You've reached the age of knowing ... that the Corvette can stay in the garage for encore performances.
What you really want is a daily driver that requires a little less commitment. You want the pulsing eight cylinders without having to fold yourself behind the wheel of a low-slung sports car. You want the rumble, the soul-stirring push of rear-wheel-drive through a banked corner ... without the obvious appearance of a midlife crisis.
The Chevrolet SS is a discrete package with overachieving street credentials. It is a stealth rear-wheel-drive sedan with a 415-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 and six-speed Tapshift automatic transmission. It is a full-size and full-bodied car with a curb weight of 3,975 pounds, but it will do 0 to 60 mph in about 5 seconds.
The Chevy SS is performance tuned but it isn't trying to pace the BMW M division; it's not a threat to the Mercedes-Benz AMG line; and it's not as intense as the SRT models from Chrysler LLC. It's more of the power model in the lineup. And it is somewhat of an oddity.
It is an import from GM Holden in Australia, the VF Commodore. We knew this car in 2008 as the Pontiac G8, but the SS has been more thoroughly Americanized for driver controls and placement of switches. It also rides on the same underpinnings as the Camaro and the Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle.
Buying one is simple: There is one well-equipped model with a starting price of $45,770, including the freight charge and $1,300 gas-guzzler tax. The only factory options are a $900 sunroof and $500 full-sized spare tire. A tire-inflator system takes the place of a spare. Choose from five paint colors (silver, red, white, black, green), which go with one interior theme, black with red trim.
Standard safety features are impressive: eight air bags, forward collision alert, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, side blind zone alert and all linked with stability and traction controls.
The SS is ideal family transport. Drop the grandkids at school and then meet your friends for a couples' weekend getaway. The back seat is accommodating with long legroom and there's generous trunk space (16.4 cubic feet) for bags and maybe even a pair of modest-sized golf bags.
The rear seatback doesn't fold but the entire center section folds for a fairly large hole to the trunk. And the seatback has a hard desktop surface with a couple of cup holders.
The exterior styling isn't sexy but the stance and proportions have force, from the bulge in the aluminum hood and how the body fits snugly over the staggered-width Bridgestones.
Hit the start button and the engine lights off with a rev and rumble then settles into a slightly lopey idle. The six-speed gearbox is well-stepped and engaging Sport mode stiffens the action just enough.
425 or even 450 horsepower wouldn't be too much, but you know where to put what when to get the most of this motor. Horsepower and torque peak at fairly high engine revs — 5,900 rpm and 4,600 rpm torque. That's easier on fuel consumption but less of a hole shot from the stoplight. Still, get hard on the gas and the 6.2 sings.
The suspension has better balance and control than the Camaro. Grip is provided by high performance rubber — 19-inch Bridgestone REO 50A, wider at the rear than the front. Four-piston, 14-inch vented Brembo brakes show off at the front but with coarse looking calipers and 12.7-inch solid discs rear.
The cabin design is sport-themed with tasteful amounts of brushed metal, leather and ultrasuede-like accents. The front buckets — eight-way power adjustable — are well bolstered for driver control but not so severely as to restrict comfortable entry or exit.
It's the know-how, not the body that makes the driver. And you've reached the age of knowing ... not to drive a rear-drive pickup pulling a horse trailer through a mud patch in the trail when there's plenty of flat, hard prairie on either side to drive around the problem.
2014 Chevrolet SS
—Body style: full-size, 5-passenger, rear-wheel drive sedan
—Engine: aluminum, 6.2-liter OHV V-8; 415 lb.-ft. torque at 4,600 rpm
—Transmission: 6-spd. automatic with Tapshift
—Fuel economy: 14/21 mpg city/hwy.; premium recommended
—Fuel tank: 18.8 gallons
—Trunk space: 16.4 cubic feet
—Front head/leg/shoulder room: 38.7/42.3/59.1 inches
—Rear head/leg/shoulder room: 37.5/39.7/59.1 inches
—Length/wheelbase: 195.5/114.8 inches
—Curb weight: 3,975 pounds
—Turning circle: 37.4 feet
—Standard equipment includes: keyless locking with push-button ignition, Chevrolet MyLink infotainment with navigation and Bluetooth audio-phone and USB port, aluminum-trimmed pedals, 8-way power driver seat with lumbar, 8-way power front passenger seat, heated and vented front seats, rearview camera, dual zone AC, front fog lights, remote start, leather wrapped steering wheel-shifter, heated side mirrors with manual folding, HID headlights, rain-sensing wipers, automatic parking assist, rear park assist, rear spoiler, rear-seat trunk pass-through, carpeted floor mats front and rear, trunk net
—Safety features include: 8 air bags, forward collision alert, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, side blind zone alert, stability and traction controls, 4-wheel ABS
—Base price: $45,770, including $995 freight charge and $1,300 gas-guzzler tax
—Options on test vehicle: none
—Warranty: 3-years/36,000-miles bumper to bumper; 2-years/24,000-miles free scheduled maintenance (oil and filter); 5-years/60,000-miles powertrain
—Where assembled: Elizabeth, Australia
Mark Maynard is online at mark.maynard@utsandiego.com. Find photo galleries and more news at Facebook.com/MaynardsGarage. To find out more about Mark Maynard and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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