Car Gazing
Silverado SS brings back classic name, impressive performance
By Derek Price
In the muscle-car era of the 1960s, two words struck fear into the hearts of
street racers: Super Sport. An "SS" emblem on the side of a Chevy meant it
had all the right stuff for super speed, like a sporty ride, a sleek design,
and enough power to measure on the Richter scale.
After several years of collecting dust, Chevy is polishing its "SS" badge
once again for use on several upcoming cars and trucks, starting with a
high-performance version of the Silverado pickup designed to compete with
Ford's red-hot SVT Lightning truck. Even with such notable classic machines
in its bloodline as the Impala SS and Chevelle SS, it lives up to the Super
Sport name.
Just a quick glance at the truck shows it means business, no matter which
angle you see. A monochromatic grille and low ground effects, specially
styled 20-inch wheels, and attractive chrome badges give it a sleek,
refined, and very dramatic look. Chevy's corporate honchos call it an
"instant classic," and they're not far off.
But the true meaning of Super Sport comes from how it drives, not how it
looks. Once again, it doesn't disappoint.
A massive 6.0-liter V8 engine almost shakes the earth as it cranks out 345
horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque with the throaty roar of a NASCAR
racer. It produces terrific off-the-line acceleration for the mammoth truck
as it pins passengers to their seatbacks when the accelerator is pressed to
the floor, a feeling one can only imagine is what astronauts experience when
their rocket lifts off the ground. It's impressive, indeed.
Handling is also good for a full-size truck, as enormous 20-inch sport tires
– the largest ever offered on a Silverado – keep it firmly planted in
corners. The standard Silverado suspension is lowered 20mm in front and 50mm
in rear and tuned for a smoother ride on the SS version, and a standard
all-wheel drive system improves performance on wet or dry pavement.
Its interior is clearly geared toward comfort, as charcoal colored leather
seats, a premium Bose stereo, steering wheel controls, and dual-zone
automatic climate control all come standard. But, there's no mistaking its
high-performance heritage with "SS" embroidered on the headrests and marked
on its special white-faced gauges.
But, you can't forget this Silverado is based on a real work truck. It
shares an upgraded braking system and many other enhancements with Chevy's
2003 light-duty Silverado, and it offers a heavy-duty trailering package
with an outstanding 7,500-pound capability.
All this performance, style and comfort doesn't come cheap. It's sticker
price is around $40,000, or about $6,000 more than the faster and more
powerful Ford Lightning, but it's only fair to point out that the Lightning
doesn't have an extended cab or as many comfort features as the Silverado
SS.
Aside from the inherent drawbacks in buying and operating a heavy vehicle
with a gas-guzzling engine, this truck has only two shortcomings: an
unrefined four-speed automatic transmission that shifts rather abruptly,
and sloppy, unresponsive steering that doesn't match the SS character.
All in all, it would have been easy for Chevy to slap a couple of badges on
a fancy Silverado and call it the SS, but luckily they backed up the look
and legendary name with breathtaking performance.
If the Silverado SS is a taste of things to come, speed lovers can look
forward to more Chevy cars, trucks and SUVs to become legends in their own
time. Bring it on.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.
Contact him at dprice@cargazingonline.com)
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