1975 Holden HJ Kingswood Review

By any definition, the redesign was pretty mild, but with the HQ being an all-new model, it was neither economical nor practical for GM-H to make major changes. Additionally, the HQ Kingswoods had been selling well, certainly better than a lot of the competition, but Ford were closing the gap, and the design had been stretched beyond the usual two-year cycle for local cars, so a new look was overdue. General body shape and dimensions were unaltered across the range - Belmont, Kingswood, Premier, Statesman and Monaro - with most of the external changes confined to reworkings of the front and rear end sheetmetal.

In the case of the HJ Kingswood, the sloping front end and recessed grille were replaced with a squarer and blunter front end, including a slightly raised bonnet with a prominent grille that some say was inspired by Chevrolet's 1970/71 Monte Carlo. The grille was trimmed with a thick chrome surround and identified by seven horizontal bars. The headlights were encased in square bezels, while the parking lights and indicators were moved up from the front bumper to the outer edges of the headlight/grille front clip, and wrapped around the corners for better front and side visibility. The bumper itself was heavier and chunkier, with repositioned fittings designed to limit body damage in minor bingles. In conjunction with this, full length plastic side mouldings, designed to limit car park dings more than anything else, also became standard on the HJ Kingswood.

At the rear, the HQ's bumper-mounted tail lights were moved up onto the rear guards, and wrapped around the corners in a similar fashion to the front indicators. This only applied to the sedans though, with HJ Kingswood wagons having the same rear sheetmetal and tail lights as the HQ. The HJ's rear bumpers followed the pattern of the front bumper, being more solid, but lacking the style of the HQ's. The doors and roofline were also carried over from the HQ for both HJ Kingswood sedans and wagons.

While body changes were mild, mechanical changes were almost non-existent. What did change with the release of the HJ Kingswood was the fitting of the 202 (known as the '3300' under the decimalisation of displacement at the time) as the standard Kingswood engine. The old 173ci six was only fitted as standard to the entry and fleet-spec Belmont. Above the 202, both the 253 and 308 V8 engines were available as options, but no 350. The big Chevy V8 bowed out with the HQ. A column-shift 3-speed manual was the standard HJ Kingswood transmission, with a 4-speed console floor shift manual and Tri-Matic 3-speed auto available as options. The Turbo-hydramatic auto was available for 308 V8-equipped models, but this combination wasn't offered as a Kingswood option.

The HJ saw front disc brakes fitted as standard to a Kingswood for the first time. This was a welcome safety feature, but hardly new, as both Ford and Chrysler had offered this feature on their volume models before GM-H. The effectiveness of the disc brakes was also limited by the inherent understeer common to family-size Holdens of the period, and the cross ply tyres, which were standard fitment on the 1975 HJ Kingswood when new. Early road tests also found the rear drums could lock up under extreme braking, too

Interior changes included a dash redesign that claimed to offer five inches (13 cm) more front seat space. This applied more to the passenger than the driver, as the redesign primarily 'stepped' the dash to move the glovebox and its surround closer to the firewall. The circular speedo of the HQ was replaced with a strip-style speedometer for the HJ Kingswood. This was seen by some as a backward step, while others criticised the legibility of the instrumentation, even though it was moved closer to the driver. Controls for headlights, windscreen wipers, etc., were still located on the dash (no column controls yet), while the headlight dipper switch was still a floor-mounted button. The Kingswood's smaller two-spoke steering wheel was actually lifted from the Torana, and was applied across the rest of Holden's full-sized models, too.

One of the HJ Kingswood's most welcome new features was to be found in the seats. These used a 'full-foam' construction that made them more comfortable and supportive. After debuting on the LH Torana, the full-foam seats were available on both bench and bucket seats for the Kingswood and the rest of the full-size Holdens. Vinyl was still the standard trim material for seats and door cards, and followed the Torana style, with the front door-mounted ashtrays moved to the centre of the dash. Aiding the comfort level was a modification to the 'Flow-Thru' ventilation system that debuted on the HQ. This now comprised four adjustable face-level outlets in the dash. Adding optional air conditionign meant an additional ventwasadded to the dash centre. Interior carpet was still an option, as were things like a radio/stereo cassette, power antenna, and internally-adjustable side mirrors.

While the Kingswood had previously held a price advantage over the Falcon, its main rival, that changed with the HJ. Compared to a base-spec Falcon 500, a 202 manual Kingswood was dearer by around $60 - $70 1975 dollars. Doesn't sound like much now, but was considered significant in road tests of the HJ when new. With the price of a standard spec HJ Kingswood 30 percent dearer on average than a similarly-equipped '71 HQ, those same road testers queried not only whether the mild restyle was instituted to justify the price hike, but also whether GM-H were pricing the Kingswood out of the reach of the "everyman".

With the market getting ever more competitive throughout 1975, and the spectre of government-mandated emissions regulations on the horizon for 1976, Holden reverted to the old trick of releasing 'Limited Edition' deals to keep sales ticking along. In the case of the HJ, two were offered in 1975, the first being the limited edition Kingswood "de Luxe", which was released in July. This took some of the most commonly-ordered factory options and packaged them together at a discounted price. In the case of the HJ Kingswood sedan, the de Luxe package added bucket front seats with centre armrest, full carpeting, push-button radio, additional instrumentation, T-bar Trimatic auto, wider wheels, radial tyres, a tinted windscreen, and a choice of two-tone colour schemes. The HJ Kingswood de Luxe wagon offered much of the same, as well as a power-operated tailgate window and chrome roof rack. This was followed in November 1975 by the "Vacationer II" limited edition, a revival of the original Vacationer package that appeared on the HQ. This offered many of the same options as the de Luxe, all at a reduced price over a separately-optioned Kingswood.

Today, the HJ Kingswood tends to compare poorly to its predecessor, the HQ, in terms of popularity and desirability. This was much the same when the HJ was new. However, it must be remembered that the HJ was only an update of the HQ, not a new model, so those expecting a lot of new features or major upgrades were bound to be disappointed. While mechanical specs were largely unchanged, the HJ Kingswood did offer improvements in the form of better driver/passenger comfort, and revised suspension settings for a softer, smoother ride. Then, of course, there was the mild restyle of the front and rear sheetmetal. The front end changes, while right for the time, haven't aged as well as the HQ design. As such, HJs aren't as sought after as the model it replaced. This in turn has made HJ Kingswoods relatively rare today, but usually cheaper.

It's almost patriotic duty for Aussies to own a Kingswood at some stage in their life, so if you're looking for a classic Holden that's cheap to buy and usable on a regular basis, a '75 HJ Kingswood is a worthy addition to your garage.


Thanks to MotorBook World, VIC (03 9830 2644) for assistance in the compilation of this article.


SPECIFICATIONS: 1975 Holden HJ Kingswood - with 202 six cylinder engine

Engine:        202 cubic inch (3300cc) OHV inline six cylinder
Bore/Stroke:    92.0 mm x 82.5 mm
Compression:    9.4:1
Power/torque:    101kW (135bhp) @ 4400rpm / 263Nm (1904lb/ft) @ 2000rpm
Fuel system:    Bendix-Stromberg single barrel down draft carburettor
Cooling system:    Liquid
Electrics:    12 Volt
Transmision:    3-speed manual, column shift
Front Suspension: Independent wishbones w/coil springs and stabiliser bar
Rear Suspension:    Four link with coil springs
Steering:    Recirculating ball
Front brakes:    10.8 inch (274 mm) disc
Rear brakes:    10.0 inch (254mm) drum
Wheels:        14 x 5 inch Fr/Rr
Tyres:        C78 L 14 cross ply Fr/Rr
Wheelbase:    111 inch (2,819 mm)
Length:        190.5 inch (4,838 mm)
Width:        74.1 inch (1,882 mm)
Weight:        2,965 pounds (1,395 kg)
0-100 kph:    13.5 seconds - approx
Top Speed:    150 kph - approx