Looked exactly like the one in the marketing photo. It was an automatic and, besides a manual option, the only remaining choices you have on this car is a sunroof and/or a spare. It did immediately seem bigger than my RS4 when standing next to it. The backseat is cavernous too. Good amounts of trunk room also. As far as the overall quality of the interior, my wife kinda summed it up pretty nicely when she called it "very Chevy". She drives a Suburban and it's true. Certainly not awful but it's very minimalist, spartan and kind of chincy. I could live with it but there's a noticeable step down from the RS4.
The engine was pretty mellow sounding at startup but, by adjusting the dynamic ride control, you simultaneously make changes to both the exhaust tone and ride quality. The harsher the ride, the louder the car. On the performance mode it sounded better and deeper. A little too quiet for me still but you certainly can tell there's something interesting under the hood.
I'm certainly no expert on domestic V8's but I believe the 6.2L in the SS is the older LS3 motor and not the latest V8 found in the Corvette and 3rd gen CTS-V. The Chevy SS doesn't have cylinder deactivation to aid MPG while cruising. In fact my understanding is that, with the exception of the dynamic ride control, not much about the SS has changed since a few years back when GM called it a Pontiac G8 GXP. Obviously the Pontiac brand died shortly thereafter but the G8 was a good car by most accounts.
The best thing about this car is the suspension. The magnetic ride control is absolutely fantastic. I was going up and down a small private road and it was so easy to feel the contrast in driver feedback over the same surface irregularities on different suspensions settings. The Touring setting was just a tic firmer than Grandpa's old Buick Regal but the Performance setting was best for smoother roads. The Sport mode was a nice compromise and felt very similar to an OEM RS4 ride.
The 6.2L engine in the SS has a completely different power band than our RS4's. It's very responsive at low RPM and makes crap loads of torque. I didn't run out the revs or anything crazy like that, but you can feel a much different type of power delivery - especially at low RPM. Again I'd loved to have driven a stick instead and got a better, quicker feel for the engine but there's no hiding how much power this car generates. It wouldn't be hard to destroy a set of rear tires. I'm honestly not sure what the Chevy SS is rated to do in the 1/4 mile but, without the driver aids, it definitely would take some fantastic driving to manage all that torque.
The other characteristic of this car that really caught me off guard was how nimble and light it feels for a RWD car with a curb weight of nearly 4000 lbs. It feels like, proportionally, it's weighted very well and balanced. It's the best handling American sedan I've ever driven - which probably isn't saying much. In fact you turn around in this car while driving and are shocked how much vehicle you're dragging behind you. Unfortunately the automatic transmission really makes getting to know a car like this much harder. Even though it has the paddle shifters, it's not a dual clutch system. I would have loved to drive an SS with a manual transmission.
Everybody will have their own opinion on a car aimed squarely at German super sedans. I think we can all agree that it's certainly not designed to stand out from the crowd. Most people will think it's a Monte Carlo or whatever else GM is selling the rental car companies these days. I think most people will agree it's an interesting car though - if for no other reason than the fact it's just a Holden Commodore in Chevrolet badging. Personally I'll hold off on any final opinions until I've had a chance to drive an SS with a manual transmission.
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Originally Posted by AWD Addict
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