The Holden Commodore’s prospects seem reasonably bright in the near future compared to their Ford counterparts. It seems a little tough to cut the Falcon out of Ford’s picture come 2016; however I guess Ford sees it as necessary with the costs of producing cars, here in Australia, being very high. Hopefully, GM will continue to see Holden as an integral part of their development plan going forward so that Holden Australia can continue to produce fabulous new cars like the latest Holden Commodore VF SS range.

An Air Commodore is a mid-rank officer in the air force, while the word Commodore in naval circles applies to a naval officer of high rank. Appropriately, Holden uses the name Commodore for their range of big Australian built cars. Cars like the new Holden Commodore SS range, without difficulty, rubs shoulders with big European marques like BMW and Mercedes Benz. Late model Holden Commodores are very well designed cars that offer performance to match the likes of a BMW 5 and 7 Series equivalent. Sit inside a car like the large Commodore VF SS sedan, and the level of comfort and equipment is very satisfying, in a warm, roomy Holden sort of way. A new rounded styling with gallant headlight and taillight designs is part of the new VF styling package. Five-star ANCAP safety is standard.

Exceptional leg, shoulder and head room make the new VF Series Holden Commodore SS one of the largest cars money can buy. And speaking of money, buy a Holden and you are saving yourself a whole lot of money compared to if you were to fork out for something remotely equivalent from the European corner. Sit yourself down in the sport leather seats, and you quickly find that the Commodore SS offers exceptional comfort. Switchgear and instrumentation fall into place about the driver’s cockpit in great ergonomic fashion. One of the highlights about the Commodore SS drive is that all the numbers on the inset speedometer and rev counter, and all the information on the information screen in the centre of the dash display are easy to read and clear to understand. Pleasant silver trim and chrome finishing highlight the speedometer and rev counter, the air vents and the storage area about the gear lever. Another feature enjoyed by the driver is the neatly designed steering wheel that sits snugly in your hands and features a flattened lower portion of the steering wheel circle. I noticed numerous large storage compartments about the Holden Commodore SS cabin, and there are some sensibly sized cup holders positioned behind the gear lever. Sipping coffee and driving to work in any of the new VF Commodore SS line-up compares very much with something a high executive of a company might enjoy doing.

The entry level model to the VF Commodore SS range is the Commodore SS. Entry in SS terms means that you truly are entering into a Commodore range of cars that provides a high level of class luxury and superior performance. A new Holden Commodore SS boasts Bluetooth with enhanced voice control, a MyLink Infotainment system with an 8-inch touch-screen, full iPod integration and automatic head lamps. MyLink Infotainment, via the touchscreen, hooks you directly up to some of the car’s features like hands free phone calling, USB connection, the CD player and music streaming via the internet. There’s even a USB port to connect your compatible smartphone or portable hard drive, so you’re never without your favourite music. The MyLink system in the VF Commodore SS can also receive and read out text messages to you while you are driving with the clever ‘text to speech’ function.

The Holden Commodore VF SS range continues with two other models. An SS-V variant provides you with plusher Sportec and Suede appointed seating, adjustable lumbar support for the driver, a leather wrapped steering wheel, an enhanced multifunction display and a sunroof, to name a few of the extra goodies you’ll find with the SS-V package. Opt for the SS-V Redline variant and a lot of what you’ll find in the SS-V model you’ll get in the Redline, however the audio system is upgraded to a premium nine-speaker audio, and satellite navigation is standard. You’ll also find that three excellent active safety features are standard on-board the Redline. These are Colour Head-up Display, a Forward Collision Alert system and a lane departure warning system.

Redline refers to some extra goodies when it comes to performance, too. Brembo brakes and an FE3 Ultra Sports suspension are standard on SS-V Redline Commodore models. All new VF Commodore SS range variants have one thing in common, and that is ample reserves of thrilling performance. The standard setup is a V8 petrol engine, with 270 kW and a six-speed manual transmission. A six-speed automatic transmission with Active Select is optional along with a 260 kW version of the V8.

Enjoyable, spirited performance with room for seating five adults in top comfort and safety is what the magnificent Holden Commodore VF SS range is all about.

The current VF Holden Commodore SS models include the:

• Commodore SS
• Commodore SS-V
• Commodore SS-V Redline

For any more information on the VF Holden Commodore SS range or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Holden dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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