Originally Posted by falchulk

While it has the coupe's looks, its still slow. Its more then a base for not much more performance. It makes the ricers think that they just beat the real ss when they thrash this t hing all day long.

Originally Posted by maksik7

That is exactly the appeal. It looks like the S/C SS but for much less money. As we all know, most of today's youth value looks over performance. A kid can buy this car and everybody will think it's a lot faster then it is. The kid will be happy, and GM will be happy. Everybody wins. It seems to me that only the old-timers have a problem with how the car is named. Guess what? You're not going to be buying them, and the younger crowd really doesn't care that there are 2 SS models. I predict that they will sell great.

Originally Posted by dream '94 Z28

I don't know if you'd call me an 'oldtimer' at 33.

I understand your point or view, and it definately has merit. My opinion is that the 'SS' badge should be exclusive to the top performer to keep its respect and street credibility.

I'd be afraid if you start slapping it on the 'one less' model it'll become a watered down marketing gimick.

Originally Posted by maksik7

I think naming this coupe SS was a good idea. Who cares that SS stood for V8 musclecars in the 60's, that time is long gone and the automotive landscape is not the same. However, the SS moniker is still recognized by the public today and GM is right to capitalize on that. It will help drive sales of the Cobalt more then RS or LS Sport would. As a person in the target audience for this car, I can tell you that just that SS badge puts the car in a more performance oriented light for me. And I guarantee you that people my age (18-25) would agree.

In the end its a affordable, sharp looking coupe with decent performance. What's not to like. I think the SS will be a great competitor to the tC and the base RSX which seem to be the image leaders in this price segment.

BTW Why is the N/A SS not on the Chevy website or GMBuyPower yet? I though they were in dealerships already? I wanted to price one out against the tC and the RSX, but no luck.

Originally Posted by dream '94 Z28

I don't know if you'd call me an 'oldtimer' at 33.

I understand your point or view, and it definately has merit. My opinion is that the 'SS' badge should be exclusive to the top performer to keep its respect and street credibility.

I'd be afraid if you start slapping it on the 'one less' model it'll become a watered down marketing gimick.

Originally Posted by maksik7

I wouldn't call you an old timer, but you are also not part of the demographic that buys these sport compacts, you probably don't socialize with too many of these kids, and thus have an outsider's look at the whole scene. These kids go crazy for shiny badges and names: Type S, si, Type R. Shiny wheels plus a recognizable name spells cool to them, and I for one am glad that Chevy finally caught on to this trend.

I would be upset if they named it Cobalt Z06 because that would indeed water down the name. But the SS is not the ultimate performance model, it's a step up above the norm. (You can probably guess I'm in the Z/28 camp) The name is already watered down, and if what I heard is true, then the next gen Aveo SS would ruin the name much more then a Cobalt.

Originally Posted by dream '94 Z28

If I was to put an '*' next to my opinion, does the non-s/c 'SS' come with a performance suspension that, if not the same as the s/c car, is sportier than an LS or LT? If that's the case, then I'd say you could call this 'SS', because it has a bigger engine than the LS and LT cars and sportier dynamics.

This would be just like getting a 350 or 396 in a SS/RS or SS/Z28. As long as it's just not 'badge slapping'.

Originally Posted by maksik7

The N/A SS comes with a "Performance Tuned Supsension" as opposed to the regular "Comfort Tuned" on base and LS. I am not sure if this is the same suspension tuning as on the supercharged, but the description is the same. However I don't think the regular SS gets the upgraded brakes of the S/C.