Ford Mustang GT v Holden Commodore SS-V Redline v Chrysler 300 SRT comparison review

[Express]

Ford Mustang GT v Holden Commodore SS-V Redline v Chrysler 300 SRT comparison review


America's iconic Ford Mustang and Chrysler 300 SRT take on our homegrown V8 hero - the Holden Commodore SS-V Redline.


Stephen Ottley
5 February, 2016
Stephen Ottley



The Ford Mustang arrives in Oz to take on the Chrysler 300 SRT and Holden Commodore SS-V Redline. Photo: Mark Bean






























Now is a very good time to buy a V8.

Petrol prices may not be what they used to be and environmentalists will frown at you, but when it comes to choice right here, right now is a great time to celebrate the good old bent eight.

After more than 50 years of waiting, Ford has finally delivered the Mustang down under. And it couldn't have come a moment too soon, with the demise of the locally-made Ford Falcon on the horizon and the Holden Commodore SS-V to follow next year.


This is like a fantasy sports clash come to life - think Pete Sampras vs Roger Federer, Michael Jordan vs LeBron James or Ayrton Senna vs Lewis Hamilton.

American icon vs Australian classic - the all-new Ford Mustang GT going up against the Holden Commodore SS-V Redline.

This is the ultimate Ford vs Holden head-to-head. But we couldn't leave it as just a simple two-car fight. Not when Chrysler is offering an equally potent 300 SRT with a mean Hemi under the bonnet.

Not to preempt the result, but there are no losers in this contest. All three of these V8s are fantastic cars that any muscle car lover would be proud to own. But which one stands ahead of the pack?


Ford Mustang GT

To see a Ford Mustang sitting above a sun-kissed Aussie beach is something surreal. For more than five decades the 'Stang has come to define American performance cars. It is famous around the world, despite never really leaving American shores.

But now it is here, on Australian terra firma and tearing up Australian roads.

Never have I driven a car that turns so many heads. I lost count of the amount of people I saw mouth the words "it's a Mustang" and from an incredibly diverse cross-section of society - young, old, male, female, etc.

But looks and heritage are one thing - backing it up is something else entirely.

On paper the Mustang GT makes a good start. There's a 5.0-litre V8 under the bonnet that produces 306kW of power and 530Nm of torque.

Our test car was mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, but a six-speed manual comes as standard, and a limited-slip differential.

It rides on black 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero rubber that is staggered, measuring 19x9- up front and 19x9.5-inches at the rear.

Ford has kept the specification simple, with the GT only available with minimal options (racing stripes, black roof, Lustre Nickel finished rims). It is priced from $60,115 plus on-road costs for the automatic version.

Standard gear includes ambient lighting, reversing camera, dual-zone climate control, leather trim, heated and ventilated leather seats, nine-speaker sound system, SYNC2 with eight-inch infotainment touchscreen and Track Apps including an acceleration timer - but no Line Locker function, aka 'Burnout Mode'.

Safety-wise there are five airbags - front, side and driver's knee - but no curtain airbags. And there are no active safety features like autonomous emergency braking.

But all those details become secondary when you slide behind the wheel of the Mustang. All the classic styling cues are there - the thick, three-spoke wheel, twin dials with 'Ground Speed' and 'Revolutions Per Minute', retro switches and so on - but there are modern touches too, like the SYNC infotainment screen.

The majority of the materials are nice but there are some noticeable sections of cheap-looking, hard plastics that take the ambience down a notch.

The sports seats are supportive and comfortable but the rear seats are too small for adults and a three step process to move them out of the way makes getting in the back a pain. Put simply, don't buy the Mustang if you plan on taking more than one passenger on a regular basis.

But the Mustang isn't a family car and as soon as you press the starter button and the V8 rumbles into life you forget about the back seats.

However, that initial feeling of excitement about the V8 is dampened by its low rev performance - or rather the lack thereof. The 5.0-litre is missing a real punch below 4000rpm which is disappointing. Rev it to 4000rpm and beyond and the story changes, as it roars and offers up excellent top end performance.

Ford doesn't offer an official 0-100km/h time for the Mustang but during our testing our car did the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.6 seconds, the slowest of this trio.

But unlike America's obsession with straightline performance Australian customers demand a muscle car that turns corners with equal talent.

In that regard the Mustang does a good job. The steering has three modes - Normal, Sport and Comfort - and there are four driving modes - Normal, Sport, Sport+ and Track - so you can tailor the car to suit the conditions.

Despite playing with the settings the Mustang never truly feels settled on Australian roads. It isn't far off but it lacks the composure of the Commodore. The Pirelli tyres grip well though and the steering is responsive so you can push pretty hard in the corners and it hangs on.

If you want to have a spirited drive it is best to flick the gearbox into Sport mode and shift with the steering wheel-mounted paddles, as the automated Sport mode prefers to move to the taller gear too soon.

Despite those criticisms overall there is a lot to like about the Mustang. The V8 is great in its sweet spot, it handles well and it has on-road presence few cars can match.

Ford Mustang GT price and specifications

Price: $60,115 plus on-road costs

Engine: 5.0-litre V8 petrol

Power: 306kW at 6500rpm

Torque: 530Nm at 4250rpm

Transmission: Six-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive

Fuel use: 12.6L/100km


Holden Commodore SS-V Redline

With time running out and family buyers making the switch to SUVs, Holden has unshackled the Commodore in its final iteration to be the best it has ever been.

The biggest change is under the bonnet where the old 260kW/571Nm 6.0-litre V8 has been dumped and replaced by the 6.2-litre 'LS3' previously only found in the HSV range; lifting performance to 304kW and 570Nm.

But that's only part of the story because Holden also worked on making it sound better. A bi-modal exhaust is now standard along with a sound tube from the engine bay and a special hole with the exhaust itself to help pump the V8 soundtrack directly into the cabin, rather than trying to isolate it.

Holden has also been generous with the value; even fitted with the optional six-speed automatic gearbox the SS-V Redline undercuts both the Mustang and 300 with a starting price of $56,690.

For that, you get leather seats, keyless ignition, navigation with live traffic, nine-speaker Bose sound system, MyLink, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, colour head up display, sunroof and launch control.

The Commodore also wins points for safety with standard forward collision warning and lane departure warning plus six airbags to protect all occupants.

The interior remains spacious and sporty with some high quality materials, and leather and Alcantara trim, to lift the ambience. However, some of the stitching isn't arrow-straight, and that spoils the premium feel slightly.

Holden also tweaked the suspension tune for the SS-V Redline to help it ride and turn better as well as adding staggered Bridgestone Potenza tyres on black 19-inch alloys. The result is arguably the best Australian car ever made.

The LS3 pulls hard across the rev range and makes a fantastic noise in the process. Paired with an intuitive six-speed automatic the SS-V Redline has excellent performance; it recorded a 5.3 seconds 0-100km/h time, despite carrying an extra pair of doors compared to the Mustang.

The changes to the suspension are only subtle - a longer but thinner rear anti-roll bar - but they all help the SS-V ride more comfortably and maintain its responsiveness in the bends.

Coupled with nicely weighted steering and strong Brembo brakes the well balanced chassis is easy to play with both on the road and the track. The SS-V Redline has really elevated the Commodore and made it one of the best sports sedans on the market.

Holden Commodore SS-V Redline price and specifications

Price: $56,690 plus on-road costs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8 petrol

Power: 304kW at 6000rpm

Torque: 570Nm at 4400rpm

Transmission: Six-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive

Fuel use: 12.9L/100km


Chrysler 300 SRT Core

Speaking of great sports sedans, the latest 300 SRT Core is our final car of this trio - and a worthy contender in this America against Australia struggle.

Although the Core is the cheaper model in the SRT line-up and thus misses out on some equipment, it does get the most important element - the 6.4-litre V8.

Pumping out 350kW and 637Nm the 'Hemi' is the undisputed king of grunt in this contest. Paired with an eight-speed automatic and with cylinder-deactivation it is a thoroughly modern muscle car drivetrain.

At $59,000 the Core gets a decent amount of standard gear including 20-inch alloys with Goodyear Eagle rubber, Brembo brakes, limited slip differential, leather steering wheel and the SRT Performance apps.

It does miss out on some luxuries that the more expensive 300 SRT gets, like adaptive suspension, leather seats and a 19-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system.

But the stereo is almost superfluous when the engine sounds as good as it does in the SRT. The big V8 is surprising docile around town, happy to just tick over, but as soon as you squeeze the accelerator the big beast growls into life.

In our testing the 300 SRT was comfortably the quickest 0-100km/h, managing it in just 4.9 seconds. An impressive time when you consider just how big the 300 is in every dimension.

Unfortunately, there was a slight shudder from the powertrain in our test vehicle that raises some question marks, but it was only minor and didn't detract from the awesome performance.

The eight-speed auto is a pretty slick unit most of the time but if you want to extract the best performance it is better to use the paddle shifters. The rotary dial shifter feels a little cheap too.

Where the SRT falls slightly behind the Ford and Holden is in the bends, in large part due to its sheer size.

It rides well, despite its 20-inch rims, and hangs on in the corners but it doesn't change direction with the same poise and precision as its smaller rivals.

You can feel the weight as you try to slow it down, even though the Brembos bite hard, and the steering can be a fraction slow to react.

It just doesn't feel as home in the corners as its rivals but as soon as the road straightens it has the legs on them.

Chrysler 300 SRT Core price and specifications

Price: $59,000 plus on-road costs

Engine: 6.4-litre V8 petrol

Power: 350kW at 6150rpm

Torque: 637Nm at 4250rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive

Fuel use: 13.0L/100km


Verdict

As we said at the beginning, there are no losers here. In fact, the perfect muscle car is probably a combination of all three; the Chrysler's engine, the Mustang's looks and the Commodore's ride and handling. But we're here to pick a winner, so we have focused on performance and driving enjoyment above the other factors.

With that in mind the Chrysler takes third place. The engine is awesome but it is just a step behind its rivals when the going gets twisty.

Which leaves the Ford and Holden and splitting these two is hard.

The Mustang is unquestionably a fun car with a feel-good factor few can match. But ultimately it lacks the performance and precision of the Commodore.

In the SS-V Redline Holden has taken the locally-made sedan to its zenith, a performance car that is, dollar-for-dollar, one of the best sports sedans in the world.

When you factor in the Mustang's lengthy waiting list and the impending end of the Aussie-made Commodore, picking the Holden seems like the obvious choice for anyone who loves a great V8.

See link for video

http://www.drive.com.au/what-car-sho...02-gmjjg0.html

[Thaddeus]

All 3 are rather oversized land barges. Even though the main buyers are usually overweight 50+ somethings so it suits them. If you wanted a real sports car you would not touch either of these

[stig_3754]

I'll take the one with the better interior plastics.

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by stig_3754

I'll take the one with the better interior plastics.

I'll take the Iconic Coupe, but apparently a 15 year old AU ute has better interior plastics.

Interior plastics are the most important thing in any automobile.

[FG50T]

Originally Posted by Thaddeus

All 3 are rather oversized land barges. Even though the main buyers are usually overweight 50+ somethings so it suits them. If you wanted a real sports car you would not touch either of these

Hulk posts asides this is probably the dumbest thing I've read on here.

[mick74GT]

Originally Posted by FG50T

Hulk posts asides this is probably the dumbest thing I've read on here.

🙌 Agree what a ridiculous statement.. All of them look and by all accounts are great. The Mustang and SS especially look sensational. Maybe it's the Red

[Express]

Originally Posted by Thaddeus

All 3 are rather oversized land barges. Even though the main buyers are usually overweight 50+ somethings so it suits them. If you wanted a real sports car you would not touch either of these

They're not sports cars.

[FTE]

Originally Posted by Thaddeus

If you wanted a real sports car you would not touch either of these

Either of these?
I thought there were 3 cars...

[Charliewool]

Care factor.... Zero!
3 totally different vehicles.. A barge, A taxi, and an iconic coupe!
Unfortunately we are bound to see more of these moronic comparisons too!

[MITCHAY]

All awesome cars IMO but particularly the Redline and Mustang.

I actually saw my first Mustang GT today when I was looking out the window of my office and saw it parked.

I went down for my lunch smoko and had a look. They are quite big actually. Looks much better in the flesh especially the wheels which I thought were really bad in the pictures.

I actually spotted a Mustang quicker after release than I did an XR8 It had QLD plates and was grey so quite a road trip to ACT.

[Brazen]

A good year to be buying a V8

[Sox]

Different classes of car, but interesting comparison nonetheless.

The Chryslers are so hideously ugly they would never get a look in my garage. Seems to be a nice donk though.

The Holden is just meh, plain vanilla with a tad of ugliness thrown in. Pretty decent donk too though.


The Ford is a lovely looking machine, the Mustang has been pretty nifty for quite a few years now. After the horrible 80's and 90's POS they call Mustangs, these are the goods.
It obviously needs another 100hp or so to keep it more marketable, but 5.6 to 100 is probably more than good enough for most of us on the road.

Throw a proper gear box and better shocks under it, and it would be a great thing with just the right amount of doors.
I'll get one in a few years when they're about 15k.

[Peterwl]

This is the third road test I have read about the Mustang 5.0 Litre, and all three comment on the lack of torque under 4000 revs.

The previous Commodore 6.0 litre and 5.7 litre had this same problem. That's why I never brought one.

Perhaps this lack of low rev torque was the reason Ford Australia did not put this 5 Litre N/A motor in a Falcon !

The Falcon is probably a little heavier and does not slip through the air like a Mustang shape ! Drive ability would have been poor, even with a lower ratio diff.

[Josh1983]

Originally Posted by Peterwl

This is the third road test I have read about the Mustang 5.0 Litre, and all three comment on the lack of torque under 4000 revs.

The previous Commodore 6.0 litre and 5.7 litre had this same problem. That's why I never brought one.

Perhaps this lack of low rev torque was the reason Ford Australia did not put this 5 Litre N/A motor in a Falcon !

The Falcon is probably a little heavier and does not slip through the air like a Mustang shape ! Drive ability would have been poor, even with a lower ratio diff.

Thats why its turbo or nothing for me. Unfortunately NA V8s are feeling slow now. However I do want to own a supercharged 8 one day

[SensationFG8]

Look who's back....

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by SensationFG8

Look who WAS back....

Fixed that for you

[290GTP]

Originally Posted by Sox

I'll get one in a few years when they're about 15k.

Me too.

[Sabantien]

Don't like the look of the Holden, but like the sound of the Bose system. The gf's Audi has a Bose system and it sounds great.

My pick would be the Mustang or the Chrysler, but definitely not in white!

[tranquilized]

I can't stand this black roof bulls**! It looks stupid, and is pure rice. So BMW fit a carbon fibre roof to the M3 which is black, but a whole lot lighter and reduces the centre of gravity of the car and is in fact a very valuable performance addition, so every dumb bogan goes and paints the steel roof of his fat family sedan black and thinks it's a race car. Fail.

And while I'm at it - black mirror scalps?!?! We wait decades before the car makers finally spring for body coloured mirrors, door handles, bumpers etc etc, now all the fasionista's decide black is cool again - like what we got on every GL Falcon XD - FG inclusive. Reminds of the the male hipsters getting about in their pink short shorts. Fail.

/endrant.

[chris0]

Am I the only one who seems to recall the yanks getting a far better 0-62mph time in the same car? Not that it is the only thing you would buy one for, but you know..

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by chris0

Am I the only one who seems to recall the yanks getting a far better 0-62mph time in the same car? Not that it is the only thing you would buy one for, but you know..

Ford Europe got 4.8 (GT) and 5.8 (Ecoboost).

http://www.evo.co.uk/ford/mustang/15...-produced-ford

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by MAGPIE

Ford Europe got 4.8 (GT) and 5.8 (Ecoboost).

http://www.evo.co.uk/ford/mustang/15...-produced-ford

There are a lot of different variables when it comes to a test like that. The media test cars often have been checked over and had parts refitted, retightened etc (I have a mate who used to work at a Porsche dealer and the media cars were completely stripped and rebuilt so there were no squeeks etc) and also there are environmental factors, like air temp, humidity, track temp and is it a prepared surface or a normal road. The only real test is if you go and test drive each one and decide yourself. At the end of the day, the seat of your pants can't tell the difference if one car is .2 of a second slower to 100 then the one you drove last week. It all comes to preference.. if you like the fiat, then go buy the Chrysler, if the ss is what you like, get one, and if you don't need to fit kids in the back, the mustang looks nice

[2242100]

Originally Posted by chris0

Am I the only one who seems to recall the yanks getting a far better 0-62mph time in the same car? Not that it is the only thing you would buy one for, but you know..

I believe that US testers often don't actually get the published times because they use a correction system for what the car would achieve with a full fuel load under pretty good conditions.
Check on the net. Car and Driver explain how it's done in a video and I've also been told that Motor Trend was doing the same thing.
I know Road and Track were publishing the exact test times when they were based on the West Coast, but a few years back they moved their office to Michigan and I can't say that they are still routinely posting the actual times.

Also importantly US testers normally set their timing gear to only start counting when the car has moved 1 foot and that commonly reduces the time by about 3 tenths.

Regarding the Mustangs 5.6 to 100 km/h, I'd expect later tests to cut that down a fair bit.

[kypez]

Originally Posted by chris0

Am I the only one who seems to recall the yanks getting a far better 0-62mph time in the same car? Not that it is the only thing you would buy one for, but you know..

Thought most US tests are 0-60. That extra 2mph makes a little difference. With the old BA 5 speed, getting to 100 was an extra gear shift at 98kms/hr.

Overall, I don't mind the cars being pitted against each other, but giving the win purely on availability is a long bow to string IMO.

[Trump]

Why no XR8 you clown of the anus Ottley? The SS is done and dusted like the XR8, so why omit it from the review???

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

Why no XR8 you clown of the anus Ottley? The SS is done and dusted like the XR8, so why omit it from the review???

May be they couldn't get one, according to people here, the XR8 has a long waiting list.
Falcon is done and dusted in 8 or so months, it is old news, its performance replacement is here now, the Mustang a new car for Ford AU.
The SS still has another 18 months or so left and is the biggest performance seller for Holden.
So, the comparison looks to be fine, Ford's new V8 performance car vs Holden's vs Chrysler.

[damo6]

Originally Posted by Wretched

May be they couldn't get one, according to people here, the XR8 has a long waiting list.

Nah,i doubt thats the problem. Quick look on carsales has 18 demos and 2 used ones around brisbane.having said that the other states maybe different

[Falcon SXR8]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

Why no XR8 you clown of the anus Ottley? The SS is done and dusted like the XR8, so why omit it from the review???

Ford probably didnt want there new poster child being flogged by there outgoing model

[Vinno28]

I had a good look at a red GT fastback with aftermarket wheels on Australia Day when some Mustang guys were displaying their cars at a local fair. On just looks alone I am sold on them and not too bothered by the comments in any of these reviews about hard plastics. I hired a base model convertible in Hawaii last October and although I thought the auto in that car was rubbish it was still a great cruising car especially in manual mode where the box was ok. I like reading the comparisons as it helps put buying one into perspective. I have a RS Focus and the window buttons in that are pretty springy and feel like they will pop out when you release them so no difference there. It also has plenty of hard plastic so I guess it will be familiar to me in the Mustang. I can't count the number of Fords I've had in my life and I've always enjoyed them as I will a Mustang.

I would like a little more power and the available upgrades around mean it's pretty easy for not a heap of money. I'm one of those guys in his 50's who has wanted a Mustang since Moffat, Geoghan and co first started racing them and this one is spot on for me. It has all the modern niceties, heated and cooled seats all the electronics of a modern car and the shape.

It will be perfect for a couple of week driving holiday through the snowies into Victoria and along the Great Ocean road so it ticks my boxes. And no I haven't ordered one yet, I'm not in a rush and I want to see what grabber blue in the 2017 model turns out like on this car. Also got to show the misses the car in a few colours, we both like grey but I prefer red.

[Windsor220]

The VF isn't a bad looking car but when you put it side by side next to the Mustang it really does look tacky with all of those extra bits added.