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2017 Chevrolet SS Manual Final Test: Fanboys’ Last Chance!

9K views 100 replies 26 participants last post by  Dr. Show-Me2 
#1 ·
2017 Chevrolet SS Manual
Fans' last chance at Chevy's pushrod V-8 rear-wheel-drive sedan.
Car and Driver
Andrew Wendler
April 2017



It’s a common phenomenon: Brand enthusiasts zero in on an overseas model and imagine that if it were appropriated for stateside consumption, it would not only upend the performance-per-dollar hierarchy, but also require dealerships to hire extra security to handle the teeming masses waving their checkbooks. “I’d be first in line!” they say. In this instance, the manufacturer is Chevrolet and the car is the Holden Commodore, but General Motors was planning to bring it stateside as the Chevrolet SS long before the keyboard tastemakers took notice.
 
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#5 ·
That would be nice. Don't see it happening without a management shake up, though......


BTW, I've probably had a half dozen people tell me I need to stop driving my SS and simply park and pickle it. I told them I bought it to drive it and that I already had enough garage queens. It'd be nice if a new one would come around down the road, however.
 
#6 ·
Chevy SS
EPA combined/city/highway driving: 17/14/22 mpg
C/D observed: 14 mpg
Viper GTS
EPA city/highway: 12/21 mpg
C/D observed: 14 mpg
Dodge Charger scat pack
EPA city/highway: 15/25 mpg
C/D observed: 17 mpg
i know its a "sports sedan" and the enthusiast wouldn't really think about Fuel Economy but This is just pathetic. no 415hp V8 should have the mileage of a "outdated" 640hp Push-rod V10 , Just saying.

 
#7 ·
Chevy SS


Viper GTS


Dodge Charger scat pack


i know its a "sports sedan" and the enthusiast wouldn't really think about Fuel Economy but This is just pathetic. no 415hp V8 should have the mileage of a "outdated" 640hp Push-rod V10 , Just saying.

If it makes you feel any better, the mileage on my display is 17.4 with alot of mixed driving. I do find myself chugging around in 6th gear and 1000 RPM, though.
 
#17 ·
Seeing how GM needs to boost output on the Alpha line they just need to pull the trigger.
 
#19 ·
I have to be honest there. I doubt I would give my SS up for one unless they make a lot of changes to alpha. I've driven several of them in various forms (ATS, CTS, and Camaro) and while I really like the alpha cars from a drivers perspective, they ALL just have big compromises in really substantial ways that the SS does not. It's things like interior room, trunk space, and ease of entry and exit. The SS just really really nails all of these normal car areas outside of performance AND it still performs too!
 
#20 ·
Hellcat or scat pack charger and challenger kicked the living crap out of the Chevy SS in sales..

The SS was a cool ride but man ..dodge crested a halo vehicle that surpassed the viper for brand recognition while the Chevy SS sold with massive discounts and barely anyone is even aware of what it is..outside of enthusiasts..

GM should have run the LSa in it at the very least...

People scooped up the hellcat and it is like I mentioned earlier the halo vehicle for the brand....

Of course the Chevy SS ended up selling at transaction prices of 34 grand brand new...for many...

I'm sure the profit was slim to none for GM while the hellcats and scat packs were bringing in the dough...

Now hellcats are being sold for ten off brand new but that's because the demon is on its way.

Those wide fenders front and rear are awesome and I fully expect the road course times to be improved ...not ZL1 fast but much improved....

So long Chevy SS ...it was nice knowing you from Australia..
 
#21 ·
I would have loved the LSA BUT you couldn't do it at the price point so I am fine with it (I've actually got an LSA blower for mine in the garage.

Also your 34k number is low.

The Demon is going to be terrible on the roadcourse, it'll be worse than the hellcat just because of the brakes. The tires will hurt it too.
 
#35 ·
As long as the Charger is around, I don't see any need for GM to replace the outgoing SS that they had to offer at "give away" prices in order to sell any of them - just like I told everyone would be the case.

The Charger is offered by a non-volume brand and has a "Clear" image and purpose because of it.

I will never buy a Chevy anyway, so if they offer another Chevy version, I will do what I have with the current one, I have intentionally never looked at one at a dealership or at a car show, and never will.

GM will never offer a Cadillac car with a NA purshrod V8 in it, so there is no reason for a "Next Gen SS".

GM will never, ever under and circumstance offer a "SS" as a Buick and is the only way I would even be interested in one.

GM get forever leave the OHV V8/RWD full size sedan segment as far as I am concerned - and going by to lousy sales of the SS, is same feelings of many potential buyers of a "SS replacement".
 
#46 ·
The ATS v has been an utter dog in the market place....that even subsidized lease deals are slow to move more ATS Vs...

Nothing is going to help the tired old arts and science design philosophy....

Even the cts v while technically excellent suffers from slow sales...


The foolish move to ignore the market segment shift to awd in performance sedans...not to mention the foolish idea to raise prices of msrp to the point to insult previous buyers for no purpose other than to try and instill the idea of superior product...and greed...

Consumers said FU to Cadillac and sales have plummeted

Let's add in the move to performance sporting cuv s with a rearwheel drive chassis bias and Porsche and jaguar with the f pace are kicking butt and taking no prisoners...

Putting a LT1 in the ATS chassis styled as a Chevy SS would go a long way but funding is lacking for such a design...

Besides the LT1 is a better motor than the TT v6 of the ATS v..

Sedans are out...cuv s are in...Cadillac is out of touch with the market demand based off its current product lineup.

Dodge and Chrysler lineup is lacking as well...both brands would do well to merge into one....

The latest rumor of a keep ram spinoff is a stroke of genius..

Let dodge and or Chrysler be bought out by google or what not...

That said....cars like the large segment sedan Chevy SS are history...

For those who got the 34 grand pricing or thereabouts...enjoy...
 
#48 ·
Dodge and Chrysler Line up isnt lacking, due to the fact that the 2 companies compliment each other as one entity. 4 if you include Ram and Jeep and thats.....FCA. sharing showrooms..

and SM havent said anything about him spinning off brands. Thats one example how the MEDIA can put words into peoples mouths.
 
#59 ·
IIRC my LS2 GTOs would cruise around 1800RPM @ 70mph (both manuals). In normal driving even with some hills and mild acceleration to go around someone, I never had to downshift to 5th.

Yes, the SS is a bit bigger/heavier, but weight isn't as critical of a factor for how much power is needed to sustain cruise speed. I'd think with the extra displacement/torque, GM would have kept the top-gear RPMs about the same between LS2 GTO and LS3 SS.

My first brand new car out of college was a 1999 Contour SVT. 2.5L V6 producing 200hp, which was a lot of HP/L for a naturally aspirated engine 20 years ago. That car had great balance and was a lot of fun to drive, but one thing that drove me crazy was the fact I'd be running 3200 RPM on the highway. With only a 5 speed manual and close ratios, Ford was handcuffed. Fortunately the Duratec was a smooth engine, but it still bothered me, knowing how much more relaxed the highway cruise could have felt and that I could have been returning over 30mpg on the highway, if only they had fitted it with the 6 speed that the Focus SVT received.
 
#60 ·
I used to have a '98 SVT Contour. The EO with the Cosworth wheels. What an incredibly fun car! Only FWD drive car I know of which was tuned for oversteer. In many ways it was similar to my SS in that it was a sleeper.
 
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#65 ·
AWD was considered early on for the 5th gen. V6 and 5.3 and automatic trans only. Both the AWD and 5.3 idea was dropped quickly.


Regarding the Zeta Impala, I spoke to two people who had seen it. They both said it was better looking than the Camaro.
 
#68 ·
Regarding the Zeta Impala, I spoke to two people who had seen it. They both said it was better looking than the Camaro.
And this might be another reason that it will never be built. Even if GM could make a platform cost effective enough for a RWD, proper sized Impala, even if they engineered it to be built & sold in RHD, even if they could offer it with AWD & a V8 together, GM is gun shy about upstaging it's sports cars.
 
#67 ·
One last thing on the Zeta Impala. I'm surprised no pictures of it have ever surfaced. I had a friend who used to work for GM who saw one at the Warren Tech Center. He told me it was drop dead gorgeous, (or words to that effect). I asked if he meant he saw it in the design studio. He said, no, it was driving around the Tech Center today. The car's good looks are almost mythical. I wish I could see it for myself!
 
#78 · (Edited)
Zeta Impala made it to fibreglass, like the Coupe60 (which was the GTO/Monaro proto) and the Ciel, which I think was the short 'big Caddy' proto. Fibreglass is the last stage before metal - they do it because even though clay gives you a good idea of the final 'look' nothing is better than seeing a car going around a corner, accelerating, braking whatever to work out what it looks like as a roller.

The cost to create a car like this is $millions - not only in the clay modelling, which takes thousands of hours (I was told the cost approaches $10K an hour) but the model makers have to literally make the car complete in glass with all the details like bodywork flutes and apertures, rain gutters, moulding and glass openings. The Coupe60 which used a standard G8/Commodore floor/front panels cost $8m just to the stage where it was b-pillar back and doors, trunklid. No interior, no real production fittings - just the bodyshell.

Once they do that, they literally photograph it (old days for the press toolers) or laser measure it for the CNC tool cutters (today). IOW, the Zeta Impala was months from manufacture with serious production intent when they pulled the pin. Just imagine, that car powered by V6s with 6L45s, n/a V8s with 6L60 and Tremecs and supercharged motors with 6L80s........ with the IRS capability of the G8, SS and Caprice PPV, it would have ushered in a new era of RWD sedans hinted at by the Chrylser 300/Charger.

In Zeta II it would have had similar mass to the FWD Epsilon but much better 50:50 balance - no issues with width, overhangs, and MonaroSS's rendering from a few years back showed that the '14 Impala styling, that looked like a whale balanced on a pram with the narrow/short Epi II wheelbase looked much better with the wheels pushed back out into the corners and the rear doors/compartment a proper length.

Next time you see a Caprice PPV, see if you can sit in back (without a ride down to the hooscow!). You will be amazed at the spaciousness in the rear, it's like a cave - you could get Lebron and two of his mates and their groupies in there, with the fuel cells below your feet, and in the trunk where a 20x10" spare will fit underneath the floor leaving it unrestricted. It makes a Crown Vic (been in both) feel like a long sardine can and shames it for trunk space with the spare mounted.
 
#81 ·
Here's the dilemma I am facing with this car.

In 2007, I bought a Cobalt SS Supercharged. It was the last year of the SS S/C due to "emissions testing" killing the boosted motor. Everyone was saying "this is it, get it while it's still for sale!" MSRP $ 24,095, I think I got it for $ 22,000 out the door.

Then a year later, the turbocharged model came out with some pretty significant upgrades.

I am fearful that this will be the same case with the SS. There is simply no reason why GM can't release a sedan with an LT1, 6 speed manual, mag ride, etc. but on an updated chassis (alpha or whatever the bigger Cadillac rides on.) The problem is going to be production location - where will they make it? Can they rebadge a Cadillac the same way they did the SS? I doubt it.

Thoughts?
 
#82 ·
The real question is why would they? Commodore was developed for it's home market and shared with the US. Why would GM develop and produce a sedan that sells less than 10k copies in 4 years? The Alpha cars themselves are not selling well in their own markets.
 
#86 ·
My guess is that the margin on those cars is not very good compared with what GM currently produces. Post-bailout I am sure they are focused solely on profits, as seen with their latest financials. This "SS" could very well be the last of it's kind, not only for GM, but for every car company in existence.

If I owned one, I'd keep the miles as low as possible and store it indoors when not in use. No winter driving. In 20 years I could see this car going for $ 100,000 at an auction.
 
#87 ·
My guess is that the margin on those cars is not very good compared with what GM currently produces. Post-bailout I am sure they are focused solely on profits, as seen with their latest financials. This "SS" could very well be the last of it's kind, not only for GM, but for every car company in existence.
If I owned one, I'd keep the miles as low as possible and store it indoors when not in use. No winter driving. In 20 years I could see this car going for $ 100,000 at an auction.
GM ended production of the Impala SS in 1996 to build more SUVs, which have been huge profit centers. So sedans wouldn't be as profitable.
Also, post-BK, GM stated that they would concentrate of mainstream vehicles, which has led to sound vehicles that are aimed at the leaders, but not taking the lead. Kind of Dare Meekly.
 
#91 ·
If the trends continue the number of sedans in the portfolio priced over 40k will have to be severely limited. I see the fwd impala and lacrosse axed in favor of a sedan that goes straight up against the charger. Whether that's a Chevy or Buick who knows.
 
#92 ·
Not gonna happen. The Chevrolet Impala has experienced a significant sales decline over the last few years. The Charger experienced a decline in 2016 over 2015. However, the Impala still outsells the Charger by a significant margin. Chevrolet will not abandon the Impala altogether. However, it is not abandon its current Impala for a new one that chases a smaller competitor.
 
#94 ·
sedans in general are becoming a niche market

One manufacturer having 3 of essentially the same vehicle doesnt make a lot of sense

If you have a hatch/wagon in the regal and a slightly smaller sedan (Malibu) and a same sized RWD Sports sedan you are going in the right direction

Otherwise I agree that having 3 all fighting with each other is nonsensical
 
#97 ·
The more I think about it, the more I am leaning towards pulling the trigger on the SS, IF GM has another 20% off sale. At that price, it is about the same cost as an Impala LTZ, but with a proven V8 RWD drivetrain instead of the god-awful 3.6/FWD/open diff combo on the Impala. Run it into the ground, then in 10 years see what the market has to offer.

Of course you could store it and try to offload it in 10 years, but what's the point of preserving the car for someone else? I can invest in the stock market and get just as good, if not better of a return and use that to makeup for the depreciation on the SS. Smiles per gallon.
 
#100 ·
If you're that serious, I'd recommend locating the car you want and talking to a dealer. Some will work with you and allow you to put down a deposit contingent upon the 20% sale. If you're not near a place that moves a lot of SS's, in other words your typical dealer with 1 or 2 at best, you better show up the day the 20% is announced because they get snapped up quickly, I learned that the hard way. Literally missed out on my first SS by 20 minutes, guy was returning from the test drive as I pulled up to the dealer on the 1st day of the offer, and I had watched that car sit on the lot for 6 months. Had to go an hour forty five away to get one.
 
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