Correct, sad to see it go. Even sadder was after GM discontinued this car, Holden sourced another chassis from the Opel Insignia and slapped a Commodore badge on it. It didn't even come with a V8 option. A rubbish car. It was a very undignified end to the Commodore story. Should have just killed it off at the end of Australian production. They can't even give away the Opel Commodores now.
Greatest Aussie car, legit every Aussie family’s either had a Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore, loved the video, as an Aussie it brought a tear to my eye
my first car was a VK (mint green wagon with silver interceptors and a horrible green interior), all my mates first cars were either VB/VC/VH/VK/VL/ commodores or XD/XF falcons. The commodores of this era were definitely better built than the falcons. Growing up as a kid we had every Falcon from XC to EF as company cars. None of the cars were fantastic, but they were always cheap and reliable. I'm not so sad about the loss of the falcon and commodore, I'm more saddened by the loss of vehicle manufacturing in Aus in general. It's the loss of an identity to many Aussies. We used to go on holidays every year to Philip Island, and although you could never see it, it was always exciting to drive past the Lang Lang holden proving ground. We'd turn up at the caravan park in our s-pack or S falcon, there was a family that also went to the same caravan park every year - the father was pretty high up in Holden and they'd always have the latest statesman/caprice. Now I imagine the caravan parks are full of prados, sorrentos, x5s and GLCs.
Because it's expensive. How many people can truly afford a 50 thousand dollar new car? Not that many, and even plenty who do buy them can't really afford them.
somehow every car that gets built always gets an accountant in there to figure out how to extract money from it and then keep the same over inflated retail price.
@@vgamedude12 I think that maybe the point. Performance and everything costs money. Its chicken and the egg. GM sells bucket loads of Equinoxes and no Impalas guess what stays. If you can't make money on volume, you got to make money on margin hence MSRP of $50k. But given this is GM I'm sure there were steep discounts. And people can lease them. Which is like 80% of the German luxury cars in Canada. My point is and Savagegeese brings this up is that we (Royal we) are car enthusiasts. The most telling about how far off the mark we are off the average consumer is watching my wife buy a SUV. Things like space, ease of getting stuff, room, was all primary. HPs, Torque, reliability sound system (she was shocked it had no apply / android auto) didn't even enter her mind.
Absolutely enjoyed this Chevy SS review, I have been a car enthusiast and Holden fan since my young teenage years, I am a former GM Holden employee, who worked at Holden's Engine Operations in Melbourne, Australia, until the factory shut down in Nov 2016, when I lost my job, great review, and I will share it for others to watch.
what would sell would be a midsized v8 manual WITH NO OPTIONS! No stereo, no a/c, no power options, just a car....no gimmics no "Features" that way the price can stay low n ppl can get what they want for dirt cheap. Look at the neon srt4 for instance car was 19k new back in the day n was a beast on wheels. sold like hot cakes....
MJ I wasn’t willing to pay sticker on my SS, but when GM ran a 20% off sale I managed to negotiate mine down to $38500 new. At that price it really was a bargain. That’s still a lot of money for most people, but for a loaded manual, V8, RWD family sedan that is a great driver’s car I snapped it up quickly. I can still sell it for around what I paid new, as well.
Another problem with this car is the sheer lack of marketing and promotion for it while it was still available. The sort of people that could afford it (boomers) probably didn't know it even existed otherwise they would have ate this car up. Most normal people think it's a Malibu.
As a owner of a 6sp manual US Chevy SS. Thank you Holden and the Aussies for making such a great car. One of the few cars that put a smile on my face every time I drive it.
@@davidhester6648 while the Commodore was a great car, the Zeta Platform was not inherently any better than the Sigma platform that debuted with Cadillac around the same time in the early 2000s; it was just cheaper to make. The CTS-Vs were and still are great cars. I do wish they would’ve gone through with selling the Ute version over here. It would’ve sold so well.
Whenever Holden's would get reviewed overseas (as Vauxhalls, Pontiac or Chevy label), I would always be so proud of how well they would do. Bit of nationalism shining through. They fact that they would always compare it to the BMW M5 as a benchmark was especially amusing, considering how cheap Holdens where (especially in AU). Never really seemed fair.
Well for what they are and what the purpose of the vehicle was, it did an outstanding job. I’m a Ford guy but I can’t deny the brilliance of the Holden Commodore. I would buy one if I had the money. My has one so I am able to judge the car
holden commodores were never really Australian. largely based on Opels with Buick engines eg. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Senator. The VE was really the only Australian commodore (albeit with GM engines), and it killed Holden.
TopGear UK absolutely loved the VauxhallMonaro, called it "magical" among other high praise. Top Gear UK of course is not dreary like watching these jokers.
@@grievuspwn4g3 Not really, the whole platform underneath the Falcons has always been completely Australian designed, and while the styling utilised new edge it was still an Australian design. The falcons also used Australian engines (Namely the 6 cylinders, but the highly modified Coyote V8's known as Miami's were Australian exclusive). But yes you're right, Ford cut them off when they were sapping too much cash. At the end of the day the Parent company still makes the decisions.
@@Mantenner not true first falcons were american, XA was first aussie designed and built but continued the same underpinnings. to say the commodore was a rebadged opel shows lack of AUDM knowledge
In terms of info and back story of this car, this is probably one of the best reviews of this Holden. As an owner of a 2016, I agree with a lot of what they say about this car. Thanks to the owner Ross for giving them the chance to experience, appreciate, enjoy and understand, not necessarily love, this car.
Thanks for putting Holden in the title. Hopefully it will stop all the "it's a Holden it's from Australia" comments that every SS, G8, Caprice, and GTO video gets
Wigletron that’s only because most of the time the Americans say it’s their car even though us aussies designed and manufactured it. It’s just Aussie pride.
@@ls1pr3dator9 most of the time it's Americans telling other Americans the cars are Australian like they just figured out some great secret. Either way, I'm happy not to see those comments
I don't remember any advertising for this car when it was released. All I can recall is an article in Car&Driver Magazine. It makes me wonder how well it would have sold, had they called it the Chevelle.
Imo the Caprice name would have been more fitting but chevy did have a Caprice at the time the SS was released. It was a combination of bad marketing, bad name, generic looks, and too high of a price that did this car in
@@wigletron2846 Caprice SS then, and market it. Chevy did it dirty on purpose. Not just that, but a v8 charger was a lot cheaper and was marketed to hell. So they needed to have made it cheaper as well.
The SS was intentionally not advertised. At all. Period. It was brought over to qualify Holden for a tax subsidy by exporting a certain number of vehicles, and to keep the Elizabeth, NSW production plant open for as long as possible. That's it, that's the only reason we got it. It was never intended to sell well, nor did they want it to.
@@spikejnz Yup plus production was slated to end in 2017 shortly after it was announced and was intended as you said to help the factory keep production up until then.
I love my manual SS. It’s a comfortable family car that has a V8, a manual, and RWD. On the inside I added a ZL1 steering wheel and an MGW shifter which enhance the driving experience. I paid $38500 for mine new in 2016 when there was a 20% off promo through GM. The $50K sticker was more than I was willing to pay, but at $38500 it was a bargain.
This car will last long. Manual gearboxes don't wear. The clutch plate does, but those are repairs that let you drive another 200k km for 700-900 dollar. If you treat your car decently 500k km on the odo should not be a hard challenge :-) May you enjoy this character rich car for long.
John Goe thank you. The LS3 and Tremec TR6060 are very stout and reliable, and cheap to fix to boot. That was part of what made it easy to justify buying it at the price I got. I had a VW Golf R that was quick, had a dual clutch, etc, but I dreaded the costs of owning it over it once I was past the warranty period. It also was not nearly as fun to drive as the SS. The Holden/Chevy SS has some items that won’t be cheap to fix like the magnetic ride dampers, but the drivetrain should be very reliable and cheap to maintain assuming only minor modifications are made.
Same here with the 20%, put a deposit down on the first manual I could find booked a flight to Nebraska and drove it back to NY the next day. Put an MGW shifter in shortly thereafter. Traded it in for a GT350 last year because flat plane crank. Biggest problem with this car imo; felt like you were sitting on it, not in it.
Alex every time I see a GT350 I really like to hear that flat plane crank exhaust note. They really sound nice when the revs get up above 5000 RPM. Rev happy motors are fun. I drove a 2019 Porsche GT3 hard for 90 minutes at the Porsche Experience and that was eye opening. A 4.0L 9000 RPM engine sitting in the back of a light car with a track tuned suspension feels and sounds like being in a race car. When I felt like it was about time to upshift it would only be at 7000 RPM and it just kept building power on its way to redline. I’ve heard driving the GT 350 is similar in terms of how it still has plenty of revs left when you think you are getting near the rev limiter.
@@ishaqmo7200 yeh we do. The commodore, and the Ford falcon, are no longer made. There is no desire for large sedans with 6 and 8 cylinder dinosaur engines any more. It was a bit of a conundrum - no one would buy a modern 4 cylinder turbo model, because bogan, and no one would buy a dinosaur V6/I6/V8 any more, because fuel prices.
@@aviatorsdream4686 na they are going to stop selling Camaro in Australia by the end of year i heard as no one can justify the price for the Camaro ss ($80KAUD) or ZLR1 ($150kAUD)
Just picked up my manual SS earlier this year. Acura dealer didn't know what they had, so I managed to get a decent price. Wouldn't trade it for the world. You guys are spot on, as always.
@@chitterlingsrtasty Also bought mine new in '16. I'll never forget the day I was to pick it up, GM issued the recall on the driver-side seat-belt. Was still able to get the 20% off MSRP and the dealer kept the car in the showroom with a SOLD sticker until the parts arrived several months later. Glad I went through with the purchase and waited. This year the power steering rack recall finally came through for mine, so I'll never get rid of it now. Fantastic car.
Anthony S That’s great. I’ve got an 03 VY SS that I’ll never get rid of. Had it for 13 years now. I don’t drive it much anymore but it makes me smile every time I do.
I don't get changing to Chev badges here, but understand why they would change to Holden badge in the US when it is a Holden. It's like saying you'd change the Chev badge off a SS or ZL1 Camaro when it arrived in Australia - why? You just wouldn't.
@@ssvr3dl1n38 It's like they value the origin of the engine over the origin of the car, I guess. Hence my VL Nissan joke. Of course, Holden's history of bodies and assembly had them building Chevs and Fords at different points in history. They build Ford Ts before Ford got its own factory going in Geelong.
Lucked into finding a manual version a few years ago. Zero issues with reliability and build quality, plenty of room, and goes like a hot damn. Excellent job, Aussies. 👍
As a 2016 SS owner, my thanks and gratitude go out to the entire Holden engineering and manufacturing teams. I swore in 1989 that I'd never buy another GM product. This was the only one that brought out my checkbook. Dare I say I like it even more than my WRX and MR-2 Turbo. Visiting Australia earlier this year brought tears of longing for all the HSV GTS-R models I saw there. And if the GTS-R W1 had ever reached these shores, I would have brought a blank check.
It's also a pity that GM US did not import the cooking model V6 VF Commodores like the wagon, the ute and the luxury Calais. I believe they would have sold very well.
Tim L. You blokes are tripping hard, just because I was in a hurry typing Aussy vs Aussie I now need to recite Khe San. Did you even look at my handle. I drive a BARRA T!
The brand and what it means to Australians. The memories we have throughout the years surrounding Holden vehicles. Holden will always have a special place in our hearts. I have a VF-II Calais V MY16 (V6 only) and I love it. It’s a pleasure to drive, and I hold a part of history that I’m proud of. These are more than just cars to us over here.
Great video and a bit of a trip down memory lane. Commodores were common growing up, along with the Ford Falcon counterpart. I used to live a few kms from the Adelaide factory, which was a considerable employer for the area and I even eventually owned two Commodores (VT V6, VY Calais LS1). It's amazing how fast economics ended both the car and the brand, along with almost all local Toyota, Ford and Mitsubishi manufacturing.
@@lego4virgo yep, several factors lead to the demise of the Australian car aindustry - local labour is too expensive in Aus to build cars. and politics. and the only cars being manufactured in Aus were large 4 door sedans where the market wanted hatchbacks or SUVs. Ford had a good thing with the Territory, but it was getting old. The replacement (everest) was designed in Australia but is built in Thailand.
@@lego4virgo All of our cars are imported, though there is a firm in New South Wales or Queensland I believe that is going to try and kick-start hydrogen EVs which should be interesting.
The same thing happened in Australia as is happening almost everywhere else. People are buying SUVs not sedans. The Australian market was already small to begin with, but the influx of cheap SUVs from Japan, Korea, China etc, simply meant neither Holden nor Ford Australia or even Toyota could sell enough locally built cars to remain profitable.
@@alanjm1234 not to mention they were expensive. I've done my part and have purchased a VE SSV and a VF GTS new and have kept them both still. I did try to shift the GTS at the very start of the pandemic just in case for business cash flow at 55k and had no takers...now considering how much they change hands for I'll never sell hahahha.
I think this is the best tribute to one of the best Holden offered. This was one of my dream cars and I still look forward to the opportunity to drive one
The Chevy SS came standard with the MagnaRide. The regular Holden Commodore in Australia didn't. You had to pony up for the more expensive HSV if you wanted it.
@@Alex-zt6ec Nope. The only normal Commodores that had MRC as standard were the swansong Motorsport Edition and Director, based off of the SS-V Redline and Calais V respectively.
Australian here. Thanks to Ross for providing the car, Alex for sending through the info, and you guys for making the video. I never owned a Holden myself, but they were present literally everywhere here, from private owners, to fleet, police and government vehicles. Totally ubiquitous. Between friend's cars, or hire cars when away for work, I spent a hell of a lot of time driving Commodores, from the VY through to the VF. I've always thought they were fantastic cars, and as a South Australian it was absolutely devastating to see what GM's withdrawal has done, particularly when the Elizabeth plant shut down. On a somewhat related note - I'm not sure if they're even available in the US, but I'd love to see SG do a similar video on the Ford Falcon. Having owned both a BA-II and a FG model, it's a very similar story here in Australia. A major trip down memory lane, and actually kinda emotional. Thanks again for this video.
I bought a 2017 SS with the six speed manual in spring of 2017 as they were blowing them out. To date, I have 6,900 miles on it. It’s a true American E39 M5.
Great video and I can see why you have a big audience in Australia due to your no BS style. I worked at Holden as an engineer and was surrounded by people who were real car enthusiasts and proud of the company. Holden was a small team who through taking some risks could make great cars for a fraction of the cost GM. Holden was selling these cars into many markets including the middle east where they had a big following. With export sales Holden could easily have been kept alive. People like Bob Lutz wanted GM to use Holden as a roll model as a lean operation but instead GM came into Holden and slowly turned it into another 'mini-me' GM division. The Commodore was not perfect but it was really good platform and I would always stand up for it when friends would call them bogan mobiles. The latest is that a lot of ex Holden engineers are now working for a Vietnamese car company making cars based on older generation BMWs. They even bought the Holden proving ground.
@TBH Mostly noise vibration for the HFV6, interior quality and some mass issues due to its price point. I also think it was too big a platform for the Camaro but that's a different topic. And you could not see past the A pillars. The body structure was pretty rigid and the suspension had really good geometry which led to it having nice linear steering and predictable handling. The previous VT/VZ Opel based platform though still OK was a bit of a compromise and the VE/VF was meant to be what Holden could do when starting from a clean sheet. The dynamic baseline was the M39 5 series which is still one of best sedans ever. The VF makes for a great long distance high performance cruiser in that it combines a good ride and very predicable steering. To be honest, I think cars like the M39 and VF are a high point for big roads car where the mechanical engineering was more important then the electronics. But maybe I'm just getting old.. I rather see the car on a hoist then discussing Apply Carplay.
I disagree with the appreciation of the interior. Especially Mark's head down demeanor about it. It's perfectly fine. I identify with Jack's enthusiasm while driving it. The car isn't supposed to be a gt3. It's a big sedan that's fast. Stop with the idea every car has to be a sharp track tool. Then they would complain it's too stiff. The car is great for what it is. I love it.
I agree that the interior isn't awful - but neither is it the premium car interior that you'd expect at the SS price point, aside from a few minor bits of alcantara. If it were in a Malibu it would be unexpectedly nice.
Mark Miller True. To me modern interiors are fine for the most part. However reviewers arent always consistent w criticism (for ex. Tesla interiors aren’t great and they ain’t cheap. Its been mentioned but its not a main topic when a Tesla is discussed). I just thought he made a disproportionate deal out of the interior.
👋🏻 from 🇦🇺 I haven’t found another UA-cam review that analyses the suspension, ride, handling as concisely and clearly as you! (Not to mention those sound system graphs.) That’s why we follow you! 🤷🏻♂️
"Car guys" nowadays, say they want a car, the manufacturer makes the car, they don't buy the car, they sit at home and play FORZA all day with a prius in their garage while they complain about their favourite car manufacturers going out of business.
@@andrewjacobson556 Part of the design parameters of the Commodores has always been being able to handle the mix of sealed highways and outback roads. Kenya must be very similar.
@@DiscoFang this car looks like it would be very fun to drive paved or unpaved reminds me of the old 80's rear wheel drive gm's i used to drive growing up
Probably the most underappreciated sport sedan of my lifetime. I had a Dodge Charger when these were introduced and I always liked the sleeper effect from the SS.
V8, sports suspension, available manual, and clearly a sedan... If the CTS-V, SRT Charger, 3/5 Series, and C/E class MB are sport sedans... the Chevy SS definitely is also
@@timw2083 So what? Does that mean that the exact same car with the 3.6L V6 is also a sports sedan? Is that also true in a Woolworths car park with kid vomit on the seats? It's a family sedan with the bigger engine and slightly fancier trim.
Not all Americans are like our politicians and tourists. They're the ones with all the money and entitlement mentality. I like to think that the majority of Americans are pretty down to earth and good natured. ☺
American culture has zero sense of humour. It over-compensates and takes itself too seriously yet is lost in it's own little world. _It's never America's fault even when it is America's fault..._ The world is still waiting... A national culture based on the dark triad of personality. America squabbles over liability and doesn't care about people. Caught up in God complex globalist elitism. You are your own worst enemy. Unfortunately the cancer is spreading and Australians have forgotten how to be laid back and confused it with apathy. WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER! Stay safe and good luck!
This was an emotional episode for me 🥺😭 My first car that I learnt in was my dads 1996 VS Commodore which I also unintentionally learnt how to drift with also when it became mine.. hahaha
I've had half a dozen average commuter cars in my life. My old VX Equip wasn't the best by any metric, but my goodness it was the most memorable and fun car I've owned. So many good memories.
Hello from Adelaide Australia. Thank you for this. I learned to drive in a Holden. And owned a few. And every time I drive past the old Holden plant here in Adelaide I'm a little sad.
Thank you Ross. In Australia and New Zealand we have lived and breathed Holdens (and Ford Falcons, also gone too) for decades and they have become a massive part of our cultures. We grew up in these cars with mum and dad and we drive them to work everyday now as well. It is very sad for us to see them go. End of an era.
I was lucky enough to spend five weeks with a VY Series II Holden Calais on my first trip to Australia. Then I rented a VE SS for the next trip. Tbh I liked the VY better. And with no idea what I was getting into, when I first turned the key I said to myself, “This is like a 5 Series with an LS1!” I feel like GM could have done better serving these nice cars up to the rest of the world. Thanks for the video. Cheers.
@@cjdacka That's simply untrue, or is based on purely anecdotal experiences (you may well have seen a 'Friday, before a long weekend build' of one model that was sub-par - that doesnt mean they are all like that. Build margins and quality controls were significantly tighter across the VE/VF than the VY/VZ. This was evidenced by the much improved faults/100 rates achieved.
This excellent video and the many comments below have covered a lot of what I would have liked to write but here's a few observations. 1. Holden, for the most part, had CEOs imported direct from Detroit who didn't understand the brand, followed the GM line and cost cut to the point of obsession. Now the inverse situation was that Holden's designers and engineers were patriotically proud of Holden and did all they could, within their meagre budgets, to produce great cars. In Holden's "boom" years of the 50s and 60s they managed to do a lot for very little money. GM US made weird decisions like delaying the introduction of auto transmissions and V8 engines until they felt the "market could bear such things". 2. The best CEO Holden ever had was a German from Opel...Peter Hanenberger. He understood Holden, championed its development and spearheaded the nascent export drive of Commodores to South America, the Middle East and, finally, the US. He was too good and too protective of Holden so GM US replaced him. 3. Holden's design and engineering team were always world class. The suspension department could make a limp fish handle well. They were so good that GM US let them engineer the reemergence of the Camaro. 4. Holden was killed by GM's CEO. What with all the government subsidies given to GM over the years we Aussies should have demanded that the IP and branding be turned over to our government so that one day, maybe, someone could bring the proud lion back to life. BTW...the brand logo...the lion with the paw on a stone represents a lion with its paw on the rolling stone of progress. A proud logo instantly recognisable to any Australian of any age. 5. To know the true proud history of Holden...to understand how they could operate on a shoestring...watch this old but excellent documentary in two parts... ua-cam.com/video/IR8BhiiAWTo/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/EvU13TvzQ_M/v-deo.html
The ratios were so on point, perfect amount of humor, car camera, complaining, and complimenting. You're getting very good at this Mr. Goose and it was a joy watching. Almost felt like an episode of old top gear.
Cereal is violent carb attack and doesn't have the heart-caressing richness of a slice of warm whole grain mix bread that is like an overwhelming prism of life.
Mark, absolutely amazing video. Its really awesome seeing you test these cars that arent brand new, especially something so enthusiast oriented like the Chevy SS/Commodore.
I love how the conversation stops as the throaty noise kicks in . I have a VF Magnum ute variation of this SS, the exhaust note is pure joy. Puts a smile on my face everytime, better than drugs.
Actually, old mate is slightly wrong about Holdens Finances. The Commodore was released in 1978 and was quite smaller in size compared to Ford Falcon. Sold very well until 1982 when the larger Ford Falcon outsold it 2-1. The Commodores compact size was now hurting sales and Holden badly. The oil crisis was now over and larger cars were selling. GM then bailed out Holden in 1983 and by 1988 the VN wider series was released. This brought profit back to Holden during these years and allowed them to finance the VT of 1997 and the Billion dollar VE series in 2006. Holden's massive investment on the VE was also due to Bob Lutz and other good GM CEO's who wanted Holden's as a Pontiacs to be sold in USA(G8). The ute and the wagon were also supposed to be going there and even a new version of the 2 door Monaro (GTO Coupe). But because of the rising Aussie dollar and GFC, Holden began to suffer. ALso, Pontiac was shutdown taking away Holden's dreams and all that investment. That is when Aussie Tax Payers started tipping in money but nowhere near like the amount for GM/ Chrysler bailouts. Large cars were also taking a hit thanks to these shopping trolley SUV's that so many cannot drive very well. Then in 2013, our new Government all worried about budget deficits, Joe Hockey (treasurer) basically told GM to go jump in relation to giving any more financial assistance to HOLDEN. Thus with no help or care factor from the bastards we had in power, GM pulled the plug. And now GM has shut down all right-hand drive to concentrate ironically on China!!!! Wonder how that will go now. And that was it for HOLDEN 2020.
Why is it a government issue that general motors a company in the states that was bailed out from debt and if you look at the company fundamentals right now GM is in more debt than the GFC why should the government keep bailing out a company that fails to learn and kept racking up debt even more why should governments bail them out again ?
Michael Wilson I agree, here in America we should never of bailed out GM and chrysler or given money to Ford, period. If these companies are that incompetent then let them fail. Not the government’s job to bail out dumb CEO’s who don’t care or don’t know how to run their companies. Every time you bail them out it just sets a precedent for this shit to keep happening.
You forgot the beginning of the end, caused by the gillard labor government. The novated leasing changes, brought in by gillard, with no industry consultation and no warning, caused thousands of new orders to be canceled in a week. The Abbot government missed an opportunity, when novated leasing resumed, they should have limited it to Australian built cars. Holden, Ford and Toyota's local manufacturing could have been saved, with that one small change.
If only the wankers in parliament were actually real men,that had some love for cars, they would realise what we had built over the decades, from the Bathurst days of 'Win on Sunday, Buy on Monday', to the much recent Ford Performance Vehicles & Holden Special Vehicles, they had the power to slap a big tax on all of the cheap import brands from Korea,Japan or Europe, and then that would force people to keep buying Aussie buillt GMH & Ford,but instead, they did nothing,stopped funding our manufacturers.Then our market became flooded with cheap ass lego built KIA and Hyundai just to name a couple,and theyd sell them cheap with a 7 year warranty!!! and Holden & Ford couldnt afford to match that, both warranty and price.So the Government then kicks our manufacturers while their still down, by purhasing fleet vehicles for emergency services and forestry rangers and health services,Australia Post, etc,etc, from these cheap import companies, instead of usually theyd purchase from Holden & Ford which would keep the factory doors open & manufacturing. It is a shame that we could continue manufacturing after the war,and through the tough times of GFC and through recessions, but in this day and age they have forced to kill the brands off forever, all because of incompetent politicians and their wrong decisions.Ive been angry about it since the announcement in 2014 that Ford AUS will stop in 2016, General Motors Holden will stop in 2017,and the new announcement that the Holden Brand will become obsolete in 2021.Im a Ford man, but that Holden news is devastating to us true car enthusiasts.We are lucky that Walkinshaw is importing the new Camaro,The Silverado and the Dodge Ram trucks into their Melbourne factory, and doing a complete Right Hand Drive Conversion on those 2020 model vehicles and re-selling them to consumers.Its amazing what theyre doing down there,so thanks to them, we have RHD Dodge and GM cars available here now instead of just the usual Asian, French & German,etc imports.
Hi. One of the many GM mistakes, is that when the VB Commodore was released in 1978 it was smaller than the current family sedan "HZ Kingswood" Now the HZ was sedan / wagon / ute / panel van / one tonner and stretched statesman The commodore was sedan or wagon only Sure the ute / van / statesman continued up to about 1984 - but why not produce the 4 door sedan as well the tooling is still there and so was the demand A big loss for holden was large family cars , taxi's , fleet vehicles. For people outside australia, the early commodore was based on Opel and not much bigger than say a BMW 3 series at the time or say a Camry today Ford laughed all the way to the bank, XD falcons all the way to EA falcons were making a sales numbers killing. The commodore was a decent car, came in 6 or V8 and later a 4 - but it should have been the replacement for the smaller torana not the larger set of vehicles. My personal GM cars have been 1979 VB Commodore 235 V8 1985 VL Commodore with the Nissan engine 1992 VP Berlina - V6 1999 VT Commodore SS Series one with the 5.0 V8 - last of the Australian V8's ( Series 2 was the chev Gen 3 ) 2002 VY Commodore based Statesman V6 Supercharged ( WH Statesman code ) 2007 VE Commodore Based Statesman V6 ( WM Statesman Code ) Every single model drove better then the one before, everything, ride, steering , handling is better. The SS i kept until last xmas 2019 as our spare car because it was a bullet proof V8 Rather than say the 50's with just the big 3 manufacturers, there is a lot to choose from, sever completion from asia and toyotas being both very affordable and reliable vehicles. With competition comes improvements and price wars, but eventually some one will fail and just fold. The concept of the world car means sell a few variations of something, then just pick the one wilt the most success, then just sell that one car all over the world, no need for multiple body / running gear variations Local manufacturing, well not anymore it is disappearing just like the dodo bird Regards George
GM also sold off Vauxhall here in the UK....Holden however had a much more passionate bunch of owners. GM has a lot to answer for as they were a contributory factor in Saab going bust in Sweden. You guys do some of the best car reviews as yet again you’ve made me emotional just watching this video. Great job guys I am a fan for life 🇬🇧🇺🇸
The funniest thing I find about the demise of the Australian front-engine RWD 4-door sedan Holden and Fords is that; in the early 90's, the motoring press was complaining about poor handling, heavy, live-axle, leaf-sprung fuel-thirsty cars; bemoaning the lack of refinement and IRS; saying that this was the cause of lacklustre Australian made cars. Now, instead of driving the refined sedans designed in new millennium, many Australians choose instead to drive heavy, thirsty, leaf-srung, live-axle dual-cab utes (pickups). Go figure...
Absolutely true. They are all about saving the planet but just drive heavier suv type cars that never leave the bitumen, they have smaller engines with heavier bodies and get basicly the same fuel economy as a v6 commodore anyhow. Cost more to register. Cost more for tyres and servicing. And cost the environment more as they need more sheet metal. I work in a holden/ nissan dealership and its rediculous how wasteful the human race has become. All because people think they are safer in a top heavy suv. Tards. If you dont go off road, you do not need an suv. About 90 percent of the population.
I was almost expecting to hear a kookaburra (Aussie bird) laugh amongst the bird sounds in the final silence... Great review and excellent commentary - Vale King Commodore, Australia’s greatest ever series production car. Put together by a bunch of ingenious and passionate Aussie engineers, on a paltry spit and polish budget from GM. Those folks at Holden could have built a space shuttle from cardboard and duct-tape. A great send-off for a legendary vehicle. Thanks Geese!
Awesome review! I like how these guys get right to the nuts & bolts of the vehicle's design, history and driving characteristics without waffling on unnecessarily for hours. Hope they bought the owner a new set of rear tyres though!
As an Australian born, ex-Ford Asia-Pacific (Melbourne) employee now working in PD at Lotus Cars at Hethel in the UK I was touched to see that you guys had gone to the trouble of doing your research on the Australian automotive industry, the Holden brand and the Commodore platform in support of this video - and shocked to hear that Australian viewers make up 30% of your viewers/subscribers! Australian automotive design, engineering and development has always punched above its weight for both cost to do and quality of output (esp. given the small volumes). This was the case for locally built GMH, Ford, Mitsubishi, Toyota and further back, Chrysler & Leyland. Mostly compromised by a lack of support by global parent companies and a failure of those companies to incorporate antipodean product/platforms into their global strategies. BTW, i've been watching your videos for a couple of years now, focus mostly on your Sports-car reviews and as a NC BBR 200 Bhp owner, particularly enjoyed your Miata/MX-5 generational videos. Great insight into those products both through the seat of your pants driving and the insider interviews that you shared.
I went to a Chevy dealer back in 2016-2017 and asked “Do you have one of those SS sedans I can look at?” After checking with the dealership’s sales manager, she came back to educate me that the SS sedan “doesn’t exist” and I “must be thinking of the Camaro SS”. 😒
I had a similar conversation with my father-in-law last week. I'm in the market for a G8 GT and I mentioned the SS. He said "SS what? Malibu? Impala?". I said "and that's why they don't make them anymore, no one even knows it existed."
From a country where we only have (company) 1.0 & 1.2 liter hatchbacks and SUVs, the want for this Holden is great. You gotta live that drivetrain. Handsome sedan as well. R.I.P. Holden.
they couldn't sell them too cheap, there was a AU$1billion invested in the development. over the lifetime of the VE/VF commodore, they only sold 310,000 or so. say Holden made a profit of $2500 per car, thats only around $800 million.
Yeah, this is not a $50,000 car. I don't think the blame for lack of sales lies with the consumers- cars like this can sell but they have to be priced realistically and this is one of the more egregious examples.
@@FerrellJ I didn't think so either till I purchased it. Although i got it with the 20% discount , this car is worth the 50K. It is the best driving car the average person never heard of.
I must say this is the best researched reviews I've seen of the SS. It's a big reason as to why I'm a fan of this channel. I've seen other American reviews of this car where assumptions were made when a simple google search would have answered their questions. Overall, this is both top notch content and a good tribute. Thanks 👍
Given how few of these sold, I suspect they will hold their value well in the enthusiast market, especially the handful manual trans cars. I really wanted to get one of these, but like a lot of other enthusiasts, I almost never consider paying the huge premium for a brand new car. And given how few there are, I predict these will get absolutely trashed by protein powder bros before they'll be affordable to your average car enthusiast. It's too bad Chevy set these cars up for failure in the U.S. Most people just think it's a 45-50K Malibu.
I had a 2015 manual SS and now have a 17 manual SS. The 15 is the first car I've ever sold and made money. The manual cars are rare and hold their values extremely well. Most of the people that bought these cars were between 40-60+ so they're primarily owned by an older crowd. With that said, not sure who the future owners will be but hoping it's not the protein powder bros!
Had a few Commodores over the years. You'd never pick one over the competition for having the best interior! They are still relaxing to drive & great mile eaters. V8 manuals will be sorely missed in years to come. Hat's off to the owner who lent it to you. Great vid too!
As an Aussie that's owned a VF Commodore (albeit the v6 version) I can totally relate and am still sad at the closure of Holden and the rest of the Automotive industry in Australia. The Aussie version differed a bit with some of the interior details, mainly the seats and the Chevy badge on the steering wheel but essentially the same car. A great car to drive, either to go shopping in or long distances. I never thought, "hey i need an SUV". And will never understand the huge attraction to the popularity of an SUV instead of a sedan or a wagon version of the same car, which looked great too. It's really sad that GM closed down Holden and that manufacturing has basically stopped in Australia. There was initial talk and rumours of the brand being bought and revived with just the V8 cars but that hasn't happened, which is a shame... :(
Frank Alarcon could not agree with you more mate. SUVs have nothing on these cars for chassis dynamics handling and character even the V6 model (I have a 2013 sv6 sports wagon). I love driving it daily and for long trips. Now Holden is gone I’ll hang onto it till I’m an old man.
The reason why Aussie's like your content is because your no BS and you have a sense of humor. Fair dinkum and speak the hard truths of the auto industry.
Hey Lachy here from Australia 🇦🇺 Im a big fan of your channel! Thanks for this very special episode Savage geese.! I have owned 4 Holden Commodores and Im glad I had! Going to miss them lots!
I do love my Charger Scat Pack...but in a different way then I loved my SS. I miss my SS to be honest. Great car. By the way, only reason they brought it to North America was because of agreements made to export a certain number of Holden's. Chevy never cared about the SS, never advertised it beyond it being the NASCAR body...it was doomed on arrival both because of Chevy's lack of care but also because I'm sure GM knew from the start they were going to be killing Holden.
I was shocked when NASCAR used the SS instead of the Impala (IIRC, at the time Ford was using the Taurus and Dodge was using the Charger... still pushing that whole Race-Sunday-Showroom-Monday thing) I couldn't afford a Chevy SS when they were new, and by the time I could afford a fun-sports-car in late 2020, the manual SS's still command north of 40k. I ended up finding a *new* '21 Camaro LT1 ("LT1" is a trim created for the 2020 model year with the interior of the 1LT with the drivetrain of the 1SS) with the same Tremec TR-6060 that's in the Chevy SS (now has rev-matching). My '21 Camaro was $29,000.00 after the dealer and GM rebates. Much like the Chevy SS, practically no one even realizes that the Camaro LT1 trim exists. GM's a funny bunch - That'll charge 50k for a new Chevy SS in 2017, then turn around and create the LT1 trim for the 6th Gen Camaro and give you one of Tremec's better transmissions and a 450HP V8 for less than 30k after rebates. But like you said : They never cared about the SS actually selling... freaking goofs >_
Mr Goose: You have made my day today, thank you Thank you so much for shining a light on this treasure of a car and bringing the pinnacle of humour to it. Personally I am from New Zealand but we still got these cars and they were just the perfect car and it made me really sad that Holden Australia Announced in 2017 that they were planing on closing their doors :( You have my upmost respect for reviewing this car like non-other : )
I appreciate you guys talking about the history and the economic realities. It’s sad to see Holden go away but sadder still that so many that lost their jobs.
The ones he had on the car for the intro were bald. He brought us new rears which we installed for him during the shoot. ross was also present and laughing during the intro.
I bought my Commodore VF Series 1 SSV Redline new from the dealer, best purchase I ever made. Love the car, only shame is that we will never see another one.
I had two (real) mid-90s Impala SS’ and really wanted to love this SS, but the shitiness of the corporate interior is unforgivable. The price tag was bonkers for what it was. It’s a damn shame. Holden getting shut down is a damn shame. America’s bloodlust for trucks and SUVs is root cause for these failures in this country. What happened to the day when Ma and Pa Kettle where happy with a Biscayne wagon with a 396 or 427 and air conditioning?
Wanted to say this is one of the top auto channels on UA-cam! Been watching for a couple of years and I hope you make it to a million subscribers and beyond. Great video on the SS.
LOL at the license plate holder. This thing really does look like a stupid malibu. Something tells me this thing is going to be the next GNX. A classic car in the next decade.
Thank you for that lovely vid. Last week I dropped my Nissan off at a service centre and walked past a deserted Holden dealership, didn't even have used cars out the front. It was not really that old a building, recently renovated. There was still paper on some of the desks inside. It's been a sad end but you describe perfectly the reason why this happened. Having driven in my friend's Model 3 recently I can see what the future has and Holden and probably all of GM was never going to get anywhere near that.
Yeah. In Aus Holden hoons can be patriotic racist. Yet they put a Chevy bagde on their car and think Maccas is Ozzie. Most Holden Commodore enthusiasts in Oz are like Trumpies in the USA. Shame, I love the SS but I'd never own one for that reason.
@@ravingmad765 I love my Australian SS with it's Mexican-made Chev L98 V8, all made by an American company. It has Holden Badges. Lions don't wear Bow Ties.
RIP Holden....its a sad time....an Aussie icon gone forever, thankfully i have my 2004 VZ SV8 Commodore LS1 Auto.....great car and its in mint condition, im holding onto it.
As much as it was killed off, the plan was to bring it over as cop car - yup, which they did (practically the same specs!). Also the cop cars were to pay for the civilian model and then would eventually be made in North America but thing didn't work out well as Ford changed the cop car game - Explorer based interceptor. So you see, they are not idiots, just unable to control all the variables in a dynamic market.... of note, the previous camero shared this chassis. It was a great car in aussie land and is a great car here for a specific market. It just didn't get the love it deserved.... Like you mentioned, it was a lot of different cars as well as being a sports sedan ... a ute, a wagon, a regular boring sedan with a 6 etc.
Yes, though it was a predictable move by departments that had already started buying some big conventional SUVs. It really didn't make a lot of sense to buy this oddball Australian car that was smaller than the cars it was replacing and was of unknown reliability. It was much easier to sell departments on either a spacious Explorer with better visibility or a cheaper Charger that was more like the cars being replaced. Chevy couldn't win against that competition, and everyone of any sense knew it, but GM didn't want to give up what had been a profitable sales channel.
Thanks to Ross for providing the opportunity for Savagegeese to do such an amazing and thorough review. Great work guys! I've been eyeing this car for some time.
Yet another Aussie subscriber. Loved the Holden SS / Chevrolet video. Sad that our local manufacturers are gone. I think one of the reasons we love Savage Geese so much is the detail and depth you guys go to in your reviews. Also the "fair dinkum" ( tell it like it is) style. Our local reviewers tend to be scared to make any negative comments, & end up being advertorials for car manufacturers.
I'm sure that intro is going to make a lot of Aussies happy
I cried like a baby when I saw that.
Hell yeah it did !
Correct, sad to see it go. Even sadder was after GM discontinued this car, Holden sourced another chassis from the Opel Insignia and slapped a Commodore badge on it. It didn't even come with a V8 option. A rubbish car. It was a very undignified end to the Commodore story. Should have just killed it off at the end of Australian production. They can't even give away the Opel Commodores now.
Yep...they are known as Hoons :)
Nope, falcon > commodore any day
Mates and I call the commodore the “common whore”
Both are still ass anyway so it doesn’t matter anyway.
Greatest Aussie car, legit every Aussie family’s either had a Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore, loved the video, as an Aussie it brought a tear to my eye
my first car was a VK (mint green wagon with silver interceptors and a horrible green interior), all my mates first cars were either VB/VC/VH/VK/VL/ commodores or XD/XF falcons. The commodores of this era were definitely better built than the falcons. Growing up as a kid we had every Falcon from XC to EF as company cars. None of the cars were fantastic, but they were always cheap and reliable. I'm not so sad about the loss of the falcon and commodore, I'm more saddened by the loss of vehicle manufacturing in Aus in general. It's the loss of an identity to many Aussies. We used to go on holidays every year to Philip Island, and although you could never see it, it was always exciting to drive past the Lang Lang holden proving ground. We'd turn up at the caravan park in our s-pack or S falcon, there was a family that also went to the same caravan park every year - the father was pretty high up in Holden and they'd always have the latest statesman/caprice. Now I imagine the caravan parks are full of prados, sorrentos, x5s and GLCs.
First car was a vb Commodore I'm in a vz ute these days........ the new holden should be recalled and fukn burnt to the ground
My vr v6 still going strong after 500k km. Love the commodores.
Yep, my first was an aqua coloured HX Panel Van with a 308 4-speed box.
dad used to have a Falcon EA. Straight 6, 3.9L. Best car we ever owned. We still talk about it fondly today while sitting in his VW. lol.
"We say as consumers we will buy it but never ever do" Truer words have never been spoken.
And some of these people on the internet are still bitching about the new Supra for not being "a true Toyota".
Because it's expensive. How many people can truly afford a 50 thousand dollar new car? Not that many, and even plenty who do buy them can't really afford them.
somehow every car that gets built always gets an accountant in there to figure out how to extract money from it and then keep the same over inflated retail price.
@@vgamedude12 I think that maybe the point. Performance and everything costs money. Its chicken and the egg. GM sells bucket loads of Equinoxes and no Impalas guess what stays. If you can't make money on volume, you got to make money on margin hence MSRP of $50k. But given this is GM I'm sure there were steep discounts. And people can lease them. Which is like 80% of the German luxury cars in Canada.
My point is and Savagegeese brings this up is that we (Royal we) are car enthusiasts. The most telling about how far off the mark we are off the average consumer is watching my wife buy a SUV. Things like space, ease of getting stuff, room, was all primary. HPs, Torque, reliability sound system (she was shocked it had no apply / android auto) didn't even enter her mind.
I’ll second that, this is everybody’s favorite car on the internet .
Absolutely enjoyed this Chevy SS review, I have been a car enthusiast and Holden fan since my young teenage years, I am a former GM Holden employee, who worked at Holden's Engine Operations in Melbourne, Australia, until the factory shut down in Nov 2016, when I lost my job, great review, and I will share it for others to watch.
Many thanks from a '16 SS owner here in the US. Absolutely fantastic car.
Australia's labour costs are too high and this was the Holdens demise. A shame as they build great cars.
I have to add, I Love the interior !
They were excellent value.@David Blundell
Thanks for being part of the org which gave me two excellent cars(g8 and chevy ss)
Bro's: "We want a v8, manual sedan! We really really want it!"
Chevy: "Ok we'll make it!" (mostly in 'straya)
Bro's: "Oh wait I can't afford that new"
Thats the problem. The prices are so expensive for these even back then. The person that really would buy it and use it cant afford it
what would sell would be a midsized v8 manual WITH NO OPTIONS! No stereo, no a/c, no power options, just a car....no gimmics no "Features" that way the price can stay low n ppl can get what they want for dirt cheap.
Look at the neon srt4 for instance car was 19k new back in the day n was a beast on wheels. sold like hot cakes....
MJ I wasn’t willing to pay sticker on my SS, but when GM ran a 20% off sale I managed to negotiate mine down to $38500 new. At that price it really was a bargain. That’s still a lot of money for most people, but for a loaded manual, V8, RWD family sedan that is a great driver’s car I snapped it up quickly. I can still sell it for around what I paid new, as well.
@@Scypher0th who's going to spend 30k on a car with zero features? No one....
Another problem with this car is the sheer lack of marketing and promotion for it while it was still available. The sort of people that could afford it (boomers) probably didn't know it even existed otherwise they would have ate this car up. Most normal people think it's a Malibu.
As a owner of a 6sp manual US Chevy SS. Thank you Holden and the Aussies for making such a great car. One of the few cars that put a smile on my face every time I drive it.
It’s an American motor.
@@Zach-td5mbyes it is.
And everybody was already aware.
You guys forgot how to make good V8 sedans and we had to teach you again.
@@davidhester6648 while the Commodore was a great car, the Zeta Platform was not inherently any better than the Sigma platform that debuted with Cadillac around the same time in the early 2000s; it was just cheaper to make. The CTS-Vs were and still are great cars. I do wish they would’ve gone through with selling the Ute version over here. It would’ve sold so well.
As an owner of a 2017 RPG M6, I agree.
Whenever Holden's would get reviewed overseas (as Vauxhalls, Pontiac or Chevy label), I would always be so proud of how well they would do. Bit of nationalism shining through.
They fact that they would always compare it to the BMW M5 as a benchmark was especially amusing, considering how cheap Holdens where (especially in AU). Never really seemed fair.
Well for what they are and what the purpose of the vehicle was, it did an outstanding job. I’m a Ford guy but I can’t deny the brilliance of the Holden Commodore. I would buy one if I had the money. My has one so I am able to judge the car
holden commodores were never really Australian. largely based on Opels with Buick engines eg. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Senator. The VE was really the only Australian commodore (albeit with GM engines), and it killed Holden.
TopGear UK absolutely loved the VauxhallMonaro, called it "magical" among other high praise. Top Gear UK of course is not dreary like watching these jokers.
@@grievuspwn4g3 Not really, the whole platform underneath the Falcons has always been completely Australian designed, and while the styling utilised new edge it was still an Australian design. The falcons also used Australian engines (Namely the 6 cylinders, but the highly modified Coyote V8's known as Miami's were Australian exclusive). But yes you're right, Ford cut them off when they were sapping too much cash. At the end of the day the Parent company still makes the decisions.
@@Mantenner not true first falcons were american, XA was first aussie designed and built but continued the same underpinnings. to say the commodore was a rebadged opel shows lack of AUDM knowledge
In terms of info and back story of this car, this is probably one of the best reviews of this Holden. As an owner of a 2016, I agree with a lot of what they say about this car. Thanks to the owner Ross for giving them the chance to experience, appreciate, enjoy and understand, not necessarily love, this car.
Which is an educated and measured response considering your passion for this car and history with your own version. Thanks.
As an Australian they didn't even touch the tip of the iceberg that is holden as a manufacturer
Top Gear once did a great review of the Maloo Ute.
All the SS owners are in this comment section lol... I love my 17 Red Hot 6-Speed manual SS...
@@yankee1985524 Same here with my 16 Red Hot 6-Speed manual SS...
Thanks for putting Holden in the title. Hopefully it will stop all the "it's a Holden it's from Australia" comments that every SS, G8, Caprice, and GTO video gets
Wigletron that’s only because most of the time the Americans say it’s their car even though us aussies designed and manufactured it. It’s just Aussie pride.
@@ls1pr3dator9 most of the time it's Americans telling other Americans the cars are Australian like they just figured out some great secret. Either way, I'm happy not to see those comments
Didn’t stop you...
@@actontreadway1168 I guess I stole your thunder. Enjoy your Malibu
@@wigletron2846 my impalabu has all the thunder I need;)
My brother worked at holdens in Elizabeth. He’s the bloke that drove the last car off the line
no my dad did
@@volksdeutschewaffenss9670 no my mum's dog did
@@josh3592 and i bought a puppy of your mom that worked as security at the main gate entrance that checked workers bags for stolen ls3s
I don't remember any advertising for this car when it was released. All I can recall is an article in Car&Driver Magazine. It makes me wonder how well it would have sold, had they called it the Chevelle.
Imo the Caprice name would have been more fitting but chevy did have a Caprice at the time the SS was released. It was a combination of bad marketing, bad name, generic looks, and too high of a price that did this car in
@@wigletron2846 Caprice SS then, and market it. Chevy did it dirty on purpose. Not just that, but a v8 charger was a lot cheaper and was marketed to hell. So they needed to have made it cheaper as well.
The SS was intentionally not advertised. At all. Period. It was brought over to qualify Holden for a tax subsidy by exporting a certain number of vehicles, and to keep the Elizabeth, NSW production plant open for as long as possible. That's it, that's the only reason we got it. It was never intended to sell well, nor did they want it to.
@@spikejnz Yup plus production was slated to end in 2017 shortly after it was announced and was intended as you said to help the factory keep production up until then.
@@spikejnz Elizabeth is in SA, not NSW but the rest of that is true.
I love my manual SS. It’s a comfortable family car that has a V8, a manual, and RWD. On the inside I added a ZL1 steering wheel and an MGW shifter which enhance the driving experience. I paid $38500 for mine new in 2016 when there was a 20% off promo through GM. The $50K sticker was more than I was willing to pay, but at $38500 it was a bargain.
This car will last long.
Manual gearboxes don't wear.
The clutch plate does, but those are repairs that let you drive another 200k km for 700-900 dollar.
If you treat your car decently 500k km on the odo should not be a hard challenge :-)
May you enjoy this character rich car for long.
John Goe thank you. The LS3 and Tremec TR6060 are very stout and reliable, and cheap to fix to boot. That was part of what made it easy to justify buying it at the price I got. I had a VW Golf R that was quick, had a dual clutch, etc, but I dreaded the costs of owning it over it once I was past the warranty period. It also was not nearly as fun to drive as the SS. The Holden/Chevy SS has some items that won’t be cheap to fix like the magnetic ride dampers, but the drivetrain should be very reliable and cheap to maintain assuming only minor modifications are made.
Same here with the 20%, put a deposit down on the first manual I could find booked a flight to Nebraska and drove it back to NY the next day. Put an MGW shifter in shortly thereafter. Traded it in for a GT350 last year because flat plane crank.
Biggest problem with this car imo; felt like you were sitting on it, not in it.
@@michaelcheshareck3275 Probably the only GM configuration worth owning. Best of luck with it :D
Alex every time I see a GT350 I really like to hear that flat plane crank exhaust note. They really sound nice when the revs get up above 5000 RPM. Rev happy motors are fun. I drove a 2019 Porsche GT3 hard for 90 minutes at the Porsche Experience and that was eye opening. A 4.0L 9000 RPM engine sitting in the back of a light car with a track tuned suspension feels and sounds like being in a race car. When I felt like it was about time to upshift it would only be at 7000 RPM and it just kept building power on its way to redline. I’ve heard driving the GT 350 is similar in terms of how it still has plenty of revs left when you think you are getting near the rev limiter.
Australians require a lot of space; beer takes up much volume
She'll be right!
At least you guys don’t have a crossover crisis like we do in America. Utes are honestly really cool
Ishaq Mojaddidy I am American
Kevin Barry oh
@@ishaqmo7200 yeh we do. The commodore, and the Ford falcon, are no longer made. There is no desire for large sedans with 6 and 8 cylinder dinosaur engines any more. It was a bit of a conundrum - no one would buy a modern 4 cylinder turbo model, because bogan, and no one would buy a dinosaur V6/I6/V8 any more, because fuel prices.
As an Australian, I’m so sad to see these Holden’s go. Long live the Chevy SS🇦🇺
So am i. Camaro is piss poor replacement for it. Case in point: don't ever sit in the back seat
@@pontiacGXPfan Wait... are you guys keeping the Camaro in Australia?
@@aviatorsdream4686 yeah but I'll save you the trouble: the engine is the only reason to get the car
@@aviatorsdream4686 didnt sell at 100k
@@aviatorsdream4686 na they are going to stop selling Camaro in Australia by the end of year i heard as no one can justify the price for the Camaro ss ($80KAUD) or ZLR1 ($150kAUD)
Just picked up my manual SS earlier this year. Acura dealer didn't know what they had, so I managed to get a decent price. Wouldn't trade it for the world. You guys are spot on, as always.
Bought mine new in 2016. I’ve entertained replacing for something new and when I get in and start driving I change my mind
@@chitterlingsrtasty Also bought mine new in '16. I'll never forget the day I was to pick it up, GM issued the recall on the driver-side seat-belt. Was still able to get the 20% off MSRP and the dealer kept the car in the showroom with a SOLD sticker until the parts arrived several months later. Glad I went through with the purchase and waited. This year the power steering rack recall finally came through for mine, so I'll never get rid of it now. Fantastic car.
Anthony S That’s great. I’ve got an 03 VY SS that I’ll never get rid of. Had it for 13 years now. I don’t drive it much anymore but it makes me smile every time I do.
And ladies and gentleman that's why this channel is bomb, everything on point
Not really. Some incorrect info being dropped
People gotta upgrade to compete with Dougs views
Wankers here swap about the Holden badges for Chev badges, and then in the US they swap the Chev badges for Holden badges ;-P
Still waiting to see a VL Commodore 6 with Nissan badges. Not holding my breath!
I don't get changing to Chev badges here, but understand why they would change to Holden badge in the US when it is a Holden. It's like saying you'd change the Chev badge off a SS or ZL1 Camaro when it arrived in Australia - why? You just wouldn't.
@@ssvr3dl1n38 It's like they value the origin of the engine over the origin of the car, I guess. Hence my VL Nissan joke. Of course, Holden's history of bodies and assembly had them building Chevs and Fords at different points in history. They build Ford Ts before Ford got its own factory going in Geelong.
@Tone. Groan!
Them chevvy drivers with Holden badges haha
Lucked into finding a manual version a few years ago. Zero issues with reliability and build quality, plenty of room, and goes like a hot damn. Excellent job, Aussies. 👍
The cinematography of Savagegeese videos is always the best.
As a 2016 SS owner, my thanks and gratitude go out to the entire Holden engineering and manufacturing teams. I swore in 1989 that I'd never buy another GM product. This was the only one that brought out my checkbook. Dare I say I like it even more than my WRX and MR-2 Turbo. Visiting Australia earlier this year brought tears of longing for all the HSV GTS-R models I saw there. And if the GTS-R W1 had ever reached these shores, I would have brought a blank check.
It's also a pity that GM US did not import the cooking model V6 VF Commodores like the wagon, the ute and the luxury Calais. I believe they would have sold very well.
Thanks for doing this tribute guys. Another Aussy here. Catch ya later.
Can't be.. It's spelt Aussie..
Oy !
Lmao nice try, you ain't Aussie
Tim L. You blokes are tripping hard, just because I was in a hurry typing Aussy vs Aussie I now need to recite Khe San. Did you even look at my handle. I drive a BARRA T!
@@g6et_wrx177 Just a bit of Aussie banter / shit stirring o'l mate..
If you were an Aussie you'd know that... 😂😂😂 😬
2005-06 Pontiac GTO. Love to see that car on this channel. Corvette in a Holden.
The brand and what it means to Australians. The memories we have throughout the years surrounding Holden vehicles. Holden will always have a special place in our hearts. I have a VF-II Calais V MY16 (V6 only) and I love it. It’s a pleasure to drive, and I hold a part of history that I’m proud of. These are more than just cars to us over here.
"What are you doing with your hands?"
Jack:😉😉😉😉
Great video and a bit of a trip down memory lane. Commodores were common growing up, along with the Ford Falcon counterpart. I used to live a few kms from the Adelaide factory, which was a considerable employer for the area and I even eventually owned two Commodores (VT V6, VY Calais LS1). It's amazing how fast economics ended both the car and the brand, along with almost all local Toyota, Ford and Mitsubishi manufacturing.
So, does this mean that y'all are pretty much going to be importing most of your cars from now on?
@@lego4virgo yeah. I actually can't think of any local car manufacturing that exists here, except for small niche stuff
@@lego4virgo yep, several factors lead to the demise of the Australian car aindustry - local labour is too expensive in Aus to build cars. and politics. and the only cars being manufactured in Aus were large 4 door sedans where the market wanted hatchbacks or SUVs. Ford had a good thing with the Territory, but it was getting old. The replacement (everest) was designed in Australia but is built in Thailand.
@@lego4virgo All of our cars are imported, though there is a firm in New South Wales or Queensland I believe that is going to try and kick-start hydrogen EVs which should be interesting.
It's mind blowing that these guys get in depth far more than the Australian reviewers. Great car let down by poor dealer.
The same thing happened in Australia as is happening almost everywhere else. People are buying SUVs not sedans. The Australian market was already small to begin with, but the influx of cheap SUVs from Japan, Korea, China etc, simply meant neither Holden nor Ford Australia or even Toyota could sell enough locally built cars to remain profitable.
@@alanjm1234 not to mention they were expensive. I've done my part and have purchased a VE SSV and a VF GTS new and have kept them both still. I did try to shift the GTS at the very start of the pandemic just in case for business cash flow at 55k and had no takers...now considering how much they change hands for I'll never sell hahahha.
YES YES YES you are finally reviewing my car... I bought my 2017 Red Hot 6-Speed manual SS as a used 1 owner with 22,000 miles for $38k
I think this is the best tribute to one of the best Holden offered. This was one of my dream cars and I still look forward to the opportunity to drive one
The Chevy SS came standard with the MagnaRide. The regular Holden Commodore in Australia didn't. You had to pony up for the more expensive HSV if you wanted it.
Yes I always found this weird
Actually the 14s didnt have the Magnaride or an available manual for that matter.
actually the last few years the VF II did get the Magride in non-HSV cars. but yea you guys definitely had to pay more for it.
Later years had MagnaRide standard.
@@Alex-zt6ec Nope. The only normal Commodores that had MRC as standard were the swansong Motorsport Edition and Director, based off of the SS-V Redline and Calais V respectively.
Australian here. Thanks to Ross for providing the car, Alex for sending through the info, and you guys for making the video. I never owned a Holden myself, but they were present literally everywhere here, from private owners, to fleet, police and government vehicles. Totally ubiquitous. Between friend's cars, or hire cars when away for work, I spent a hell of a lot of time driving Commodores, from the VY through to the VF. I've always thought they were fantastic cars, and as a South Australian it was absolutely devastating to see what GM's withdrawal has done, particularly when the Elizabeth plant shut down. On a somewhat related note - I'm not sure if they're even available in the US, but I'd love to see SG do a similar video on the Ford Falcon. Having owned both a BA-II and a FG model, it's a very similar story here in Australia.
A major trip down memory lane, and actually kinda emotional. Thanks again for this video.
I bought a 2017 SS with the six speed manual in spring of 2017 as they were blowing them out. To date, I have 6,900 miles on it. It’s a true American E39 M5.
Australian*
Drive that thing
How much did you get it for?
@@thisisntsergio1352 I know in my area they were less than 42k brand new off the lot for awhile at that time.
Sergio Martinez you’d cry if I told you
Great video and I can see why you have a big audience in Australia due to your no BS style. I worked at Holden as an engineer and was surrounded by people who were real car enthusiasts and proud of the company. Holden was a small team who through taking some risks could make great cars for a fraction of the cost GM. Holden was selling these cars into many markets including the middle east where they had a big following. With export sales Holden could easily have been kept alive.
People like Bob Lutz wanted GM to use Holden as a roll model as a lean operation but instead GM came into Holden and slowly turned it into another 'mini-me' GM division.
The Commodore was not perfect but it was really good platform and I would always stand up for it when friends would call them bogan mobiles.
The latest is that a lot of ex Holden engineers are now working for a Vietnamese car company making cars based on older generation BMWs. They even bought the Holden proving ground.
@TBH Mostly noise vibration for the HFV6, interior quality and some mass issues due to its price point. I also think it was too big a platform for the Camaro but that's a different topic. And you could not see past the A pillars. The body structure was pretty rigid and the suspension had really good geometry which led to it having nice linear steering and predictable handling. The previous VT/VZ Opel based platform though still OK was a bit of a compromise and the VE/VF was meant to be what Holden could do when starting from a clean sheet. The dynamic baseline was the M39 5 series which is still one of best sedans ever. The VF makes for a great long distance high performance cruiser in that it combines a good ride and very predicable steering. To be honest, I think cars like the M39 and VF are a high point for big roads car where the mechanical engineering was more important then the electronics. But maybe I'm just getting old.. I rather see the car on a hoist then discussing Apply Carplay.
I disagree with the appreciation of the interior. Especially Mark's head down demeanor about it. It's perfectly fine.
I identify with Jack's enthusiasm while driving it. The car isn't supposed to be a gt3. It's a big sedan that's fast. Stop with the idea every car has to be a sharp track tool. Then they would complain it's too stiff. The car is great for what it is. I love it.
Exactly. Preach it!
@pabauza - absolutely perfectly put in words! Well said.
@@somerandomgoogleuser3374 thx. I have a 2014 as my daily. I love the thing, and mine is an automatic.
I agree that the interior isn't awful - but neither is it the premium car interior that you'd expect at the SS price point, aside from a few minor bits of alcantara. If it were in a Malibu it would be unexpectedly nice.
Mark Miller True. To me modern interiors are fine for the most part. However reviewers arent always consistent w criticism (for ex. Tesla interiors aren’t great and they ain’t cheap. Its been mentioned but its not a main topic when a Tesla is discussed). I just thought he made a disproportionate deal out of the interior.
👋🏻 from 🇦🇺 I haven’t found another UA-cam review that analyses the suspension, ride, handling as concisely and clearly as you! (Not to mention those sound system graphs.) That’s why we follow you! 🤷🏻♂️
"Car guys" nowadays, say they want a car, the manufacturer makes the car, they don't buy the car, they sit at home and play FORZA all day with a prius in their garage while they complain about their favourite car manufacturers going out of business.
Bought my SS brand new in 2016, currently has about 16500km on it, absolutely love it, undoubtedly one day one of the kids will inherit it
I'm your viewer from Kenya. We have a local brand called Mubius. Although Kenyans don't like it much.
You would like driving this car!!
@@andrewjacobson556 Part of the design parameters of the Commodores has always been being able to handle the mix of sealed highways and outback roads. Kenya must be very similar.
@@DiscoFang this car looks like it would be very fun to drive paved or unpaved reminds me of the old 80's rear wheel drive gm's i used to drive growing up
Roads
Unachoma😂😂😂
'Mark and Jack Go Hooning' is my favorite new show on UA-cam.
Nobody likes a bogan!
Probably the most underappreciated sport sedan of my lifetime. I had a Dodge Charger when these were introduced and I always liked the sleeper effect from the SS.
It's not a sport sedan. It's a family hack with a V8.
V8, sports suspension, available manual, and clearly a sedan... If the CTS-V, SRT Charger, 3/5 Series, and C/E class MB are sport sedans... the Chevy SS definitely is also
@@timw2083 So what? Does that mean that the exact same car with the 3.6L V6 is also a sports sedan? Is that also true in a Woolworths car park with kid vomit on the seats? It's a family sedan with the bigger engine and slightly fancier trim.
@@timw2083 If you put those things in an Impala, have you magically made a sports sedan?
We like Americans with a sense of humour (a rarity), that's why we watch your videos.
oath
Is that really a stereotype about us??
Not all Americans are like our politicians and tourists. They're the ones with all the money and entitlement mentality. I like to think that the majority of Americans are pretty down to earth and good natured. ☺
American culture has zero sense of humour. It over-compensates and takes itself too seriously yet is lost in it's own little world. _It's never America's fault even when it is America's fault..._ The world is still waiting... A national culture based on the dark triad of personality. America squabbles over liability and doesn't care about people. Caught up in God complex globalist elitism. You are your own worst enemy. Unfortunately the cancer is spreading and Australians have forgotten how to be laid back and confused it with apathy.
WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!
Stay safe and good luck!
@@nicholasrosanio8112 Not really anymore, we are pretty much America-Lite these days...
This was an emotional episode for me 🥺😭
My first car that I learnt in was my dads 1996 VS Commodore which I also unintentionally learnt how to drift with also when it became mine.. hahaha
Honestly my dads first car was a VB and the first car I ever drove was a VE and I'm saving up for the VF now. It feels sad knowing this is the end
I've had half a dozen average commuter cars in my life. My old VX Equip wasn't the best by any metric, but my goodness it was the most memorable and fun car I've owned. So many good memories.
VK Calais for me.
ThestaleBaguette I know mate! I was tossing up getting a VE V8 Wagon but I don’t know how the aftermarket parts are going to be soon 🥺
A10101 freakin path! I’m right there with ya with the mems! And they fit a full car and then some with ease!
Thank you Ross! And supporting the Geese with your contributions.
Hello from Adelaide Australia. Thank you for this. I learned to drive in a Holden. And owned a few. And every time I drive past the old Holden plant here in Adelaide I'm a little sad.
Is adelaide more of a shit hole after holden left?
Thank you Ross. In Australia and New Zealand we have lived and breathed Holdens (and Ford Falcons, also gone too) for decades and they have become a massive part of our cultures. We grew up in these cars with mum and dad and we drive them to work everyday now as well. It is very sad for us to see them go. End of an era.
I was lucky enough to spend five weeks with a VY Series II Holden Calais on my first trip to Australia. Then I rented a VE SS for the next trip. Tbh I liked the VY better. And with no idea what I was getting into, when I first turned the key I said to myself, “This is like a 5 Series with an LS1!” I feel like GM could have done better serving these nice cars up to the rest of the world. Thanks for the video. Cheers.
VY Interior is better put together than the VE.
@cjdacka That was a high point for me with the Calais.
@@cjdacka VY also carries a higher price tag and targets richer people.
@@pikapika4558 what? No 😂
@@cjdacka That's simply untrue, or is based on purely anecdotal experiences (you may well have seen a 'Friday, before a long weekend build' of one model that was sub-par - that doesnt mean they are all like that. Build margins and quality controls were significantly tighter across the VE/VF than the VY/VZ.
This was evidenced by the much improved faults/100 rates achieved.
The ending felt so say as it turned to grey. I love my g8 and dream of an SS. They’re so cool!!
The SS has been a car I have been wanting; such a sleeper.
This excellent video and the many comments below have covered a lot of what I would have liked to write but here's a few observations.
1. Holden, for the most part, had CEOs imported direct from Detroit who didn't understand the brand, followed the GM line and cost cut to the point of obsession. Now the inverse situation was that Holden's designers and engineers were patriotically proud of Holden and did all they could, within their meagre budgets, to produce great cars. In Holden's "boom" years of the 50s and 60s they managed to do a lot for very little money. GM US made weird decisions like delaying the introduction of auto transmissions and V8 engines until they felt the "market could bear such things".
2. The best CEO Holden ever had was a German from Opel...Peter Hanenberger. He understood Holden, championed its development and spearheaded the nascent export drive of Commodores to South America, the Middle East and, finally, the US. He was too good and too protective of Holden so GM US replaced him.
3. Holden's design and engineering team were always world class. The suspension department could make a limp fish handle well. They were so good that GM US let them engineer the reemergence of the Camaro.
4. Holden was killed by GM's CEO. What with all the government subsidies given to GM over the years we Aussies should have demanded that the IP and branding be turned over to our government so that one day, maybe, someone could bring the proud lion back to life. BTW...the brand logo...the lion with the paw on a stone represents a lion with its paw on the rolling stone of progress. A proud logo instantly recognisable to any Australian of any age.
5. To know the true proud history of Holden...to understand how they could operate on a shoestring...watch this old but excellent documentary in two parts...
ua-cam.com/video/IR8BhiiAWTo/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/EvU13TvzQ_M/v-deo.html
I love how parts of this video weren't heavily saturated
As an Aussie I am truly glad you drove this iconic car from down under. My partner has the 2010 SSV, beautiful big brute to drive around in.
Thanks Ross! The definition of "Sleeper" ! Have never seen one of these in person.
The ratios were so on point, perfect amount of humor, car camera, complaining, and complimenting. You're getting very good at this Mr. Goose and it was a joy watching.
Almost felt like an episode of old top gear.
Why am I crying while eating cereal?
Bro why did you put onions in your cereal?
Did you accidentally bit your tongue while chewing?
Cereal is violent carb attack and doesn't have the heart-caressing richness of a slice of warm whole grain mix bread that is like an overwhelming prism of life.
because you need some milk
Aussies have beer not milk on their cereal.
Mark, absolutely amazing video. Its really awesome seeing you test these cars that arent brand new, especially something so enthusiast oriented like the Chevy SS/Commodore.
I've been waiting for this review forever
I own a Holden Malibu, and yes I love driving it. Rest in Peace Holden and the legend of the Commodore.
I feel so lucky to own one of these I have a 2015 phantom black metallic and the value is actually going up so not letting go of it
I love how the conversation stops as the throaty noise kicks in . I have a VF Magnum ute variation of this SS, the exhaust note is pure joy. Puts a smile on my face everytime, better than drugs.
Actually, old mate is slightly wrong about Holdens Finances. The Commodore was released in 1978 and was quite smaller in size compared to Ford Falcon. Sold very well until 1982 when the larger Ford Falcon outsold it 2-1. The Commodores compact size was now hurting sales and Holden badly. The oil crisis was now over and larger cars were selling. GM then bailed out Holden in 1983 and by 1988 the VN wider series was released. This brought profit back to Holden during these years and allowed them to finance the VT of 1997 and the Billion dollar VE series in 2006. Holden's massive investment on the VE was also due to Bob Lutz and other good GM CEO's who wanted Holden's as a Pontiacs to be sold in USA(G8). The ute and the wagon were also supposed to be going there and even a new version of the 2 door Monaro (GTO Coupe). But because of the rising Aussie dollar and GFC, Holden began to suffer. ALso, Pontiac was shutdown taking away Holden's dreams and all that investment. That is when Aussie Tax Payers started tipping in money but nowhere near like the amount for GM/ Chrysler bailouts. Large cars were also taking a hit thanks to these shopping trolley SUV's that so many cannot drive very well. Then in 2013, our new Government all worried about budget deficits, Joe Hockey (treasurer) basically told GM to go jump in relation to giving any more financial assistance to HOLDEN. Thus with no help or care factor from the bastards we had in power, GM pulled the plug. And now GM has shut down all right-hand drive to concentrate ironically on China!!!! Wonder how that will go now. And that was it for HOLDEN 2020.
Why is it a government issue that general motors a company in the states that was bailed out from debt and if you look at the company fundamentals right now GM is in more debt than the GFC why should the government keep bailing out a company that fails to learn and kept racking up debt even more why should governments bail them out again ?
Michael Wilson I agree, here in America we should never of bailed out GM and chrysler or given money to Ford, period. If these companies are that incompetent then let them fail. Not the government’s job to bail out dumb CEO’s who don’t care or don’t know how to run their companies. Every time you bail them out it just sets a precedent for this shit to keep happening.
You forgot the beginning of the end, caused by the gillard labor government.
The novated leasing changes, brought in by gillard, with no industry consultation and no warning, caused thousands of new orders to be canceled in a week.
The Abbot government missed an opportunity, when novated leasing resumed, they should have limited it to Australian built cars.
Holden, Ford and Toyota's local manufacturing could have been saved, with that one small change.
If only the wankers in parliament were actually real men,that had some love for cars, they would realise what we had built over the decades, from the Bathurst days of 'Win on Sunday, Buy on Monday', to the much recent Ford Performance Vehicles & Holden Special Vehicles, they had the power to slap a big tax on all of the cheap import brands from Korea,Japan or Europe, and then that would force people to keep buying Aussie buillt GMH & Ford,but instead, they did nothing,stopped funding our manufacturers.Then our market became flooded with cheap ass lego built KIA and Hyundai just to name a couple,and theyd sell them cheap with a 7 year warranty!!! and Holden & Ford couldnt afford to match that, both warranty and price.So the Government then kicks our manufacturers while their still down, by purhasing fleet vehicles for emergency services and forestry rangers and health services,Australia Post, etc,etc, from these cheap import companies, instead of usually theyd purchase from Holden & Ford which would keep the factory doors open & manufacturing. It is a shame that we could continue manufacturing after the war,and through the tough times of GFC and through recessions, but in this day and age they have forced to kill the brands off forever, all because of incompetent politicians and their wrong decisions.Ive been angry about it since the announcement in 2014 that Ford AUS will stop in 2016, General Motors Holden will stop in 2017,and the new announcement that the Holden Brand will become obsolete in 2021.Im a Ford man, but that Holden news is devastating to us true car enthusiasts.We are lucky that Walkinshaw is importing the new Camaro,The Silverado and the Dodge Ram trucks into their Melbourne factory, and doing a complete Right Hand Drive Conversion on those 2020 model vehicles and re-selling them to consumers.Its amazing what theyre doing down there,so thanks to them, we have RHD Dodge and GM cars available here now instead of just the usual Asian, French & German,etc imports.
Hi. One of the many GM mistakes, is that when the VB Commodore was released in 1978 it was smaller than the current family sedan "HZ Kingswood"
Now the HZ was sedan / wagon / ute / panel van / one tonner and stretched statesman
The commodore was sedan or wagon only
Sure the ute / van / statesman continued up to about 1984 - but why not produce the 4 door sedan as well the tooling is still there and so was the demand
A big loss for holden was large family cars , taxi's , fleet vehicles.
For people outside australia, the early commodore was based on Opel and not much bigger than say a BMW 3 series at the time or say a Camry today
Ford laughed all the way to the bank, XD falcons all the way to EA falcons were making a sales numbers killing.
The commodore was a decent car, came in 6 or V8 and later a 4 - but it should have been the replacement for the smaller torana not the larger set of vehicles.
My personal GM cars have been
1979 VB Commodore 235 V8
1985 VL Commodore with the Nissan engine
1992 VP Berlina - V6
1999 VT Commodore SS Series one with the 5.0 V8 - last of the Australian V8's ( Series 2 was the chev Gen 3 )
2002 VY Commodore based Statesman V6 Supercharged ( WH Statesman code )
2007 VE Commodore Based Statesman V6 ( WM Statesman Code )
Every single model drove better then the one before, everything, ride, steering , handling is better. The SS i kept until last xmas 2019 as our spare car because it was a bullet proof V8
Rather than say the 50's with just the big 3 manufacturers, there is a lot to choose from, sever completion from asia and toyotas being both very affordable and reliable vehicles.
With competition comes improvements and price wars, but eventually some one will fail and just fold.
The concept of the world car means sell a few variations of something, then just pick the one wilt the most success, then just sell that one car all over the world, no need for multiple body / running gear variations
Local manufacturing, well not anymore it is disappearing just like the dodo bird
Regards
George
GM also sold off Vauxhall here in the UK....Holden however had a much more passionate bunch of owners. GM has a lot to answer for as they were a contributory factor in Saab going bust in Sweden. You guys do some of the best car reviews as yet again you’ve made me emotional just watching this video. Great job guys I am a fan for life 🇬🇧🇺🇸
The funniest thing I find about the demise of the Australian front-engine RWD 4-door sedan Holden and Fords is that; in the early 90's, the motoring press was complaining about poor handling, heavy, live-axle, leaf-sprung fuel-thirsty cars; bemoaning the lack of refinement and IRS; saying that this was the cause of lacklustre Australian made cars. Now, instead of driving the refined sedans designed in new millennium, many Australians choose instead to drive heavy, thirsty, leaf-srung, live-axle dual-cab utes (pickups).
Go figure...
*lacklustre sales*
Funny people who say that shit drive a hillux
Absolutely true. They are all about saving the planet but just drive heavier suv type cars that never leave the bitumen, they have smaller engines with heavier bodies and get basicly the same fuel economy as a v6 commodore anyhow. Cost more to register. Cost more for tyres and servicing. And cost the environment more as they need more sheet metal. I work in a holden/ nissan dealership and its rediculous how wasteful the human race has become. All because people think they are safer in a top heavy suv. Tards. If you dont go off road, you do not need an suv. About 90 percent of the population.
I was almost expecting to hear a kookaburra (Aussie bird) laugh amongst the bird sounds in the final silence...
Great review and excellent commentary - Vale King Commodore, Australia’s greatest ever series production car. Put together by a bunch of ingenious and passionate Aussie engineers, on a paltry spit and polish budget from GM. Those folks at Holden could have built a space shuttle from cardboard and duct-tape.
A great send-off for a legendary vehicle. Thanks Geese!
Now you’ve done a Holden commodore ss you gotta do a ford falcon xr6t
I think Ford don't sell this model in US
Mr xudy I know he should come here
Gta Car guy Wish we had that over the garbage Taurus
Nobody in this hemisphere has a falcon
Don't worry, I got you covered mate!🇦🇺
Awesome review! I like how these guys get right to the nuts & bolts of the vehicle's design, history and driving characteristics without waffling on unnecessarily for hours. Hope they bought the owner a new set of rear tyres though!
2:20
"life has many doors ed boy"
excellent review of a modern classic
As an Australian born, ex-Ford Asia-Pacific (Melbourne) employee now working in PD at Lotus Cars at Hethel in the UK I was touched to see that you guys had gone to the trouble of doing your research on the Australian automotive industry, the Holden brand and the Commodore platform in support of this video - and shocked to hear that Australian viewers make up 30% of your viewers/subscribers!
Australian automotive design, engineering and development has always punched above its weight for both cost to do and quality of output (esp. given the small volumes). This was the case for locally built GMH, Ford, Mitsubishi, Toyota and further back, Chrysler & Leyland. Mostly compromised by a lack of support by global parent companies and a failure of those companies to incorporate antipodean product/platforms into their global strategies.
BTW, i've been watching your videos for a couple of years now, focus mostly on your Sports-car reviews and as a NC BBR 200 Bhp owner, particularly enjoyed your Miata/MX-5 generational videos. Great insight into those products both through the seat of your pants driving and the insider interviews that you shared.
I went to a Chevy dealer back in 2016-2017 and asked “Do you have one of those SS sedans I can look at?”
After checking with the dealership’s sales manager, she came back to educate me that the SS sedan “doesn’t exist” and I “must be thinking of the Camaro SS”. 😒
hahahahaha...... leave it to a salesperson... they dont know squat...!!
I had a similar conversation with my father-in-law last week. I'm in the market for a G8 GT and I mentioned the SS. He said "SS what? Malibu? Impala?". I said "and that's why they don't make them anymore, no one even knows it existed."
From a country where we only have (company) 1.0 & 1.2 liter hatchbacks and SUVs, the want for this Holden is great. You gotta live that drivetrain. Handsome sedan as well. R.I.P. Holden.
Not saying this car was ever going to be a sales hit but GM overreached hard with $50k pricing on these when they were new.
preach brother, they thought that people will choose this car over Accord or Camry
they couldn't sell them too cheap, there was a AU$1billion invested in the development. over the lifetime of the VE/VF commodore, they only sold 310,000 or so. say Holden made a profit of $2500 per car, thats only around $800 million.
Yeah, this is not a $50,000 car. I don't think the blame for lack of sales lies with the consumers- cars like this can sell but they have to be priced realistically and this is one of the more egregious examples.
Then how do you explain Dodge charging $70,000 for their garbage they call a Charger?
@@FerrellJ I didn't think so either till I purchased it. Although i got it with the 20% discount , this car is worth the 50K. It is the best driving car the average person never heard of.
I must say this is the best researched reviews I've seen of the SS. It's a big reason as to why I'm a fan of this channel.
I've seen other American reviews of this car where assumptions were made when a simple google search would have answered their questions.
Overall, this is both top notch content and a good tribute. Thanks 👍
Given how few of these sold, I suspect they will hold their value well in the enthusiast market, especially the handful manual trans cars. I really wanted to get one of these, but like a lot of other enthusiasts, I almost never consider paying the huge premium for a brand new car. And given how few there are, I predict these will get absolutely trashed by protein powder bros before they'll be affordable to your average car enthusiast. It's too bad Chevy set these cars up for failure in the U.S. Most people just think it's a 45-50K Malibu.
I had a 2015 manual SS and now have a 17 manual SS. The 15 is the first car I've ever sold and made money. The manual cars are rare and hold their values extremely well.
Most of the people that bought these cars were between 40-60+ so they're primarily owned by an older crowd. With that said, not sure who the future owners will be but hoping it's not the protein powder bros!
They do. I have shopped low mileage ones. And yea to pricey. Look up a Pontiac G8 GXP or a Fire Hawk edition. Holy hell. Very expensive.
Oh yeah it will I’m planning on getting one
Had a few Commodores over the years. You'd never pick one over the competition for having the best interior! They are still relaxing to drive & great mile eaters. V8 manuals will be sorely missed in years to come. Hat's off to the owner who lent it to you. Great vid too!
As an Aussie that's owned a VF Commodore (albeit the v6 version) I can totally relate and am still sad at the closure of Holden and the rest of the Automotive industry in Australia. The Aussie version differed a bit with some of the interior details, mainly the seats and the Chevy badge on the steering wheel but essentially the same car. A great car to drive, either to go shopping in or long distances. I never thought, "hey i need an SUV". And will never understand the huge attraction to the popularity of an SUV instead of a sedan or a wagon version of the same car, which looked great too. It's really sad that GM closed down Holden and that manufacturing has basically stopped in Australia. There was initial talk and rumours of the brand being bought and revived with just the V8 cars but that hasn't happened, which is a shame... :(
Frank Alarcon could not agree with you more mate. SUVs have nothing on these cars for chassis dynamics handling and character even the V6 model (I have a 2013 sv6 sports wagon). I love driving it daily and for long trips. Now Holden is gone I’ll hang onto it till I’m an old man.
@@thomasclayton169 Yep I had the SV6 sedan
The reason why Aussie's like your content is because your no BS and you have a sense of humor. Fair dinkum and speak the hard truths of the auto industry.
Thanks Ross!
Hey Lachy here from Australia 🇦🇺 Im a big fan of your channel! Thanks for this very special episode Savage geese.! I have owned 4 Holden Commodores and Im glad I had! Going to miss them lots!
I do love my Charger Scat Pack...but in a different way then I loved my SS. I miss my SS to be honest. Great car.
By the way, only reason they brought it to North America was because of agreements made to export a certain number of Holden's. Chevy never cared about the SS, never advertised it beyond it being the NASCAR body...it was doomed on arrival both because of Chevy's lack of care but also because I'm sure GM knew from the start they were going to be killing Holden.
I was shocked when NASCAR used the SS instead of the Impala (IIRC, at the time Ford was using the Taurus and Dodge was using the Charger... still pushing that whole Race-Sunday-Showroom-Monday thing)
I couldn't afford a Chevy SS when they were new, and by the time I could afford a fun-sports-car in late 2020, the manual SS's still command north of 40k.
I ended up finding a *new* '21 Camaro LT1 ("LT1" is a trim created for the 2020 model year with the interior of the 1LT with the drivetrain of the 1SS) with the same Tremec TR-6060 that's in the Chevy SS (now has rev-matching). My '21 Camaro was $29,000.00 after the dealer and GM rebates.
Much like the Chevy SS, practically no one even realizes that the Camaro LT1 trim exists.
GM's a funny bunch - That'll charge 50k for a new Chevy SS in 2017, then turn around and create the LT1 trim for the 6th Gen Camaro and give you one of Tremec's better transmissions and a 450HP V8 for less than 30k after rebates.
But like you said : They never cared about the SS actually selling... freaking goofs >_
Mr Goose: You have made my day today, thank you
Thank you so much for shining a light on this treasure of a car and bringing the pinnacle of humour to it. Personally I am from New Zealand but we still got these cars and they were just the perfect car and it made me really sad that Holden Australia Announced in 2017 that they were planing on closing their doors :(
You have my upmost respect for reviewing this car like non-other : )
I didn't even know this car existed until Doug Demuro made a video announcing it was being cut. I am a huge fan of the Pontiac G8
I appreciate you guys talking about the history and the economic realities. It’s sad to see Holden go away but sadder still that so many that lost their jobs.
Does Ross get new rear tires after y'all are done with it?
The ones he had on the car for the intro were bald. He brought us new rears which we installed for him during the shoot. ross was also present and laughing during the intro.
I don’t know this Ross. But I like him immensely.
@@jackholmes8105 Ross is a good dude. Glad to hear he enjoyed it as much as you guys.
I bought my Commodore VF Series 1 SSV Redline new from the dealer, best purchase I ever made. Love the car, only shame is that we will never see another one.
australian here, the commodore was something i wanted to get when i grew up. Now that i am its not viable anymore.
Christian Abraham why not ? I have one
Get one
Never cried for a car until 22:44 thanks for that, you guys continue to amaze
The Commodore/SS is an example of how a customer base that are most passionate about a product are often ignored
Thank you Ross! Epic car. I’ve always wanted one, but never quite pulled the trigger.
I had two (real) mid-90s Impala SS’ and really wanted to love this SS, but the shitiness of the corporate interior is unforgivable. The price tag was bonkers for what it was. It’s a damn shame. Holden getting shut down is a damn shame. America’s bloodlust for trucks and SUVs is root cause for these failures in this country. What happened to the day when Ma and Pa Kettle where happy with a Biscayne wagon with a 396 or 427 and air conditioning?
Agree. I wanted to trade my G8 in for an SS but saw no reason to based on pretty much all the reasons you listed
Was the 90's SS interior not just as shitty, especially the dash? It's just a massive slab really nasty plastic.
Wanted to say this is one of the top auto channels on UA-cam! Been watching for a couple of years and I hope you make it to a million subscribers and beyond. Great video on the SS.
Jack, great work. I know you're looking for a real ME job, but don't discount the soft skills that you are demonstrably growing here.
Fair and balanced review free from the myth building around these. Thanks.
Nick Murray was able to sell Jack a shirt I see:)
Nothing beats that instant fuel economy read out saying 3 MPG at the 15:19 mark!!! That's awsome!
LOL at the license plate holder. This thing really does look like a stupid malibu. Something tells me this thing is going to be the next GNX. A classic car in the next decade.
Because it will, these things are underrated and rare, this is coming from a C5Z owner
Thank you for that lovely vid. Last week I dropped my Nissan off at a service centre and walked past a deserted Holden dealership, didn't even have used cars out the front. It was not really that old a building, recently renovated. There was still paper on some of the desks inside. It's been a sad end but you describe perfectly the reason why this happened. Having driven in my friend's Model 3 recently I can see what the future has and Holden and probably all of GM was never going to get anywhere near that.
aussie holden guy: chev badge on my commodore please
murikan chev guy: holden badge on my ss please
ford guy:
Yeah. In Aus Holden hoons can be patriotic racist. Yet they put a Chevy bagde on their car and think Maccas is Ozzie. Most Holden Commodore enthusiasts in Oz are like Trumpies in the USA. Shame, I love the SS but I'd never own one for that reason.
@@ravingmad765 I love my Australian SS with it's Mexican-made Chev L98 V8, all made by an American company. It has Holden Badges. Lions don't wear Bow Ties.
@@ravingmad765 thanks for being a jerk.
RIP Holden....its a sad time....an Aussie icon gone forever, thankfully i have my 2004 VZ SV8 Commodore LS1 Auto.....great car and its in mint condition, im holding onto it.
As much as it was killed off, the plan was to bring it over as cop car - yup, which they did (practically the same specs!). Also the cop cars were to pay for the civilian model and then would eventually be made in North America but thing didn't work out well as Ford changed the cop car game - Explorer based interceptor. So you see, they are not idiots, just unable to control all the variables in a dynamic market.... of note, the previous camero shared this chassis. It was a great car in aussie land and is a great car here for a specific market. It just didn't get the love it deserved.... Like you mentioned, it was a lot of different cars as well as being a sports sedan ... a ute, a wagon, a regular boring sedan with a 6 etc.
Yes, though it was a predictable move by departments that had already started buying some big conventional SUVs. It really didn't make a lot of sense to buy this oddball Australian car that was smaller than the cars it was replacing and was of unknown reliability. It was much easier to sell departments on either a spacious Explorer with better visibility or a cheaper Charger that was more like the cars being replaced. Chevy couldn't win against that competition, and everyone of any sense knew it, but GM didn't want to give up what had been a profitable sales channel.
Thanks to Ross for providing the opportunity for Savagegeese to do such an amazing and thorough review. Great work guys! I've been eyeing this car for some time.
This is one of my favorite GM products and I really wish it had been able to survive GM’s apathy and mismanagement. RIP Holden
Yet another Aussie subscriber. Loved the Holden SS / Chevrolet video. Sad that our local manufacturers are gone. I think one of the reasons we love Savage Geese so much is the detail and depth you guys go to in your reviews. Also the "fair dinkum" ( tell it like it is) style. Our local reviewers tend to be scared to make any negative comments, & end up being advertorials for car manufacturers.