San Francisco: If your goal in life is to turn heads, you can't
find a better vehicle than this Chevrolet SSR. With a retro look,
Corvette power and disappearing convertible top, it's sure to make you
the talk of the neighborhood. The retro style extends into the SSR’s
two-seater cabin, where chrome gauges and body-color trim make it feel
like a classic hot rod.
Want to be treated like
a star? Here's the next best thing. But 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 Dominoes 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
2005 C6 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 1940s 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 efficient
engine and half-price sticker, Chevrolet couldn't keep them 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.
Why buy it? It's probably the most impractical
pickup truck ever made, with a small bed, only two seats and awful gas
mileage. But it's great for getting attention, if you like that sort of
thing. It's also lot more fun to drive now that it has the 6.0-liter V8
from the new Corvette.
By Derek Price © AutoWire.Net - San Francisco
Chevrolet Home Page
Byline: Syndicated content provided by Tony Leopardo ©
AutoWire.Net
Column Name: The
Star Power of the SSR
Topic: The
2005 Chevrolet SSR
Word Count:
748
Photo Caption:
The
2005 Chevrolet SSR
Photo Credits:
Chevrolet Internet Media
Series #:
2005 - 15
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2005 Chevrolet SSR
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2005 Chevrolet SSR
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