Up front: the video is going to be exactly what you are expecting from Motor Trend. Jason Cammisa will drive a car, Randy Pobst will show you how hard the car can be driven, and you’ll hear a bunch of words that frankly, may or may not impress you. Watch at your will. We’ve driven the Chevrolet SS in automatic form…not that we don’t want to drive the manual version, we just can’t find one, and neither can our Chevrolet dealership. That being said, if you locate an SS with a third pedal, and you even possibly think you could use a new car, don’t just think about it, drive the damn thing. Plenty of magazines call the SS the best car nobody is buying, and we agree: the looks fly so far under the radar that you’ll shock the hell out of the unknowing when they see your “Malibu” blow the rear tires away in anger, the suspension is sublime, and even the automatic is a riot to blast around in. Cammisa makes a point that must be addressed: the only other cars that compare to the Chevrolet SS are the BMW M5 and M6 Grand Coupe. They’re nearly twice the price and about as fun. The Dodge Charger SRT 392 might be close, but with no manual trans option, it’s outclassed, and there’s no flying under the radar when even church-going ladies can tell me the horsepower figures. But the M5 and M6 Gran Coupe don’t get compared to the SS here…instead, they break out a car that I’ll admit, I love: the E39-era BMW M5. I love it for the same reason I love the SS: four doors, six-speed manual, a V8 that will kick you in the chest without apologizing, and radically understated looks.
Legions of YouTube commenters bitch about how the SS is too plain, too boring. You want flashy and showy? Buy the Charger. Not everybody needs to shout for attention like children. Sometimes, it’s better to hide in plain sight.
I try to give each and every car a fair shake, but I just don’t understand the love for the SS.
I even went and test drove one, an automatic. Yes, my local dealer only had an automatic, but that’s what I’d buy anyway. You’d have thought I was some kind of unicorn when I came in and asked to drive the SS they had – they were almost surprised, even though I roughly fit the image of who might drive one, as I’m 27.
From the boring name to the boring looks to the cheap interior to the writing on the wall which says it is being discontinued momentarily – I just don’t get it. If you want all those things, you can still buy a G8.
I can’t understand why anyone would buy one over a Charger or 300. The 8 speed transmission in those cars is sublime, and when not done in a bright color, they’re very understated.
I see an SS maybe once a month around me in close-to-Boston suburban MA – or at least that’s how often I notice them…
I see Chargers and 300s all the time – which says all it needs to say about which car the majority of people who are shopping in that class want to drive.
I don’t understand the logic of selling these cars. The Caprice PPV can be had for almost $15K less and they look better! Why doesn’t Chevy these cars to the public?
I have a friend who has a 2014 SS (automatic) he got as a company car then bought, he could not be happier with his choice.
I wanted to watch the MT video, but the photos of the SS . . . put . . . me . . . to . . . sleep ..; Yawn, Zzzzzzz.
What else would you expect from Motor Trend?
I owned the australian made vf ss ( 2014 chev ss)
This car is one of the best cars on the road in my opinion! I’ve seen them over gere in the US and found that they don’t come in some of the colors that are available in australia or the different versions. This car can have a lot of power tunes and still has that sleeper look about it. In my opinion its a more sophisticated performance car than the camaro or the charger with better lines and better options.
If i had the option to have any of the US built cars id pick the chev ss over the rest.
I have a G8 and still enjoy driving it. Suspension is great even stock and drives like its glued to the road. My mrs wont let me get an SS too but I would like one. Saw a nice deep Dark Green one last week.
The problem with the SS is it’s a Chevrolet, not a Cadillac. Drive a SS against an ATS or CTS and you’ll see quite quickly why it’s not being bought. Same price, not the same level as the Caddy.. too bad, really, but Australian made right now is really really expensive due to their high dollar. Lutz was right, but Lutz wasn’t listening to the bean counters when they said “but Lutz, the car will be too expensive because of the australian dollar.”
Since I’m arm-chair quarterbacking and I think Lutz is still on forced bed rest (and can’t come kick my tail) – I think GM should have made peace with the UAW and brought production to the US or Canada….