Car Gazing
Want to be treated like a star? Here's the next best thing
By Derek Price
If you're the shy type, don't ever ride in this Chevy.
From the moment you step inside this wild truck – a power-top convertible, no less – you become the center of attention wherever you drive.
People roll down their windows at stoplights to ask what it is; you can't fill the gas tank without being interrupted at least twice; little kids stare at it with open-mouthed amazement; and cops pull you over for no apparent reason.
That's the power of the SSR.
Nobody really needs a truck like this, especially for the nearly $50,000 sticker price on the test vehicle I drove for a week. It has only two seats and a small truck bed, and it makes gas disappear faster than the pizza buffet at Cici's when a starving football team walks in. It's safe to say Chevy won't sell one of these trucks on the basis of practicality.
Maybe that's the reason it's been a major sales flop for the past two years. Unlike the similarly retro-styled PT Cruiser – which is priced like a compact car but has the practicality of an SUV – the SSR is almost useless except as a rich man's toy. From a sales standpoint, that's clearly why the PT Cruiser is hot and the SSR is not.
In any case, Chevrolet adds a little sugar to the already sweet convertible truck by tossing in the LS2 engine from the Corvette. A 6.0-liter V8 monster that powers the latest generation of GM's famed sports car, this engine fires up with the kind of deep-throated rumble that could be heard from here to Australia.
When coupled with a six-speed manual transmission, the SSR is an awful lot of fun to drive. Imagine getting behind the wheel of a low-rider Chevy Trailblazer with a humongous engine, and you'll have some idea of what this truck feels like.
But, as everybody who sees it can tell, the SSR is more about looks than anything else. It has an exaggerated, heritage-inspired body that people either love or hate, and it certainly draws attention everywhere it goes.
For extra boulevard-cruising fun, you can drop the hard top with the push of a button. It splits into three parts and neatly folds away underneath a hard cover, perfectly hidden from view until you push the button again to quickly raise it. It takes less than 30 seconds to complete the transformation.
Chevrolet also takes away the SSR's truck-like steering feel this year with upgrades that provide a more precise on-center feel, smoother overall operation and reduced effort at lower speeds. It's more car-like, which is a good thing.
All in all, the SSR is a great vehicle for a couple of reasons. One, it gets more attention than a Ferrari at less than half the price. And two, it brings back good memories for people who remember Chevrolet's pickups in the '40s and '50s.
Still, I can't help but think that Chevrolet is going the wrong direction to fix the SSR's core problems: it's too expensive and too impractical. If it had a back seat, more effecient engine and half-price sticker, Chevrolet couldn't keep 'em in stock.
Until then, it's just a fun toy for the rich ... and those of us lucky enough to mooch one for a week.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.
Contact him at dprice@cargazingonline.com)
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