Chevrolet unveils the SS in the US: the traditional rear-wheel-drive V8

Many factors were needed to change the mind of the average American, the one who never got out of his saloon with a big rear-wheel-drive V8 engine. The mass arrival of the Japanese, the “Europeanisation” of many of their models, the crisis and wider acceptance of diesel engines have all helped Americans change their tastes in cars.

Even so, the most die-hard enthusiasts still saw a small light at the end of the tunnel. Chevrolet had not offered a saloon/V8/rear-wheel-drive car since 1996, with the Impala. Thanks to the Australians and GM’s division on the other side of the world, we can now say that the American “classic” has returned in the guise of the Chevrolet SS.

The Chevrolet SS, presented in Daytona, carries on the saga of the Impala SS of old, but it is also the modern-day extension of a platform that has never stopped being admired, like that of the late Pontiac G8. More than once I have praised the saloons that Ford and GM build in Australia, and it seems I am not the only one, and now this will be no exception. But there is more: although it is not a model we will see in Europe, I imagine Americans will love this: a 415-horsepower LS3 V8 and a six-speed automatic gearbox with steering-wheel shift paddles.

Of course, if it looked a little more like its Australian siblings, things would look better. The Holden Commodore are practically identical, but the nose is different and personally I prefer it. In the case of the SS, Chevrolet had to resort to its “corporate image” for the specific details. It would also have been welcome to include the V6 the Australians use; they did not even use the same V8 as the special “Z” editions of the Commodore, but rather the engine from the Corvette C6.

But none of this matters much. Americans will buy these SS models like hotcakes, so it fills the gap the brand was most interested in: greater presence in this segment within the US.

Source | GM Media