We had the chance to pilot the 2015 Chevrolet SS recently around the roads of Wisconsin’s famed Road America, and one thing become glaringly clear: the Chevrolet SS is a performance sedan standout.
Let’s break it down as so. You can purchase a 415 hp V8 powered four-door sedan, with a six-speed manual transmission, in dark green (Regal Peacock Metallic to be specific), with a rear-wheel-drive-only  configuration. Those attributes fall in line with something of yesteryear. But, it’s not yesteryear. Check your calendars, it’s 2015.
Driving the 2015 SSÂ performance sedan made it clear that we must thank Australia for keeping General Motors’ rear-wheel drive program afloat during turbulent times. The Zeta platform gave us the Pontiac G8, Chevrolet Caprice, fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro and, of course, the Chevrolet SS. All of these are examples of capable, and engaging, enthusiast offerings.
Because of this, we’re puzzled to wonder why is no one buying the Chevrolet SS. And it may be simply that there’s been a lack of effort put forth with marketing this car.
Think about it. When’s the last time you saw any marketing energy thrown at the Chevrolet SS outside of NASCAR? Nope, we can’t think of anything either.
While Dodge sells its Charger at a steady pace, based on an aged platform rooted from it’s tie-up days with Daimler, the 2015 Chevy SS is slowly becoming the latest automotive unicorn. During 2014, just 2,386 Chevrolet SS sedans found new homes, making them incredibly exclusive.
Largely to the public eye, there is absolutely no awareness this car even exists, and we’d bet our bottom dollar quite a few Chevrolet SS customers are former Pontiac G8 owners. Or, they’ve decided to keep their elder VE Commodores company with a VF.
And it’s a shame. Because driving the Chevrolet SS is a sublime experience that’s hard to find these days in a large RWD sedan. It’s taut and tidy for a large sedan, it devoured the twisty Wisconsin backroads, the six-speed provides great (albeit a tad long) throws and hearing the LS3 6.2-liter crackle under downshifts will make you giddy. All of these smiles for less than $50,000? One may scoff at the price tag before driving the Chevy SS, but we imagine many converts after taking one for a spin. Everything that was grand and memorable from the Pontiac G8 is here in amplified fashion.
As the marketing crowd likes to say, creating value is what moves product. No value proposition has been sketched out for the 2015 Chevrolet SS, but it’s in-your-face apparent upon sitting inside the cabin. Automatic park assist, heated, and cooled, seats, navigation, Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system and the list goes on. Try checking those options on a German sports sedan. You won’t be under $50,000. Yet driving the humble Chevrolet is more satisfying to us.
We know this lack of effort may have something to do with no direct successor, since Oz will relinquish its manufacturing abilities come 2017 thus creating a dead-man-walking scenario, but sources have told us to “stay tuned” in regards to where Zeta is headed next.
While we doubt we will see a true successor to a car quite like the VF Holden Commodore/Chevrolet SS, the automotive public deserves it. Going forward, the people buying cars will buy them because they want to drive. So, why not offer something with a little more soul, and a tad less autonomy?
The 2015 Chevrolet SS defines what a sport sedan is, and should be. It’s pure, enchanting and manages to do so without any badge ego. And speaking as a current Pontiac G8 owner, it seems to be a shame that Chevy isn’t giving the car the love it deserves.
Comments
No promotion and bland styling harmed what should have been sold as Chevrolet’s large sedan with Impala inhabiting the mid sized space (2016 Malibu is less than two inches shorter.)
Zeta will live on in China as Park Avenue and should be exported to Oz.
I seriously considered the SS. Here were my concerns:
1. Availability. I’d have to order it and wait 4 months. There are no sticks at any dealerships I can find. While still compelling, because I like it, it doesn’t create any buy urgency. It also means your stuck paying MSRP. Thats just about $46,000
2. Looks. This might be the biggest one for me. So let me get this right, you pay 46k and it looks like an impala? In fact half the dealerships list it as the “Impala SS”. If I wanted to look like I was driving the impala, I’d buy an impala. And there’s no place to turn in the aftermarket. I looked for body kits and hoods, and your pretty much out of luck unless you want to ship something from Australia. Can’t it look a LITTLE bit like a sports sedan? The Charger looks sporty and starts in the 20s. Couple this with the fact that “its a chevy (4)” and they build on eachother. I like Chevy Performance Cars (camaro, Corvette), but I don’t want to be associated with Malibus and Impalas. Heck they look “fine”, but inconspicious doesn’t fit my style.
3. Fuel economy… and if you get the automatic, the gas guzzler tax. I know, I know- who cares about fuel economy? The problem is the SS becomes a sports sedan. that means- Have fun with it on the twisties, but also drive your family on vacation. 14/21 isn’t TERRIBLE mind you, but there’s a lot of fuel cost questions in the future, and lets just throw out there that resale on this will be a giant question mark. Does it make a good Daily Driver? I don’t know. I won’t say its a deal breaker, but it plays into it a bit. But you know what they say- You gotta pay to play. But it makes me wonder if I’m better off just having TWO cars. You know, like an actual impala and used corvette for example. They cost the same.
4. Its a chevy. I know, terrible to say it. I own a corvette z06, and a Chevy Truck and love them both. But 46k for a semi-normal chevy is still tough. I mentioned it in (2). because they play together- A really expensive chevy that looks like an impala to 99% of the worlds population. That’s hard for me to stomach. I’d pay $10k more for the same car with a Cadillac, Lincoln, BMW, Mercedes, heck even a buick badge. That sounds so superficial, but I know I’m not the only one that doesn’t Think, “Oh yes- Owning a Chevy Sedan is what I fantasize about at night”. And if your in 46k SS territory, your probably in territory to look at higher marques.
5. Price. Before you stop me and say “look at what you get”, I agree. However, lets talk about actual price. If I were to buy an equally optioned Impala, I’d be right at $36,500 for the Impala compared to $46,000 for the SS. $10,000 for that performance increase is compelling- very compelling. However, lets factor in what you actually pay. The same 2LTZ (loaded) impala on True car comes to $31,200. I know a lot of people will pay less than that. However, Chevy itself tells you $31,025 will get it for you during their annual memorial day sale. thats not a super sale, thats what they’ve been doing on all their sales the last 6 months. Now that $9,500 difference turned into $15,000. Just like the infomercials, “But wait- there’s more”. Factor in gas guzzler tax, and fuel usage over 100k miles and now you have another $9500 difference ($25,000 total). Most people probably aren’t comparing Impalas and SS’s, but we all have an innate valuation of these things in our minds, and when it comes down to it, it ends up feeling just a hair out of scope when factoring in that its a chevy and it looks like an impala.
6. I don’t think they really WANT to sell a bunch. Sure they’ll sell them, but I don’t think its a priority. I’ve read they have export contracts, but no marketing, no stock, no pricing incentives suggest they are happy with low volumes.
With all those things being said, I haven’t bought yet but we are still considering. I keep hoping for a cosmetic redesign to echo whats inside. Maybe I’m just that one guy on the fence, but from my conversations with others, I don’t think I’m the only one on any of these. Our other vehicles are the last year of the sticks in the Cadillac CTS Summer Performance Package 6 spd and a BMW 3 series M-Sport 6 spd, so I’m familiar with this price point.
I’m in the market for a used car and considered a G8 because I like Pontiacs so I researched a little on the SS since it’s the G8’s antecedent. I like the SS’s styling though I prefer the G8’s. The SS is just too expensive and if MSRP was around $32,000 like the base G8’s was. I would consider buying.
Comparing the SS to a Base G8 is ludicrous. Not even the same league. The SS is much more directly comparable to the G8 GXP, which had a MSRP around $41k. The SS has a LOT more standard equipment than the GXP had. The price is in line, accounting for inflation since ’09 and the additional standard equipment.
I should have clarified. I would like to see a base SS comparable (more affordable) to the base G8.
Then stick with an Impala. The SS may be a little too much car for you.
The base SS is the only way that it comes, however it in the same engine (6.2 LS3) and 6 speed manual trans (TR-6060) as the G8 GXP. The G* base package was a small V-6 with hardly and amenities or performance in mind
Also have to bear in mind that the base G8 was only a V6 and had a five speed automatic as the only available transmission. If you really want to consider it, maybe look into privately importing a similar version VE Lumina SS from Saudi Arabia, which would give you something very similar to the VE Commodore SS in spec, something different to the others around but your local Chevy dealer would still be able to service it. Pricing all up for importing would possibly be around about the same as buying a G8 GXP, with the same driving experience (GXP was simply a Commodore SS with a different front and rear spoilers), but you also wouldn’t have to worry about having to get it converted to LHD like you would if you imported a Commodore, although there are companies in the US which do import and convert Commodore/HSV utes, so I’m sure they’d be able to do a Commodore for you if you elect to go that route.
Not true…I bought a base G8 Gt with the L76 6 liter for $31k.
GT isn’t a base model. It’s a GT. That’s the middle trim level.
Base
GT
GXP
Base meaning GT with no options. Get a clue.
But in a way its not. Here’s why:
When we talk G8 sales numbers, we talk ALL G8s, not just the GXP. The SS is really only comparable to the GXP, but the GXP sold UNDER 2000 units ( about 1829 in US, 6 in Canada).
If you want to compare JUST the GXP to the SS, then the SS is hitting a home run. According to this article, in 2014 GM sold 2,386 SSs. Why isn’t anyone pointing out the fact that that is 261% the annual sales of the GXP?
If we just want to compare the SS to the GXP, then the SS is a huge sales success and is outselling what anyone’s expectations should be.
So maybe in short, 2,386 ISN’T bad at all, and its actually relatively impressive…
But if we are going to compare the SS to the G8, we DO have to consider the base G8 and the GT.
Pontiac went out of business mid production. There was supposed to be over 5500/per year of the GXP’s produced…but GM shut down Pontiac. Had they stayed afloat, then GXP #’s would far exceed the SS units. GM only committed to 3K SS units per year in the US for 12K total from 2014 through 2017. Had Pontiac stayed in the game and continued to offer the GXP for the same duration, there would be over 50k units on the road.
Also, there is a base model SS…no sunroof, no full size spare. There you go…base model.
another difference is that the G8 (either the GT or the GTP) also looked like a performance sedan that looks like it cost a bit. The SS unfortunately looks and is marketed as a car for retirees that do not want to exceed 55mph. Maybe the left turn signal stays on as well. The only other GM car that is close to the price is the new vette and in no way do the two get confused with each other.
GM does not know how to market thus letting Chrysler and Ford surpass them in the performance sedan market.
There are test mules of the “16 SS running around Oz with camo’ed front ends, sounds like a design change you are asking for. Also the rumor is that the horsepower gets a bump and a possble 1LE suspension with LARGER front tires. I plan on running to a Chevy dealer this fall to order one if all of this is true, in Jungle Green!!
According to Markus, the idea of Chevrolet to make a high-performance sedan is fine, but not on aesthetics and old car that brings old memories as the Pontiac G8 / Commodore, the rebadge have never worked well, remember history Catera, Cimarron, or the same Pontiac that in his later years was a mixture of Holden / Opel ……….
GM is learning that every car must have its own story, with Cadillac is doing and will end very well, the Chevrolet SS, no identity, reminiscent of many others, and people understand by old-fashioned car
SS, GM if you want to do a good high-performance sedan has to produce it from the inside out completely
I totally agree! This car has zero identity. GM didn’t even name it. Is that a Chevy LTZ? No its a Chevy SS. Hey should we take the SS to dinner tonight? Wait are you talking about the Camaro or the Commadore? At least Pontiac was smart enough to call the Monaro a GTO, even though they got backlash for it. Hmmm… What did chevy have in the USA, that came with a V8, and came in a four door, a two door, a wagon, and ute, just like the Commadore? The Chevelle! What didn’t come in four doors was a Charger.
The styling is bland, the wife will be due for a new car in a few years, we have a 2009 Impala SS currently. She loves the power and wants more but says it looks too plain. She finds the CTS attractive, but really likes the Charger, I tried pushing her to the SS, but says it looks boring.
I told her its okay because I don’t think the Chevy SS will be there anymore when it’s time to buy, in fact it’ll be just a showroom filled with those damn 2.0 liter turbos (270 hp, whoopy, good for a Sonic but it doesn’t have one)
Exactly. I think the name, or lack thereof, just helps it blend in. SS is a trim level, not a model. This hurts the car even more, because as someone else mentioned, a lot of dealers are filling in the blank and advertising it as an “Impala SS”. They should have called it Chevelle, as Chevelles came with four-doors too, though I’m sure they feared backlash in using the name on a sedan like Dodge got with the Charger which never historically came with four doors. At least call it a Commodore then.
I’d love to see them offer a V6 like the G8 did to broaden the appeal of the car with a lower price, and perhaps offer all-wheel drive for us northerners. Both of those factors limit sales vs. the Charger.
That was the problem with Pontiac. There was too little advertizing for it, specifically the Grand Prix GXP. That was a 4 door V8, though it was front wheel drive it still hauled ass. When will GM learn?
I owned a Grand Prix GXP. That car was nowhere near a Pontiac G8GT. You could not get that power planted on the Grand Prix and the torque steer was horrendous.
Great write up Sean. I too own a G8 and can’t imagine a) driving a FWD sedan and b) getting as much enjoyment out of daily driving as I do with my G8 (especially rowing the gears). Some get hung up on details, but if they’d get past them they won’t find a better car for the price. And look past the emblem!! This is a Holden, not a Chevy.
They should call it Caprice like in middle East but selling it as a premium car with an SS variant, a more aesthetic car.
And why not it’s a dream but I still dream about a Monte Carlo personal luxury coupe, why not with a base 3.6 LGX engine and the 6.2 LT1 as the top engine choice and the LT4 for the SS version.
The Caprice and the SS are two different cars. The Caprice in the Middle East is the same as the Caprice in Australia, which is a bigger, more luxurious car than the SS. The SS is a Commodore, whereas the Caprice is the bigger brother. The Caprice is the same as the Caprice PPV that has been marketed to police departments all over the US by GM, but much more lavishly equipped.
Yes but the Caprice use the same platform, otherwise GM could use the Omega but using the Zeta could still be used for large luxurious car for Chevy.
I always thought it was a no brainer …….they should have rebadged the G8 right away instead of taking it off the market for a couple years to make it look like a Malibu……Chevrolet’s least saleable vehicle. Now they’re looking back and wondering why it didn
‘t sell…..
They are not wondering why it didn’t sell. They don’t WANT it to sell in high numbers. They’re perfectly happy with the number they sold in 2014. This is what people just aren’t getting. If nothing else, if it sold in high numbers, it would potentially effect Chevy’s CAFE average. Low numbers are perfectly fine for them.
This car exists only for contractual obligations and to put be able to race something in NASCAR. That’s it. Honestly, we’re lucky we even got the VF here in the States.
I should point out that I want one of these in the worst way (although I can’t afford one), even as an owner of a Pontiac G8 GT. But, I’m realistic about why it’s even available in the States.
Not just that mate. It’s also because they want to justify closing Holden’s manufacturing operations in two years’ time. The same with the reasoning behind the VE being sold as a G8 and the Monaro before it as the GTO, albeit with those disgusting front ends which ruined the look of each respective car. The G8 probably would’ve sold more if it’d looked the same as the VE all round, but with the Pontiac badge replacing the Holden lion and stone. Same goes with the Monaro-turned GTO (or even give it the VT Commodore front like what appeared on the concept, which would’ve had the perfect spot for a Pontiac badge in between the two grilles)
This was never meant to be volume seller. GM only imports about 4k from Australia. They come fully loaded with an LS3 and start at 45k, so yea not too many people besides enthusiasts are going to buy it. Its only real competition is the SRT8 Charger, im sure not too many people are buying those either.
What im curious to see is if there will be a successor to the SS or not. I think they could go alot of different ways with it. Drop a LT1 in it with the 8 speed auto and call it a different name. Maybe Chevelle? Do they bring back Pontiac with limited vehicles? G8, Firebird, Solstice, and a performance SUV (jeep srt8 competitor). Will have to wait and see.
Zeta is dead. If a non-premium rear drive sport sedan is to live on in the GM portfolio in the future it will be a Alpha based decontented Vsport from Buick. Alpha platform is a stunner, so no issues there, but hope the LT1 (or a variant) is an option but suspect TT V-6 would be most likely.
There is so little passion from GM that I almost think it’s simply a last minute effort to sell off Commodores. There is so much potential here and the improvements are substantial. My interest would be with the used market and I have driven many pre-owned G8 models even a few low mileage GXPs. I hope the SS keeps on going.
More like a last-ditch effort to justify them closing the Holden plants. Once the Commodore is dead, the SS will go with it and there will be no more RWD, V8 sedans from anywhere in GM apart from Cadillac. They’ll just focus on FWD and SUV cars which are poorly made, unreliable and designed to be made as cheaply as possible, as well as the Camaro and Corvette will be the only RWD V8 offerings from Chevrolet. And as for Holden – they’ll most likely wither up and die not long after local manufacturing ceases in 2017.
I think Gm didn’t give a crap about it except for Mark Ruess, a former general manager of Holden and a known Holden fanatic. He bought one himself and tweeted a thank you to the hard working Aussies who made it. I think it’s pretty clear he wanted the car to return to the states. Maybe just for himself or to help save Holden.
Here is the real issue here. The SS is a great car but at the price it is you are getting into an area where there are many great cars and even greater for a couple thousand more.
You have to consider just how much someone will pay for a Chevy Sedan.
This cars program was started long ago. Al Oppenhiser told me about it at a car show long ago. It was put on hold several times as GM was getting their house in order as cars like the Malibu, Cruze and the pick up trucks were much more important. As time changed so did the roll of this car, platform and exchange rates. Finally the car is selling in numbers low enough in Australia that its own market is having a hard time supporting it or the cost of a totally new one.
GM had longer and greater plans for this car but the delays and changes in the market have changed all of this.
That is the trouble today as while some cars would be really cool to build and so the problem is the development cost and the numbers sold keep it from showing much profit. With Chevy out side the Corvette there are limits to what someone will pay.
Now with that said we could see a Buick sedan or coupe that could be slotted over this and under Cadillac at some point.
GM has more going on than they are saying and we just need to let this play out more so we can learn what we do not know.
I don’t see how it’s a shame. 1. We don’t work for the car manufacture. 2. I want what nobody else has, the Charger. 3. I’m 99.9% sure Chevy told everybody when this car was released it wouldn’t really be advertised and not a lot will be available so I’m confused this is still talked about
Great writeup! The US pricing is definitely a hurdle…here in Oz we don’t have the market competition you guys do, so the VF lines up price-wise against some pretty mediocre cars (you might get into a very base 3-series…maybe). My manual SS is nudging 2 years old now, is my daily driver and I still love driving it “properly” when I get the chance.
I couldn’t imagine anything worse than owning an autonomous vehicle (that’s what buses are for!), but not far behind that is the some-show-and-no-go cars it appears GM has in mind for our future here post-Commodore (unfortunately no plans for Camaro)…I’m very happy I have my modern muscle car, and intend to keep it permanently…or at least until my knees pack up and I can’t drive stick any more!
My father hated the looks, my mother hated the availability. Hence, 335i.
Meanwhile, I’m not buying one for myself because Holden keeps refreshing it. VF II is all but confirmed for the 2017-2019 stockpiling.
You seem fairly knowledgeable about the industry Christopher, in your opinion do you think the stockpiling of the VF 2 through to 2019 is GM’s insurance policy here in Australia in case the Opel experiment goes terribly wrong? If so what do you think the remedy for such a disaster would be?
I suspect Holden’s initial Plan B will be to sell a RHD Avenir.
This plays into their “alliance” with Opel, in that Opel lacks a RHD flagship car with RWD to compete with domestic rivals. A Buick-Opel-Holden Avenir is the most likely play.
I suspect though that due to Omega’s cost, Holden will have to create a new Commodore (based off of a RHD-ported CTS), sans luxury components, to compete effectively. Holden customers don’t want an Astra, and they don’t want a $60k Buick. Opel learned that when it tried to sell direct in Oz.
Really the Plan B depends on how bad Plan A goes. If it is a disaster, Holden could get more sway to develop their own unique models that could be built globally on Alpha production lines, possibly creating a Caprice or G8/Pontiac revival off of the CTS.
But that hinges on GM’s support for Australia as a market. Many in GM feel that Holden is dead weight… most of those also think Pontiac and Hummer were dead weight, rather than portfolio gaps that could be easily filled.
Without a manufacturing line, Detroit really calls a lot more shots now. Holden needs to get approval to put their cars on someone else’s manufacturing lines, should Opel cars flop. That adds a lot of murkiness to the waters.
GM Head of Design said Avenir was too curvy for Holden. Aussie Auto media saying we won’t even get a derivative of the concept we designed…
Holden wants to stock pile VF’s knowing the demand is still there for them. Replacement may not launch straight away and even if it does it won’t appeal to Commodore buyers.
Holden actually have only just refreshed the VF in Australia after two years of it being on sale. There will be no such thing as a VF II after 2017, so wherever you got that idea is completely wrong as once manufacturing in Australia is finished late in 2017 (reports in Australian motoring mags have it slated for around October, that’ll be it for the VF and whatever ones that haven’t already been sold are delivered are sold, that’ll be the end of it. There was talk last year about the possibility of one of GM’s US facilities taking on the Commodore tooling to build the SS there, but that was deemed too costly an exercise since there would have to be major investment made. There will be no “stockpiling VFs” as you put it, as they’d end up sitting there and eventually would have seized engines, gearboxes, diffs and other components. We’re getting the new Insignia as the Commodore’s replacement, but I doubt that’ll fare very well (it’s predecessor, the Vectra sold awfully, much like Ford’s attempts to sell us the Mondeo, which has only really been bought by fleets and in wagon form)
VF II is on sale in 2016. Spy shots already revealed. Check them out at facebook.com/holdenisaustralian
Proud G8 GT owner here. Or should I say Commadore owner? Ask any G8 owner or hit up any city’s Cars and Coffee meet and ask them why they would not buy the SS. I spoke with a GM rep at an auto show and last year and they said they were promoting it as a luxury sedan. The instrument cluster was bland, color options bland, and overall styling was bland. Yet they drop an LS3 in it? Who is in charge at Cheverolet making such horrible decisions? Remember the GTO with the LS1, single exhaust and NO HOODSCOOPS? No wonder GM needed a bailout. GM thinks they are telling us what we should buy as opposed to listening to consumers and giving us what we want to buy. In the end, they should of taken whatever Commodore is being produced down under and just slapped a bowtie on it. But now the US gets this horribly toned down version of an awesome car because GM thinks we all want something “normal”. Good luck GM with your future endeavors of becoming the laughing stock of the world. In all honesty I feel bad for the guys working the production lines of the SS in Australia. How depressing that job must be? Seeing something almost perfect getting such a horrible make over.
Personally, I find the interior quite refined, but the exterior… couldn’t agree more. I would rather have had the Evoke facia (which, little secret… the VF Evoke facia was the second-gen G8 grille originally – if you draw a line through the center of the facia, it forms two hexagonal Pontiac grilles).
Christopher, I can’t hate you for making the fair assumption but the Evoke grill is just a cheaper version of the Calais-V grill. It matches the Holden JG Series II Cruze grill minus the chrome. I remember you (I think it was you) saying you wanted an Evoke front end to make your own VF G8 grill. If you do buy an SS, I suggest just grabbing a HSV Gen-F front end if you can get your hands on one. HSV have had a split grill for a long time. Holden had one too up until the VY Commodore.
It’s not just an assumption. There was a lot of co-designing dating back to 2008… it wasn’t just Bob Lutz pushing to keep Pontiac alive with just the G8. Holden sent over CADs to try and make the case with concept facias and everything.
Holden knew that if it lost the G8, it lost captive imports in the USA for years to come, they stayed up late trying to make that happen.
Let’s not forget that the Cruze JG at one point had another target – the second-gen Pontiac G5. But that died a bit before the G8 by awhile. By March ’09, it was pretty clear that wasn’t going to happen.
I’ll take an Evoke grille on my VF II, assuming we get a VF II (and assuming it keeps Zeta fresh). If not, I’m either going with a G8 or an AWD CTS wagon once all the dust settles. I’m in no hurry.
Want to know the sad bit? The Commodore SS in very basic form looks exactly the same as the SS. They took off the big spoiler on the boot and made you have to pay extra for it, so they pretty much are just “taking whatever Commodore is being produced and slapping a bowtie on it”. What they should be doing over there though, is have the options list as long as it is for the Commodore, which would allow people who want the big boot spoiler to have one. Want racing stripes over the top? You can have that too… Want the Redline package which gives better suspension and brakes? You got it! That’s what GM should’ve done instead of just a standard Commodore SS with two or three options and that’s it.
Frankly if GMNA wanted to surge sales in the VF, they’d offer cheaper engine options and open it up to those that don’t need/want a gas-guzzler LS3.
I would have loved a 3.6L V6 in an SS. Heck, my family would have two today.
But GMNA doesn’t want that because it would mess with CAFE, and they don’t think the demand is there. They’re wrong… on both counts.
For everyone criticising the design (I agree it’s not a performance design), It’s not a bad design, it just wasn’t supposed to be for a performance car. The Commodore has and always will be a family car at heart. It’s our Impala just with sports trims. That’s why LS3 wasn’t in VF Series 1 nor VE (even thought G8 GXP had it). We get our performance design and engines from HSV.
Notice no one is saying its ugly, it just that it’s sitting next to that gorgeous new Impala. Also, I feel you can sense the age of this design sitting next to all the redesigns in the showroom
There are a lot of nice 2015/16 designs coming out, just remember the VF is a 2013 design. Still more modern looking than the Japanese and some Germans.
I’m a former G8 owner and I would have gladly purchased this car…but it’s just too darn expensive. For the same money, I purchased a 2015 Mustang and will pick up a nice used something as a daily driver. I understand that it comes fully loaded but $48k? That’s just hard to swallow.
it might be expensive for those who wish to buy it but the technology and features is worth $50k or more. Without good marketing, you won’t learn any of the features hidden away within the vehicle. Holden’s marketing was efficient but many features (such as trailer sway control) haven’t been mentioned since the official launch of VF. SS now has manual and launch control but I don’t think launch control was ever mentioned when the manual was added.
Great piece Sean, I think you’ve summed this car up really well.. Albeit a little too late. Apart from the HSV-F, this is the mother of all Commodores! It shows by the fact that I’m the 41st comment on this page for a car that most think is bland, expensive, boring and not worthy of the “bowtie badge” For something so awful, there seems to be a lot of interest in it. Ironic? The options on this thing, we would have killed for here in Oz. But the fact of the matter is this is the last of a dying breed and when it’s gone, it’s gone. Have a drive while you still can. Guaranteed to put a smile on your dial!
I considered the SS as my next car. I’ve been driving a 2009 G8 GT for six years. While I really liked the fit and finish of the SS, and the performance, the bland styling had me concerned especially for that price point. I ultimately decided on a 2012 CTS-V coupe for about the same money. Much more car in my opinion.
The worst part about this car is the bland styling. The Charger was mentioned, but it actually looks cool. This looks so pedestrian in comparison. I remember the big unveiling st a NASCAR event. Mark Reuss was there and Jeff Gordon drove up in the car and stepped out to…almost dead silence. There was a smattering of polite applause and that was it. Even after Gordon said he’d be buying one, there was silence. After all the hype, people could not believe that this looked like a much less expensive, basic car. Its another example of a great power train and most of what is needed for a great car, but stuck in a vanilla wrapper. Other examples have been the Taurus SHO and for many years the WRX.
Another reason, that no one thinks of, that it doesn’t sell, is because the car came out like 4 or 5 years after the G8 GXP and it had the same amount of power. Where as the SRT-8 charger, its direct competitor, increased the power the SS, originally the G8 GXP, stayed the same.
It would seem obvious that the next gen SS is destined for the Alpha platform, like the Camaro…
I am going to get an SS soon…but IMHO its just too expensive. I mean, the impala msrp loaded what like 36k? And people are paying closer to 30k. The SS, needed to come in around 40k not 48k.
But people ARE buying it…
http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2013/11/monthly-year-y-usa-chevrolet-ss-sales-figures.html
Only reason they aren’t buying it in large numbers is because there aren’t that many to go around.
If memory serves, this very site quoted unnamed sources at GM saying they’d call the car a success if they sold 1700-2000 a year (and that they weren’t gonna bring over near as many SS’ as they did G8s). They sold 2,479 in calendar year 2014, and when coupled with the 418 sold in the last few months of 2013, they sold 2,897 cars. That’s nearly double expectations on the low end. As for this year, sales through August are 2,199, and with four months left in the year, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that the final sales total for the year will be higher than 2014.
I realize that saying no one is buying it IS true in a sense, but this kind of shoddy journalism (saying people aren’t buying without bothering to note that there aren’t that many on our shores to begin with) is something I’d expect from Autoblog or Jalopnik, not a site that prides itself on being a GM Authority.
I was able to purchase an SS for ~ $38k during the 20% off sale this July. I don’t like the looks of the Charger and don’t want a car that says “look at me”. The SS was the perfect choice for me. I absolutely love this car! I have a huge smile on my face every time I drive it. If you don’t like it, don’t buy one