The 2014 Chevrolet SS is a rear drive, front engine V8 sedan with a tight chassis and comfortable interior. That aforementioned opining statement is almost exactly the same way one could describe the Pontiac G8 – one of my favorite American sedans, and one of yours too. If you’re reading this, you know that Holden (GM Australia) has a knack for building excellent handling sedans, the Australian’s LOVE powerful sedans and we had one for a little while.
“The Chevrolet brand was largely built on the strength of rear-drive performance sedans, yet it’s been 17 years since we’ve offered one,” said Mark Reuss, president of General Motors North America. “The all-new Chevrolet SS fills that void and fills it better than any other vehicle in the brand’s rich history. The comfort, convenience, spaciousness and V-8 power make the SS a total performance package unlike any other on the road today.” – – General Motors Media
Well, that may be true for Chevrolet, but Cadillac does have its excellent handling CTS (V) and ATS sedans too. Granted, the 2014 Chevrolet SS is not a Cadillac in Chevy duds – it’s a completely different machine… I think.
Here’s what I learned about the 2014 Chevrolet SS:
- The 2014 Chevrolet SS will have a 6.2-liter LS3 V-8, that makes 415 horsepower and 415 lbs-feet of torque.
- A six-speed automatic transmission will be offered with touch buttons behind the steering wheel. Yay… Look, I know and you know that GM can easily fit a good six-speed manual transmission to this baby. So, why wait? I think General Motors wants to see how the 2014 Chevrolet SS initially sells before opening the taps for a second transmission. Remember, this is a limited run vehicle.
- Chrysler Group LLC will be keeping a wary eye on this vehicle. So far, Chrysler is the only automaker building front engine, rear drive V8 sedans in this class in the United States.
- The 0 to 60 mph times for the 2014 Chevrolet SS is projected to be about 5-seconds.
If the 2014 Chevrolet SS handles as good as the G8 GXP did, it should be best in class. The front and rear wheels are staggered. GM pushed the wheels out to the corners. “To ensure that it turns and stops as well as it accelerates; the Chevrolet SS also features a sport-tuned chassis, including:
- MacPherson strut front and multilink independent rear suspension geometry
- Electronic power steering system, optimized for sport driving
- Standard Brembo brakes, with ventilated, 355-mm rotors and two-piece, four-piston front calipers
- Forged aluminum wheels, wrapped in ultra-high-performance Bridgestone tires: 19 x 8.5 inch wheels with 245/40ZR19 tires in front; 19 x 9.0 inch wheels with 275/35ZR19 tires rear
Handling is also improved by a near 50/50 weight distribution, and a low center of gravity – made possible in part by the aluminum hood and rear deck lid that are 30 percent lighter than traditional steel panels.- – General Motors Media
- A parking assist (Automatic Parking Assist) will be offered. It functions much the same way Ford’s parking assist system works.
- There will be aluminum components including an aluminum hood.
- The interior dimensions are similar to the Cadillac ATS and CTS sizes.
According to General Motors, “An integrated center stack includes infotainment, climate and other vehicle controls. The Chevrolet SS also offers a long list of technology features as standard equipment including:
- Color, in-dashboard touch screen that supports Chevrolet MyLink and the next-generation navigation system
- Bose® Nine-speaker premium sound system
- Color heads-up display
- Push-button start
- StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control
- Forward Collision Alert
- Lane Departure Warning
- Side Blind Zone Alert
- Rear-vision camera Rear Cross Traffic Alert”
General Motors says the 2014 Chevrolet SS will be available in the fourth quarter of 2013 and that they will announce prices closer to the release date. I think prices could be in the high $40,000 range with the top of the line models running in the mid $50,000 range with all of the options.
Mind you – that is pure speculation. I’m basing the pricing on the Chrysler 300 SRT8 which starts at $48,995 and will be the main competitor for the 2014 Chevrolet SS.
Check out our video review of the excellent Cadillac ATS!
Chevrolet twisted NASCAR’s arm to change their aerodynamic requirements for racing so that they could have a racing version of their SS that more accurately resembles the production car. The push is to bring back the days of a modified version of a factory car racing, rather than a plastic and steel race car that has nothing to do with a factory vehicle.
We’ll see how that goes – I have very little faith in NASCAR.
Stay tuned for more information about the 2014 Chevrolet SS, I’m VERY excited about this ride!
