Holden Commodore SSV, 6.0-liter V-8 Engine Gives Plenty Of Power

Holden Commodore SSV hot sedan

This car is a different animal in different countries: The Holden Commodore SSV in its native Australia, where it is almost the hottest Holden you can buy; the Pontiac G8 GT in North America, and the Vauxhall VXR-8 in the UK - actually the Brits get a more sporty spec with an extra 50 bhp, but the cars are similar. I'll call it the Commodore SSV in this test, as that's the original.

Basically, this is a good looking car, with well-balanced lines, and a semi-fastback line which gives good rear headroon thanks to the high waist-line. At first, though, the Holden Commodore SSV is a bit of a shocker. Metallic orange paint, and you slide into an orange trimmed seat, and there in front of you are an orange speedo and rev-counter, and orange panels in the fascia. Hmmm.

Looking around, I was impressed by the quality of the finish and layout - far superior to the interior of the Monaro, which looked cheap inside. Start the engine, and there is just a frisson of excitement as that ragged V-8 jumps to life. This is the same basic engine as you get in the Corvette, but this model boasts 360 bhp, instead of the 400 bhp of the Corvette and Holden's HSV Clubsport R8.

The seat feels as if it has good support, and the driving position is fine. So far so good. The new Commodore SSV gets a sport look with pretend side air intakes at the front and a big wing which restricts rear vision quite a lot. 

Otherwise, all-round vision is pretty good apart from the massive windscreen pillars which create blind spots in some situations.

Dip the clutch and push the lever forward to go into first, and you get the first hint of things not being perfect the six-speed box offers a lot of resistance. Never mind, let's power away and you do. This version of the GM 

V-8 has reasonable torque from 2,500 rpm, and the power starts to come on strong around 3,000 rpm, and pushes the Commodore forward at impressive speeds up to 6,000 rpm.

Bucketfuls of engine power

This a fun engine, with bucketfuls of power whenever you want it, although there is not the low-speed grunt you might expect from a 6-liter mill. Look at the spec, and you will see why. The new Commodore has a stiff and fairly heavy body despite the use of high-strength steel, and all that gear adds weight. So this is quite a heavy car at 3,995 lb (1,812 kg) so the power:weight ratio is less than 200 bhp per tonne.

Even so acceleration is rapid, the lower gears taking you up to 45, 65 and 93 mph.

The six-speed soon shows itself to be a weak link in the plot. It has very tall fifth and sixth ratios and a tall axle gear ratio for effortless cruising, so when you want to hurry you need to slot down to third or fourth. The trouble is that although the synchro works fine, any gearshift requires a lot of effort. There is none of that hot-knife-through-butter shifting you get with a Porsche or BMW or even a Honda.

The actual gate is fine, but it is just the effort needed - somewhat reminiscent of the rear-mounted box in the Corvette. Once you are in the gear you want with the right revs available this is a stormer of a car. The engine delivers, but more to the point, the chassis works very well.

Excellent steering

The steering is excellent, partly because the rack is now front-mounted, ahead of the suspension, which results in quicker response. The steering also gives good feedback of what is happening and gets full marks. It is worth noting that Audi has gone for a front mounted rack on the S5, so the Commodore is right there leading the trend. But that's not the point: the point is that it works well.

This steering, combined with the new strut front suspension and multi-link rear end give the Commodore good stability on the straight and narrow and there are a lot of that sort of roads in Australia, lined with trees in West Australia and quick, responsive turn-in at the corners.

At first, I was not so impressed with the handling because the seat is wide and slippery, so although it looks fine, you need to brace yourself in tight corners. Actually, the fashionable leather trimmed seats are that fashionable. They get much too hot in hot weather and would get too cold in cold weather, and they don't have the grip you get from a good cloth trimmed seat. All the car companies are into the leather fashion, but I suppose it will pass.

Good handling supple suspension

With a few more miles under my belt, I warmed to the Commodore SSV. The steering is truly excellent. You just set the car up for a long curve, and round it goes, tracking beautifully. The suspension is not quite as hard as you might expect from a sporty sedan, and the car does roll quite a bit on tight bends, or if you need to change direction quickly.

That apart, the handling is good, with mild under steer turning to a tendency to over steer when you push hard. On bumpy corners, the car can side step, but it does it in a muted, balanced way. Overall, the Commodore SSV gets full marks for handling.

It has quite a bit of rubber on the road with fashionably large 19 by 8 inch wheel, shod with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A 245/40R tires18 inch wheels are standard, and the Pontiac is offered with the option of 20-inch wheels for show. Don't buy them unless you need to impress your neighbors.

Although the brakes work well enough, they are not as positive as in the best cars. Nor does the ride get full marks. The Commodore rides well over undulations, but is not supple enough to cope well with poor tarmac surfaces which are quite common in main roads in Western Australia, and in Europe.

There are a few other oddities, too, such as the trip computer which is not as easy to use as most, the instruments which are not clear enough, and the handbrake which is so well integrated into the tunnel it is not easy to use.

Even so, the Commodore SSV/Pontiac G8 GT is a well-balanced sporty sedan. No, it is not a sports car, but if you need the space that this tall and fairly large car provides large by European standards, not in the US, where it is the same size as the Cadillac CTS then you can still have a lot of fun. Unless you are a stick-shift fanatic, the six-speed automatic makes a lot of sense.