By Jonathon Ramsey, Autoblog.com - Not including the women and men who built it, the 2014 Chevrolet SS has only been seen in person by a small number of people -- fewer humans than would fill the gynmasium at a high school volleyball game. Not including the men and women who built it, no one has driven it. Even so, it is already saddled with three controversies, the way it looks, the way it shifts and the fact it won't be found on Canadian roads -- unless SS owning Americans cross the bridge or tunnel to flame our pangs of jealousy.
We, Canadians, had our taste of the Chevy SS in the form of its predecessor, the Pontiac G8. Of course, Pontiac is now defunct and Chevy has no plans to bring the SS to our great white north, so this article documents a rare American forbidden fruit -- we're used to this treatment from European marques, but seldom do we envy drivers south of the border.
Read below to see what Canadians are missing ...
First to the topic of shifting. Did we love the last Americanized Holden, the awesomely sportsome Pontiac G8 GXP, and its six-speed manual? Of course. Do we wish the SS came with a six-speed manual? Of course. But we'd like a toboggan to come with a manual transmission. We'd put a manual transmission on a weasel if we could because we're just wire that way; if it moves, it should come with a stick and a clutch. Or at least the option.
Let's climb down off the ledge, though. We haven't driven the SS and we have no idea how good (or poor) the automatic is. And the Hobson's Choice in transmissions when it comes to sport sedans like the BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and Jaguar XFR-S, and oh yeah, cars-that-really-should-have-manuals like the Audi R8 and Nissan GT-R and Porsche 918 and every single Lamborghini and Ferrari, for instance, hasn't stopped us from enjoying what is clearly the gruesome, dual-clutched demise of Western automotive civilization. Because in spite of our ululations at the dying of the six-speed light, we understand.
All we're saying is sure, we're disappointed, but let's drive it first -- then we'll find out if this is something more than a philosophical tragedy. When we asked what were the chances of a manual we were thrown the bones of "it's a possibility down the line," and that's all we need to go to Optimism Level: Lloyd.
To that other, bigger controversy: the way it looks -- it seems many of you were expecting more, or at least more different. However, as far back as 2009 it was acknowledged that the VF Holden Commodore would be an overhaul of the VE series, and mainly under the skin at that. There was neither the money nor the business case to create a brand new car. If there is an issue with the looks of the SS, it's our opinion that we might have discovered 90 per cent of the cure in the sedan's trunk.
Ever since it became clear that Pontiac had a permanent dinner date with Hades, people began suggesting -- strongly -- that General Motors keep the G8 coming but as a Chevrolet. Now that it's here, true, five years has passed -- there's a vocal group saying. "Well, that's not exactly what we meant."
We, Canadians, had our taste of the Chevy SS in the form of its predecessor, the Pontiac G8. Of course, Pontiac is now defunct and Chevy has no plans to bring the SS to our great white north, so this article documents a rare American forbidden fruit -- we're used to this treatment from European marques, but seldom do we envy drivers south of the border.
Read below to see what Canadians are missing ...
First to the topic of shifting. Did we love the last Americanized Holden, the awesomely sportsome Pontiac G8 GXP, and its six-speed manual? Of course. Do we wish the SS came with a six-speed manual? Of course. But we'd like a toboggan to come with a manual transmission. We'd put a manual transmission on a weasel if we could because we're just wire that way; if it moves, it should come with a stick and a clutch. Or at least the option.
Let's climb down off the ledge, though. We haven't driven the SS and we have no idea how good (or poor) the automatic is. And the Hobson's Choice in transmissions when it comes to sport sedans like the BMW M5, Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and Jaguar XFR-S, and oh yeah, cars-that-really-should-have-manuals like the Audi R8 and Nissan GT-R and Porsche 918 and every single Lamborghini and Ferrari, for instance, hasn't stopped us from enjoying what is clearly the gruesome, dual-clutched demise of Western automotive civilization. Because in spite of our ululations at the dying of the six-speed light, we understand.
All we're saying is sure, we're disappointed, but let's drive it first -- then we'll find out if this is something more than a philosophical tragedy. When we asked what were the chances of a manual we were thrown the bones of "it's a possibility down the line," and that's all we need to go to Optimism Level: Lloyd.
To that other, bigger controversy: the way it looks -- it seems many of you were expecting more, or at least more different. However, as far back as 2009 it was acknowledged that the VF Holden Commodore would be an overhaul of the VE series, and mainly under the skin at that. There was neither the money nor the business case to create a brand new car. If there is an issue with the looks of the SS, it's our opinion that we might have discovered 90 per cent of the cure in the sedan's trunk.
Ever since it became clear that Pontiac had a permanent dinner date with Hades, people began suggesting -- strongly -- that General Motors keep the G8 coming but as a Chevrolet. Now that it's here, true, five years has passed -- there's a vocal group saying. "Well, that's not exactly what we meant."
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