VFII Redline vs Gen-F2 Clubsport R8 - the verdict...

[jbcow]

Did you get the Redline or the R8?

Carsales put them head to head among 11 other cars in their Australia's Best Drivers Car assessment. They ended up ranking next to each other but which one came out ahead?


ABDC: Holden SS-V Redline 2016 Review

ABDC: HSV ClubSport 2016 Review

The good news is that both of them significantly out-ranked the C63, so we should all be happy.

 

[markalan1two]

To save you reading two pages of dribble "So to the ultimate final numbers, the ones allocated by the judges over eight criteria for every one of our 13 contenders, and the HSV ended up sixth, narrowly pipped by the cheaper and slightly slower – yet still remarkably enjoyable – Holden SS V-Series Redline.

In the end it was the Commodore that proved the biggest issue for the HSV. Even though price isn't central to the ABDC judging process, it's hard to ignore when the Redline is so good and so much cheaper, As Marton Pettendy noted: "The HSV is better in most respects than the SS V-Series Redline, but not ride. Less compliant, less progressive at the limit ... the firmer ride detracts from the fun factor.""

 

[Super Coach]

I knew this when I went and took a Clubsport LSA for a test drive. I was underwhelmed by it and didnt think it was worth the extra $20k spend. The sales guy also agreed with me, even though he said he shouldnt.

 

[Smitty]

I knew this when I went and took a Clubsport LSA for a test drive. I was underwhelmed by it and didnt think it was worth the extra $20k spend. The sales guy also agreed with me, even though he said he shouldnt.

you don't get free gifts from Holden like you do when you buy a HSV (one at purchase and on every anniversary so far for me)
plus
any HSV has better street cred than any Commodore :smoking:

 

[Heron SSV]

I'd go for a near new GTS if I was spending 80k and had my heart set on a HSV. There's heaps around for a lot less than that as well.

 

[tml678]

you don't get free gifts from Holden like you do when you buy a HSV (one at purchase and on every anniversary so far for me)
plus
any HSV has better street cred than any Commodore :smoking:

That may be the case, but a few gifts and admiration from anonymous onlookers ain't worth twenty grand extra. Simple fact is they aren't that much better, as indicated by the report mentioned:

"Brutally fast and ultimately engaging, this is a proper driver's car that happens to also seat five adults in comfort. By almost every measure, it ran rings around the only other big sedans here – the Falcon XR6 Sprint and HSV's ClubSport LSA, which costs $25000 more"

 

[Super Coach]

you don't get free gifts from Holden like you do when you buy a HSV (one at purchase and on every anniversary so far for me)
plus
any HSV has better street cred than any Commodore :smoking:

I'd rather save myself $20k then receive cheap gifts, which wouldnt add up to the extra $20k spend.

 

[White Swan]

Did you get the Redline or the R8?

Carsales put them head to head among 11 other cars in their Australia's Best Drivers Car assessment. They ended up ranking next to each other but which one came out ahead?


ABDC: Holden SS-V Redline 2016 Review

ABDC: HSV ClubSport 2016 Review

The good news is that both of them significantly out-ranked the C63, so we should all be happy.

If I had the money I’d buy a C63 in a heartbeat.
It’s silly to think the Holden could beat it in any area apart from price.
You only have to read the C63 reviews from other Australian media and around the world to understand that and to look at one like we did recently makes the Commodore look cheap in comparison.


About the C63

9th
Mercedes-AMG’s C 63 S super-sedan arrived at ABDC 2016 with the weight of high expectations on its pumped-up shoulders. But the combination of too-firm suspension and light-switch power delivery dealt it a blow in judging which no amount of horsepower was unable to redress. This might be a super fast and furious mid-size muscle car, but that doesn’t mean it ticks all the driver’s car boxes…
Brutally powerful and wickedly quick, the latest Mercedes-AMG C 63 S is more sledge-hammer than scalpel. And that’s the opinion not just of this writer, but the whole Australia’s Best Driver’s Car judging team.

About the Redline

Brutally fast and ultimately engaging, this is a proper driver's car that happens to also seat five adults in comfort. By almost every measure, it ran rings around the only other big sedans here – the Falcon XR6 Sprint and HSV's ClubSport LSA, which costs $25,000 more.

There are many people here who mod their Commodores to stiffen them up and make them more like a sledgehammer with power and anyone who really believes a stock 304kW LS3 is powerful is well behind the times.
Possibly the C63 is too much car for them and the reviewer admits at the end of the article the rattles and squeaks came from a test vehicle that had led a particularly hard life.

 

[Rikes]

Prices of LSA Clubsports have dropped dramatically!
When both cars were released I test drove them and got on road costs for each.
Gen-F LSA...400Kw.........$93,000 on road
VF2 Redline...304Kw.......$55,000 on road
I wanted a 500Kw daily driver.
I went with the Redline and had a Tekno 530 supercharger pack put on it. $71,000 total.
The LSA would still have had to get $7,000 of mods to get just over 500Kw taking it to just over $100,000
So I am $30,000 better off.
The LSA has dropped heaps in price now so the decision would be harder now.
I am so happy with my choice and love having a sleeper type vehicle.
" street cred" doesn't mean much if you get whipped by every charged redline on the road.
One reason for choosing the Redline was the interior. Exactly the same as Clubsport except for extra seat bolstering.
The HSV seats also have a lot of suede on them that wears and marks dramatically.
The other reason we chose the redline is servicing costs.
A GTS needs brakes every 40,000 K Holden told us. New pads and rotors.
$2,000 a corner! Yes that's right.....your Holden dealer is going to ask you for $8,000 worth of brakes every 40,000Kms.
They showed me the servicing chart as I didn't believe them.
Trade in on a 10 year old Redline Vs Clubsport is really close too.
At the end of the day, a HSV is a Commodore variant (ask transport and insurance agencies).
A commodore that was pulled aside and mostly cosmetic changes with some extra tuning applied to it.
Each to their own.
A HSV owner may have an air about them cause they consider their care a superior vehicle and that's fine.
Personally I don't mind what people drive or think.
The look on their faces as my missus blows them away from a set of lights can really hit the spot.
A car is a car and each to their own.
What matters is that we all love our cars and respect others loves for their vehicles.

 

[EternityDre]

Clubsport is not worth the money over a Redline period.
The gap may even narrow further in FY17 if the Redline gets additional upgrades. HSV parts bin seems the most likely candidate..