NFB...Latest Motor Trend covers the entire upcomming line up of SS's for 06.

[Dave-S]

You may want to pick up the latest issue of Motor Trend. There is an extensive article on the Chevy SS lineup in there with some surprises amid a bunch of other stuff I already knew.

Now I realize that the SS nameplate has been used in the past before on some less than stellar cars but it still bothers me when I see that being done on some of the current model lineups. For sure there are some nice SS's comming with plenty of horsepower to go along with some of those models, but then there are some decisions that GM made that I just don't understand. Right now the SS nameplate is hung on the supercharged Cobalt but there will also be non-supercharged versions of both coupes and sedans next year as well. Then there is the Malibu Max SS......I flat out don't understand that one. The new Impala SS will be a real nice car despite the fact that it is FWD. A 300+ HP V8 in that car will make it pretty darn peppy. There is even some thought about a Corvette SS with more Horsepower than the 505HP Z06 . Now that would be real nice and I am sure Norm would just have to order one .

[redws6]

yeh i dont understand gm at all.... its like there commting suicide. the ss badge is put to shame on the ''cobalt". ford knows what its doin with performance cars. i really hope gm wakes up, real quick.

[darkz711]

yeh i dont understand gm at all.... its like there commting suicide. the ss badge is put to shame on the ''cobalt". ford knows what its doin with performance cars. i really hope gm wakes up, real quick.

I dunno the SVT Focus isnt very "SVT" worthy

[FroSSty]

I dunno the SVT Focus isnt very "SVT" worthy

Very True...
At first I thought the same thing about the cobalt ss...But realistically, it isn't that bad...A little ricey but it has some power to back it up, being supercharged and all. It shouldn't be that hard to get those into the 13s.
Biggest problem with the new ss cars is that most of them are wrong wheel drive...300 hp to the front wheels might produce a little torque steer.
.02

[95TransAm]

Very True...
At first I thought the same thing about the cobalt ss...But realistically, it isn't that bad...A little ricey but it has some power to back it up, being supercharged and all. It shouldn't be that hard to get those into the 13s.
Biggest problem with the new ss cars is that most of them are wrong wheel drive...300 hp to the front wheels might produce a little torque steer.
.02

I agree. The cobalt ss isn't that bad IMO. A brand new low 14 second car for about 20 grand fully loaded isn't that bad. I more so agree with the wrong wheel drive statement.

300 hp to the front wheels might produce a little torque steer.

maybe just a 'lil

[Steel2686]

That Trailblazer SS with the LS2 is going to be sick!

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

maybe just a 'lil

From reading people's experiences while driving the new 5.3L FWD cars (Impala/MC/Grand Prix), there isn't much torque steer. Yes, it's there, but it's not overly intrusive. Heck, Caddy has had 300HP and FWD for years, albeit with a little torque management.

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

My take on the SS issue:

The SS Cobalt is a pretty good car for the money and for what it is. Let's be realistic, at least GM realized that kids are buying this exact kind of car and ricing them up. I see it as the General's way of attempting to compete with the Scion's of the ricer world.

The SS Trailblazer.....pretty cool idea. I mean, the trailblazer was peppy enough with that inline 6, but with an LS2....it's gonna be sick.

The SS Impala and Monte Carlo still tick me off. I mean, props to GM for finally putting the power back into these cars, but for crap's sake make them rear wheel drive! Chevy used to share almost an equal amount of the market for law enforement vehicles till they got rid of the Caprice and made the Impala a front drive 6. Ford practically owns that market now with the Crown Vic, simply because Ford was smart and stayed with the V8 and RWD. I am still for another ballsy Impala OR Monte Carlo to be released. I just can't ever see driving a car like that with FWD.

I think what GM is doing with alot of the SS's, and in the other GM brands, is using quick fixes to try to compete in the up-surge of the popularity of more powerful cars. Cadillac is doing an awesome job with all of their "V" cars. (I want a CTS-V! ) I just hate seeing the SS logo tacked onto sub-par cars for the sake of GM trying to quickly, and (SURPRISE!) cheaply, get the cars competitive with the likes of Chrysler and Ford. If only all of the GM line-up got treated with the same passion and class that the Caddy line is getting.

[95TransAm]

From reading people's experiences while driving the new 5.3L FWD cars (Impala/MC/Grand Prix), there isn't much torque steer. Yes, it's there, but it's not overly intrusive. Heck, Caddy has had 300HP and FWD for years, albeit with a little torque management.

I don't think I've ever had the privledge of driving a 300+hp FWD car....can honestly say I though otherwise on the whole torque steering issue.

Making it RWD would by far be the best way to go, but hey, at least we've upgraded from 6's to 8's for an everyday car. I wonder how gas mileage is with DOD?

[Dave-S]

Your comments about the Cobalt SS are ignoring something that I pointed out in that article.

For 06 they are hanging the SS nameplate on both two and four door Cobalts without Superchargers. Now I don't have a problem with the current Supercharged Cobalt SS.....but a natuarally aspirated 4 banger/ 4 door Cobalt.........give me a break.

And a Malibu Max SS........you got to be kidding!

[FroSSty]

Your comments about the Cobalt SS are ignoring something that I pointed out in that article.

For 06 they are hanging the SS nameplate on both two and four door Cobalts without Superchargers. Now I don't have a problem with the current Supercharged Cobalt SS.....but a natuarally aspirated 4 banger/ 4 door Cobalt.........give me a break.

And a Malibu Max SS........you got to be kidding!

Yeah, I can see your point...that is kinda weird, although not suprising. The SS brand is kinda in a downward spiral as far as performance goes. Of course I know we all want to see the Corvette SS but how many people will actually buy it?

[Steel2686]

The SS tag should hang on V8's only. I hate when a car company takes a sacred name and sticks it on a 4 cylinder, i.e. the former Charger, LeMans, Nova, and now SS. I have no problem with them bringing back the new Charger and of course, GTO. Both cars are impressive eights.

Better example... Imagine if GM brought back the Camaro and Firebird as turbo-charged fours.

[markd79ta]

I wouldn't give GM 5 cents for the Impala and Monte...not until they build them correctly. A 305hp FWD with a recycled Lumina front...I can hardly contain my enthusiasm. Could you imagine working on that 5.3 shoe horned into that turd of a car? Why buy this junk when the 300, Magnum, and Charger are out there? As for the SUVs and Cobalt...not my scene...actually, I pretty much hate them! Non of this stuff is SS worthy...it is just marketing for those that don't know any better.

[Dave Vince]

GM

It sure seems GM still has their head where the sun don't shine. Maybe a blown Cobalt is OK for the ricer crowd, but I will wait for the day, if ever, that the Camaro returns. I will not buy a car that looks like a ricer, just because it has a V-8 in it. The new Mustang should be a wake up call for GM, but I believe they have deaf ears. I may be driving a Ford in the future.

[Steel2686]

I still think GM will suprise us. While I'm not fond of tagging any 4-banger with the fabled SS, at least they are taking steps in the right direction. The Monte Carlo in my opinion, is a really good looking car, but it is unfortunate it is FWD. That car with an LS2 and rear wheel drive would be sick. Can't forget to give GM credit for taking a huge chance by releasing the GTO. They impressed me.

The Trailblazer SS is a great idea. It brings back memories of the Typhoon. An SUV that spanks Mustangs.

While Ford did the right thing with the new Mustang, their quality is still lacking. My Uncle just got a brand new Five Hundred. It has 5,000 miles on it and already had a computer and two pieces of interior trim replaced.