Holden Commodore SS V-Series Redline
Australia's Best Driver's Car 2016

5th

The fate of Australian-made cars has been sealed – they'll be extinct within 18 months -- but that doesn't mean they're going to quietly disappear with their tails between their legs. Holden's SS-V Redline is a brilliant example of just how good Aussie engineering can be. The finest hot factory Commodore to date is not only raw, loud and aggressive but accomplished enough to be driven hard and fast with supreme confidence. If Australia's Best Driver's Car is all about primal reward, the humble Holden has nailed it!

When terms like "Australia's best kept secret", "soul-stirring", "they've saved the best till last" and "it's simply too good to die" are articulated by the judges of Australia's Best Driver's Car 2016, it's clear the car in question has had a visceral impact.

But the Holden Commodore SS V-Series Redline blasted into the ABDC top five not by way of emotion, charity or even pity. No, this car did it on merit and raw, unadulterated talent.

That a humble Holden Commodore has edged out more fancied rivals to snaffle fifth place in one of the toughest performance car tests in this country is gob-smacking and well-deserved.

Buckle up, find a bending stretch of asphalt and, with V8 engine booming and your adrenaline pumping, this car is more entertaining than Paris Hilton's post-jail term interview on David Letterman's Late Show.

The Redline's front-end bites beautifully and delivers loads of feel and control thanks to the tweaks made to the updated FE3 suspension. In tandem with the big-banger 6.2-litre LS3 V8 plying its trade diligently, exploring the Commodore's grip limits over the week of testing on road, track, airstrip and drag way was an undeniably pleasurable exercise.

On the first day of testing the SS-V felt a little large and intimidating, but the more time spent behind the wheel, the more capable it became. It's one of those vehicles that inspire confidence without making you overly cocky, an issue I had with the Porsche.

All judges praised the car's ride quality, body control and grip, one claiming its "perfectly balanced chassis" is ideally suited to Australian roads. No argument there.

Where some cars were too stiff (C 63 AMG, I'm looking at you) and reacted awkwardly to mid-corner cracks and bumps in the road surface (MINI too), the more compliant Commodore ate them up and spat them out, roaring imperiously and snarling loudly as it punched out of corners.

OK, so there's a touch of body roll on tighter bends but there's so much front-end grip from the 19-inch 245/40 Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tyres that it makes little difference to corner entry and exit speeds.

The wider 275/35 rear tyres do a neat job of keeping the rear-end hooked up, but this is a muscle car with almost 600Nm of torque, so inducing progressive oversteer is as enjoyable as taking a juicy bite out of a succulent nectarine. It's real tasty.

The Holden's prodigious, linear power delivery really comes into focus on the racetrack, where the naturally-aspirated V8's response gives the driver a clear, linear line of communication between throttle, engine and rear wheels. The result is seamless, predictable delivery of substantial performance that unites car and driver.

It's the intimate connection between car and driver that makes the Redline so entertaining and rewarding to drive and, in a comparison like this, that level of engagement and satisfaction really stands out.

But what's also astonishing is just how closely the big, brutal SS matched many more celebrated and more expensive performance cars in a variety of measures performance tests on both the racetrack and drag strip.

Bang for your buck? Tip top.

The Commodore's only downsides are the manual gearshifts best described as rubbery, a heavy clutch action and the car's physical size. On tight, twisty roads it can't compete with the dexterity of smaller hot hatches. Throw in some rain and the situation is exacerbated.

That said, the stoppers are excellent, with big 355/360mm rotors gripped by Brembo callipers.

Often seen at the front of the pack snarling its way between apexes, the Holden was rarely criticised during our week on test. And the most commonly asked question from local Tasmanians was "Mate, that's not a stock exhaust, is it?"

As the custodian of the Holden for the ABDC mega test, it was my duty to wear a flannelette shirt and, in proud bogan style, answer this oft-asked question with a nod and a tickle of the loud pedal, just to reiterate the Commodore's animal nature.

Yes, we can't say enough about the crisp, brassy exhaust note that helps connect car and driver better than almost any other car here, as each flex of your right foot resonates through the dual exhaust system like a glorious war cry.

Brutally fast and ultimately engaging, this is a proper driver's car that happens to also seat five adults in comfort. By almost every measure, it ran rings around the only other big sedans here – the Falcon XR6 Sprint and HSV's ClubSport LSA, which costs $25,000 more.

As such there was plenty of emotion in the notes scribbled by judges whenever they stepped out of Holden's finest ever Commodore.

"I weep bitter tears at the thought this is the last real crack at Commodore," wrote one judge.

Emotion, history and patriotism aside, the SS-V Redline was a standout performer in ABDC 2016, and is absolutely deserving of its high finish.

This is not only the best Commodore Holden has ever made, but one of the most accomplished V8 sports sedans we've ever driven.

2016 Holden SS V-Series Redline pricing and specifications:
Price: $54,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 6.2-litre eight-cylinder petrol
Output: 304kW/570Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 12.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 293g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP

motoring.com.au’s 2016 Australia’s Best Driver’s Car

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