Holden Commodore SS Vs Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo

At the risk of belting the beehive I’ll square something up from the get-go: if you want a performance Aussie reardriver and only have low-$40K to spend, start saving. Because neither the Falcon XR6T or Commodore SS take the performance concept very seriously.

If you’re after a device that properly embodies proper ‘performance’ ethos focused hardware, durability and execution you’ll need to swing the wallet open wider and stump up another $10K for the XR8 or SS V Redline, or dig deeper for HSV’s Clubsport or GTS.

Thing is, the $42,990 ask for the manual versions of Ford’s turbo-six or Holden’s entry-level V8 (optional auto adds $2000 and $3000 respectively) is a very sweet and enticing pricepoint. And both the XR6T and SS are fine and quick cars, if cars with shortcomings and compromises. In proper performance terms, though, they’re sporty sedans rather than true performance cars.

That might sound overly negative about two of Australia’s longest-running and successful sporting sedan nameplates. Perhaps so. The positive flipside is that the sheer staying power of these rival nameplates is testament to the fact that, as trim packages within their respective ranges, the XR6T and SS offer ample everyday performance to the Aussie reardriver fans who love them and buy them in droves. Nothing else on the market will get you from A-to-B so quickly while providing such an intoxicating blend of sportiness, comfort, affordability, longhaul capability and family-friendly space.

The thing is, both XR and SS breeds have always been, and remain, valueladen propositions that over-deliver in some areas (usually straight-line squirt) and come up a little short in others (where do I start). And neither nameplate sedan or ute versions, take your pick have changed much in formulae or execution for a long time.

So no surprises, then, that what appear to be the last hoorahs for XR6T and SS don’t present anything surprising. And that neither bring anything significantly new to the motoring table is a bit of a shame. On one hand, it’s a case of not much broken, not much to fix, right? On the other you could accuse their makers of rolling their arms over in biding time before the impending extinction.

Thankfully, both are still very bloody good, offering grin-inducing pace, long grand touring legs, decent refinement and comfort for their wallet-friendly pricetags.

Of the new FG-X range, the XR6T has been the least-heavily updated in a program that Ford Oz freely admits focused on improving Falcon’s looks, fuel figures and handling prowess. And without back-to-backing FG-X against FG II in turbo-six form, the only obvious update in the XR6T experience is the exterior styling. At the recent FG-X launch, one scribe even went to suggest that if you’ve driven any XR6T since 2002’s original BA, you’d pretty much know how the new car drives…

More charitable is that this is the finest XR6T to date, not simply because of its fresh Global Ford make-over. The (optional) 19s on our test car not only look the part but add a little crispness to a handling package that’s benefited from newly developed ‘firmer’ suspension tuning. In FG-X’s suspension hierarchy, the XR6 breed turbo or non turbo is softer and more compliant than that of the XR8, yet firmer and more focused than the G6E. And it strikes a really nice ride-handling balance, much nicer than its overly stiff XR8 stablemate.

The Falcon’s cabin doesn’t share the same freshness of the exterior treatment, though with leather trim, dual-zone climate control, reversing cameras and voice activated Sync 2 with touchscreen infotainment it’s nicely appointed for its price. But clearly Ford didn’t invest much FG-X development budget on the cabin space while long-standing, slightly awkward Falcon ergonomics high seating, low wheel placement, rearward trans shifter positioning remain.

By contrast, the SS presents a little better in its interior surfaces, has much more natural seating and driver-centric ergonomics, but patently skims on bells and whistles. While well-built and nicely executed, there’s evidence of cost-saving in both, albeit in different areas. Our auto SS test car wants for a little over $45K yet isn’t even equipped with sat nav. And, honestly, the Commodore’s 18-inch rolling stock could not look any more underwhelming.

There’s an inherent playfulness in the VF that compensates for any lack of ‘edge’

Certainly one area they both confidently deliver is in their powertrain departments. Despite the odd couple format of a turbo-six and naturally aspirated bent-eight, neither skim on prowess, output for the dollar or transmission choice with which the engines are mated. And, boy, are they lineball for output numbers.

The XR6T makes 270kW and 533Nm in either transmission type, while the manual SS matches it except for three fewer Newton meters. The SS drops to 260kW and 517Nm should you opt for the auto.

A lack of paddleshifters notwithstanding, the SS lacks nothing against the pricier SS V Redline for driveline hardware. Similarly, the XR6T gets identical manual and auto hardware to the vastly more potent XR8, albeit the manual using a single-plate clutch against a twin-plate unit fitted to Ford’s V8 model. In fact, when run back-to-back at the recent FG-X launch, the Turbo provided a nicer, heavier feel and more predictable take-up point in the clutch pedal. Nice work Ford.

Both the XR6T and SS, sadly, persist with under-engineered single-slide-type braking systems in models heavy and quick enough to warrant a safer and fitter solution. Two big hits of the anchors of either car and they fade. That can be two on the drag strip, or about five minutes of spirited fun on a back country road before you need to pull stumps lest 1.8 tonnes of Aussie rear-driver throws itself into the scenery. On a race circuit? Forget it. As Brendan Reeves discovered, you’ll get two laps before the middle pedal hits the carpet. Taking either an XR6T or SS to track days is an utter waste of time.

At least Holden offers big Brembos on its SS V Redline trim. Want four-pots on a turbocharged Falcon? Tough. It’s not available, even as an option.

Frightening, really, given how quick they are down the chute. Particularly the XR6T. Even in manual form it’s 5.5sec to 100km/h, quicker to the tonne than the SS V Redline and half-a-second up on its direct rival, the auto-equipped SS (6.03sec). At the 400m mark, the Turbo claims a commanding 13.78sec compared with the V8 Holden’s 14.17sec.

And they will pull up fine from 100km/h: 38.91m for the Ford, 38.62m for the Holden. Once or twice. But the lack of any braking durability is precisely why neither deserves the mantle of true performance car.

And yet, for my money, I’d have an XR6T over an XR8 in a heartbeat, brakes notwithstanding. And that’s because when pedaled sensibly, with vigour but in moderation, it’s actually a nicer point-topoint car to drive than its heroic sibling.

There’s something utterly iconic about that home-spun turbocharged six banger

On a flowing and sweeping country road, the slightly less hefty Turbo feels lighter on its feet despite its one-point eight tonnes, responds a little more keenly to driver inputs, and offers crisper turn-in thanks to its lighter front end. Sporting 245mm rubber all-round, it doesn’t quite have the road-holding purchase the XR8 does, but it doesn’t fight inertia as hard when asked to change direction at the limit of tyre adhesion. It’s not as fast or as outright grippy as the XR8 once sweepers turn into hairpins, but it’s certainly more enjoyable, and a touch more communicative, if driver engagement is your preference.

The SS gets a slightly softer FE2 tune than the flagship SS V Redline’s excellent FE3. It also is a little more softly set in its suspension than the XR6T, it’s a little ‘rounder’ dynamically, and certainly lacks the level of keenness enjoyed by XR6T, XR8 or the SS V Redline in the curves. But there’s an inherent playfulness in the VF fundamentals that more than compensates for any lack of ‘edge’ in the suspension tune. Better still, there’s a compliance to the suspension tune that makes the chassis feel completely predictable playful even across worse mid-corner bumps, encouraging you to lean into the chassis and extract its best. In terms of ride comfort, too, the SS is the class of the field.

Back-to-back against the SS V Redline on a twisty piece of hotmix, though, and SS’s shortcomings quickly surface. It’s a little more washy when you lean into its tyres, a touch more boaty floating its heft in changes of direction, it’s more challenging to place on the road accurately and its steering isn’t quite as clear or nicely weighted. But, like any of these four cars, it’s quick enough pointto-point to get you thrown in gaol without too many questions asked.

Around a race circuit? Both the Commodore and Falcon protagonists clock an identical and respectable 1:46.5 laptime. It’s a shame that brake woes with both cars mean that such pace is not a repeatable feat. There might’ve been more in the SS had its stoppers not comprehensively given up the ghost halfway through its second flying tour, our rally hero Reeves pitching the brakeless wonder into a hairpin backward in an effort to keep the SS safely on the black stuff.

But one lap is all that’s needed to prove that the SS was compensating for a lack of straight-line pace by providing extra talent through the corners. And as we’ve also confirmed with the pricier XR8 versus SS V Redline shootout, it’s the Holden breed that offers a slightly finer and fitter platform for handling prowess than Ford’s inherently older underpinnings. That’s no big surprise given that the Commodore was virtually reinvented with (2006’s) VE, while the FG-X’s core DNA dates back to the late-’90s AU.

On merit, the SS nudges the XR6T out by the very slimmest of margins for the win, all things subjective and objective considered. But, to be blunt, they’re so close that it’d be foolish to choose one over the other on anything other than personal preference and taste.

My taste? I prefer the lusty shove of the XR6T’s force-fed engine and the package’s blend of everyday sportiness and comfort, though I’d fork out the extra for the wonderful ZF auto over our test car’s manual. And despite harbouring its share of the blame for the future axing of the Falcon it doesn’t comply with Euro V emissions, deadline Nov 2016 there’s something utterly iconic and stirring about that home-spun turbocharged sixbanger.

Flawed, perhaps, and yet as good as the XR6 concept is likely to ever get.

                                                     OVERALL WINNER
Commodore SS V Redline
The arrival of the FG-X, and its subsequent demise in Oct 2016, pretty much cements this as the last battle in what many Aussie petrolheads consider the only automotive war that’s ever mattered. Throughout the Falcon’s 54-year existence, battles have both been won and lost against GM-H, on track, on road and in the showroom on merit. And around BBQs, school yards and pub benches with far less definite results.

Was Holden or Ford, Falcon or Commodore, or even an XR or an SS nameplate ever going to ‘win’? In a war immersed in passion, pride, heritage and personal allegiance as much as it was and is in sales, quarter-mile times or Bathurst victories? Of course not.

More to the point, was a blue-blooded Falcon tragic ever going to swap camps because a Commodore offered a few nicer ownership attributes? Or viceversa? Don’t be silly.

For half a century AUTOCAR has pitched red versus blue and adjudged the finer and fitter road car offerings winners on merit. And, we hope, played as straight a bat as possible. It’s generally a result for car-loving buyers; more fuel for the fire, of course, for the die-hard brand tragics.

However, these four XR6T, XR8, SS and SS V Redline are pivotal in being the last of a very long and significant legacy. And while pitching the hotties of the VF and FG-X breeds certainly won’t decide an ultimate winner of The War, it decides who, Holden or Ford, landed the final knockout blow. And that blow was delivered by the SS V Redline.

Is it worth the $10K premium over the SS? Absolutely. It’s not only a significantly more capable car and a proper performance car at that it really is the finest and fittest Holden-badged device ever built. By the numbers and by the seat of the pants.

While the XR8 is a special car of phenomenal value and exceptional prowess, it suffers due to ageing Falcon DNA. Ford has done a handy job massaging underpinnings not significantly updated since BA with its Control-Blade suspension overhaul but there’s no hiding roots dating back to ’90s AU.

Fact is, Holden’s significant investment in updating the VF generation off the complete redesign of VE (2006) provided Fishermans Bend with a model range that feels a whole generation newer and more evolved at the core of its bones.

Frankly, this is news to nobody. If a Falcon-based device has beaten a Holdenbased device in MOTORshootouts of recent times, it’s been the exception rather than the convention.

Is, then, the SS V Redline the car you should buy? Well, not necessarily. It’s the finest car of the group, but equally there’s something truly ‘special’ about the XR8, its exceptional feel-good mojo, the solid gold ‘instantly collectible’ vibe of the entire package. Further, it’s clear that not all buyers of Australia’s last muscle car generation will part with good money for pragmatic reasons and everyday
sensibilities. A good many will be buying these cars to stick under covers and leave them in sheds as collector’s items to enjoy in the future when locally-made muscle is well and truly history.

All of which begs a logical question: which of these four would best represent to future generations what the Aussie carmaking industry was capable of achieving in performance muscle car terms? And there are fair arguments either way for the XR8 or SS V Redline.

A bigger question still is that of deciding what car will ink the history books as Australia’s fastest and most ferocious ever. I’m sure HSV has something to say about that.