Jason Cammisa on the Chevrolet SS Sedan - the Aussie M5 - Vintage Motor Trend Ignition Full Ep 152
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- The Chevy SS came out like a slightly bigger, slightly cheaper, Australian E39 M5. But how did it compare to the legendary BMW?
Well, I borrowed a friend's E39, put a knock-off Ace of Base cassette in the M5, did a burnout, and found out.
This was a fun one. Especially once I got to Willow Springs and made Randy Pobst lap them both - the M5 had brand-new Konis on it, but one was defective out of the box.
Watching Randy manage that handicap was awesome. And so was everything about these two sedans.
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This video was uploaded as part of Jason Cammisa's professional showreel and portfolio as a writer, on-screen talent, and precision driver.
While the SS was a missed opportunity, GM still continued to perfect the Luxury manual sports sedan with the Blackwings today. Always had the magic in the back.
Look up.. HSV GTS R W1, the current Cadilac is an Exact Clone, off a 2017 Australian Car...
They closed down Holden so they could copy their car... oh and ours is availble, in Sedan, Wagon and Ute...
Sitting at the lights next to a AMG, Lights go Green, stomp the pedal, the AMG owners Trophy Girlfriend, looks across, and the "AMG" is getting Beaten by a Holden UTE.. puts a smile on my face everytime...
@@graemejohnson9025 wasn't that's exactly his point?.
@@graemejohnson9025 depends what AMG your talking about though, and it would have been awesome to see what the W1 could have done with the 10 speed in a drag, my 2016 Camaro can actually keep up with them, not beat them but certainly keep within the body length.
Americans never wanted the SS, it didn't sell well till after it was taken away. Great car tho.
@@tinto278 It was never advertised as they only ever wanted to sell 15K of them.
As an Australian criminal ;), I felt the need to respond. The Commodore SS was never designed as a luxury car.... ever! They are just a muscled up version of an everyday car. Love the content Jason, cheers.
Luxury is anything beyond the norm. A Porsche is a luxury car as is a Land Rover.
A taxi/family car with a loud V8 basically.
Try driving one of our HSVs mate, then do another video.
A kiwi concurs
I second this, Holden did bring out a luxury version of the commodore called the caprice.
This is one of my all time favorite sedans.
An Australian watching this and loved it every minute of it!
As an owner of a 2015 SS here in the states… this video is awesome! I absolutely love this car! Such a sleeper - and it can blow the doors off so many other cars while there are three giant car seat’s across the back.
These re-posted videos are the best content on TH-cam right now 😍
Except the sound quality being recorded in the toilet
@@janeblogs324 probably your device ‘cause it sounds fine on an iPhone 13 pro.
Keep dropping these reviews have been waiting to see these for a while. Thank you Jason.
Early commodores and ford falcons were often beaten up in the Aussie motor press compared to euro cars. But the Aussie cars were made with family standards, tough country roads and a speed limit of 100 kmh for a country as wide as USA. Which meant comfy seats etc. Then over 40 years the two competed with each other for sales. In every category. Sedan, supercar, work Ute, family wagon, hoon cars, rental cars, taxis etc.
incredibly sad that all that has passed now. Both Ford and Holden/GM gave up a good thing and a lot of knowledge when they started shutting Australian plants.
They competed in a closed market, as long as they were given massive subsidies and as soon as that ended, they went away. Don't get me wrong, I love my BA Falcon with the magnificent Barra, it's like driving around in my lounge...but I remember cars that were sold without heaters and no dimmer on the rear view mirror or rear window demist. Those SOBs made a killing in the Oz market and don't think they were doing us any favours...
Holden was exactly what Pontiac set out to be, driving excitement. Pontiac lost that long before the GTO and G8 came out. As a huge Pontiac fan, I would not have minded them giving Pontiac the axe, only to replace it with Holden. It sucks that GM killed both off and left boring Buick.
When I was a kid I dreamt about moving to Australia because of the Commodores and the Falcons I was seeing when watching V8 Supercars on TV
And Toyota and Mitsubishi😅
The economy of scale that saw the falcodore everywhere in business, fleets and taxis was their downfall for their brand perception
And because they were such good value, lived so long, and fixes were plentiful and cheap, most of them looked so 'very well used'
This meant people with enough cash and ego to buy something else (overpriced euro), did.
THANK YOU for bringing that video back!
The M5 is a 20 year old car, chassis, technology etc...yet it still hold it's own against a much bigger v8 with modern tech. Well done M5
Best car I ever had 🥲
Which one of the vehicles is more reliable, lower maintenance, cheaper to maintain & repair? Just wondering.
@@vetteluvnh you can't compare SS with E39 M5, look at the value, M5 E39 is one of the best sport sedans ever.
@@mrki412 Umm, did you look at the video? I believe that's exactly what they did.
@@robpr315 they compare it, but it is not possible in value aspect, SS as new car is design wise nothing, zero, hole, while E39 was state of the art, so it is not comparable. Another point is value, for 20 years SS will be worth 500 bucks.
As a GM fan an Chevy owner I was pissed they cut this ride this should have been the new Impala SS It would have sold thanks GM for cutting the fun
Yes, they should have used a name like "Impala" or something instead of using a trim as a name.
Here in Australia Men have forgotten about those expensive ladies, and got themselves the SS. In my opinion the best move ever!
So happy to see the Chevy SS (Holden Commodore) get the recognition it deserves. Such a fantastic car and probably the best ever Australian designed vehicle.
I’ve been driving these Commodores for years. Currently have an older model SS Ute and a Calais Wagon with the LS3. Ultimate Wolf in Sheep’s clothing. I’m glad you got these in the US for a few years also. Great review👍🏻
Yep, this video helped me pull the trigger on getting the SS, like a lot of the folks posting here. I had been following the 2004 - 2006 GTO, then the G8 GXP, but when I heard that Holden was being shut down, I ordered a 2017 manual SS, and I love it every time I get into it. I had been looking for a sleeper, manual, rear wheel drive sedan, and the SS was exactly what I had been looking for. Regarding the Willow Springs comparison between the 2014 automatic SS and the the manual SS in this video, I wonder how much difference in the lap time is related to the transmissions rather than to the change in the shocks.
Keep it coming, Jason! I value the insight and comedic touch. Always a pleasure. Keep your foot on the gas!
Jason you are my favorite motoring journalist! Of course there are other channels that does beautiful video and copy but to me good journalism is not driven by whatever the latest new car is out. Good journalism to me is somebody that can their put personal angle on the subject and move my understanding of the world and hey if you are funny at the same time that is just brilliant. Bringing out this older clips of older cars really proves this again. Keep up the good work even if its posting old content 🙂
Hey Jason; one thing I was hoping you could add to the descriptions is the time/date of filming of these prior videos! Each one I see I'm always so interested in the context of your life during filming of these videos and comparing it to your reviews/work now- It's great to see the changes and growth over the years from a filming/cinematography perspective (and also as a fan of you!)
The M5 intro here is a 100 proof hit of nostalgia
You still have to give credit to the BMW for being almost as fast as the SS around the track. Even more so without all the modern suspension upgrades. Even still the SS is a beast!
Conversely the SS is more limited by CAFE and federal safety standards than late '90s early '00s BMW ever was. And the budget to develop the SS was undoubtedly lower, inflation adjusted, than that of the E39.
Also keep in mind the BMW was on aftermarket shocks ( seemed lowered to me) And stickier super sports tires as well. (I wonder what other mods unseen as well, bmw has terrific tuning mods to increase HP, even in NA engines) E39 is a beast though.
@@geerstyresoil3136 none of that can really compare to shocks that adjust a thousand times a second.
@@m1l3s27 $1 Billion Dollars Australian originally to develop the VE/VF commodore platform.
@@kevinnorwood7355 not really, on a track, multi-matic and coilover setups are superior. Mag ride is great on uneven surfaces like roads and daily driving, the non mag ride 2014 SS was a bit faster on the track actually...
E39 M5? I press like
Really wish you guys got the HSV versions of these. But I think they would been to much competition for the CTSV. Lucky I got a gen-f GTS 😎
Awesome video!
Awesome! 😃👍
I love the E39 M5 and this is one of the best video featuring one 🥰
I love this video, still remember asking Jonny how I thought a H2H with these 2 would be awesome after reading a comparison test in automobile magazine.
Little I knew that it was someone called Cammisa Jason that was the author of this article 😂 (except that the SS was an automatic).
I haven’t contributed in anything in the making of this video but in my mind I have 😁
Too bad we never had the Chevrolet SS in Europe…
You guys didn't get holdens? Thought you got the monaro?
@@RCXDerp The Monaro made its way in England, but sadly not in the rest of Europe 😫
Great review
Don’t forget this is (was) a basic car in Australia with a few extras - it doesn’t pretend to be a luxury car in Australia
Best intro n review! 🙌🏿
I smiled through the entire video
This video really has me missing my SS Sedan. Unfortunately, mine was an automatic and I would've preferred that it was a manual. It was definitely one of my favorite cars, mostly because it was a sleeper and took many people by surprise. Hopefully the new owner will appreciate what they have on their hands, despite the automatic transmission.
Great to finally see two guys drive the SS the way Aussies do on their way to work or the footy....
I would have loved to see what the next gen of this car would've been had they not stabbed it in the heart.
Proud Aussie 2016 SS Series II Redline owner.
RIP Commodore 🇦🇺
RIP Holden 🇦🇺
The best intro ever!!!
What a video! The best video i’ve ever seen absolutely.
Congrats Mr.Sandler btw
Shame America never saw the HSV commodores.. next level
Randy Pobst is the Christopher Walken of professional drivers-turned-car reviewers. Not that they resemble each other in the least, other than that I can't watch enough of them..!
As an Australian I can promise you the commodore is nothing like any BMW vehicle. If you think this is at the level of the M5 then you should have a look at the FPV F6 and GT-F, those 2 vehicles make the commodore look like a kids toy.
This makes me regret every automotive purchase decision I've made. I built up a 2000 trans am and traded my explorer for a Durango.... I should have just kept the explorer and got an SS😢 what an awesome platform
Wanted and SS bad... but also had to have a ragtop, bought a 2SS Camaro Convertible and could not be happier, all the power, M6 and a little less room.
A cassette tape?...lol 😆 Haven't seen one in decades...wow!! 😆👍
This is still my dream car that I actually think I have a chance of one day owning. It's my "Tier 2" dream car in that I am not positive I will ever own one, but it is very likely considering how under the radar it is, even by enthusiast's standards, and of course a very reasonable price that is not likely to skyrocket since there is no real heritage or badge history/snobbiness about it. This was the video I had wanted you to re-upload more than almost any other from your time at MotorTrend, so thank you, Jason, for doing so. And thank you for continuing to upload so steadily for the last few weeks in general!
Any chance you are going to be able to upload your H2Hs with Johnny, or are those tied up in legalese since he's still working for MT?
And, just for the sake of posterity, my "Tier 1" dream car that I have no doubt I will one day own is a '06/'07 Monte Carlo SS (or a modified & VERY clean black '01 Monte Carlo SS) because the first car I ever truly loved owning was a black $3k '01 Monte Carlo with 160k miles on it that had the only spoiler that ever looked good on that generation of MC (sort of a lip with a perfectly gradual upward curve into a point as oppose to the much uglier flat ovoidal thing that most of them had) that me and a friend threw a bangin' sound system into with x2 12"s powered by an amp that we forced to work (despite being underpowered for the subs) by ghetto rigging a PC fan to be wired directly to the battery, and drilled into the trunk sidewall so that it was constantly cooling the amp to prevent overheating. After we did that I never had it overheat once.
"Tier 3" would be one of the late gen CTS Vs or a Hellcat engine swapped Dodge Magnum.
I LOVED that car when it came out. I loved it when I seriously thought of buying one five years ago...but didn't for thinking, _"Maybe someday when the price goes down."_
I STILL love it...but now see they only went UP in price.
Crap...now they're collector items.
I had that problem with the 2013 Boss 302. It came out right as I got out of the USAF and didn't have a job. The ones I've seen for sale that depreciated significantly, I think they had several pounds of Bondo in them.
...But it's not all bad. I found a 2020 Mustang on a dealer lot, with a significant price reduction, right before the semiconductor shortage started jacking up prices.
I think there's hope that you, too, can find something that makes your heart happy.
I wonder if you should *look* for an SS with cosmetic damage that needs to be "rescued".
Ran into a guy that had a Chevy SS. He said this or the new Jeep Wrangler. Chose this instead Master Winters with snow tires love the driving excitement
Old school is driving the heck out of that car
Low milage SSes are appreciating and selling for above MSRP at Bring a Trailer. Manual transmissions bump up the value even more.
I loved mine and miss it. Only thing I hated was the seats. Thought they were hard and uncomfortable.
Thank you.
As an Aussie, let me explain. GM Holden and Ford Australia have been in a tit for tat war since Black n White TV, battled out for decades on Mount Panorama, Bathurst ( around 3 hours drive west of Sydney ). Between you have Penrith / Emu plains ( Sydney's western edge ) heading back eastward to Parramatta ( Eastern edge of western Sydney. ) This region in the 1970s 80s and 90s was Westies territory ( Bogan's are typically the children of Westies ). Due to their distant from Sydney beaches, the youth stuck out west and played with their cars and cruizing and burnouts. This greatly influenced the realization there was a large market for these specialty models, Eastern Creek Raceway opened in 1990, literally in the middle of this region. Due to the affordably of Holdens ( Kingswood, Monaro, Torana, Commodore ) and Fords ( Falcon ), these cars became THE cars you bought if you wanted a V8. Chrysler had an Aussie built Charger in the 70s too. Combined with the different race teams pushing and developing these cars and releasing these high performance versions commercially, Both Holden and Ford have been in this dual contest for 50 years. IMO much of the rise of Holden HSV and Ford FVP has to do with this huge demographic of rev heads being perfectly placed in Australia's largest city, geographically right next to Bathurst, Australia's flagship race. The Chevy SS is the last of the Commodores. Enjoy.
The sound of the video sounds like a quick reupload after quick editing :p
Gosh I forgot about this video!!
Also now I know where that carmudgeon thumbnail is from
Definitely on my short list of future cars. Ripping the older cousin (GTO) for now.
How does it compare to the CTSV2? Something that was available as a manual wagon!
Some 50 years of touring car racing in Oz really tuned Australian cars to be better every year when in came to ride - handling balance. Hence RWD IRS for the masses came out here years before the US.
I like how the intro is an M5 lol
never thought ace of bass could sound bad ass
It amazes me that in so many years, it’s just marginally better. Let’s put things into perspective.
We've been watching the gap widen between people who like to go fast and people who like to drive.
I love sports sedans, but when I was looking for a new car, every SS I found had a sticker price of $45k+, and that was just too much for me. Love the concept and execution of it.
I wish we had more cool Aussie stuff make it over to the USA, like the Holden Utes and the Ford Falcon with the turbo Barra.
That’s still cheaper then what Aussies payed for them
@@patricky6955 its the same price if you convert it from us to aud its not like trying to buy a hellcat in aus that cost 100 k in the us but 250k here lmao also the reason holden died out was because of tight asses like john saying its too expensive and expecting to buy a ferrari while paying peanuts for it
Well you won't get any more because not enough people overseas bought them so production was shut down by our USA corporate masters.
@@WOGBOY Yeah, my fault for not buying a 6 year old car with 100k+ miles on it for $50k from a used car dealer is what killed Holden. Sorry guys, my bad.
@@johnsanko4136 lol i dont know what shady car yard you went to but when these things where new peasants complained about the price not realising how much car they where getting and then went off and bought some korean shitbox just becuase it was 5k cheaper lmao
I hate General Motors with a passion, but there's no getting around the Pontiac G8 and Chevrolet SS. They're objectively great, even if they're big heavy V8 sedans from the world's most pathetic car brand.
And I actually love the styling. I mean... "love". I think that era Malibu looked pretty odd & cheap, and this looks like a Malibu, but I love sleeper sedans. This is definitely very understated, perfect; GM scratchy plastics included.
E34 535i manual best sedan ever made. E39 driving was more detached. And the plastics just crumble.
GTS with the LSA supercharged model or Walkinshaw should be checked out - the ss is pretty much base model ( V8 wise )
I had a Commodore 64 in the 80s.
GM Holden in Australia, were never a company branch which developed its own engines, they were all USA spec engines.
Ford Australia, however, did develop USA engines to ever greater realms of both power and efficiency. Notable the XR6 Barra engine.
Holden and HSV performance used car prices are going through the roof in auctions in Australia!
10:49 Active aero fuel door on the BMW didn't help it's time. Also, sad that we aren't making the Holden ute's anymore.
I wanted one but would not give up my gto.
I wish you guys got the Ute, Wagon and Supercharged variants. I really believe the Ute would have easily outsold what you got.
Hey mate glad you’re loving the Holden. If you’d like to see some of the prime examples of the VF look up the HSV line. 🇦🇺🦘
GM feared what Holden could really do since the VE & VF models came out kicking goals every where.
Most likely why GM closed down Holden as Holden showed up GM and it second rate vehicles it sells to American everyday.
I would have loved to see what they would have came out with next since only the Aussie's think outside the box when building a car.
yes and now they're trying to sell the crap to us. lesson learnt, don't develop a better car than the parent company. (see also Aussie Falcon turbo Barra 6 and SUV Territory)
I don't think Holden ever considered this car as a competitor to euro luxury sports cars. I think it was built as a competitor to the Ford XR8, both Holden and Ford built powerful versions of their family sedans to satisfy an Aussie desire for big V8 powered sedans. Versions of both cars competed on the race track in a format called V8 Supercars. I guess they did try to make them look a little luxurious but they were hamstrung by the size of the Aussie market making it difficult to justify sinking too much money into a limited volume production.
Terribly sad that this amazing sedan was never officially imported to the States.
Of course it was!
Wonder what his thoughts are on the Buick LaCrosse Super8
My man has no idea about the V8 muscle sedans that Australia has lol. The Chevrolet ss AKA the VF SS commodore is great, but nothing compared to the VF HSV's or FPV's.
V8 Muscle sendans have been an Australian staple for 50 years. My favourite is my own VZ HSV senator, followed by the VZ HSV clubsport, vz ss. THEN the HSV vf senator, hsv vf clubsport and vf ss series 2.
Anyone know the location for this video? - The backroad scenes.
2:48 The The CT5-V i V8 sedan with a six-speed manual transmission doesn't count?
It's funny to me that they didn't give anyone any of the options that were available in australia for these, wagons, utes, sedans, 3.0L v6, 3.6L v6, l77, ls3 and lsa
Not only that but they had factory upgrades you could get from walkinshaw performance. You could literally buy one of these from the factory with 750hp
Also no factory wing option?
Dunno what you’re so excited about. It’s a dime a dozen family car
The SS with 275 19s up front and 305 19s rear, that’s yeh 👌
This car solidified my resentment for GM as a brand-- It convinced me that GM is COMPLETELY allergic to fun. Yeah they have the Corvette and Camaro but this car was set to be a smash hit, and instead of going "Let's stick it to the germans for less and let the everyman have a V8 sedan they can daily!" they killed it. Within four years. Idiots. It's a four door Camaro! It was literally the perfect car for me-- and now the boomers who bought one are selling them for STUPID prices.
Current Ct4 V and CT5 V are literally based on the same chassis as the camaro, literally ZL1’s with 4 doors. But the price of those isn’t any more reasonable :/
@@tjseid It's crazy. And I bet GM will kill those within the next few model years. They always kill the cool and fun stuff in their lineup. Even more insulting is Ford-- who the FUCK asked for a Maverick, Edge or Explorer ST? Especially over a Focus or Fiesta ST?
@@tjseid CT4 is hardly a ZL1 with its V6
@@RCXDerp that would be the only downside yes :/ too bad gm won’t stick the big motor in the little one
Hey what’s with the engine specs @ 1.19! A Single Overhead Cam V8” SOHC! Where did you get that from? I’m pretty sure they left the Holden factory here in Australia with an LS donk in it! Or is this one of the improvements that you somehow reckon youse gave it! Lol
I wonder how the mileage and vehicle history of the two cars compares.
Love the SS but the M5 is 15 years older
Car tech has moved massively in that time
There's a reason they're using an M5 of that vintage as a benchmark. You should have noticed they mentioned the brand-new M5, and not as the example to follow.
Car tech moved massively, and the BMW owner I know regretted trading his E46 M3 for the technology in the E92. He liked bragging about the tech in his newer car, and at some point realized the older car had the better chassis *because* it was designed for minimal driver assistance. The newer car was *dependent* on power and electronic crutches to make up for cost-cutting chassis design and its heavier weight.
Over at Mazda, they gave up the MX-5s 4-wheel double-wishbone suspension and substituted struts not because the struts were better - they're really, really not - but to save money on the assembly line.
...But let's add power and get people talking about that instead of the handling and feel Mazda sacrificed.
It's the same all over the automotive industry: Using one crutch or another as a cover for increasing weight and half-assed suspension design.
Don't expect everybody to be impressed with "tech" while car makers take away what made our cars good in the first place.
The SS is not a bad looking car but it is next to the E39 M5
It's not the next generation of the G8/Camaro. It was still the same generation, more of a face lift from the VE commodore. The VE was basically the G8 and the VF was the SS. Same body.
Didn’t know you did a Chevy SS video!
YESSS been waiting for this video to come back to youtube for years! It was the reason I test drove an SS and eventually bought one with that 20% off sale they had!
You too!! I bought a 2017 black with the 20% off discount, my only regret is I couldn't get the manual, no one had one. But I love this car. Chevy should have kept making it!!!
@@Belsarius26 I actually bought it after the Stop Sale in November. They kept continuing the 20% off deal every month because of that seatbelt recall, and the dealer I bought from had more manuals sitting around than any other dealer Boardwalk Chevy, they had 11!).
When the stopsale ended, they called all of us up and they sold all 11 Manuals in one day LOL. Had to do a one way rental to drive down there and pick it up. Sadly the Jungle Green one I wanted was traded to another dealer during the stopsale so I would up with just white. Only kept it a year and sold it for what I paid for it though.
@@stevemartegani I hear ya, I bought mine at Auto Nation and they only had two at the time and only seemed to have two at a time. I never thought to ask if they had any manuals at any ot their other stores, I should have. The power on that beast scared my wife so bad when shebwas driving it, I agreed to trade it in for something a bit more benign. I traded it in for a Impala Premier. Every time I see one on the street I regret getting rid of it.
Cool car… too much of a sleeper for me. Looks to much like Chevy economy sedan
thats epic.
Every Aussie watching this video being like "You fool, this isn't even my final form!"
They're American. They don't get anything right, especially facts and truth.
Agreed
I wish they got to drive some of the HSV stuff. Some pretty amazing modded Holdens and Fords down here.
@@dimsoneill What is some of the best years for those hsv models? What is the last year they had v8 commodores?
@@hansolo6827 the last ones. look up hsv gtsr. sedans and utes.
GM: No one wanted to buy it
Customer: THIS EXISTED WTF
GM: Well ya we did zero promotion, hid the thing on the site, and called it the SS so you thought it was just a trim level. OOOO and also sold 99% of them to cops by calling it the Caprice
Aaand gave it a very bland design, because design never sells a car, right? Right?!
@@Blandat the design wasn’t a sleeper but it put people to sleep looking at it
The Caprice was the long wheel base version of the SS. Similar but not the same.
Caprice was 7 Series sized and a luxury car in Australia, not stripped out like the PPVs. The SS is 5 series sized.
The Chevy Caprice PPV is similar to the Holden Caprice. The Chevy SS is similar to the Holden VF Commodore.
Anything fast from Australia, is a *GUARANTEED* good time. No matter the manufacturer, it's gonna be wild.
They haven't even seen the Barra yet either.
No such thing anymore, sadly. I was lucky to live through a golden time of Aussie muscle.
Great car! Sadly GM screwed over Holden and Aussie car enthusiasts and closed them down. I guess it was embarrassing that both Holden and Ford Australia could build better RWD sedans and SUVs than their American parents could...
Australian government paid GM billions of Aussie tax dollars they were crying out for, then they pissed offed with the money back to the US..bunch of C's.
@@lobsterwhisperer7932 some of that money returned into the Australian economy, but otherwise, yes GM are turds are make rubbish cars.
Ain't that the truth
Maybe instead of buying suvs and dual cab utes aussies should of been buying commodores and falcons. We only have ourselves to blame why they aren't here anymore
I LOVED this video. It was what pushed me over the edge to buy an SS. I still have it; firing it up never gets old!
Same here! Got a manual Regal Green and love how this thing drives. 18,000 miles in 5 years and I plan to pass this along to a deserving member of the family. Just need the right bribe to determine who it will be.
Same....
@@limadelta2 Hi dad, I won't tell mom you cheated if we can work out a deal.
Yeah, I was swayed as well. My Nightfall Gray Metallic is a nice gray, but I really should have ordered Royal Peacock Metallic. I stupidly thought that a unique color would hurt resale. I could have been about 1 of 12 as optioned instead of 1 of 142.
@@michaelericksen6340 I REALLY wanted one in Royal Peacock Metallic, but the only one I found was hundreds of miles away and $55K. All others were 20% off at the time (Nov 2017), and I couldn't justify the price....and I didn't have the extra $$.
This is so great. How did these get to youtube, weren't they behind the MT paywall? Either way, glad its here, and I hope you get to own your own content. It's all so great
Maybe he had an agreement that after X amount of years, he has copyright control. It's like musicians owning masters. Most artists don't own their masters, the label does. So they don't have control of their own music, and if they leave the label, they lose usage of their music.
whatever jason pulled, we all gain
I have a manual V8 SS wagon with roof racks. I can confirm that it is the perfect sleeper!
You lucky, lucky person.
@@AnnatarTheMaia Thankyou, I worked for General Motors / Holden when it was built. Dream car for sure!
There is no way that car is a sleeper with that exhaust note.
Maybe a 4 popper turbo Buick Verano with a tune making 300hp is one.
@@PianoBlackTrimRep. The exhaust has a valve in the muffler. It is quiet at idle unless it is in "Sports Mode".
Dream car. Even the cops don't have these in Canada. I never even seen one
Edit - Wait, I forgot, the Pontiac G8. Mostly v6 automatics were here and no long roof. (4 G8s for sale right now on Canada Auto Trader, all v6 automatics)
Randy said it best. "this car puts power down great" as an SS owner, i can confirm. This car never tries to kill you, it just works so well.
So true, they done a great job! Once you bump it up over 400kw full throttle traction starts to become an issue. As a stock 306kw . . It's a perfect daily..
Can confirm, for a while my Dad had a VF Calais as a company car....I felt perfectly safe pushing that thing around much harder than I'd be game enough to most other cars.
My 15 Camaro SS has 1LE suspension though. This is FE6 and much better by far than FE4 (standard on SS). So there's that.
Yes, I have experienced what Randy was saying during a track day in September of 2021. When the original Bridgestones RE050As get some heat in them, then STICK.
The zeta platform was based on the findings of Holden's engineers re-engineering of the E39. They heavily relied on the E39 for chassis engineering
Back in February 2019, my Mazda6 was T boned and I started looking for a new car. I found a used SS for $35k and really wanted it. Even scheduled a test drive, before a polar vortex winter snap canceled it (-5 deg f HIGH). However, sensible me ended up with an $19k Mazda3. Looking at prices of SS's now make me cry. I missed my one chance to own one because I decided to save the money for a house (which we did end up buying). If only...
Adulting sucks 🤢
@@RichRotorhead haha totally agree!
Are you trolling? You Bought a fricking house, considering the market, was a good move
House trumps car, every time, all of the time.
You made the right choice, buddy. Believe me, if you really want it, eventually it will come, be patient.
The Chevrolet SS: The best car that nobody bought.
The best car chevy never marketed
?? THey sold every one of them. They were never intended to sell in high numbers. GM had to import "X" number of them. It was never marketed heavily because they KNEW they would not be making them after closing the doors on Holden.
GM wanted Holden dead because they're always embarrassing Detroit. All there is to it.
yep, I think the general consensus here in Australia is that GM had decided to close GM-Holden before they released the VE and simply pandered to our government to continue with bail-outs.
In a way, I suspect most Aussies have a poor view of the demise of Holden, and Ford locally.
@@graenicholls4657 we do. Aussie fords and holdens where staple childhood cars owned by our parents, uncles and older brothers.
I’ll never forget driving with my older brother in his V8 VK Commodore and my other brothers XE Falcon station wagon he would take us to school in.
As an Ausssie who see's these cars every day, too bad you didn't have the Clubsport version as that would really made you smile like a game show host.😁
Great video
Same ..VF2 Sandman 2 door here..
It says quite a lot about American taste that if it doesn't come with fat tires , scoops and looks like a Charger...
its a sleeper...
@@planestrainsdogsncars4336 Mustangs are some of the most common cars we see and corvettes so we may be biased.
I agree with you I see these almost every day too. As always you do have some of them want to show you what’s under the hood by doing a nice launch at the lights. It never gets old hearing that ls3 V8 in person. Would have one if I could afford it. But I’ll just have to settle for my ls1 AWD wagon sleeper instead.
Only wish Peter Brock was here to see Americans waxing lyrical over a car whose spiritual roots trace back to the Bathurst 1000.
I had a HSV VE GTS 2008 manual in black for 5 years, it was a great car!
The other great Aussie rear wheel drive V8 and Turbo inline 6 was the Ford Falcon ..Ran until the end of 2016 ..The last two models were the FG and FGX .. They used the 5.0 V8 but supercharged from the factory and the Turbo and N/A four litre Barra in line 6 ...Unbelievable to drive . Many also had the 6 speed manual gearbox but most had the German designed 6 speed ZF auto with full auto and sequential function also ... Check them out sometime ...Still missing the mighty Falcon ..I have two of my own though ...
Can't get enough of this video! I'm on my second SS (both in Mystic Green). Love my G8 GXP too😉 Too bad GM screwed the pooch and shut Holden down.
so THAT'S where that one Carmudgeon thumbnail came from...oh and also
MAKE MORE CARMUDGEON JAAASON AAAAAAAAAAA
I had the G8 GT and was one of the most wonderful cars I've ever had. Room, power, comfort, utility, and I really liked the looks - far better than the SS tbh. I was hoping desperately that they'd send the Ute - I'd have kept it till I die.
Great review! I own a manual red SS UTE..... It's my happy place ❤️. With rear wheel drive & all the weight in the front, you can't help but wag your tail on pull off 🏁
There is a company in the states that specializes in converting g8's & SS's into utes.
Australian engineers know their stuff.
This video is the main reason I bought my SS. Never letting it go. Thanks Jason!