Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Holden Commodore SS-V Redline
It’s a quirk of automotive manufacturing that makers leave their best ’til last. Ford recently unveiled their Sprint Falcons, in both turbo six and supercharged V8 guise. In late 2015, Holden released the series 2 update for the VF Commodore range. Not unexpected was the lack of any real change, with minor bodywork and some under the skin electrical modifications.
In the case of the SS-V Redline, the American sourced LS3 6.3L V8 was massaged slightly, with power bumped to 304 kilowatts at 6000 revs, while peak torque of 570 Newton metres arrives at 4400 rpm. Make no mistake, there’s plenty of urge below that number.
Fuel consumption finished on 12.1L litres per 100 kilometres, with a solid combination of rural, suburban and highway driving undertaken. Driven gently and with no inclination to bury the welly (to hear that glorious V8 soundtrack), sub 12 litre figures were achieved. The bi-modal exhaust isn’t exceptionally tricky either; a light foot on the go pedal has the car gently burbling around, with a hint of what lurks underneath. Hit it hard, and the valves in the rear open up, emitting a thunder almost as if Thor’s hammer had come alive and spotted some evil it wished to vanquish. It’s deep, sonorous, gutteral and thoroughly bloody intoxicating in tunnels.
What Your Passengers Would Like To Tell You… But Probably Don’t
Nobody likes a backseat driver. You know it and your passengers know how irritating backseat drivers are, especially if the passengers in question are drivers themselves at times. However, there are times when your passengers would really like to speak up and say something, but they don’t, because they don’t want to be annoying. This means that at times, some things that really need to be said don’t get said.
So what might your passengers secretly be itching to tell you about your driving but swallowing out of desire not to get up your nose? Or (if they have been trying to say something) what have you been ignoring? Perhaps it’s one of the following things…
Fuel Saving Devices – Are They For Real?
(Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
A few years ago, I was approached by a strange man on the street who started chatting and told me all about some stick sort of device he put in his car engine to save him fuel and it was absolutely amazing, blah, blah, blah, and would I like to come to his house and have a look at it? Needless to say, being a smart woman, I did not go off to the home of a strange guy who said he had a stick that did amazing things he wanted to show me… I thought no more about this encounter, especially as I discovered later that this guy was the local loony.
2016 Kia Carnival Platinum petrol: Private Fleet Car Review.
The people mover…movement…is alive and well here in Australia. Kia’s Carnival has been part of it for some time and the current model that stems from 2015 is regarded as one of the best around. Private Fleet takes on the Kia Carnival Platinum petrol engined edition.
Kia’s design team have done the remarkable; they have taken a box and made it not only attractive, but pretty. Although it looks like a box with a snout in profile, there’s enough subtle curves to have you thinking it’s smooth, rounded, not fat and edgy.
The design of the tail lights goes a long way to helping that perception, with gently smoothed off edges, the now familiar neon light look at night that Kia has for them, plus the swooping eagle eye headlight and LED driving lights (which give a seriously bad arsed impression from a distance), with the Platinum getting halogen glode lights in each front corner.
Kia’s pulled out the stops with the tech; on the keyfob and in two other locations, there’s buttons for there’s remote powered sliding doors. Yes, powered sliding doors. In an overhead position in the cockpit, ala an aircraft, and in the column where the leading edge of the doors meet the cabin are where the buttons lay and they genuinely make entry and exit so much easier. There did appear to be a glitch, in that when the doors were opening before the car started, they would then close upon ignition being engaged. It goes without saying that the rear door is also powered.
Driving wise there’s Blind Spot Detection, Forward Collision Avoidance, Lane Departure Warning System, Lane Change Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Hill Start Assist Control plus there’s LED cabin lighting, Blutooth music streaming, Smart Cruise Control, DVD player (dash only, oddly, as there’s no glass roof to stop a roof mounted screen) and tri-zone aircon, with the front being dual and with separate controls for the rest of the vehicle. Toss in a 360 degree camera system and an LED rear cabin light that doubles as a torch and it’s clear just how smartly thought out this family oriented vehicle is.
Motorvation comes from Kia’s 3.3L V6 petrol. It’s a pokey beast, with 206 kilowatts at 6000 revs but peak torque of 336 Nm is at 5200 rpm. Although the engine has torque aplenty below in order to get the two tonne machine up and running, it also means that consumption suffers because of the need for a heavier than neccessary right foot. Consumption around town is a tick below 16 litres of dino juice per 100 kilometres from the huge 80L tank…Consider, as well, a 2000 kilogram towing capacity.
Kia fitted 19 inch chrome plated alloys, which complemented the deep metallic black paint on the test vehicle ideally, with 235/55 rubber. Although seemingly a lowish profile, there was enough give in the sidewalls and a touch of extra compliance in the suspension to provide a welcomed plush ride. Body roll was negligible and there was more than enough grip but a touch of understeer in turns, perhaps more to do with the steering rack ratio. On certain road bumps that provide an ideal suspension test, the Carnival refused to bottom out and pogoed only briefly before settling and continuing to waft along.
There’s enough grunt through the front wheels for the Carnival to “chirp” when vigourously launched, even on dry tarmac. Bearing mind its weight, there’s plenty of stopping power, too, with 320 mm vented discs up front and 324 mm solids at the rear. The overall feel of the braking system is fantastic, with plenty of feel and a beautifully weighted pedal, shading its sibling, the Sorento Platinum. Acceleration with a full load? Not leisurely but not rapid and watch the tank drain if you continually fang it.
Sitting on a massive 3060 mm wheelbase, it comes as no surprise that there’s more than enough interior room. It’s a full house eight seater, with tilt and slide centre and second row rear seats. Cargo is considerable; even with all seats up there’s 960 L and 2220 L with the third row folded. Kia says there’s a mammoth 4022 litres with the rear seats folded and the centre row centre section removed.
Staying with the interior, it’s the high quality we’ve come to expect from Korea, with a pleasing colour mix inside of grey over beige, subtle variations in the texture of the plastics, 3 USB and 12V sockets, a seven inch colour dash display with mechanical dials, drink holders aplenty (ten!! cups and four bottles) although, oddly, a cooling vent in the glovebox but not, logically, in the uppermost storage which was big enough to hold a one litre or so bottle.
Level 2, 9 Help Street