What's funny about all this is I don't want a so-called "muscle truck." I'm not interested in Lightning or SRT-10 either because it's just not my type of performance package. Give me something sleek, low, great handling and powerful any day of the week.

Why couldn't Chevy have called this truck SSL (for long) or SSE (for extended) or something, until (or if?) they release a true competitor to the Ford and the Dodge. It just makes Chevy look bad, quite honestly, when "SS" is supposed to be the baddest of the bad in your lineup. Can you at least see where I'm coming from?

Go to Chevy's website and read what they tell me about the Silverado SS. "Big Horsepower"..."delivers pulse-pounding performance"....well don't tell me that if that isn't what the mission is!

 

Yeah, I can agree with this part. Unfortuanetly, GM has a different view of the SS moniker than some of us.

 

Again, shall we talk street price on both? edmunds pegs the L at $33,650 true market price and the SS about $2k more. That's all... and frankly I don't think that is out of line, considering you get a back seat, AWD, and more tow capacity in the deal. My point about the Modena was that Ford has made an 'exotic' truck which undisputedly delights a very small niche of truck buyers... but the SS can appeal to a wider circle of enthusiasts (YES I said enthusiasts).

Speaking of enthusiasts. I don't buy into this 'purist' vision of the max-HP RWD enthusiast being the only 'true' motorhead out there. The world is full of all kinds of motoring enthusiasts. My brother in law for example... has a ZR2 Chevy pickup. He has a few mods on it, nothing huge. He loves its offroad abilities, but knows its not a dragstrip wonder too. He values the extended cab and the fuel economy since he is in construction and its his work truck too - and he cannot dictate the locations of his work sites. Now tell me, why should he go out and buy a Lightning or a Lightning wannabe?

So let's talk about 2003. (the CALENDAR year is what us humans live in, not the model year ). In this CALENDAR year, I can think of at least five new performance-oriented vehicles to get excited about from GM, which will pull into the garages of happy owners THIS YEAR alone: Supercharged Impala/MC SS (really that's two but oh well), the GTO, the SSR, GTP Comp G and the Silverado SS. They're coming... this year. Who cares what year GM calls them? Gads man, that's not enough? What NEW performance vehicles has Ford put out this year? The Cobra, maybe the SVT Focus (or was that out in 02 too...yawn) and maybe the Marauder if one is charitable and wants to count that underselling barge.

'True performance' vehicle. Sorry, the days where a good 1/4 time and a rumbling V8 exhaust made something a 'performance vehicle' are long gone. Owners today expect a lot more. I expect the 5gen Camaro to have a lot more high-tech capability than that. I'd like TapShift, flat-folding seating, and HUD like on my GTP. I'd like XM and Stabilitrak Sport too. To me, performance is a package. And I think that's what 'SS' means today.

Amen to that!

 

Then I guess I will wait for a z28


I think what Z28Wilson is saying is right. I think most the general public perceives the SS as GM's answer to the L and the SRT-10. And that the enthusiats are let down that they cannot perform to their 'perceived' competition.

I concider myself a GM enthusiast, but if I were in the market for a fun truck, the SS would not be on my list, for the price/HP its hard to beat the L. I doubt most people who have trucks use it for more then just the occasional cargo haul and maybe a boat or camper. I imagine the L could deliver on that. The only advantage the SS had is the AWD.
Course you could always get a subaru baja

 

It occurred to me, most of the opinions on this site are likely skewed this way due to members here having a leaning towards traditional high performance (RWD, V8, 1/4 mile wonders). Talk to actual truck owners though and you will likely hear a different tune. You might be surprised... yes they DO use their bed. They haul firewood, bulky tools, construction materials, ATV's, all kinds of stuff. They pull boats, car trailers (well, SS owners do ), snowmobile and skidoo trailers, and so on. Some of these owners want a performance-oriented truck, and a fraction of those want a real hot rod of a truck. GM has chosen to please most of that group. Who knows - there's nothing to stop them from releasing an LS6 regular cab SS too. But they will make more owners happy with the current configuration.

Also - I was a little off about the REAL SS/L price difference on the street, it's actually only about $1500.

 

Man, I think you like to argue for the sake of arguing.

You make a great case for a nice Silverado with AWD and other nice features for the masses.

An angle you obviously havent looked into is the one from the die hard Chevy truck fan who wants a hot rod truck. He cant buy a Lightning or SRT-10 competitor. Your 100% spot on with saying that not everyone wants an all out single cab niche truck...but there are those that do.

The current SS might be a nice truck, but its image is mispalced. You CANNOT convince me that GM doesnt EXPECT buyers to recognize SS as something special and super sporty. They are trying to pawn this truck off as a hot rod. Its advertised that way. Ive never seen a comercial for ANYTHING SS that said something to the effect of "For exceptional comfort and marginal performance increases, drive an SS." Heck no, they use words like "ground pounding" and "performance."

Personally, I think what GM has done to the SS image is nothing short of vomit inducing, and my brand loyalty is a thing of the past.

The ideal situation would have been to have the current SS named something different, perhaps another numerical moniker...Z84 or something...and use SS for a limited production niche truck to directly compete against the other 2. Not a truck for people that are going to complain about the loss of their rear seat, or the people that are going to complain about a payload or tow rating loss... No no...this truck is for people that want a freaking SS!!!!!

 

Gees, some people just don't get it. If you look at the performance figures of the SS, they are actually really good. The only place it is trumped is in straight line acceleration, but even that is pretty good (0-60 in 7.4 sec). And, it's not a hot rod, it's a SPORT TRUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the magazines that keep comparing these three trucks side-by-side (to get people to read their magazines), not the manufacturers. GM built a truck for people who want a truck, which far outweighs the number of people who want a hot rod for a truck. In my opinion (I'll say it again, MY OPINION), products like the Lightning and SRT-10 are pretty pointless. If I want to go fast, I'm not going to go buy a 4700 pound brick. No truck that I ever own will be without a rear seat. The fact is, most people will demand this as well, along with other truck-like features.

The only reason that I would like for Chevy to build a 400+ horse single cab pickup for would be for bragging rights. However, that truck would never get my money. Put the motor in an extended or crew cab, and I'd be willing to spend there.

So, the SS actually does deliver on the SS moniker if you think about it. Just because it doesn't straight line accelerate as well as the L (but it out-brakes it by a long margin, and is only about 1 MPH slower through the slalom) doesn't mean that it lacks much improved performance over the standard 1500s.

Again, I still wouldn't even buy an SS pickup because I prefer true 4WD, and a crew cab, but the SS haters need to start looking past their narrow point of views.

 

The Silveardo SS is not a sport truck. It cant accelerate fast enough to complete with the competition, braking is cute and all, but that doesnt make it a sport truck. AWD doesnt make it sporty. Trucks just dont handle well enough to be sporty.

Its a luxury truck, that's it. It does that pretty well, as it has the bells and whistles that one would expect on such a truck. But calling it anything other than that is a travisty to the real sport trucks out there.

 

You don't know the definition of a sport truck then. Go pick up Sport Truck Magazine. That's what sport trucks are about. Most of them don't even offer improved acceleration, which is considered a plus. The SS has it. Don't say it isn't something if you don't know what the term is relevant to.

 

Oh yeah, who was this directed too?

 

AMEN to that! Again! Couldn't have said it better.

LA. Z - It appears you were referring to me. Assuming that is the case....

I don't argue just for argument's sake. However, I make no bones about it, I'm a fan of GM vehicles. If someone criticizes GM vehicles and I see things I disagree with, well then I challenge them on it. I'm sorry if that bothers you, it's not meant as a personal attack on any person.

 

You might as well tell him to read Sport Compact for the definition of sport.

 

I don't care for most of the vehicles in that magazine either, but that doesn't change the fact of what it means for something to be a sport truck. The Silverado SS is a perfect example of one (in terms of what would be offered from the factory), while not being gaudy and retaing functionality. The Silverado SS is not a muscle truck (and it isn't supposed to be).

 

Jeez, you guys are hard headed....

Its overwhelmingly aparent in the articles where the SS is compared to its direct competition that "SS" doesnt describe this truck.

Come on...you say your brand loyal, but you dont care that Chevy's SS is being compared to other trucks that dont try to have such a performance image and ONLY honlding its own. I refer here to the trucktrend article.

Like I said before....both of you have made EXCELLENT cases for the truck, and it sounds very nice and Im sure would find homes in many garages. But you have failed in convincing me that "SS" is the currect image for the truck. Snorkel has made it apparent several times that its a "SPORT TRUCK" and I agree to an extent. However, if I didnt read this board, and I was a GM fan that just got smoked in my current vehicle buy the neighbor in his Lightning, and went to my local Chevy dealer to get a beast of a truck to compete, I would be out of luck. If I didnt read this board, I wouldnt know that the SS wasnt a direct competitor to the Lightning or SRT-10. If I didnt read this board, I wouldnt have you to explain to me that its OK that my new SS isnt remotely close to the other two trucks, becuase GM didnt want it to be.

Again...the truck is nice...its NOT an SS.
You guys completly ignored the final comments that I made, so I will paste them here, and if you want to argue the point further, please explain to me why you think this is a bad idea:

 

Per your suggestion, I went to the local Kroger and checked out the mag. There were low riders and ballers, but I recall seeing very little sport. I do like those kinds of trucks alot but do not classify them as sport trucks.

Sport truck

Again, the Silverado SS is a luxury truck. It does a good job of doing that, which is why it should have been the Silverado RS.