GO
GoAutoLogo
MENU

> car reviews > holden > commodore > ss sedan > The Car

Make / Model Search

Super Test

Car reviews - Holden - Commodore - SS sedan

Holden models

The Car

14 Nov 2002

PERHAPS the most convincing of all the facelifted VY models, Commodore SS is the wildest, most HSV-like Holden ever produced.

The clean, contemporary and unmistakably new front-end styling carries GM corporate cues already introduced for Monaro. The slipperier new shape is said to reduce aerodynamic drag by 4.2 per cent to 0.319Cd, thanks to the sharper lines of the bootlid and front fascia.

Combined with attention to the underbody, the changes also mean lift has been reduced by a big 47 per cent to 11.7kg at 100km/h, resulting in a reduction of the yawing moment coefficient of seven per cent and therefore slightly better crosswind stability.

As SS is based on the low-series VY Commodore, there's no chrome and no projector headlights but a simple, single-slat black grille incorporating a prominent Holden lion badge.

The new grille is flanked by twin headlights behind a single, clear lens with black bezel backgrounds and the interesting "bullseye" parking lights.

Further down in the aggressive new bumper there are circular foglights and a huge, gaping air-dam with a blacked-out lower section to match the grille, while the full-length shoulder crease has been made more prominent in the front quarter panels.

Meantime, the trailing edge of the deep new wedge-shaped bonnet pressing rests on a somewhat unsightly new black plastic plenum ramp to deflect wind more cleanly over the wipers and windscreen.

Sculpted side skirts, body coloured rub strips, new-design wing mirrors, V8 front quarter badging, twin chrome tailpipes and a new, floating-style rear spoiler further set SS apart from Executive in terms of exterior styling, as do the massive new and exclusive five-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels.

But if the new front-end design is modern and distinctive, the jury is still out on the VY SS rear end, which appears more compact due to its sharper, edgier new styling treatment and attracts claims that its somewhat triangular tail-lights are similar to Magna's, making the rear a mismatch with the front-end's rounder proportions.

Either way, it will be interesting to see if the slightly controversial VY styling will be as widely accepted in the longer term as VT's ground-breaking shape was.

Did you know?

Holden says the reshaped plenum ramp reduces noise at 120km/h by up to 2.5dB(A) across the high frequency range from 1000-6000Hz, while the new wing mirrors were also computer and wind tunnel designed to reduce sound pressure levels by up to 3dB(A) between 500 and 5000Hz to near "no mirror" levels

All car reviews

Super Test

Click to share

Click below to follow us on
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram

GoAuto can help you buy a new Commodore

Customer Terms and Conditions – New Car Lead enquires

Agreement

This is an agreement between GoAutoMedia Pty Limited ACN 094 732 457 of PO Box 18, Beach Road, Sandringham, VIC, 3191 (“we/us”), the owner and operator of the GoAuto.com.au website (“the website”) and the person wanting GoAuto.com.au to provide them with a lead for the purchase of a new car (“you”).

By completing a New Car Lead Enquiry, you agree to the terms and conditions and disclaimers and acknowledge the policies set out below.

Terms and Conditions

  • In order for us to effect a lead you must you must complete a New Car Lead Enquiry (“Enquiry”).
  • We will call you as soon as possible after you complete the Enquiry and certainly no later than the next business day. When we call, we will discuss with you your new car requirements.
  • You consent to our passing on the Enquiry and your requirements to an appropriate authorised motor car dealer as a lead.
  • We will contact you again in approximately eight days following your initial enquiry to check on the progress of the Enquiry.
  • While we will provide the dealer with the Enquiry and details of your new car requirements, we take no responsibility for what happens after passing on that material as a lead.
  • You acknowledge that we are a new car information service providing new car editorial information, pictures and prices to our customers as a guide only. Any new car prices published on the website are the manufacturers’ recommended retail prices and do not include delivery charges and on-road costs. Any authorized motor car dealer to which we pass on your Enquiry as a lead will provide you with full details of the price at which the vehicle will be sold to you.
  • You acknowledge that we do not sell motor vehicles. Any sale of a new car to you by a dealer after we have passed on your Enquiry to that dealer as a lead, is a sale by that dealer not by us.

Privacy Policy– New Car Lead Enquires

  • We take privacy very seriously. We understand that you will only complete an Enquiry if you can trust us to protect your personal information and use it appropriately. Our policy is to ensure that the personal information collected when you make an Enquiry is only used for the purposes of connecting you with an authorised motor car dealer.
  • We do not on-sell information collected from you or any other customer.
  • From time to time, we may email you with information or promotions that may be relevant for car buyers. You will continue to receive communications from us unless you tell us that you do not want to receive any advertising or promotional information in the future by unsubscribing from these communications.
close
* Denotes required field
** Australian inquiries only

Commodore pricing

Holden models

All car reviews

Motor industry news

GoAutoNews is Australia’s number one automotive industry journal covering the latest news, future and new model releases, market trends, industry personnel movements, and international events.
Catch up on all of the latest industry news with this week's edition of GoAutoNews
Click here