Not very.

GM can't afford to sell lot's of SSs.
Why?
Because the SS is by far GM's worst vehicle in terms of mpg. Without 4 or 6 cylinder models to lift the lines mpg selling a large number of SS would destroy GM's CAFE ratings...

 

and it's too bad that the car (as a Zeta) will likely never see a GenV V8, which could have made a real difference in the MPG ratings, with at least equal - or better - performance.

Since the Holden VF range does include 3.6 V6, makes you wonder if a TT version (as in 2014 CTS V-Sport) with 420 HP & TQ could make a nice substitute for the thirsty LS3. There will be some wrecked V-Sports out there eventually....!

 

Love that blue!

If only they offered it as a production color! I'll pass on the white stripes though.

 

That car is jacked up like it's still got shipping blocks in it....almost makes me crazy that GM won't make their production cars look as good as the concept and show cars--or like the typical project car looks at SEMA.

 

The ride height is a product of its place of origin. The practical reason why it is at that height and with good wheel clearance, is because it should drive comfortably over dirt and gravel roads, often corrugated at highway speeds and not rip the front of the car off when there is a dip, or repeatedly bottom out the suspension or cause undue stress on the suspension. It should also manage things like cattle crossings, mild washouts and be able to go through a shallow water crossing when required. Yes the SS is tested for that stuff and has to do it routinely, every day for the life of the car, if required by the owner. Thats why Ford, Chrysler and GM built Australian specific cars in the sixties and seventies when Australian roads were often pretty rough outside the cities. The US sourced models of the time literally fell to bits, when driven on the same roads and with the same expectations.

Even though times have changed, the benchmarks set back then are still applied to Australian engineered cars. No model in the range is exempt and thats part of the conditions the car is engineered for. Sure a base model Commodore will do the country stuff better then a Redline SS, but you can bet that both were tested to exactly the same level. When you consider how well the car handles on normal roads, its even more a credit to the engineers involved with its development. When the SS is gone, that will probably be the last time GM will ever engineer a sedan for that type of severity of testing and endurance anywhere in the world. Most people outside of Australia think you need a SUV to go many places a Commodore ute or sedan goes.


Since many Australians are city bound these days and don't know what a dirt road looks like, much less how to drive on one, they often do lower the car for the looks side of things. Often to the point where a speed hump, becomes a major challenge. Basically undoing all the work Holden put into the car. Holden of course, mindful of warranty isn't going to however, incase someone calls them on what an Australian built car should do and there are still rural and commercial customers who do work these cars hard. Of course Australia like the rest of the world is loosing people who have driving skills and an automatic SUV monster is now increasingly been seen as essential to do the kind of thing, several generations of rear wheel drive Holden's happily did without fuss.

One bonus of all this is the stability control and ABS are very, very good on the Commodore when it comes to loose and dirt surfaces. Can't comment on snow as I've never driven in that.

As someone who used to live in rural NSW and had an Aussie engineered Falcon, let me tell you that despite the forums being full of city bound Australians complaining their cars ride height wasn't cool, I was grateful for how the car was setup. My XR8 would comfortably do over the speed limits on dirt and I remember well having to drive it in conditions, that even I would normally say should be the place of proper off roaders. I had to stop a few times to scoop the mud out of the wheel arches and she slid all over the place in the wet and mud, also scratched the bumper on some ruts i had no choice but to drive over, but it got there and in one piece. Not much else outside a Commodore would have done it as easily or in one piece when it comes to a normal family sedan. Its times like that, no matter how rare, when you appreciate what the engineers did for you with these cars.

The end of the SS is also the end of an era of engineering for GM too I suspect.

 

I have been saying this since last years Daytona 500. Not only are they not trying to sell it, they pretty much kept it a secret from even the GM employees. When we saw it in Daytona it was blus like Jimmy Johnsons car and then they didn't even offer a blue!

 

Yeah I agree. No sales pitch...


//Nick

 

Funny how they work like this. Being a "secret" has some perks like exclusivity to owning one, but it sucks for those that aren't on the forums and internet as often as we all are to know about it.

 

I feel like they brought this car over to just tend to the enthusiasts who have been wanting an updated G8.

They do not plan to put any marketing dollars into it because they do not want this to be a very well selling model for them. They want to concentrate on models that will make them more money and also sell in greater volumes.

The mention above of CAFE ratings is true as well.

 

I agree. I have seen at like 50 impalas...and no other SS on the road.


//Nick

 

I don't know, it seems that, I'd rather the car only go to people who would appreciate it, like the people on this board, for instance. How could you buy an SS and not want to talk about it...to get the most out of it...to share your enthusiasm with others of similar like??? I've seen too many times people complaining about things like..."its too loud inside", or "it burns too much gas", or " it rides too rough", "when do you use those shift paddles?"...on similar type cars. These are clear examples of people who should have bought an Impala,... a 4 cylinder one at that.

And they(Impalas) are flying out of the dealerships, rightly so. As it's a great car for the masses, while the SS is made just for us.

 

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but THIS! THIS is why I just bought an SS, trading my 04 GTO. I want a car that I appreciate, along with a group of folks like on this forum. You understand when our spouses complain about our driving, how the right car makes us feel. The people who own an SS are unique, and that's just fine. This car excites me, subtle on the outside, beautiful on the inside, but a monster under the hood.

When I traded my GTO (bad back/leg, no more stick for me), EVERY person at the dealer came out to look at it. Even the owner. It actually made more sad, but oh well, the SS put a smile back on my face.

These are my people

 

Theres a reason GM has not advertised this car. GM has been undermining Holden/HSV for a very long time. They are only shipping this thing because of a contractual obligation, that Bob Lutz first started (he was a huge fan of the Australian arm).

They dont want this car to sell period and dont want Holden to manufacturing to survive. This is why promo pictures were second rate/grey car, why the limited transmission, why they limited colours, why they limited body styles etc.

GM has stated before that a ute and a wagon makes no business sense. Howver importing a current car would be far cheaper than making a whole new wagon/ute type car from scratch.

The amount of promo is basically why Holden's 30,000 export to the Middle East (when Holden advertised the car) dried up to 0 (when Chevrolet was handed the advertising reigns) in a space of 1 year.

Vauxhall on the other hand has used their version with amazing result. Vauxhall sell even less cars than Chevrolet but their XVR8 has been the media superstar. The character of the car has meant that a brand for the masses (Vauxhall) has its performance VXR arm being talked about in the same sentence as M's and AMG (even by the Germans).

 

SS on the newer Zeta platform would be a plus, it also has a whole range of changes over the Camaro including a whole new electrical system and components.

 

The SS is on the newest zeta platform VF.

The camaro is a heavily modified version of the 2nd previous Zeta VE (1).

VF is not a derivative of Camaro.

There will be no Zeta platform upgrades from now 'till the end.

 

My car ordered by dealer Aug 2014. Order accepted by GM Sept 1st. Car made NOV 6th
Car arrived at Benicia Calif Jan 6 2015. Set there for six weeks Shipped to FAIRFAX KANSAS unloaded and set there for one month and two days. Arrived at dealer March 28,2015. That's That is over 7 months. Hack of a way to run a business...

 

You didn't know the average wait time from us early purchasers?

The 2 months from initial order acceptance to start of production (the day the first one rolls off the line) is GM's fault? Initial order acceptance date and start of production are not days close.

http://www.donlen.com/buildstart-chevy.aspx

It's coming from 1/2 way around the globe for $995!!!

 

I for one am glad that gm is doing bad job at selling this vehicle and also glad it won't be for sale past 2016...this just adds to how rare and unique these cars really are.I live in the Los Angeles area and have gotten thumbs up and even asked to pull over and chat by m5s audis and amgs...I didn't buy this car for all the attention but I swear that when I'm driving it I see people looking at me as if I'm in something exotic.

 

i agree, i like the scarcity of the car. The only downside is slightly decreased aftermarket support compared to something like a camaro. Thats why I love the LS3 though

 

I also like how rare it is. Although now when I leave and the wife leaves I follow a BPM for at least 2 miles

 

how did you guys get the tracking spec on your cars? can this be had with my vin#?