It’s funny seeing all the people in the comments “it’s not a Chevy” it was built in Australia. Yes, it is designed by gm and built by gm. The Holden’s are the same thing just built in Australia. They aren’t different
NO! Are you kidding!?? Holdens are not "just the same thing." You show you really know nothing about the company and its history. Holden has now been killed off by its parent, GM to the eternal wrath of Australians all. Holden had a history stretching back to the days before motor cars were a thing. Most Holdens had very little input from GM in Detroit. Most Holden models (including your SS ...what we called the VF Holden SS) were fully designed in Australia. The early model cars were made super tough so they could cope with not only modern highways in Australia's cities but also terrible roads in the outback. They were virtually bullet-proof. The only way you could kill them was to write them off in an accident or run the engine without any oil otherwise they just took a beating and kept coming back for more. The SS Chevy / Holden SS was really the sport iteration of the basic VF Commodore which could be had as a 6 cylinder everyday car, a station wagon and a ute. The long wheelbase model was called the Statesman or the Caprice and these were sold in the US for police use as "PPVs." The VF Commodore was totally designed in Australia from the ground up. The only GM commonality is in the LZ series V8s and the V6 motors (which were designed for worldwide GM use with tons of input from Holden engineers. GM always saw Holden's engineering team as specialists with V6 engines). Outside of the engines every bit of a VF Commodore is peculiarly Australian...built with very high Australian content...even in the vehicle electronics. World motoring writers who have driven all the VF models have been very impressed with the build quality, power and, in particular (an Aussie speciality) the handling. These are truly world class cars designed and built in a country with a population of only around 26 million people! Sorry...but to write that they were designed and built by GM is like saying the Eiffel Tower was designed in Kentucky!!!
If you want to go down that route, you'd love to know that the Camaro was actually designed by Holden. So one could argue that the Camaro is actually an Australian car too.
As a couple of others have said... It is a HOLDEN Commodore, thats why litre is spelt correctly. Only rebadged as a Chev to help Americans feel comfortable with the brand. Was built in Adelaide, South Australia. And when trying to open the rear door.... just push the button on the handle and it will unlock lol
@@JustinWalker77 It was still manufactured in Australia at the Holden plant as were all the Commodore's. It was then badged and sent to the USA to be sold as a Chev SS. It is literally just a left hand drive Commodore SS
your SS was built in Elizabeth in South Australia it was the last series of Holdens built, GM fucked over the Australian government by taking its financial assistance which was to continue manufacturing in Australia, and used it to get their bankrupt GM in the states out of chapter 11, and closed the Australian branch of GMH which as the only one of GMs branch that was making a profit the car was totally designed in Australia after that GM thought it would import shit heaps from Europe but after they fucked over the Australians they couldn't give them away. In Australia, the VF commodore enhanced by HSV you could buy them with LSA engines and their GTS which was making 480kw LSA. every SS from year 1 to now are sort after in Australia we know how good they are the VE and VF SS are fine cars and we love them
And to think that cars like this will soon be a thing of the past. Driving one of these is like a day at Disneyland every single time; love the understated design even though it's a monster under the hood.
This is my realistic goal dream car. Hoping to make it happen sometime soon, maybe even this year. I really want mine in a manual though. This is perfect as I can play both family man and errand runner while also having a generous amount of power under the hood. Plus I just love how most people would think it is just a Malibu, I sure did the first few times I saw them. I was like "What is it with people putting performance exhausts and cams on their Malibus lately? And when the hell did they make a Malibu SS?" 😄
For those who don’t know, there are cup holders in the back seat there is a button above the seat if you press it another arm rest will appear but it’s made of plastic and it opens to the trunk but hey you still get two cup holders
There is also a VF redline, series 2 LS3 6.2 litre, with electric steering and race tuned suspension. 275 on rear, and 235 on steers. These things hammer ! Also has launch control, and mine has 47,000 km, or 29,200 miles with a six speed manual
It's not "just a Chevy ss with Holden badges" it's a Holden commodore ss built in Australia, yes it has gm's Ls engine in it however the entire thing head to toe is made, manufactured in Australia by holden
well the windscreen came from Thailand, the motor from Mexico but everything was put together here in Australia. I remember buying parts for the instrument clusters for these and we had to mis-appropriate some from the Mexican factory producing Malibu clusters which have very similar integrated circuits on the cluster pcb.
@@baird55aus body and chassis is design and built by hsv aus my work colleague was part of the hsv design team for the ve to the vf, and also yes that’s what manufacturers do is source parts from outside company’s for example I work at intenational nz where we are building so called American trucks even though our chassis is built in nz and axles are from Europe but they still call it American haha😂
when you are standing near the car with the key with you just press the lil button on the handle and it will unlock..... it is a great daily drive, i love my one......
These were the last cars to be made by Holden and they were the peak of the Australian motor industry. Too bad our government hates manufacturing anything so they scrapped all the car companies. I have driven one of these in the six speed manual and it is a really impressive car.
The VE Commodore was nicknamed the Billion Dollar Car because that is what Holden spent to develop it. The VF was a later model. I have a standard VE SS manual version in Australia. Mine is lowered and needs about150kg of weight in the boot over the rear axle just to help it better stick to the road. Owned mine for 11 years now and done a lot of low altitude flying in it. This car just gives you a sense of confidence and handles so well. With the right tires, it doesn't matter too much if it is raining.
@@andrewsmith8729 Sorry Andrew, I'll go into a little more detail. Your statement referring to the VE as the billion dollar car gives the impression that the car itself absorbed all that money in it's development but that's not the case. About $350 million dollars went into upgrading the production facility to build the car, since it was a 'fresh sheet' design and not sharing any components from the previous model concerning it's body shell. GM had also improved assembly techniques as well so a 'freshen up' if you will of the existing plant was undertaken, so the actual car itself only cost about $650 million to develop. A lot of development was undertaken in the US by GM for example it's 'Zeta' floorpan architecture where GM had actually poached two engineers from BMW who were a part of the M5 program. This floorpan design was also intended for other GM models to be produced and sold by GM in the US and around the world, for example the new Camaro. I hope this helps Andrew. By the way you're a brave man to say that cornering in the VE at speed even in the wet is child's play. You must be a skilled and accomplished driver. Well done man. 😉👍
@@OliverMoore1973 There is a video on YT about their development..... It is ages since I watched it....can't remember too much about it.....on one of my many hard drives somewhere. I own both a VE SS sedan and a MY2015 VF Redline SSV sedan..both manuals. The VE I bought with 44k on the clock in 2010 and got it lowered 35 mm a week later. After a few sets of tyres, I settled on Continental Max Contacts, and they are what I have used for the last 3 or 4 sets. That is pretty much stock. When I bought my VF, it went into a shop. I spent 20 k on it. My want was something that performed better without being a cop magnet or too ridiculous. That was lowered 20 mm and evened out so it sat level front to back. It got a brand new set of Continental MC6 on it the day after I got it home and registered. They both have a heap of tools etc in the boot sitting over the rear axle. I find that 50 to 100 kg helps a bit.... there will be people who disagree. One of the reasons I don''t have an issue about driving in the wet is this mindset about driving smooth and not panicking. There was a truckie who owned a heap of busted-arse Bedfords. He started a driving school. My old man figured if he that had not managed to kill himself driving those old trucks, then he must know something about driving. That is where he sent me. Years later, somebody handed me a copy of Drive to Survive by Frank Gardiner and I purchased a couple of books by Peter Wherret. I don't know if I am a good driver or not. The only thing I know is I fell off 3 or 4 road bikes at speed before I was 28 and decided that cars were probably safer. Thirty years later, I have made some mistakes, but I have never been in a road accident driving a car... and I have done a lot of low altitude flying. The key to survival is knowing your limits and being willing to admit them. Personally, I don't like driving on dirt or loose gravel roads. Wet roads don't bother me too much because I know how my cars are set up.
@andrewsmith8729 Hey, 👍 to hear man... I'm a truck driver myself and have owned lot's of Commodores and sold cars in Perth for 6 years all up so I know my way around cars and, importantly, the road... you're dead right about gravel roads they're bastards and I'm a bit of a pussy in the wet, I always take it easy and don't try anything new or clever.... Like you, I'd prefer to see another day but having a crashed car in the middle of wherever doesn't sound so sweet so I prefer the high speed straight kind of stuff personally... I heard through our finance guy at work that 70% of SS utes that crash is always sideways into an object!😃 so I admire your 100kg balast over the rear axle and quality tyre selection 👌 I tended to stick with Bridgestone Turanza serenity plus being an excellent all rounder and quiet. Thanks again man and to quote Hill Street Blues... "Be careful out there"
I live in Australia and I own one of the last of the VF Holden Commodore Storm Sports Wagons. 2015 6 litre V8s. I traded my 2010 VE SS Sedan , (up until then the best car I have ever owned) in on it at with 160,00 ks. in 2017, for the VF as this is going to be my last car as I am 73 years old. I am going out driving THE BEST! I bought it for $35ks and and it is now worth $45ks. Class appreciates! I can't believe they have stopped making them. I have driven them since 1985, starting with a little Brocky VK, then VN, VR, VX, VE and now VF. What a privilege it has been I have been very fortunate and am very thankful. Yet another worth while product destroyed.
hey Denis dont give up bud,it doesnt have to be your last car,my mom is 82 and she had a suv and got in a wreck,she's ok but her suv was totaled so she needed a new car so since i only work on chevys and v8's are the best and easiest to work on and she wanted another suv we drove for hours to go pick up a 2006 chevy trailblazer SS. haha so she's 82 and cruising around in a LS2 powered rear wheel drive black trailblazer ss haha everyone that see's her says hi,nice ride mam,but alot of people dont know what it is,but anyways cheers from texas denis.
Your Chevy SS as you call it was made in Adelaide South Australia and shipped to the States, it's a Holden Commodore rebadged as a Chevy SS, not the other way around. Litre happens to be the correct way to spell Litre, but of course the Yanks always play around with the English language to suit themselves. Liter is the incorrect way to spell LITRE.......
@@markgriffin4888 Yes you are right, as I said the Yanks love to ruin the English language, you point out just a few examples of what they change. They don't like words that end in RE, they have to change it to ER. They also don't like the letter U, eg. Humor, Neighbor, Color etc. Trust the Yanks........
The Chev SS in America is what we call the Holden Calais in Australia. The standard Holden SS doesn’t come out with the heated seats, HUD’s display, automatic start and a few of the other things that where mentioned.
I wish the Australian version had some of the finer things that the US version has.. like seat cooling, memory seats, elec seats for the passenger, apple car play (i think), all these things the Australian version doesn't have, plus a few others.. which makes it really disappointing... but without those things, it's still such an amazing car and still has the full package when it come to luxury and performance
It's not even a trunk on the Holden cars mate we say under the bonnet towards the once was beautiful builds Australian made Holden cars in Australia here mate
So funny here in australia all the guys who dont have aussie pride stick chev badges on the commodores but in america they r putting holden badges on them so cool
Firstly here’s a bit of history, Holden is an iconic brand downunder first established in 1856 making Saddles, Harnesses and equipment in Adelaide eventually changing its focus to manufacturing cars, the first Holden vehicle rolled of the assembly line on November 29th 1948 building its reputation over the years until GM decided to cease all right-hand production cars globally by 2020, that VF SS LS3 your showing is nowhere in the same category as the Camaro, Malibu or any American built vehicle because it has built it’s own reputation oh and by the way we also put Blowers on those things too
First Holden might of rolled off earlier, but using a different manufwww.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/how-the-world-and-world-wars-shaped-holden-109266/acturers chassis and a Holden Body. Seen a few story's telling the same about Holden even a guy who worked at the Brisbane Assembly line. Even assembled Ford's until Ford built it's Manufacturing Facility. WELL Ford Canada .
the Holden badges were an option offerred by chevrolet in the USA. $250 option. You could also option the car with Holden branded floor mats. There are many quirky features in this car thats why they are the sleeper muscle car of the future. The last model 2017 had chevs magnetic suspension. The one to get however never made it to the USA the superb 600+ supercharged version frighteningly fast. They didn't make many thats why the prices can only rise.
It is a Holden first, Chevy SS second only the name changed for import. Yes it is more import than most Honda and Toyotas. And if you want the LS3 you can buy this. The manual trans is the 415 hp LS3, the automatic is a 390 hp L99 motor. The same as in the old Pontiac G8 GXP, which the Chevy took over when Pontiac disappeared in 2010.
Yep Australian built , they came out in SS , SS redline , motorsport and another one of our race drivers edition. Our performance company HSV built these with alot more power 475kw supercharged LSA's and another performance company in Aus walkanshaw built one's with over 500kw . Also version with Ls9's the Corvette motor if you have a million dollars. So the SS here is the baby in kw's but awesome car , if GM owner of Holden didn't stop production in Aus you would've received more and in 2 door (coupe60) but GM wanted there cars here in Aus which where not happy about to many people lost there jobs in Aus
Just crazy I only spent a little over $32,000 on my 2014 back in Feb 2019 and now I have been offered almost $38,500 from Carvana. That is not a miss print I was offered more than what I paid for it. The only complaint I got is the rear seat does not fold down. But the wagon version they sold in Australia does fold down. Everything else I can live with. Only a little under 13,000 was imported in 4 years which is not a whole lot when you consider the US population is 320 million. Break down is roughly 3500 and some 2014, 3200 and some 2015, 222X 2016 and 4007 or 8 2017's.
It's actually a GM HOLDEN built in Australia 🇦🇺. With a GM V8's or twin cam V6. Designed & Built in Australia 🇦🇺. No design components from the USA at all except for the engine . Not entirely sure if the engines were shipped from the USA or built here.
you there’s a guy in my small indiana town that drives a blacked out one, always has the chevy badges on and looks like a sleep but ik what it is cause i a drive a regular malibu of the same year 😭
The LS3 badge on the front was not a standard fitment on the Chevy SS, only the Australian version did so I'm guessing the previous owner has had that badge replaced. If I remember correctly the Chevy SS had SS on the bumper.
pop the trunk lol,did you mean the bonnet mate.paddle shifters got used in the 2005,6 vz sv6 3.6 litre 5spd auto190 kw commodore and can tell you has surprised the odd ve ss v8.
Holden commodores in America became Chevrolet Caprice. Cops were using them at 1 time. I work for a company in New Jersey that transports Disabled and special needs people. We use Chevy Caprice. They are V6 and they're pretty fast. We have to put premium fuel in them and they drink gas Pretty fast. I had heard the cops stop using them because when they have to be fixed some of the parts they have to order from Australia. They are pretty expensive to own
I am a proud Australian citizen born in Australia here and if I was living in America altogether there I would of shipped the right hand side Holden cars towards America altogether there and I would leave them as right hand side cars to my American home in America there and I would be putting all road worthy and I would be driving a Holden right hand side car on the right side of the road in America altogether there
The Holden has a much better suspesion than the POS Camaro, but it is still just a Dunnydore! Best car ever made in Aus, the AP6 Valiant V8, bloody pearler of a car!
These are Australian Made 🇦🇺✅. They are made for the USA 🇺🇸 and imported Through GMC ! Unfortunately with all the cheap imports from Asia , These became too expensive to produce, and General Motors Holden went down the Drain , neither GM headquarters or the Australian Government Tried to bail them out ! Holden were a coach builder founded back in the 1800 s and were the only True Australian car maker 🤔🥲😭Sadly they are no more, I still have my 2004 SS one ton cab chassis with the LS1 engine, I’m hanging on to it as The Price Has skyrocketed now because they don’t make them anymore, That model in Australia 🇦🇺 selling now for about $120-130,000 Aud ! So buy that one and keep it, that’s cheap $50,000 usd And Rare 👍👍👍😛
