The Chevrolet SS Meets The Dodge Charger SRT8 In The Fall Damp (Part 3)

GM’s ex-executive car guy Bob Lutz said the Pontitac G8 was too good to waste and might return to the U.S. someday as a Chevrolet, and he did not lie. The SS is proof.

The Chevrolet is more pleasant to cruise in, too, with great seats all around and premium-looking details.

Largely inspired by the 1997-2003 E39 BMW 5-series, the SS’s Holden chassis is a monument to sports-sedan fundamentals. Whereas the Charger bucks about and struggles for grip on rough, twisty pavement, the Chevrolet’s nonadjustable, one-size-fits-all suspension keeps it compliant yet planted on sticky Bridgestones. The accelerator pedal can adjust the car’s cornering attitude as effectively as the precise steering, which progressively builds in feedback and effort despite some numbness on-center. With plenty of confidence, the SS’s lateral grip bests not only that from GM’s last Cadillac CTS-V, but the current Audi S6 and BMW M5 as well.

Much of the SS’s poise is due to good front-rear distribution of its 3931 pounds, barely 100 more than the latest front-drive Impala sedan with a V-6. The firm brakes feel more responsive managing the lower mass, and the car changes direction more assertively than Dodge’s freighter does.

Much of the SS’s poise is due to good front-rear distribution of its 3931 pounds, barely 100 more than the latest front-drive Impala sedan with a V-6

Although the 6.2-liter small-block is down 55 horsepower to the big Hemi, the Chevy’s lighter weight and better traction make it easier to launch at the test track and just as quick as its rival out in the real world. The 12.9-second quarter-mile pass is a solid performance. A superior transmission helps to hurry things, with the six-speed shifting smoothly and never hunting for the proper ratio. The SS still deserves a true manual, but the 6L80’s “sport” setting wakes up the car without being annoying, and the wheel-mounted paddles click off rev-matched downshifts that the Charger’s smaller, slipperier spoke toggles can’t.

The Chevrolet is more pleasant to cruise in, too, with great seats all around and premium-looking details. The SS doesn’t have the supercharged pull or the premium price tag of the burly CTs-V, but it feels like the Caddy’s equal in refinement and overall quality. Chevy’s latest MyLink interface works well in the SS’s sensible layout, which no longer includes the odd, foreign-market quirks found in the old G8 and GTO.

The SS is a rare gem whose name underscores its well-deserved place in Chevy’s heritage

While the LS3 gently rocks the car at idle and emits a rowdy snarl from its pipes, the SS lacks the Charger’s outright swagger on the street. It’s classier and more reserved in its athleticism, despite its purposeful stance. Having to correct the unacquainted that this is not a fancy Malibu is one of the SS driver’s few availability. We expect that Chevy will import only a couple thousand examples each year, priced higher than the G8 ever was. After our time in both compare cars, though, the SS’s 45 grand feels completely justified.

The SS is a rare gem whose name underscores its well-deserved place in Chevy’s heritage. It may not be made in America, but the SS is perfectly at home here.

Technical specs