Wait until you sit in one. I've driven VE SS, SS-V and Redlines plus all trims of the VF SS Commodore. The base VF SS with cloth seats is a better car than the VE Series II (G8) SS-V Redline. The only things it lacks compared to are knicknacks. But it goes, stops, sticks and drives better. The SS-V Redline is a whole 'nother thing. I drove people with Mercs and BMWs in it. They started to think they'd spent too much money for a four-cylinder car, when it had the ride and performance it did for 20% lower price. The HUD is simply brilliant - it integrates with nav with distance to turn progress bars and speed warnings and things like speed and redlight camera alerts. Holden's version of Mylink is better than Chevs - hands down than the Malibu, Sonic/Barina/Colorado version. The autopark is brilliant, if slowish.
On the surface, it looks similar to a G8. But so much has changed underneath it's virtually a different car to drive. The good things like the passenger cell with wide-opening doors, great legroom, good width and lots of trunkroom and large fuel capacity are still there. The A-pillars are slimmer, the car is quieter due to better deadening and the structure is less-resonant. The quiet ambience lets you hear the motor when you get on it but cruising is near silent.
It rides better due to lower unsprung weight of the new alloy suspension members, but rolls less and has far better suspension control than VE. It steers better, but way lighter and the Competition mode including launch control is bloody fantastic. You can put ESC into Comp mode on an icy road and just pretend you're Clarkson or the Stig. It's still there to catch the car, but it lets you get way, way out of line sideways. Even more, it feels like a 3-series to drive and shrinks around you. You can miss every catseye on the freeway because after a few miles you 'know' where the four wheels are. The only people who complain about steering feel are cork-sniffers who compare it to cars like Lotus, Porsche etc. The fat, flat-bottom wheel feels great unless you have tiny hands. As far as corner speeds go, in the VF it feels slower but it's much faster with better turn-in, it's way easier to place the car in the apex and you can get on it sooner coming out. It's much easier to balance drive and spin especially in tight corners. A lot of mass has come off the extremities - the new hood and trunklid are noticable in the turning effect for what
isn't there.
I can see why GM didn't want to sell the SV6 or SS cloth seat versions. People would seriously question spending the extra dosh on a ATS or CTS when this car is so big and basically does the same thing at a much lower price (and makes the Impala look like a boat at about 400lb less for a V6) - plus you can get an eight in it. It's a great pity you don't get the SV6 - it's nearly 200lbs lighter than the old car - back to 3500lb range or 400-500lb lighter than the Fiatsler V6 twins; with the LFX it's a fantastic car that handles
even better than the SS due to the lighter weight in the nose. It's seriously chuckable.
And let me tell you, Perfect Blue is this light irridescent colour with subtle pearl, Regal Pea**** is stunning - the blackest metallic liquorice you've ever seen and the new red is a bloody mary massacre. One thing Holden has always done very, very well is pick good colours. It was a shame you got such limited colours on the '14s.