Chevrolet SS
What is it? Like the Pontiac G8 before it, the rear-drive Chevrolet SS is borrowed from General Motors’ Australian brand, Holden. Down under, GM is known for creating powerful, great-handling sport sedans and coupes. This foundation promises a character of a well-honed, Euro-influenced sport sedan with a generous dose of American muscle thrown in. Rest assured, the SS will be in stark contrast with the midsized Malibu, just as the G8 was in a different league than the G6.
The SS is a large car, positioned above the front-drive Impala. It shares its core underpinnings with the Camaro, Caprice police car, Holden VF Commodore, and the short-lived Pontiac G8. When we tested the G8 in 2008, it proved fun, quick, capable, and roomy. With a thoroughly developed chassis including independent suspension front and rear, and standard Brembo brakes with four-piston calipers, the SS boasts serious credentials and pedigree.
Serving as a Chevrolet flagship, the $44,470 SS is lavishly equipped with leather upholstery, Chevrolet MyLink infotainment, navigation system, Bose audio, forward collision alert, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitors, back-up camera with cross-traffic alert, and the brand’s first automatic parking system.
What is new or notable: The underhood magic comes from a 6.2-liter LS3 V8—the same basic powerplant used in the outgoing C6 Corvette. Here it produces 415 horsepower, routed through a six-speed automatic transmission. Manual gear selection is enabled through steering-wheel paddles, but no true manual tranny will be offered. Chevrolet claims 0-60 mph times in about five seconds, putting it deep in modern muscle car territory.
If this core formula sounds familiar, it should. The Impala SS from the 1990s was essentially an enhanced rear-drive Caprice with a Corvette-shared LT1 V8. Back then, the Impala was a cool rendition of the decidedly uncool Caprice, with 260 hp and a sinister exterior. Unlike the fundamentally outdated Impala, however, the new SS is truly a contemporary design, and it essentially serves as an evolution of the well-regarded Pontiac G8.
CR's take: The Chevrolet SS proves that despite high gasoline prices, this is the golden age of the muscle car. Never has so much performance and refinement been available in a domestic-brand car than is offered today by Chrysler, Ford, and GM
The SS is a large car, positioned above the front-drive Impala. It shares its core underpinnings with the Camaro, Caprice police car, Holden VF Commodore, and the short-lived Pontiac G8. When we tested the G8 in 2008, it proved fun, quick, capable, and roomy. With a thoroughly developed chassis including independent suspension front and rear, and standard Brembo brakes with four-piston calipers, the SS boasts serious credentials and pedigree.
Serving as a Chevrolet flagship, the $44,470 SS is lavishly equipped with leather upholstery, Chevrolet MyLink infotainment, navigation system, Bose audio, forward collision alert, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitors, back-up camera with cross-traffic alert, and the brand’s first automatic parking system.
What is new or notable: The underhood magic comes from a 6.2-liter LS3 V8—the same basic powerplant used in the outgoing C6 Corvette. Here it produces 415 horsepower, routed through a six-speed automatic transmission. Manual gear selection is enabled through steering-wheel paddles, but no true manual tranny will be offered. Chevrolet claims 0-60 mph times in about five seconds, putting it deep in modern muscle car territory.
If this core formula sounds familiar, it should. The Impala SS from the 1990s was essentially an enhanced rear-drive Caprice with a Corvette-shared LT1 V8. Back then, the Impala was a cool rendition of the decidedly uncool Caprice, with 260 hp and a sinister exterior. Unlike the fundamentally outdated Impala, however, the new SS is truly a contemporary design, and it essentially serves as an evolution of the well-regarded Pontiac G8.
CR's take: The Chevrolet SS proves that despite high gasoline prices, this is the golden age of the muscle car. Never has so much performance and refinement been available in a domestic-brand car than is offered today by Chrysler, Ford, and GM
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