have they finally pulled their head out of their ass?!

[coldkilla]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/funonwheels/12/12/chevy_cool/index.html

hopefully they're talking about more than throwing an SS badge on everything.

[LS1Hawk]

It's about time.

[camaroracer1992]

ha it only takes them a super large financial crisis to figure this **** out, they shoulda listened in 2000 when people were barking theyre ears off about the camaro etc and they wouldve been ahead of the other guys now

[Pat]

The Saturn Aura shares its engineering underpinnings with the current Chevrolet Malibu. The next generation Malibu will be much more aggressive-looking, said GM's Wilkinson, who allowed that the current Malibu is "kind of gay."

ok so i changed it a little...

[Tru2Chevy]

If the new Malibu is supposed to follow the same path as the Aura, it ought to be good. I got a good look at the Aura in Detroit last year, and it was a really nice car....

- Justin

[BigAls87Z28]

The next Malibu is said to really blow the doors off anything.

And as for "throwing an SS badge on anything", I would bet that any SS of the last 10 years could dust most of the SS's from the 60s and 70's.

[JL8Jeff]

And as for "throwing an SS badge on anything", I would bet that any SS of the last 10 years could dust most of the SS's from the 60s and 70's.

That's not too difficult to do considering the SS Impala and Nova came with a 6 cyl engine, then a weak 327 and then the Camaro with the 350/300 was pretty weak and even the base SS396 was nohting special. But Chevrolet ruined the SS name when they put it on the Silverado SS so they might as well mangle it some more by slapping it on everything. Now if they come back out with a Chevette and slap the SS name on it, I'm gonna have to hurt somebody!

[BigAls87Z28]

There was talk of the Aveo SS, but a 200hp supercharged 2.0 engine mated to a 5spd, large 16 inch alloys and let her rip!!

No one cried when they put SRT on a Neon and a Grand Cherokee, no one cried when they put SVT on a Focus and an F150.

[JL8Jeff]

No one cried when they put SRT on a Neon and a Grand Cherokee, no one cried when they put SVT on a Focus and an F150.

Nobody here is dumb enough to care or want an SRT or SVT.;)

[Squirrel]

No one cried when they put SRT on a Neon and a Grand Cherokee, no one cried when they put SVT on a Focus and an F150.
yeah...but all those cars you just mentioned are a lot more worthy of their badges then the standard SS symbol for chevy
a 13 second neon for 20 grand = respectable
a 13/4 second SUV = very respectable
focus = meh, it was still a quick lil car FWIW(as)
Lightning = if you dont think the lightning is one of the coolest things ever made, may god have mercy on your soul

[coldkilla]

yeah i remember when the SS badge had some honor to it. now its just a marketing tool, irregardless of the fact that the cars are faster now. almost every car built today is faster than most of the classic 60's and 70's iron. to me, if a car is wearing an SS badge it has to be nothing less than brutal, if not put it under another tag.

[Savage_Messiah]

Nobody here is dumb enough to care or want an SRT or SVT.;)

ah but misterjuice's car is an SRT ;)

[Savage_Messiah]

yeah i remember when the SS badge had some honor to it. now its just a marketing tool, irregardless of the fact that the cars are faster now. almost every car built today is faster than most of the classic 60's and 70's iron. to me, if a car is wearing an SS badge it has to be nothing less than brutal, if not put it under another tag.

Um wasn't it ALWAYS just a marketing tool?

[Brando56894]

Nobody here is dumb enough to care or want an SRT or SVT.;)

ill take an SVT cobra any day :D

[Tru2Chevy]

Um wasn't it ALWAYS just a marketing tool?

Yes. SS was mostly an appearance package that Chevy used back in the day. Most of the current SS cars are more worthy of the sport part of that name than any car that wore that badge in the 60s and 70s.

That being said, I don't think that Chevy should give every car in it's lineup an SS option. I think it should still be treated as if it were somewhat exlusive...

- Justin

[BigAls87Z28]

The Neon SRT4 does NOT do 13 sec stock. The SRT4 is still a low 14 sec car, as is the Cobalt SS. And the Cobalt SS outhandles it, so does the Cobalt SS deserive the badge, or does it need a 454 big block with an M-22 and a 12 bolt to earn that?
TBlazer SS will ALSO match thoes times of the lightning, and will do it up on the track as well.

Outside of the Impala and the MC, And Silvy(which will be fixed come next year), all SS's have been developed by GM's Performance Divison, the same people who brought you the V series, GXP series, Red Line series, and the Z06. These cars are tested extensivly on race tracks, namly the Nurburing (sp?).
I dont think that people would have a problem if Chevy labled it something else. I belive that GM enthusiasts are the most uptight about there cars, and dont want anything but the original to stand out. The SS deal is the same as the GTO, in that when a famous name or badge is brought out, the car must meet exactly what left us back in the 60s.

[JL8Jeff]

Historically, the SS package has been a performance upgrade package for Chevy. Even though it started pretty weak back in the early 60's with those 6 cyl cars, it was never a dressup package. The RS was the dressup package. But half the SS options back in the day were pretty weak. It's a lot easier today to make a performance SS package with the fuel injection and forced induction. So if they're gonna make cars with the SS name, it should at least be a 14 second car.

[BigAls87Z28]

All the SS cars are 14 sec cars.
The Impala SS matched the Charger RT's 0-60 times
And the MC SS matches the Mustang GT's 0-60 times
Both are deep into the 14's.

[Oddball]

The "SS" wasn't even an option when my IROC was made so I'll leave that thread alone.

However it is good to read GM caring about styling. When we were shopping for a car for my wife in 2001 we looked at some GM's. I sat inside and said "It feels like a cheap 80's GM POS" just from the interior. We wound up with a very nice Accord. I'm now looking at what Chrysler is producing and saying "wow" -- the Charger is the car for someone like me: big, stylish, and balsey. I thought about the new LSx Impala's until I heard they were FWD. We're getting to the point of asking the front wheels to do too much with so much power.

I hope the new Impala is as earth-shattering as I've heard and we have a Camaro. Thay way in 2009 or later when my Accord dies I'll have some options.

[BigAls87Z28]

Actualy, both the Impala SS and Grand Prix GXP exibit very little torque steer, and they match the Charger RT's performance numbers. The GXP has a lot more sport in it, as the suspension was totaly revised and redone. Everyone that test it is raving about it. While its no RWD, its the best thing since. Very little torque steer due to the offset tires. Both are also equiped with Active Fuel Managment which shuts down half the cyls at crusing speed. Sit down in a new GM veichle, they have seriously improved