It’s fair to say the Holden Commodore and Kia Stinger storm onto the Australian market
greeted with equal parts controversy and scepticism.
The rear-drive Kia Stinger GT teased Australians as a Commodore alternative, just as Holden
traditionalists came to terms with the end of an era that was local vehicle manufacturing.
The battle lines are clear.
Are you team Commodore or team Stinger?
And will you feel any different in about five minutes time?
We’ve gathered the top-spec performance variants of each to see which newcomer can
best fill a V8-sized hole in garages Down Under.
Understandably, Holden’s faithful face a huge shift – there’s an all-wheel-drive
V6 liftback bearing the Commodore nameplate shared with the tyre smoking muscle car that
once was.
Meanwhile the Kia Stinger cuts new ground with its performance sedan – a rear-wheel
drive twin-turbo V6.
Separated by just $4000, equipment levels bear many resemblances.
Both score eight-inch touch screens with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it’s the Holden
that offers the more extensive kit list and more user-friendly interface.
Less muscle and more mainstream, our performance sedans play a valuable dual role for enthusiasts
with modern family demands.
In the second row, it’s the Commodore VXR that offers more generous space and better
amenity, with the addition of heated seats.
Liftback body-styles favour function and flexibility, the VXR also benefits from 40:20:40 split-fold
seats but misses out in an electric tailgate as found in the Stinger.
Interior design creates another point of difference for these two.
The Stinger brings a distinctly sporty vibe, featuring chrome-look highlights throughout.
You’ll find round air vents and a top-mounted touch-screen.
In complete contrast, the Commodore VXR feels sophisticated and offers a more fluid design.
And you’ll find more piano black finishes throughout.
At this end of town, performance and 0-100/km times matter; and our testing saw the Kia’s
cracking twin-turbo V6 the quickest across the line.
The Stinger’s more subdued engine lets out a nice bass note when opened up – it’s
that deep muscular note many want from their high-performance sedan.
Paired to an eight-speed auto, with more rubber in the rear and a local chassis tune, the
Stinger was quicker to turn in and most honest through the corners.
It delivers that borderline hectic-meets-exhilarating handling unique to a rear-wheel drive performance
car.
It’s built with the enthusiast in mind.
With more to prove, the Commodore VXR brings a nine-speed auto and all-wheel-drive grip
to the game.
Its ride is smooth and composed - and comfort levels are high.
Excitement, not so much.
Its paddle-shifts were slow and braking less sharp.
Despite slick new packaging the VXR fails to elicit even half of the emotion of an SS-V
Redline… for example.
This a Commodore like no other – and that’s both good and bad news.
And how do they sound....
Despite the Kia’s good-looking quad pipes, it’s the Holden that wins this battle.
Both vehicles offer autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, head-up display and
a variety of driver assist safety technologies.
However, Kia betters Holden where all important aftersales support is concerned…
…and on test fuel consumption revealed the Holden the more frugal of our sports sedans.
Over a second quicker in the 0-100km/h dash and with performance at its heart, it’s
the Kia Stinger GT that takes the win.
It’s not only our winner, it’s the best Kia we’ve ever driven.
We are team Stinger.