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Chevy SS

rx4brdm

rx4brdm

Ready to race!
I test drove a 2014 Chevy SS yesterday. It is hard to ignore millions of recalls from one manufacturer, but it wasn't hard to look past all that.

Pros: The interior is in a class I never thought GM would reach in anything but a Caddy. Handling was very good, I know, don't compare a FWD to a RWD, but the way it took that I-80 on-ramp was better than anything I have personally driven other than my boss's Porsche 911 Turbo and his C6 'Vette. Ride quality was excellent, NVH was excellent. Not to mention LS3's 415 hp and 415 lb/ft. Remote starter so the car was fairly cool in the 95+ temp yesterday and that A/C was cold enough to make your nipples hard enough to cut glass.

Cons: Definitely bigger than any vehicle I have ever owned. $1500 gas guzzler tax. Way, way, way too quiet. No manual tranny. HUD would take some getting used to. Chrome wheels and a couple of exterior trim pieces in chrome. Seats don't fold down BUT that trunk was ginormous. Although people criticize the styling, saying it looks like a version of the Malibu, I think that is a reason I like it.

Why I may to wait at least a year: Magnetic Ride Control and a 6 speed manual are rumored to be out in the 2015 model year. I wonder if they will toss the LT1 in there...
 
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johnny_p

johnny_p

Go Kart Champion
Does this get the new 8at from the vette or is it stuck with the 6at?
 
rx4brdm

rx4brdm

Ready to race!
johnny_p said:
Does this get the new 8at from the vette or is it stuck with the 6at?
Click to expand...

The 2014 is stuck with 6 speed. It has the paddle shift but definitely doesn't satisfy the hunger for a manual. And nowhere near something like a DSG.
 
XGC75

XGC75

Go Kart Champion
Didn't list the price as a con in there...

I like the car, I just think it has a lot to live up to from the prior generation, the G8 GT. How much was that?

butchered by autocorrecr
 
ToMMyGuN

ToMMyGuN

Go Kart Champion
2015 is getting the manual and mag ride for sure, it's been confirmed by gm, and there was a m6 '15 SS at the Woodward dream cruise in Detroit. That's what I'm waiting for. This is the ultimate family muscle mobile, minus the gas mileage, but I am going to put my money where my mouth is and support getting rear wheel drive v8 sedans here in the USA.

It will never get the LT1, that would be a huge re-engineering that Holden engineers won't do, the Australian plant is shutting down in 2017, so the SS's days are numbered.

The two gripes I had with the one I test drove were the "meh" transmission and the lack of mag ride for long trips. 2015 models will fix both of those issues - thanks gm, I can't remember the last time a gm product was on top of my "next car" list.
 
rx4brdm

rx4brdm

Ready to race!
ToMMyGuN said:
2015 is getting the manual and mag ride for sure, it's been confirmed by gm, and there was a m6 '15 SS at the Woodward dream cruise in Detroit. That's what I'm waiting for. This is the ultimate family muscle mobile, minus the gas mileage, but I am going to put my money where my mouth is and support getting rear wheel drive v8 sedans here in the USA.

It will never get the LT1, that would be a huge re-engineering that Holden engineers won't do, the Australian plant is shutting down in 2017, so the SS's days are numbered.

The two gripes I had with the one I test drove were the "meh" transmission and the lack of mag ride for long trips. 2015 models will fix both of those issues - thanks gm, I can't remember the last time a gm product was on top of my "next car" list.
Click to expand...

Researching more, I would definitely have to wait for the 6MT. Didn't even think about the plant being shut down in Oz, so the chance of an LT1 going isn't gonna happen. But still love the LS family.

I still can't say no to that LS3 and the aftermarket. You can make a CARB legal beast from this car and not have to worry about passing the smog test.
 
rx4brdm

rx4brdm

Ready to race!
XGC75 said:
Didn't list the price as a con in there...

I like the car, I just think it has a lot to live up to from the prior generation, the G8 GT. How much was that?

butchered by autocorrecr
Click to expand...

Yes, the price is a bit high but what am I going to get for $45k from Audi, BMW, or Mercedes, in that category, that will match that performance? Pretty slim chance of getting of finding anything on the lot in that price range and that performance. So I don't really look at that as a con.

Not much difference between the G8 GT and the SS, as a matter of fact, I prefer the styling of the G8. But obviously you'll never find a new G8.
 
ToMMyGuN

ToMMyGuN

Go Kart Champion
rx4brdm said:
Researching more, I would definitely have to wait for the 6MT. Didn't even think about the plant being shut down in Oz, so the chance of an LT1 going isn't gonna happen. But still love the LS family.

I still can't say no to that LS3 and the aftermarket. You can make a CARB legal beast from this car and not have to worry about passing the smog test.
Click to expand...

Definetly. The LS motors receive nearly universal praise for power/weight, reliability, and inexpensive repair parts. The ss is a unicorn, and will probably never be resurrected as it is now ('15 model)- pushrod
v8, 6 speed manual, magnetic ride, giant rear seat, RWD. It's a dieing breed of car, and I don't want to miss out on it before it's gone for good.




rx4brdm said:
Yes, the price is a bit high but what am I going to get for $45k from Audi, BMW, or Mercedes, in that category, that will match that performance? Pretty slim chance of getting of finding anything on the lot in that price range and that performance. So I don't really look at that as a con.

Not much difference between the G8 GT and the SS, as a matter of fact, I prefer the styling of the G8. But obviously you'll never find a new G8.
Click to expand...

Your first point is one to take special note of - "$45k for a Chevy?!?!" is the big response, but name something else, ignoring any badges, that can match the SS for under $50k new.

It's a special car, and it's not long for this CAFE driven automotive world.
 
ToMMyGuN

ToMMyGuN

Go Kart Champion
troyguitar said:
The G8 was cheap as hell, that's the real difference.

2009 G8 GT starting MSRP $31,755, 2009 G8 GXP starting MSRP $37,610...

http://www.cars.com/pontiac/g8/2009/standard-equipment/

2014 Chevy SS, $43475 for almost the same damn car except it's worse looking.
Click to expand...

The G8 was based on the VE commodore, the SS is based on the VF Commodore, and the changes to the chassis are not miniscule, including substantial weight savings. In addition, the SS is loaded with so many more options than even the GXP - navigation, cooled seats, intelligent safety features, fancy (Bose) audio, etc. The interior quality is much higher too.

The g8 gt was a screaming deal, but it was offered for sale almost 6 years ago, and GM also lost alot of money on the G8's because the Aussie dollar went crazy while they were being developed, so gm couldn't get as much for them as they planned. I'm with you though, the ss is a bit spendy, but it's as loaded as possible, and it's got the LS3, which means it's comparable to the gxp, not the gt. But to your point, the SS really is a different car than the G8 GXP (besides the motor, but I think that's a good thing).

Agreed on the looks- the G8 did the muscle sedan look a lot better than the SS, though in person the ss has a bit more presence. Just too much Damn chrome.
 
artur1292

artur1292

Go Kart Champion
ToMMyGuN said:
2015 is getting the manual and mag ride for sure, it's been confirmed by gm, and there was a m6 '15 SS at the Woodward dream cruise in Detroit. That's what I'm waiting for. This is the ultimate family muscle mobile, minus the gas mileage, but I am going to put my money where my mouth is and support getting rear wheel drive v8 sedans here in the USA.

It will never get the LT1, that would be a huge re-engineering that Holden engineers won't do, the Australian plant is shutting down in 2017, so the SS's days are numbered.

The two gripes I had with the one I test drove were the "meh" transmission and the lack of mag ride for long trips. 2015 models will fix both of those issues - thanks gm, I can't remember the last time a gm product was on top of my "next car" list.
Click to expand...

m6 is gm's way of saying 6 speed manual? Or is that a package?
 
ToMMyGuN

ToMMyGuN

Go Kart Champion
Here is my review of the ss, from my build thread (from before the news of mag ride and m6 was released):

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I just took a quick test drive of a white ss (like 8 minutes long, so very brief). Here are my initial impressions.

Let me start be the motor. My goodness, the ls3 is a beast. It's a totally different sensation of power than the turbo in the GTI, once you hit 4k on the tac it just keeps pulling. Lots of torque too. Awesome awesome awesome. I didn't open it up all the way from a stand still because the salesman was in the car with me and my wife, but it pulls hard to red line. We got up to illegal speeds pretty fast! It wasn't scary fast though, just smooth acceleration. I felt in control of all the power all the way through the rev range. That speaks volumes about the chassis.

The auto transmission seems ok; with a manual the car would be nuts, and Gotta have it cool. The auto's shifts were smooth, and it seems like a very responsive box, though not in the same league as the zf 8 speed. Just a "meh" on the transmission front, though I don't really have many gripes with it besides the "it's a slushbox" generic gripe. A dual clutch or a quick shifting 8 speed would do wonders for the car's character.

The interior is great. Like, genuinely great. Feels very modern, but very comfortable. And huge, with a seriously surprising amount of rear leg room. I sat behind myself without issue, and had plenty of room between my knees and the seat (it seemed like 3 inches or so). I am 6', and like my seat pretty far back, for reference. The seat back in the rear is tilted back slightly, which makes the car feel even bigger. Very comfy road trip seating for 4 full sized adults.

The mylink screen is big and bright, and boy have HUD's come a long way since the one on my old Aztek. Lots of options on what you can view on the HUD (including g-meter, nice!). I didn't really play with the tech features though, as I was mainly concerned with the driving experience, but the cooled seats were nice, as was the dual climate control and steering wheel controls. The gauges were clear, and the ac was frigidly cold, as in any true American car.

For our quick test drive, I was impressed with the front seats, I thought they were very comfy. My wife even made a comment about how comfortable the bolstering was. Also, the interior seemed to be very quiet at 60mph. We didn't take it beyond that (sustained) speed, so I'm not sure how it would be at 80mph on the freeway, but it seemed very quiet, especially over the crap MN roads we were driving.

The suspension is what surprised me on the car - reviews mention that the suspension is a bit too firm, but for me it felt just right. I wouldn't describe the ride as rough, but rather tight. It just felt good. Sure, you could feel minor imperfections in the road, but they weren't harsh at all. The suspension was my-kind of communicative about the road below: it told me what I was driving on, but it didn't tell me to slow down. I liked it a lot. It will be very interesting to try out mag-ride, if the car does get it. If it can smooth out the small bumpy spots and maintain the car's feeling of "tightness", I'm all for it! Overall though the ride seemed like a perfect compromise of sport and comfort.

The steering was great, but I don't have much to compare it with. It felt wonderfully precise though, significantly better than the GTI and about 900x better than the RDX. The turning circle was much smaller than I thought it would be, too.

The looks, being totally subjective, are sleeper-seductive good. In white, I thought it looked brilliant. Very understated, which I am partial too, with just hints of its performance, not loud calls to it. The brembos and the exhaust note are about all that give this thing away for what it is. And speaking of the noise the engine makes, it's glorious. Startup has a delicious growl, and once you hit 4500 rpm's it really sounds good. Especially because it's a 4 door.

Overall I really liked the car. I'd like to take a longer test ride to really eke out the pros and cons, but right now the only glaring con to me is price (still affordable when considering its competition, but it it still spendy), and fuel economy. I don't know if I can convince myself that going from 30 mpg avg to 18mpg avg is something I can stomach. We'll see what news the 2015 model brings in august.. if it's a manual tranny and mag-ride, I might be sold enough to not care about the fuel guzzling..
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troyguitar

troyguitar

Go Kart Champion
I didn't count destination or gas guzzler tax in the G8 or the SS prices, they're about the same for all 3 cars.

Spin it however you like, the car is underwhelming to me and way too premium for me to ever consider. They didn't even bother trying to make it sell (by offering a cheaper base model like the G8 GT) because the plant is closing and people don't want RWD V8 sedans anymore anyway, it's a shame.

Actual performance numbers between the GXP and SS:

http://media.caranddriver.com/files...st-review-car-and-driverchevrolet-ss-2014.pdf

http://media.caranddriver.com/files/2009-pontiac-g8-gxp.pdf

They're the same car. You might as well be looking at a 2009.5 TSI GTI vs a 2010... yeah there are a lot of differences but they're more or less the same car. It is a tiny step forward.

That being said, it's still the coolest big car you can buy new today under $75k. It's just not as cool as the G8 or the actual Commodore.
 
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