A few days ago I showed the new VF Holden Commodore in Calais V for – the luxury spec model. I thought it looked both bloated and derivative. I wasn’t impressed, though the poll from the same post shows that readers didn’t mind its gastronomous looks as much as I did – you voted for the new one almost 3-to-1. Overnight, images of the VF Holden Commodore SSV version, the sportier model in the Commodore range – and it looks a hell of a lot better.
I still have problems with that ducktail on the rear end but over all, this is a much more appealing look than the Calais V we saw the other day. The chrome treatments on the Calais have been replaced with sportier, more aggressive black. The quad-pipe exhaust, sportier foglamps embedded in deeper bumpers also change the car’s mood considerably.
Finally, I like it.
US readers – GM’s North American head honcho Mark Reuss is due to release this car on the weekend in North America as the Chevrolet SS, hence Holden releasing images today even though the VF Commodore won’t go on sale until mid-year.
Click the images to enlarge.
——
Well I don’t mind the new look. It probably should have been out a couple of years back with another facelift slotted in for say 2014 to keep the car fresh through life. But the GFC fixed that. Hence th ebad drop off in sales. It also gets the “Corporate look” after the lesser cars in the Holden Range” whereas this should always occur first, now you say “Oh it looks like a Cruze or worse a Barina” rather than “Wow the new Barina has the Commodore looks”.
But hopefully for th eplant here in SA sales will take off.
I suspect it was due back in 2011 originally if you consider the car now has the “Corportate Wiring Loom” giving it features like a HUD that the SAAB 9-5 had in 2011. On the SAAB subject i came very close to buying one of the last new 9-5s here in Oz, but the lease company was very wary of th ewarranty support. I was looking forward tot eh HUD. My solution was to keep leasing my old 2002 Aero for another 2 years.
Oh I shoudl have said I am not a fan of the new dash. Too “Nokia” for me give me an understated dashboard anyday.
Looks better but still not my cuppa. Too damn big for one thing, but then I’ve always shied away from big Aussie cars and argued the need for them. Got a feeling the updated Falcon will look better.
That flattened Commodore steering wheel remind me of the ‘square’ shaped wheels that featured on a large Australian car in the seventies. It was designed so that you could slide onto the bench seat and the typical Aussie ‘beer gut’ wouldn’t foul on the steering wheel. Well that’s what one motoring reporter said at the time. I remember reading it at school and having quite a laugh.
The outside of this car is OK, I guess. The interior, though….those seats do not look very comfortable. Although it is leather, they look flat and hard. And the dash….too much red.
No stick option in the US Chevy SS version. Next please.
I guess Mr. Reuss didn’t get the memo, It’s all about the clutch. GM has failed, again. They spiked the American football on the one yard line because they were more interested in a touchdown dance celebration than actually scoring a touchdown. What is the point of a high performance BMW M5 killer or four door Corvette when you can’t get clutch pedal with a standard transmission. GM has not learned from their mistakes. Four years after Pontiac died a used 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP still sells for 90% of it’s retail price when a manual transmission is on board. The same car with an automatic sells for 40 – 50% of the original price. The base G8 with an automatic transmission and a V6 is worthless. Epic Fail Mr. Reuss. No stick, no sale. I really wanted to buy one of these, oh well. I guess I’ll just cram the children into the back seat of a Ford Mustang GT with a manual transmission and a good old fashioned clutch pedal.