Built on the GM Zeta platform introduced with the VE Commodore, the VF was an evolutionary update rather than a clean-sheet redesign. Visual changes included revised headlights, altered tail lamps on sedans, a restyled grille and intake, and a lip spoiler replacing the rear wing on performance variants. Body shell, doors, windows, mirrors, and roof carried over from the VE, and the wheelbase and track remained unchanged.
Interior changes were more substantial, featuring an eight-inch touchscreen across all variants, an electronic handbrake, keyless entry, and auto-park assist as standard. Optional equipment extended to a head-up display, forward and rear collision warning, blind spot monitors, and lane departure warning. The VF adopted electric power steering in place of the VE's hydraulic system, improving fuel efficiency at some cost to steering feel.
The VF was also exported to the United States from 2013 to 2017 as the Chevrolet SS, powered by a 6.2-litre LS3 V8 producing 309 kW.
The VF range spanned several specification levels. The entry-level Evoke used a 3.0-litre SIDI V6. The SV6 offered a 3.6-litre V6 with sport bodywork and 18-inch alloys. The SS and SS V were the V8 performance sedans, initially using a 6.0-litre L77 replaced by the 6.2-litre LS3 in the Series II update; the SS V Redline added upgraded brakes and suspension, launch control, and a sunroof. The Calais and Calais V provided luxury appointments atop the same driveline. The Ute continued as a separate utility body style.
In September 2015, the Series II (VF II) update introduced the 6.2-litre LS3 across all V8 variants, producing 304 kW and 570 Nm. A bimodal exhaust became standard on performance models, and wagon variants received LED taillights. The update also restyled the front bumper and revised gear ratios and suspension tuning on the Redline.
Several limited editions were produced across the VF's lifespan, including the Craig Lowndes edition released for the 2015 model year celebrating his 20 years with Holden, the Sandman, the Black Edition, and the final-year Director (honouring Peter Brock's HDT Director) and Motorsport variants.
Holden Special Vehicles released the Gen-F series based on the VF in August 2013. The range comprised the ClubSport, GTS, Maloo, Senator Signature, and Caprice-based Grange. The GTS was powered by a 6.2-litre supercharged LSA producing 430 kW and 740 Nm, with Magnetic Ride Control suspension. A GTSR variant introduced in 2015 pushed output to 435 kW. HSV also sold the GTS and Maloo in the United Kingdom under the Vauxhall VXR8 nameplate, with that range discontinued in 2017 alongside the VF.
The VF V8 Supercar was the first Holden built to New Generation V8 Supercar regulations, a formula designed to reduce build and repair costs. The aerodynamics package was developed by Triple Eight Race Engineering's Ludo Lacroix working with Holden Motorsport's Doug Skinner. A prototype wearing VE body panels ran for the first time in October 2012 at Holden's Lang Lang Proving Ground; the homologated VF was officially unveiled in February 2013.
The VF debuted at the 2013 Clipsal 500, where Craig Lowndes and Shane van Gisbergen each claimed a race win. The car won 28 of 36 races in the 2013 season, and Holden secured the Manufacturers' Championship with fourteen rounds still remaining. Jamie Whincup took the drivers' title that year, with Lowndes second.
The VF Commodore secured its first Bathurst 1000 victory in 2015 with Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards driving for Red Bull Racing Australia. In 2017, Whincup won the final Supercars championship for Holden in the last race of the season after Scott McLaughlin was penalised for contact with Lowndes.
The VF Commodore marked the end of Australian-manufactured passenger cars and the conclusion of local large-car production that had defined the industry for decades. As the final domestically produced Commodore, it carried significant national cultural weight, and its successful V8 Supercars campaign — including multiple championships and a Bathurst win — ensured it is remembered as one of the strongest-performing Commodore generations on track.