The new 2014 Chevrolet SS is an important new model for the bowtie brand. Officially introduced to the public earlier this week at the Daytona International Speedway, GM believes the hallowed ground of NASCAR was the perfect venue to let Chevy fans see the car for the first time.
"The Chevrolet brand was largely built on the strength of rear-drive performance sedans, yet it's been 17 years since we offered one," said GM North America president Mark Reuss. "The all-new SS fills that void and fills it better than any other vehicle in the brand's rich history."
While the Chevrolet SS moniker is as red, white, and blue as it gets, the SS is actually badge engineered from the new Holden Commodore SS V of Australia. Twins, the only stylistic distinctions between the SS and the Commodore are the badges, paint scheme of the 19-inch wheels, and the dual exhausts on the SS rather than the quad exhausts on the Holden.
More than just a handsome, chiseled face, the SS will boast a 6.2 liter V8 putting out 415-hp and 415 lb.-ft. of torque to the rear wheels via a robust six-speed automatic transmission. 0-to-60 mph is estimated at 5.0 seconds. GM has not confirmed the availability of the manual gearbox.
The SS will also feature MacPherson struts up front and a trapezoidal multilink arrangement at the rear. The SS will also receive forged 19-inch allow wheels in 245/40 at the front and 275/35 at the rear. Four-piston calipers at the front and two-piston calipers at the rear will squeeze 335-mm Brembo brake disks.
A proven chassis, GM claims the new 2014 SS will feature near perfect 50/50 weight distribution and a low center of gravity.
"The perfect weight balance and lower center of gravity were a big part of that goal because they enabled the team to tune for a more comfortable highway ride without sacrificing handling or driver confidence while cornering at the limits", explained GM global programs executive engineer David Leone.
As intelligent as it is athletic, the SS boasts luxuries including adjustable leather bucket seats, a sophisticated center-console touch screen with MyLink and navigation software, a Bose 9-speaker audio system, a color head-up display, and a push-to-start engine button. The SS also features a number of advanced safety features including Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Side Blind Zone Alert, a rear-vision camera with cross traffic alert, and will also introduce Automatic Parking Assist for Chevrolet.
The 2014 Chevrolet SS will be available later this year but the company has yet to announce the starting price of the new vehicle.
