The Chevy SSR; The Prowler 2.0?

In the late 90s and early to mid 2000s, American automakers Chrysler, Ford, and GM were feeling nostalgic. Visions of hot rods with big fenders, giant wheels, big rear ends, with huge V8 engines, popular in the 30s and 40s, were dancing like sugarplums in their heads. Chrysler, desperate for a hit, gave Plymouth the go ahead for the Prowler: envisioned as a modernized hot rod. Not to be outdone, GM said “lets make a hot rod too!” But theirs would turn out better. How, you ask? Well, GM combined the three things Americans love: speed, trucks, and convertible tops, into one car. And the Chevy SSR was born.

2000 Chevy SSR concept car. Photo borrowed from superchevy.com

At the 2000 Detroit Auto Show, many automakers where looking toward the future, displaying lots of modern tech and outlandish futuristic designs. GM, however, wanted to bring the company’s past into the present with the SSR. When Chevy unveiled the SSR concept at the Detroit Auto Show, it was met with laughter and many people scratching heads. Auto journalists and car enthusiasts alike were quick to dismiss the SSR concept as a weird, retro designed, truck convertible thing that couldn’t possibly hit the market. But then, Chrysler found themselves with a hit on their hands in the form of the PT Cruiser. They were selling like hot cakes and GM wanted in on the retro game too. So, GM greenlighted the absurd SSR, and in 2003 it rolled into showrooms across the nation.

The 2003 SSR was marketed as a fun, fast sport truck with a power retractable hard top. When critics got their hands on them, they were, well, under impressed. Critics enjoyed the retro styling, with its big, fat fenders, massive rear end, and giant tires, and for the most part agreed that the SSR looked aggressive would turn heads everywhere it went. However, they also all agreed that Chevy had made the same mistake with the SSR that Plymouth had made with the Prowler: the SSR was underpowered. While Chevy did put a V8 under the hood, at least, it was only a 5.3 liter that produced 300 HP. Match that with a 4-speed automatic transmission, and the fact that the SSR was built on GMs midsize SUV platform and weighed 4,700 pounds, and you have a recipe for slow, and that’s what you got. The small V8 struggled to move the SSR with any scrap of motivation. The 0-60 time of the 03-04 SSR was 7 seconds, and a quarter mile time of 15.4 seconds at 89 MPH. A Honda Accord with the V6 also did 0-60 in 7 seconds and a quarter mile in 15.5 seconds at 92 MPH. Chevy had made another Prowler: the SSR looked cool and aggressive, but in reality it was a slow, unsporty car— eh, truck— convertible thing. It handled okay: it could get you around town just fine, but just don’t try and race a Miata or even that Accord on a back road. They also noted that you knew it was a truck in the worst way possible: every bump you went over, in fact, reminded you. While the convertible top looked cool, it didn’t help sell the SSR as a serious contender to replace a sports car. It was slow off the line, down the stretch, and in the corners. Well, in all fairness, there was one thing the SSR was good at: drinking gas. In short, the SSR was a Prowler with a truck bed.

In 2005, however, the SSR got a much needed powertrain revamp. Chevy was tired of hearing that the SSR was slow and underpowered, which it was. So Chevy yanked the 6.0lt V8 from the Corvette and Pontiac G8 and stuck it in the SSR too. This V8 produced 390 HP, and could be paired with an optional 6-speed manual transmission. At this, critics took notice. The new engine and transmission combo sent the SSR from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, and ran a quarter mile in 14.1 seconds at 100MPH. Critics noted that this put the SSRs 0-60 times in competitive territory with sports cars like the Honda S2000, Nissan 350Z and the BMW Z4. Remember, too, that the SSR still weighed 4,700 pounds. While Chevy had improved straight line performance considerably, handling was still lacking. While the SSR could fly off the line, it still handled and drove like a truck. The interior was also less than stellar. While the seats were fine, the dash was plagued by Fisher Price plastic that made the SSR look like Chevy had outsourced the plastic to Chrysler. The SSR only came in one trim, and had few features: keyless entry, leather seats, and cruise control came standard. Among the options were heated seats, a upgraded sound system, chrome on the interior and exterior, color-key bed strips, and chrome wheels. 20in rear, for better traction off the line, and 19in front wheels were standard.

In 2006, Chevy killed the SSR after selling about 25,000 units over three years. Chevy’s mistake, underpowering the SSR when it launched, did considerable damage, but that’s not the only reason it got the axe. At the end of the day, it just wasn’t a very good sports car. While the power convertible top was a cool feature, it lacked the handing and fun-to-drive factor that make a sports car great. The SSR drove and handled like a truck, which also helped seal its fate. When people buy a truck, they want something that can tow and carry heavy loads. The SSR had a narrow bed with a cosmetic cover from the factory, although it could be removed. Further, the SSR could only tow 2,700 pounds, which meant that no one was buying it if they needed some major towing done. Lastly, high price killed the SSR. The base price of the SSR was $41,000; option it up with all the extras, plus a two-tone paint scheme, and you would be paying almost $50,000 for a car devoid of many luxury or sports car features, and with a Fisher Price plastic interior. That price put it out of range for the average car buyer, and the SSR lacked the sportiness to make it a good weekend car.

The SSR may have failed to usher in a new era of retro inspired care design, it may have failed to be a sports car, and it may have failed to be a good truck. But, the SSR did succeed in turning heads, even today, and in finding a place in the heart of car enthusiasts everywhere, myself included.

Sources.
Motortrend.com
Caranddriver.com
Superchevy.com
Edmunds.com

Special thanks to Lee for editing my post! He is the only reason y’all can read these.