Is the swansong Holden Commodore the best ever?
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Is the swansong Holden Commodore the best ever?

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By DanGoAuto - 02 November 2015

FLICK through the Shannons Club News pages last week, and you might have read how Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) is sending its Commodore-based range out with a mighty supercharged bang.

But what about the more humble model on which the high-performance models are based? Surely after years of winning the hearts of countless Australian car lovers the VF Commodore deserves a final fling like its pumped-up HSV cousins?

Well, fear not, because before the home-grown Commodore bloodline comes to an end in 2017, Holden is treating its most faithful model to its own Series II makeover, with a host of extras including a significant boost to power.

It may be coming to an end, but the Commodore range has been given one final update, bringing a new look and a beefier V8 for the SS.

While almost the entire HSV range now has a supercharged 6.2-litre American-made LS3 all-alloy V8 under the bonnet, the high-performance division has donated the previous range wide (except GTS) LSA V8 to the Commodore SS line-up.

With 200 extra cubic centimetres of capacity in its cylinders, the V8-powered Commodore now cracks the magic 300kW milestone with 304kW and 570Nm of torque — an increase of 34kW and 40Nm over the previous 6.0-litre.

The added boost to power makes one of the Commodore’s greatest abilities even easier. Tyres are not included in the warranty.

That bump in grunt has dropped the time needed to hit 100km/h from standstill to just 4.9 seconds for six-speed manual versions, while the automatic asks for an extra tenth of a second.

You don't get something for nothing, however, and as one might expect, fuel consumption has increased by a whole litre per 100km, with automatic versions now drinking 12.6L/100km and the manual guzzling 12.9L/100km. But this is Aussie muscle we are talking about, and the frugal fraternity need not apply.

When you burn a drop of fuel in a VF Series II V8 Commodore, some of that energy is converted into kinetic energy, some of it ends up escaping as heat, but a small proportion manifests itself as sound, and it’s an area where the new version has been improved as well.

With a bigger donk, V8 versions of the Series II VF Commodore have been given a handy nudge in the right direction. Manual SS and SS V will now hit 100km/h in under five seconds.

Almost every part of the Commodore responsible for making good noises has been revised for the mid-life update, with an all-new bi-modal exhaust leading to a redesigned back box, while a variable inlet manifold boosts induction noise.

The Chevrolet version of the Commodore has been using the 6.2-litre engine for some time, but unlike the US-spec exhaust system, the Commodore SS is a unique Australian design with a clever centre pipe arrangement and volume-maximising tail pipe, with a clever locally designed sound enhancer.

The Baillie Tip exhaust pipe was named after its inventor senior Holden Engineer David Baillie who died earlier this year from leukaemia.

Kwown as the Baillie Tip, it was named after the late David Baillie — a senior Holden engineer — who devised the exhaust to incorporate a perforated inner pipe, clad in a solid outer. The result boosts cabin exhaust note by three decibels for the enjoyment of occupants, without increasing the boominess.

Holden said that customer demand lead the company to focus mainly on the high-performance SS and SV6 variants for the final update, so power for the 3.6-litre V6 versions is unchanged.

The Commodore nameplate has been running 1978 and the Australian car-maker says the final version – the VF Series II – is the best ever.

The upgrades for the FV II aren't just confined to SS power upgrades, though, with all versions getting a new look and a subtle but effective facelift. The new lower bumper’s ducts now direct air into and through the front wheel arch area and then ‘reattaches’ it down the sides of the body when it exits the wheel arches.

The tail lights for the sedan versions are noticeably altered, with more clear lens sharpening the rear-end looks, while Sportwagon versions score a trick LED light for the update.

V8-equipped cars also receive specially-designed bonnet louvres that have been created to expel hot air but not to recycle ambient air, while cleverly designed rain channels also keep moisture ingress from affecting under-bonnet components.

The plans to slip a 6.2-litre under the Commodore’s bonnet have been in development for two years, with much of the testing carried out in complete secrecy at the Holden Proving Ground in Victoria.

Top of the range SS V has a revised chassis with re-valved dampers for the FE3 sports suspension kit and the addition of a longer, thinner rear anti-roll bar, which has been relocated to mount on the outer edges of the lower control arms.

Customers can increase braking performance with a $350 brake upgrade kit, which is internally referred to as the Chevy Police Pack, which updates the master cylinder, brake pad material and increases the front disc diameter.

A brake upgrade kit, which adds a bigger master cylinder, grippier pads and larger front discs is internally referred to as the Chevy Police Pack. Models with the front beefy Brembo callipers now get matching versions on the back axle.

“With all that expertise, taking the refinement of the VF in 2013, and maintaining that DNA, we can truly lay claim to saying that the VF II is the best Commodore yet,” said Holden general manager of product marketing, Benjamin Lasry.

There is no doubt that the final Commodore is an impressive combination of performance and equipment wrapped up in an unmistakable Aussie muscle car package, but could an earlier introduction of the VF II perhaps even saved the car from extinction?

Daniel Gardner GoAuto.com.au