2016 Chevrolet SS Revealed With Refreshed Looks
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While the world is busy mourning the confirmed news that a V8-powered sedan will not be a stable of Holden’s future lineup, Chevrolet has dropped official details on the 2016 SS performance sedan.
The biggest changes with the 2016 Chevrolet SS are in the exterior styling department, which receives the same sculpted look in the front as its Australian sister, the 2016 Holden VF Commodore Series II. The new, chiseled fascia now sends air over the front wheels for improved aerodynamics and, in the process, deletes the fog lights for new signature LED lighting. And much like the 2016 Commodore Series II, the 2016 Chevy SS sees new badging on the front grill thanks to a new Super Sport badge.
In addition, the 2016 SS sees the same functional hood vents as the Commodore Series II, but the new 19-inch cast aluminum wheels are a distinct design for the Chevy. Interestingly, the taillights do not receive the clear lens treatment that the 2016 Commodore Series II does. However, the 2016 SS does share the new Slipstream Blue exterior color with its Australian brother.
Power for the 2016 SS sedan still comes from the tried-and-true LS3 6.2-liter V8 that still makes 415 hp and 425 pound-feet of torque, but a new bi-modal exhaust allows for quieter cruising speeds and even more brutish noises at wide open throttle. The technology is also available on the 2016 Commodore Series II.
With news the Chevrolet SS will die after Holden manufacturing ceases, manual-gearbox equipped cars should be the strongest sellers. But for those who must choose the six-speed automatic, paddle shifters have been added to the steering wheel for added sporting driving pleasure.
We think the 2016 Chevrolet SS has collector car in the making written all over its refreshed front face. And that’s a good a thing.
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The Chevy SS may be coming to an end but, the Chevy Impala is do for an update as well, I can see an Impala SS coming out as the replacement.
With Front Wheel Drive ?????
That’s exactly the problem. It’s not only about power, that’s the least of it. The great thing about the SS is that its a big, powerful, rear wheel drive car that has wonderful handling, and that is the reason for the frequent comparisons by reviewers with what is still the gold standard in this class of sedan, the E39 M5 BMW. This is because the zeta platform II on which the SS/Commodore is built on is optimised for rear wheel drive. The Impala is not, and will never have the feel and handling that makes the SS such a driver’s car. GM is a bureaucratic beast, blind, wasting the opportunity this niche car presents, not only in the US, but globally. Why, for instance, is this car not available in Canada? Why is it restricted to only half the Chevy dealerships?
They tried doing an Impala SS with a V8 and FWD. It didn’t work. Granted, those were the 3rd gen W-body bones, but it still proved the folly of the FWD V8 as a performance car.
As for the Impala, its only due for a mid-cycle update, the next major update won’t be until 2018-19 at the very least. At that point, who knows?
Whats up with this FWD RWD thing? I mean obviously it makes a difference in how a car drives but, what if the models started off as FWD and then switched to RWD, then would you be complaining that its not FWD?! To me its all about preference whether you want FWD or RWD and the performance your looking for. This new generation don’t know what they want, i hear people saying i won’t get a RWD car because of the snow, the majority of law enforcement vehicles are RWD. The majority of older cars back in the day was also RWD and there was no complaints on having a FWD instead. So like i said, having either or is a performance preference, doesn’t really determine if a car sucks or not.
Lol NOBODY complains that a car is not FWD. Nobody.
Diddy, I used to wonder about that too until I did some research, apparently a FWD car becomes to unstable and more dangerous to drive if it was given the power to be a true performance car. For everyday driving in bad weather I’d want a FWD car or an AWD car but true sports cars need to be RWD. Take a look at this link specifically under the disadvantage section of FWD.
http://www.kbb.com/car-advice/articles/which-wheel-drive-is-best-for-you/
Saving my dollars… My first car was a Chevy Nova with a 350 V8. The 2016/17 Chevy SS looks like a great one to get and hold onto. Last of a dying breed.
Yawn!
I wish they would bring the production to the US and keep selling it…Its a “poor man’s” CTS-V, but not that poor.
Agreed. I wish for the same.
It would cost too much to set up a new zeta platform manufacturing operation for a niche enthusiast product. An alternative would be to make Holden a niche manufacturer of this kind of sports sedan globally. Given that the value of Australia’s currency has fallen so much recently and seems set to stay low with the end of the mining boom, this might now make sense. Holden has proven ability in small production runs. Why not use what GM already has?
Not to mention fact that the Alpha platform exists…I don’t see why they couldn’t dumb down the CTS a bit in terms of tech and maybe interior materials (obviously not going full Old GM on it, though) and sell it as a Chevy.
Yeah, but you can do more with a Chevy after 10yrs, than you can with a Caddy. This I know.
That is exactly what I thought they would do. It is ashamed because technically this is a refreshed version of the Pontiac G8 (which obviously doesn’t exist anymore), meaning that this car is the last breath of air for Pontiac; once it is gone, so is the spirit of Pontiac. Given the momentum that Pontiac was building up, I don’t understand why future Pontiacs never got introduced as Chevrolets, such as that rwd Pontiac G6 that Bob Lutz has mentioned a bunch of times. GM certainly missed an opportunity to save the spirit of Pontiac and capture a new fresh audience. I guess this proves that the “new GM” doesn’t care about the market Pontiac competed in because if they did, SS and Commodore production would have been moved elsewhere. Now Pontiac can officially rest in peace.
Once I heard Pontiac was being discontinued I thought for sure a few similar cars would show up as Chevy’s or Buicks. To my disappointment Chevy and Buick continued with their usual boring car line ups (except for the Camaro, Vette..the Regal is decent) But you are right GM totally missed the opportunity to save the spirit of Pontiac. Well most likey a decent amount of those customers migrated to Dodge, BMW and even Mazda.
I own 15 SS. This is every bit the 5 BMW equal at half the price.
As you can imagine, we all envy you right now. Enjoy it all you can!
GM half assed it again.I’d buy one tomorrow if they just tried to make it a little more efficient to sidestep the $1,300 gas guzzler tax.Cylinder deactivation?
At end of day the car sells for around $45k pretax. You are talking about 3% of total pretax cost, come on you can easily make that up plus more in discounts or if you have to swallow it your wallet will live.
Learn to drive a stick…. No GG tax…
I own a 2015 SS and couldn’t be happier. Pictures of this car are alright, and I particularly love the new slipstream blue color they’ve added for 2016, but people need to see this car in person and test drive it even more importantly to really appreciate what a great car it is. I average one random comment every two weeks with people complimenting the car, that will never get old.
It is too bad that Holden in AU will be no more.
“…paddle shifters have been added to the steering wheel for your sporting pleasure.”
I’m pretty sure it already had paddles.
Anyway, I like it. Only thing I’m not sure about is the wheels. I look the look of machined aluminum more than the look of polished aluminum, but the switch to cast construction is gonna add some pounds, and at 19 inches, those suckers will be heavy. I’m also not 100% sold on the design; not sure I like this variation on the 5-spoke design.
Ordered a 2016 manual trans a month ago and I don’t find any of the changes objectionable. The 2015 auto did have paddle shifters by the way, I test drove one. No manual trans at the dealers in my area, that’s why I waited for the 16. I’m glad they didn’t put the Commodore taillights on the 16, little too flashy.
The 2016 Chevrolet SS looks like a king-size 2015 Chevrolet Cruze as this is why sales for the SS have been poor as the design cues are stale and totally without imagination
GM doesn’t want to spend an extra cent on it and they don’t want to sell more than 3000 a year. That was clear from the beginning. In person it looks better than in the photos, more muscular, but it is still understated. You have to like sleepers. It’s when you drive it you understand why people say it’s great.
toyota SUCKS
It takes Mercedes Benz Cadillac BMW Audi Or Dodge to make an Awesome Breath taking Powerful RWD sedan Chevrolet is killing the SS too fast they never gave this car a chance to be Great The only cars they focus on is the corvette and camaro when they have an entire fleet of cars consumers don’t want to pay almost $50k for a performance sedan with an outdated engine from 2009 Chevy could at least gave it 475 horsepower to start with 415 horsepower was a disappointment when the competition (dodge charger srt8) has 470 horsepower standard its like Chevy isn’t even trying to hard if the car isn’t the camaro or corvette why would you stick the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP engine in a 2015 car? A lot of customers probably was waiting a long time for a Powerful RWD Sedan from Chevrolet & they dropped the ball i was once a “Die Hard” GM Fan but that has changed im tired of waiting for GM to make better ground breaking automobiles & to catch up with the rest of the auto industry a lot of people have strayed away to other brands because GM lagging behind & customers want more for their money
While I am more of a Camaro/Corvette guy, I could see myself driving this. Manual, Dual Mode Performance Exhaust, subdued looks to keep you out of trouble, etc.. I just need the black wheels from the 1LE and I am sold.
I am a vette guy. I own a stingray and a C5. Needless to say I’m a Chevy guy. I love sports cars. I bought my wife the 15 SS auto, (it does have paddle shifters, and full magnetic ride suspension) and she loves it. It doesn’t have the performance looks, that’s obvious. But that’s what’s great abt it. It is a completely no doubt, sleeper car. The performance is there. Take this car on the track and you WILL feel it. Anybody can put a big engine in a car but the handling is where this car excels. Trust me, its a great feeling to surprise the average sports car driver when they see this normal everyday car whoop on them. THATS what you’re purchasing. Not to mention just shy of half the cost of the cts-v. In closing, the wife loves it as it is her family sports car that she drives the kids to school in.
I have the 15 SS. I PUT aftermarket ex- a roto fab air intake. Trust the car puts out more then 415 hp. From the factory its under rated for insurance! reasons. I have a Pro charger for mine but will not put on untill my warranty. expires. Thos car is mad fast! Please do not put flo master on this car! I went with Corsa the sound is OMG.. The color of my ss is call. (Some like it hot red) it looks orange! When people here it thay all ask what the He×× is that car. I only paid $39,700. Cash with the GM discount. Would not get rid of this car for nothing in the world. The dealership wanted me to trade in my BMW 650I Topless. I told them why I’m paying Ca$h! If u own a ss have it Dyno tested. And see it puts out more then 415 hp. Have fun with you Detroit. Muscle!