- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
6.2i, 8 cyl.
- Engine Power
304kW, 570Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 12.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2016 Holden Commodore SS-V Redline review
I took my chance to grab one of the last 'Aussie' V8s. It has an excellent balance of fun and practicality at a price point that is very acceptable with bang for your buck.
- Power
- Manual
- Comfort
- Economy
- Service
- Reliability
The obvious downside of the 6.2-litre is its thirst, but you wouldn't buy this car when thinking about saving the environment on its big, black, 19-inch rubber.
The cabin feels a bit dated and dull. The MyLink infotainment system isn't that intuitive and is loaded with obsolete and irrelevant information that still to this day has not been rectified by Holden (Pandora). The maps and navigation work well, even if now displaying the speed zone would be much more beneficial than what is presented as it is often out.
Two years on of ownership (March 16) and I still take great pleasure in driving this vehicle every day. Every time I get behind the wheel and feel the rumble of the big V8 and the power under my right foot, it puts a smile on my face (even commuting from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne).
The manual transmission has a great throw and is very responsive. Being a high-powered manual vehicle was a massive drawcard for me, as many other vehicles in the market are no longer offering a true manual option with a clutch.
The electronic handbrake makes hill-starts a breeze and gives you peace of mind, even with the steepest of gradients.
To talk about the things that I don't like, the three different drive modes are quite unnecessary. I usually use the one with traction-control on or all assists off. I don't ever use the Performance mode. Changing modes is simple, though, as it's just a push of a button to cycle between modes.
I really didn't like the anti-collision primer on the brakes and have turned that off as it was overly invasive.
Other things that seem wholly unnecessary are lane departure warning – do you really need this? If you can't stay in one lane when driving, you shouldn't be driving.
I've never used the auto park-assist feature and have never felt the need to.
Now to the real problems I have faced being the owner of this car. Less than six months into ownership, the rear right suspension needed to be replaced because it was leaking fluid in the garage. The tailshaft was replaced after a rattle developed around September 2017, but the issue wasn't resolved until much later after having my vehicle in multiple times.
There was a recall for an air-conditioning component that was gathering moisture into the cabin, and while this was mentioned, it was not addressed initially by Holden.
Now, all of these problems have paled in comparison to the complete lack of customer service offered at my Holden dealership. Management have attempted to address the issue, and have done a good job once the problems have been raised, but the same problems with their abysmal customer service are apparent at every single service and interaction: broken promises about shuttles; terrible loan vehicles with no petrol and then requesting that you pay for fuel after you already had to put fuel in the car; requesting that it take more than 23 hours of having the vehicle for a minor service; and the list goes on.
Once the warranty has run out, I will definitely be going back to my preferred mechanic, even with the offer of capped-price servicing for life.