the HSV range.

Transforming the humble Commodore sedan into the E-Series R8 Clubsport saw HSV spend a small fortune restyling the tail-lights, differentiation from the basic Holden product being an important part of HSV’s modus operandi.

In contrast, HSV has taken a low-key and less expensive ‘parts-bin’ approach with the rear of the Tourer. There’s a Commodore SS Sportwagon bumper facia, a chrome strip from the Calais V and the tail-lights are standard Sportwagon.

For HSV it is a subtle and surprisingly effective approach, that combines well with the hint of menace provided by the quad-exhausts and wide rear rubber.

In our Tourer’s case, that tight and well-proportioned rear hunkers down over a meaty pair of optional 20-inch alloy wheels shod with some fairly serious 275/30 series Bridgestones.

Squat, compact, well-proportioned and aggressive. The R8 Tourer looks good from any angle, in-particular the rear three-quarter view, where a masterful blend of body style, ride height and big wheels combine to create one of the sexiest rumps around.

Mechanical Package

Turning the key fires up the mighty LS3 6.2-litre V8, and as Clubsport afficionados will know, that currently puts a gruff 317kW and 550Nm at the drivers disposal.

Built by General Motors Powertrain in North America, the LS3 also powers the latest Corvette and for a while there, the Commodore based Pontiac GXP.

The Tourer on test was fitted with the new Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual, which is a vast improvement over the previous MIO Tremec T56 box.

Those preferring an auto will need to shell out an extra $2,330 for HSV’s re-calibrated six-speed automatic, but our advice would be drive the manual before making that decision. It still lacks a rifle-bolt action, but it’s a satisfying drive for those who like to change their own gears.

The R8 Tourer runs the same standard brake package as the rest of the HSV range (except of course the limited edition W427). That means 365mm front and 350mm rear, grooved and ventilated rotors and HSV specific four piston front calipers, all developed in conjunction with AP Racing.

Where the Tourer really shines is in the chassis stiffness department. Coming in a whopping 30 percent stiffer than the sedan, it’s also 100kg heavier - weighing in at a hefty 1914kg, in manual form.

HSV has developed a unique suspension tune for the Tourer; with springs that are around 20 percent stiffer all-round, rear-dampers borrowed from the Maloo and a smaller diameter rear anti-roll bar than the one found in the R8 Clubsport.

The tailor-made approach continues through to the electronic stability control progam, which has also been specially developed for the Tourer.

The Interior

Aside from the obvious change - a wagon rear end - the Tourer is all E-Series Clubsport inside.

Which means HSV’s unique Clubsport R8 front pews dominate the interior, looking for all the world like a couple of shovel heads for big aussie bums. The rear seat also gets the HSV treatment, and, in the case of our test car, the whole lot came wrapped in leather, a $2,490 option.

Other HSV additions include the requisite and rather chunky, leather-wrapped sports steering wheel, a set of white-faced instruments, and an integrated three-gauge, dash-top auxiliary gauge cluster.

The leather-wrap treatment extends to the gear selector and the de rigueur alloy faced pedals, a HSV staple.

For a wagon that has essentially placed style well ahead of function, there is a reasonable and usable 895 litres of cargo space, compared to 496 litres in the sedan. Fold the rear seats down and that more than doubles to a whopping 2000 litres.

The rear seats feature a 60/40 split layout, while a retractable luggage cover is standard fitment, along with two shopping hooks and four D-ring tie-down points.

Equipment and Features

The Clubsport may have been born as a bare bones performance sedan back in 1990, but there is nothing bare bones about the equipment and features list in its latest E-Series and Tourer guise.

In addition to the exclusive HSV interior and exterior features, the Tourer is well-stocked with ‘the good stuff’. Audiophiles are well catered for with a 150 watt, 9-speaker Blaupunkt six-disc in-dash MP3 compatible Audio system.

A 6.5″ multi-function display colour LCD screen located in the centre stack, displays stereo, heating and air conditioning information.

All Tourers are equipped with dual-zone climate control, while the most sensible standard inclusion is the reversing camera and park assist function (rearward visibility in the Tourer is somewhat compromised by those massive d-pillars).