MM Full-Review: 2014 Chevy SS (updated from static-review)
06-02-14, 11:38 AM
#16
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06-02-14, 02:01 PM
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MM, it's not the cubic inch displacement (CID) that makes it a small block vs big block motor. Chevy in the muscle car days had a 307, 327. 350 and 400 CID all small block (among others), but also had a 366, 396, 402, 427 and 454 big block series of motors.
This motor in the SS is derived from small block series
This motor in the SS is derived from small block series
06-02-14, 02:08 PM
#19
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MM, it's not the cubic inch displacement (CID) that makes it a small block vs big block motor. Chevy in the muscle car days had a 307, 327. 350 and 400 CID all small block (among others), but also had a 366, 396, 402, 427 and 454 big block series of motors.
This motor in the SS is derived from small block series
This motor in the SS is derived from small block series
Probably the most popular one, when I reached driving age in 1969-1970 in high school, was the Chevelle SS396. All the Chevy guys lusted after that one.
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-02-14 at 05:08 PM.
06-03-14, 06:53 AM
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Yes. I pointed out, in several places, that it is essentially an updated G8 GT, with more or less the same body styling, on a somewhat updated version of the same Holden Commodore platform, and with much better interior materials/quality. I also suspect that it will ride and drive more or less like a G8 GT, except with slightly better handling/braking and a stiffer ride.
There is no interchangeable interior part, all electrical components are different, no interchangeable exterior apart from the mirror, and no interchangeable suspension. The profile looks the same because the structure layout is similar, the hard point locations remains as is, this is why the side profile looks the same.
The Chevrolet SS is a much better handler, has better takeoff owing to better launch control, has better braking, is more compliant, and is quieter. The windows and glass for the Chevy SS is also thincker as the insulation different.
The Chevy SS even with much more features and much better interior is a lighter car, this is because of the use of more high strength materials in its chassis. The different "thump" sound and use of one strut for the boot /truck and bonnet may be because of the use of aluminum (for the Chevy SS) instead of steel (for the Pontiac).
Yes...that's why I said that the SS was an updated version of the G8 GT/Commodore. The GTO had some similarities in the drivetrain, but was done on a smaller (but still Holden) Monaro platform, not the larger Commodore that underpins the G8 and SS. That's one reason (among several) why the GTO had two doors and the G8 four.
Holden V = Monaro/GTO/Commodore (begut with the Holden VT in 1997), Monaro in 2001
Holden Zeta = Commodore VE in 2006, G8 in 2008, and VF 2013.
Last edited by redTT; 06-03-14 at 07:04 AM.
06-03-14, 12:37 PM
#22
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Actually its a very different car than the G8. The G8 is a VE Commodore while the Chevrolet SS is a VF.
There is no interchangeable interior part, all electrical components are different, no interchangeable exterior apart from the mirror, and no interchangeable suspension. The profile looks the same because the structure layout is similar, the hard point locations remains as is, this is why the side profile looks the same.
The Chevrolet SS is a much better handler, has better takeoff owing to better launch control, has better braking, is more compliant, and is quieter. The windows and glass for the Chevy SS is also thincker as the insulation different.
The Chevy SS even with much more features and much better interior is a lighter car, this is because of the use of more high strength materials in its chassis. The different "thump" sound and use of one strut for the boot /truck and bonnet may be because of the use of aluminum (for the Chevy SS) instead of steel (for the Pontiac).
There is no interchangeable interior part, all electrical components are different, no interchangeable exterior apart from the mirror, and no interchangeable suspension. The profile looks the same because the structure layout is similar, the hard point locations remains as is, this is why the side profile looks the same.
The Chevrolet SS is a much better handler, has better takeoff owing to better launch control, has better braking, is more compliant, and is quieter. The windows and glass for the Chevy SS is also thincker as the insulation different.
The Chevy SS even with much more features and much better interior is a lighter car, this is because of the use of more high strength materials in its chassis. The different "thump" sound and use of one strut for the boot /truck and bonnet may be because of the use of aluminum (for the Chevy SS) instead of steel (for the Pontiac).
06-03-14, 05:51 PM
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06-03-14, 05:53 PM
#25
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I can agree with you from a strictly Australian point of view, but the spiritual ancestor of today's SS was clearly the tremendously popular Impala SS of the early-mid 1960s. It almost equaled the early Ford Mustang in the sales numbers.
I grew up with both the original SS and Mustang, BTW.....I remember both of them well.
I grew up with both the original SS and Mustang, BTW.....I remember both of them well.
06-03-14, 07:20 PM
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Such a beast car. We need more cars to be constructed with this degree of solidness.
The only aspect I don't like with this Commodore is the rear end, compared to the previous model this new one looks 'weak'
The only aspect I don't like with this Commodore is the rear end, compared to the previous model this new one looks 'weak'
06-03-14, 07:31 PM
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The only aspect I don't like with this Commodore is the rear end, compared to the previous model this new one looks 'weak'
06-03-14, 08:03 PM
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Yes, solid it is. I assume you have checked the car out and seen for yourself. One slam as the hood shuts (or the trunk closes) will convince
It isn't really supposed to look like a sports car, which it's not. It's meant to be the rather ordinarily-styled great-grandson of a classic 1960s full-sized American muscle-car with a big American torque-producing power plant under hood. (even if the basic platform comes from Australia)
It isn't really supposed to look like a sports car, which it's not. It's meant to be the rather ordinarily-styled great-grandson of a classic 1960s full-sized American muscle-car with a big American torque-producing power plant under hood. (even if the basic platform comes from Australia)
The style is conservative. But the sad news is that this generation will be the last generation commodore to be made in Australia. In fact no one knows exactly what will happen with Holden & the Commodore in particular. Some say that they will produce the commodore in China as a Buick which itself is a derived from the Opel platform.
The future for this car is grim
06-03-14, 08:13 PM
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The interior of this new one is much improved. The previous generation interior was a flimsy plastic galore.
The style is conservative. But the sad news is that this generation will be the last generation commodore to be made in Australia. In fact no one knows exactly what will happen with Holden & the Commodore in particular. Some say that they will produce the commodore in China as a Buick which itself is a derived from the Opel platform.
The future for this car is grim
The style is conservative. But the sad news is that this generation will be the last generation commodore to be made in Australia. In fact no one knows exactly what will happen with Holden & the Commodore in particular. Some say that they will produce the commodore in China as a Buick which itself is a derived from the Opel platform.
The future for this car is grim
For Australian-manufactured cars, I agree that their future in America is questionable....though the local Chevy shops promise a better SS supply in 2015 before production shuts down totally the next year. And 2015 production should start in a month or two, as most plants usually convert their tooling for the next model-year in the middle of the summer.
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-08-14 at 04:48 PM.
06-07-14, 06:15 PM
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The Commodore will disappear and manufacturing in Australia cease in 2017, if not sooner. GM is closing down one of its most efficient and successful brand, and stopping the production of a standout car.
In the meantime, those looking at a solid, mature, large, fairly cheap (for what you get) large car, with amazing performance should really look at the Chevy SS. If it was me, I would rather get a Chevy SS (that is on the Zeta II with much better electronics) as a track car than a Camaro (which is on the heavier Zeta I and more similar to the G8). However the main benefit would be that you can fit track tires, basic tools, and track gear inside the Chevy SS as compared with the Camaro.
In the meantime, those looking at a solid, mature, large, fairly cheap (for what you get) large car, with amazing performance should really look at the Chevy SS. If it was me, I would rather get a Chevy SS (that is on the Zeta II with much better electronics) as a track car than a Camaro (which is on the heavier Zeta I and more similar to the G8). However the main benefit would be that you can fit track tires, basic tools, and track gear inside the Chevy SS as compared with the Camaro.
2014 Chevrolet SS: A Sleeper Really Wakes up on the Track
Written by: Elana Scherr on May 1 2014 4:32 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEblSj70RfI
Driving the 2014 Chevrolet SS is like meeting some boring middle manager for a lunch date and finding out they take part in those strong man competitions where flabby-looking men and women lift tree trunks over their heads and pull city buses with ropes of their own hair. Its performance far exceeds the mild promises of its exterior.
Of course, when I was offered the chance to try out the SS on track at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, I should have been prepared for its tire-smoking, corner-chomping abilities. HRM staffer Brandan Gillogly called it “a four-door Camaro” in his 2014 Chevy SS first drive story back in 2013, and he meant it as a compliment.
Chevrolet campaigns the SS in NASCAR, the only factory entry that’s anything close in real life to its rear-wheel drive race configuration. The course we’d be driving at Sonoma wasn’t the NASCAR version, but we’d be covering some of the same ground as the pros, and I had to remind myself that rubbin’ isn’t racin’ at a track day. Helping me evaluate the Chevy’s track manners was friend of HOT ROD, and occasional tire tester, Kevin Wesley.
The SS looked a little out of place surrounded by Mustangs and Ferraris, but it held its own.
Kevin liked the understated looks of the SS as soon as we saw it, pointing out the flared front fenders and describing it as “basic and to the point.” My first impressions of the SS were less than overwhelming. The exterior design sure is basic, basic “Car,” and I wouldn’t look twice if I saw one on the street. Open the door though (any of them) and the interior will slap you in the face for thinking the SS was just some bland-o commuter box sent to torment you by cruising at 55 in the fast lane. Leather and something suede-like intermingle on big, fashionable, adjustable buckets in the front, and the multi-material and contrast stitching carries through to a roomy back seat offering plenty of leg room, even for adults. The steering wheel is leather-wrapped and paddle-shifty, and the leather carries down to the traditional shifter as well. The 2014 is only available with the 6L80 six-speed automatic, but Motor Trend has hinted that a six-speed manual might be coming for the 2015 Chevrolet SS. That’s good news both for those who will actually buy a stick-shift car, and the vast majority who simply like to complain about the looming extinction of the three-pedal.
She with the best helmet goes first. Also, nice seats.
We drew straws to see who would go out first, and by that I mean, I grabbed the keys and left Kevin in the parking lot. With my limited track experience, and on the unfamiliar-to-me Sonoma Raceway, I can’t say I set any blistering lap times, but the sedan felt light and willing. I knew I wasn’t in a sports car, but it certainly wasn’t squiggling around like the jello-salad I had been expecting. The dual exhaust made it sound really good on-throttle, almost beefy enough to imagine we were in NASCAR trim, catching air over the berms in the chicane.
Kevin took it out for the second session, and came back full of positive reviews. “I was expecting an understeering pig with an automatic I wouldn’t like,” he said, “but it’s surprisingly very neutral and I really like the paddle shift transmission. I had to be quick on the 1-2 shift, but other than that it really shifted very nicely. The little electronic rev match (on downshift) was cool. It’s very easy to rotate and toss into the corners. It definitely wanted to go faster than the tires that were on it, and the suspension was slightly floaty. If I were going to make this a track car, I’d have to put on stickier tires and more aggressive brake pads. Maybe some adjustable struts that you could dial in for track days. I wouldn’t slam it on the ground with coilovers. You need to keep the ability to drive the car every day and just drive it to the track on the weekends.”
While Kevin and I were discussing the track aptitude of the SS, one of the corner workers came over for a closer look. “Is this the Impala SS?” he asked. “Just the SS,” we answered, and he said it looked good on the track. A few minutes later one of the other drivers came over somewhat sheepishly. He’d been in a McLaren, and wanted to figure out how Kevin had passed him in a sedan. I think he was hoping it was supercharged or heavily modified. A glance at the naturally aspirated 415hp 6.2L LS3, and 245/35-19 street tires sent him back to his turbocharged 600hp supercar with a little less swagger than he started out with.
How much more miserable would the McLaren owner be if he knew that the SS is even more satisfying on the street? The visibility is very good, the interior is as comfortable as it looks and if you get the urge to shake up the neighborhood a bit, satisfying burnouts are just a traction-control-off button away.
So who is the SS for? It’s not cheap, with a starting price of $43,475, and a nasty gas guzzler tax added on as punishment for eight cylinders worth of amusement. It’s quick for sure, and comfortable, but you’d get more attention, and more horsepower in Chrysler’s SRT 300, or even a Charger. Neither of the Pentastars though, can match the SS on weigh-in day, and you really can feel the benefit of being under 4000 pounds when it comes time to turn a corner, or even nab a clear spot in the next lane in Northern California’s evil traffic jams. We’d say the happiest buyer for the SS would be someone who wants a Camaro, but is being forced to compromise for family or business reasons. Basically, it’s the perfect car for a middle manager with a secretly exciting life.
Read more: 2014 Chevrolet SS: A Sleeper Really Wakes up on the Track - Hot Rod Magazine Blog
Follow us: @HotRodMagazine on Twitter | HotRodMag on Facebook
Written by: Elana Scherr on May 1 2014 4:32 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEblSj70RfI
Driving the 2014 Chevrolet SS is like meeting some boring middle manager for a lunch date and finding out they take part in those strong man competitions where flabby-looking men and women lift tree trunks over their heads and pull city buses with ropes of their own hair. Its performance far exceeds the mild promises of its exterior.
Of course, when I was offered the chance to try out the SS on track at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, I should have been prepared for its tire-smoking, corner-chomping abilities. HRM staffer Brandan Gillogly called it “a four-door Camaro” in his 2014 Chevy SS first drive story back in 2013, and he meant it as a compliment.
Chevrolet campaigns the SS in NASCAR, the only factory entry that’s anything close in real life to its rear-wheel drive race configuration. The course we’d be driving at Sonoma wasn’t the NASCAR version, but we’d be covering some of the same ground as the pros, and I had to remind myself that rubbin’ isn’t racin’ at a track day. Helping me evaluate the Chevy’s track manners was friend of HOT ROD, and occasional tire tester, Kevin Wesley.
The SS looked a little out of place surrounded by Mustangs and Ferraris, but it held its own.
Kevin liked the understated looks of the SS as soon as we saw it, pointing out the flared front fenders and describing it as “basic and to the point.” My first impressions of the SS were less than overwhelming. The exterior design sure is basic, basic “Car,” and I wouldn’t look twice if I saw one on the street. Open the door though (any of them) and the interior will slap you in the face for thinking the SS was just some bland-o commuter box sent to torment you by cruising at 55 in the fast lane. Leather and something suede-like intermingle on big, fashionable, adjustable buckets in the front, and the multi-material and contrast stitching carries through to a roomy back seat offering plenty of leg room, even for adults. The steering wheel is leather-wrapped and paddle-shifty, and the leather carries down to the traditional shifter as well. The 2014 is only available with the 6L80 six-speed automatic, but Motor Trend has hinted that a six-speed manual might be coming for the 2015 Chevrolet SS. That’s good news both for those who will actually buy a stick-shift car, and the vast majority who simply like to complain about the looming extinction of the three-pedal.
She with the best helmet goes first. Also, nice seats.
We drew straws to see who would go out first, and by that I mean, I grabbed the keys and left Kevin in the parking lot. With my limited track experience, and on the unfamiliar-to-me Sonoma Raceway, I can’t say I set any blistering lap times, but the sedan felt light and willing. I knew I wasn’t in a sports car, but it certainly wasn’t squiggling around like the jello-salad I had been expecting. The dual exhaust made it sound really good on-throttle, almost beefy enough to imagine we were in NASCAR trim, catching air over the berms in the chicane.
Kevin took it out for the second session, and came back full of positive reviews. “I was expecting an understeering pig with an automatic I wouldn’t like,” he said, “but it’s surprisingly very neutral and I really like the paddle shift transmission. I had to be quick on the 1-2 shift, but other than that it really shifted very nicely. The little electronic rev match (on downshift) was cool. It’s very easy to rotate and toss into the corners. It definitely wanted to go faster than the tires that were on it, and the suspension was slightly floaty. If I were going to make this a track car, I’d have to put on stickier tires and more aggressive brake pads. Maybe some adjustable struts that you could dial in for track days. I wouldn’t slam it on the ground with coilovers. You need to keep the ability to drive the car every day and just drive it to the track on the weekends.”
While Kevin and I were discussing the track aptitude of the SS, one of the corner workers came over for a closer look. “Is this the Impala SS?” he asked. “Just the SS,” we answered, and he said it looked good on the track. A few minutes later one of the other drivers came over somewhat sheepishly. He’d been in a McLaren, and wanted to figure out how Kevin had passed him in a sedan. I think he was hoping it was supercharged or heavily modified. A glance at the naturally aspirated 415hp 6.2L LS3, and 245/35-19 street tires sent him back to his turbocharged 600hp supercar with a little less swagger than he started out with.
How much more miserable would the McLaren owner be if he knew that the SS is even more satisfying on the street? The visibility is very good, the interior is as comfortable as it looks and if you get the urge to shake up the neighborhood a bit, satisfying burnouts are just a traction-control-off button away.
So who is the SS for? It’s not cheap, with a starting price of $43,475, and a nasty gas guzzler tax added on as punishment for eight cylinders worth of amusement. It’s quick for sure, and comfortable, but you’d get more attention, and more horsepower in Chrysler’s SRT 300, or even a Charger. Neither of the Pentastars though, can match the SS on weigh-in day, and you really can feel the benefit of being under 4000 pounds when it comes time to turn a corner, or even nab a clear spot in the next lane in Northern California’s evil traffic jams. We’d say the happiest buyer for the SS would be someone who wants a Camaro, but is being forced to compromise for family or business reasons. Basically, it’s the perfect car for a middle manager with a secretly exciting life.
Read more: 2014 Chevrolet SS: A Sleeper Really Wakes up on the Track - Hot Rod Magazine Blog
Follow us: @HotRodMagazine on Twitter | HotRodMag on Facebook
Last edited by monaroC; 06-07-14 at 06:23 PM.