WILL an inexpensive diesel engine option, a six-speed auto, standard ESC stability control and six airbags save the day for the unloved Epica mid-sized sedan? Don’t count against it, as Holden has worked hard to make the South Korean-sourced ex-Daewoo design a more appealing product in these days of high petrol prices and falling economic fortunes. But the EP Series II Epica has some formidable petrol-powered opponents other than the Toyota Camry that GMH is targeting – including the Mazda6, Honda Accord and Ford’s fine Mondeo.
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Holden Epica sedan
Released: May 2007
Ended: August 2008
Family Tree: EpicaBASED on the 2001 Daewoo Magnus that Australia never saw, the EP Epica replaced the unloved ZC Vectra from Opel as Holden’s mid-sized sedan entrant. Under the skin, however, lurked an older vehicle – a development of the 1997 Daewoo Leganza – so the front-wheel drive Epica had to rely on a low price to get noticed in its increasingly sophisticated sector. Two in-line six-cylinder petrol engines devised by Porsche were offered: a 105kW/195Nm 2.0-litre unit mated solely to a five-speed manual gearbox and a more popular 115kW/237Nm 2.5-litre six combined with a five-speed automatic transmission. Sales were never strong, so Holden replaced the EP with the Series II just 15 months later.
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