Holden Commodore SS 2007 Review

The temperature in the $40-50,000 segment of family sedans that can double as a weekend performance car went up a notch or two in 2006. Suddenly, the locals with their brute force and size faced serious competition from more sophisticated and frugal alternatives.

Holden took the battle right to the line with an all-new VE SS that not only matched top-shelf safety, braking, handling and styling benchmarks but reduced the entry price by almost $7000.

The result? Though some equipment levels were reduced (the SS V more closely matches the VZ SS), one of the most exciting drives of 2006. A week covering over 500km confirmed that the SS is one of the year's best releases and the best, as Motor magazine discovered in its recent Bang for your Bucks awards, if you want benchmark performance.

Indeed, it still seems unbelievable that less than $45,000 can buy 270kW/530Nm, six-speed manual, disc brakes the size of dinner plates and handling balance that sets a new standard for this type of vehicle. When servicing and parts are tied to mainstream Holden costs, it also qualifies as one of the year's bargain buys.

At least two people who examined the test car closely, ordered similar models immediately. It just doesn't look like a $45,000 car. Out of all this year's test cars, it attracted the most attention. The $300 Track stripe option which adds black rally panels through the centre of the car seemed to give the SS more of a special vehicle look. Most observers had trouble believing that it was not $20,000 dearer.

So what's the catch? As noted above, to get the price down, Holden has returned to the formula of the very first HQ SS which was based on the poverty Belmont.

Where the SS-V is based on upper VE levels with projector headlights, big centre screen, extra gauges, dual-zone climate control and other premium features, the SS is basically the base Omega with cloth sports seats, upgraded door hardware, simple air-conditioning, six-disc CD and basic leather-covered steering wheel. Most of the money goes into the 6-litre V8 and its six-speed manual (or optional six-speed auto), sports suspension, beefier rear axle, quad exhausts, sports body kit, 18-inch alloys, side airbags and spot lamps.

For its intended dual family/sports function, the essentials are all there. Start ticking the option boxes and the value for money equation falls apart very smartly. Those who might be tempted by some of the imported alternatives listed above could find the SS dash and interior presentation underwhelming. The VE dash design carries a family resemblance to the current Astra; not the classiest or most practical dash presentation around.

Although Holden switches to black trim for the SS and adds extra centre plastic to break up the standard dash, not everyone is convinced. I would rather Holden spend my money on the performance hardware as they have done but buyers swayed by cabin presentation might reject the SS without ever sampling what it has to offer.

There is a mode of thinking out there that if a car is below par in the areas you can see, buyers won't take a punt on what they can't see. Companies like Honda and Mazda are thriving by delivering smart interiors.

Although the SS dash doesn't bother me, the instrument cluster does. At launch, the extra SS calibration scale over the Omega was welcome but coming at it cold, the low contrast and calibrations are a dog's breakfast. The calibrations are so fine and numbers so small, it's like switching your eyes from the road to read a micrometer. You can then waste valuable time trying to decide which scale to read. The red instrument lighting also turns the numbers into a blur at night forcing the driver to dial-in a light setting to make them legible that is not always the best for driving.

When the SS is so quick, speed reading the gauges could mean the difference between spending a night as a guest of Her Majesty and a fine. Holden needs to drop the special effects and return to function.

All of this pales into insignificance as soon as you turn the key. I liked the SS/SS-V from the moment I first drove one and thousands of kilometres later, I love it even more. This car rocks even as you crank it over. It is a car of substance and feels unbreakable over Australian roads.

And unlike so many imports, you don't have to be driving at warp speed to get a thrill from driving it. Tootling around town, the new VE driveline is so refreshingly free of shunt that it allows you to let the big V8 drop down to impossible revs for reasonable fuel economy.

That said, although10lt/100km is easily achievable on the open road, it can soak up to 15-16lt/100km around town. More if you max it through the gears.

Claims that the VE Commodore makes others look old school don't apply here and can generate unrealistic expectations. Despite the VE's wonderful new suspension and chassis, the lumpy SS ride quality around town is on the limit for comfortable family use. And despite recent advances in clutch and gearbox effort, the driving feel is more heavy metal 1970s than 21st century plastic. After all, it still has a high-torque pushrod V8 and a manual transmission that can be traced back to the ark hauling almost two tonnes.

At low speed, it is still a heavy chunky car to drive compared to most of those listed above, an impression reinforced by the beefy optional steering wheel and gear lever knob. Yet this is its main appeal. Approach it as an up-to-the-minute refinement of an old-school muscle car and you will be delighted.

Out on the open road, I would question why anyone needs to pay $200,000 for an old muscle car for driving when the SS can provide all the thrills and then some. The way it shrinks around you at speed as the huge power, powerful brakes and accurate steering and handling wipes away its bulk, made it feel as light and agile as the several XU-1 Toranas I owned during the 1970s.

Despite the fly-by-wire throttle control, the power could be used to adjust the cornering attitude in small increments and the balance and stiffness of the VE platform are something to behold.

It is just a great car when it is out on the open road, even the ride smoothes out.

At night, the standard lights do a reasonable job with the spot lights filling in the gaps. The fact that the SS gets on with it, without the distraction of complex onboard information, will appeal to those drivers who simply want a car for the purity of the driving.

When models like the SS often perform everyday family duties in the hands of a second or third driver, there are several issues to consider. Even though BMW's top-shelf coupes now offer a fold down back seat, the SS doesn't. It is plenty wide enough for three growing offspring in the back with heaps of legroom but can't carry their surfboards or bikes.

Like all its VE brethren it is also bigger than it looks and has a big turning circle. Thus it can intimidate less confident drivers when so much sheet metal including the big wheel arches disappears when behind the wheel. The rear spoiler can also block the view for shorter drivers.

The thickness of the windscreen pillars generated by the VE's advanced crash safety structure has prompted colleagues to measure them but in reality they are not significantly thicker than other recent releases.

To determine how much they can hide, I drove up to a power pole until it was almost touching the right front corner, leaning over the wheel to do it.

When I returned to my normal driving position, the pole disappeared behind the A-pillar even though it was in front of the car and only two metres away. It confirmed why several professional drivers had called me to warn readers that in some positions the pillars can hide a pedestrian or even small car/motorcycle in a roundabout.

The VE is not alone in this and personally, it was not an issue but for some shorter drivers it may be. Before signing on the dotted line, make sure that other drivers expected to drive the SS are confident they can handle it.

The SS is simply such good value... It offers 95-100 per cent of the capabilities of any homegrown muscle car ever sold in Australia for just over half the price of its HSV GTS stablemate.

That leaves almost enough for a brand new Toyota RAV4/Holden Captiva/Honda CR-V/Subaru Forester/Mitsubishi Outlander for a similar overall spend.

Less outlay also means less to lose when selling it on. If anything highlights the value in the VE SS, it is this one.