The Chevy SS; The Car We Wanted, But Didn't Buy

Think back to when you were 16, with a freshly printed drivers license in hand, you jump into the family hauler your parents were crazy enough to let you drive. All the while, you think about the car you want to drive. Sports cars like the Corvette, Mustang, Viper (Blue with white strips) Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Miata are all on the list, and probably a poster on your wall. These cars are the pinnacle of the driving experience. They are fast, fun, and iconic cars that have stood the test of time. But then, you grew up, got a job, and probably a family. The posters come down, and with them, your expiations of what a car should be. Instead of the sports car you always promised yourself, you go out and buy a Camry, Accord, or a Rav-4. You let the urge for a big V8 slowly die, while you’re slowly absorbed into your driver’s seat from lack of excitement. You still have an urge for big American V8 burred deep down, but you need the practicality of sedan or SUV. Then Chevy, of all brands, turns out a V8 powered, excellent handling, practical sedan. Its the car you said you wanted, but, you stroll right by it and pick up your new Camry, its got pleather seats, automatic climate controls, a turbo 4, and all the fun of a prostate examine. The sad truth is, the Chevy SS (Supper Sport) was a car we all wanted, but no one bought. Here’s why.

Styling.

America is a materialistic culture. People buy large diamond engagement rings: sure it shows that I love you, but it also shows how much I love you. Then we buy the designer clothes and handbags to match the ring, we buy 5000 sq. ft. houses and park a nice shiny new car out front. All of these show that not only have kept up with the Joneses, we’ve surpassed the Joneses. We want our stuff to look the part, if it cost a million bucks, it better look like it.
When Chevy debuted the SS in 2014 with a $47,000 price tag it struggled because it failed to look the part. Nothing about it said “hey look at me!’ Instead it blinded into the automotive landscape like a teen in a shopping mall. The SS was bland and boring, it looked like every other GM product on the road, and failed to stand out when compared to its competitors. The SS’s styling simply couldn’t compete with other sedans in that price range, such as the BMW 5 series, was praised for its sharp looks, it had strong lines, a distinct front end, and a look that was distinctly German. The 5 series had style and prestige. Whereas the SS had a blobby front end, no distinct body lines, and a look that, well, wasn’t a real looker. The SS had no real style and even less prestige. When lined up next to a BMW 5 series or a Mercedes, the SS looked cheap, and boring. This is not what buyers what when they spend almost $50,000 on a car.
A closer look at the SS would, however, reveal subtle design changes to distinguish itself from other Chevy models. With 19in wheels, bright red Brembo calipers and fake vents on the hood and fenders, the SS had the perfect sleeper look, but sleepers don’t sell. Sharp angles, smooth body lines and aggressive styling sells.

Badging and Marketing.

When introducing a new car to the market, automakers tend to come up with a completely new name or set of number to make sure the car stands out. Sometimes the revive an old name to give a since of nostalgia, and certain petagray. Chevy did none of that.
Chevy named the car SS, which stands for Super Sport, while this was true to its performance nature, it proved to be problematic. SS is also a trim level or package that Chevy has thrown on lots of cars since the 60s. The SS badge has graced the finders and bumpers of 17 different models. Ranging from the Camaro to the Silverado. The name SS might have been more recognizable if no other car had the SS badge at the time, but the Camaro also comes with an SS trim package. Doug DeMuro said it best in his article on the SS found at Autotrader.com/oversteer which is linked below,

"The Chevy what?" "Do you mean the Camaro SS?" Doug Demuro. Automotive Journalist.

Because the SS is a trim level, the name SS is recognizable, but only as a trim level, and even then only to a small number of buyers. Many of the regular consumers, you know, the people you want buying your cars, didn’t recognize the name, let alone know it was a stand-alone model.
Marketing, or lack thereof, was another reason the SS failed. Think back: how many commercials, internet ads, advertisements on radio, and really annoying and cheesy local dealer ads did you see for the SS? I can’t remember any. I remember hearing about it when it was about to be released because of the performance it was promising, but nothing afterward. The only real attempt at marketing was Chevy using an SS in NASCAR. But NASCAR has a falling consumer base, and lets be honest, no one looks to NASCAR when deciding which car to buy.
To my embarrassment I forgot they even made the car. I only remembered it because I read that Chevy was discontinuing the SS. Even then my reaction was “wait, they still make that?” I’m guessing many of you said the same thing, I would even wager that some of you reading this never even heard of the SS. A combination of a confusing name and terrible marketing helped spell the demise of the SS.

Price.

Chevy is the entry-level brand for its parent company GM. They make affordable cars, trucks, SUVs, and offer more affordable sport car options. Chevy gets you from point A to point B with few frills and thrills. Chevy is primemarly a value brand. Hence why in 2014, you could get a brand new Impala with almost every option for around $38,000. That’s still $9000 less than the starting price of the SS with no options, at $47,000. However Chevy, really GM, tied Chevy’s hands when it came to price. The SS was a rebadged Holden Commodore, Holden was GMs subsidiary brand in Australia until a few years ago, Holden is now a vichel importer only, and produces no models of its own..
The Commodore, I mean the SS, had to be imported from Australia where it was produced. That’s not cheap. There was the base cost of production, extra cost for rebadging, importing cost, taxes, and other fees that added up. All of that cost plus all the tech that came standard only drove up the price. Chevy could have offered a stripped down SS with fewer tech features and maybe slightly lower performance figures. But this would have involved producing two different cars, and the possibility of having to import more of one than the other, incurring more cost, without certainty of a profit. So every SS came the same with the same price, that put it out of reach of many its normal customers, and GM would be hard pressed to lure buyers from BMW or Lexus who offer cars that come in at a similar price point, lack the performance of the SS, but are more stylish. A high price was yet another factor that doomed the SS.

Here is why you should have bought one.

Tech and features

The SS was no slouch when it came to tech features. Standard features included Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, heated and ventilated 8-way power seats, automated parallel parking, blind spot and lane departure, frontal collision warning, heads-up display, review camera, and a Bose sound system. Plus lots of other standard features. The only two options for the SS were a full-size spare tire and a sunroof. This was gobs ahead of any of Chevy’s direct competition was doing. Even in cars that were in the price rang didn’t offer, as standard features, that the SS did. To get heated (non-ventilated, that’s yet another option) seats, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning on a 2017 BMW 5 series, which starts at just over $50,000, you had to buy two option packages totaling $2,500. That’s more money for less features and even less performance. The SS was cheaper and had more tech and features.
Performance.

The SS came with a 6.2L V8 producing 415HP and 415-pound-feet of torque. A 6-speed manual was a no-cost option, and the 4,200-pound car went 0-60MPH in just 4.8 seconds. Which was right there with the BMW M5, which once again cost lots more.
19in wheels and performance tires came standard along with a sport-tuned suspension, and Brembo brakes. All of this performance equipment meant the SS was just as happy on a curvy road as it was in a straight line. Critics praised its engine, fast acceleration, and excellent handling for a sedan. The BMW 5 series base model only came with a 4 cylinder turbo, paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission. It lacks all the performance and most of the tech of the SS, but people bought the 5 series in droves while the SS sat on the lot.

The Chevy SS was an amazing car on paper, it had a big engine, lots of features that came standard, and performance to match. But in the end, the SS was a failure, selling only 12,000 units in 4 years. Car enthusiasts everywhere loved, but few of them bought this car. Even non-car enthusiasts would have liked the car: it was a practical 4-door sedan that was fun to dive and could zoom past pretty much anyone. But people bought Accords, Camrys, and BMWs. A combination of bad decisions in naming, cost, marketing, brand, and our lack of interest, doomed the SS before we had a chance to fall in love. Now car enthusiasts everywhere are slowly being absorbed by the driver’s seats of their daily drivers instead of being thrown around in them.