PONTIAC G8

Chevrolet SS: Pace car meets its public version.

If you were a fan of the Pontiac G8, a new vehicle possessing the DNA of that short-lived Australian import will be making its debut much later this year in the guise of a 2014 Chevrolet SS. This large, rear-wheel-drive sedan is the first one offered by Chevrolet in 17 years, a vehicle that raises the bow tie brands credibility another notch.

Daytona Debut

The Chevrolet SS is the pace car for the 2013 Daytona 500, a race that will be held this weekend in Florida. Fittingly, Chevrolet has claimed five of the top six positions for this race, with Danica Patrick taking the pole position, the first time in the races history that a woman will lead off. Patrick, driving a No. 10 Godaddy Chevrolet SS, also hopes to become the first woman to win any NASCAR race.

The Chevrolet SS, like the Pontiac G8, is based on the Holden Commodore. The Pontiac is the previous generation model, the Chevrolet is the current model that follows the Holdens introduction in Australia earlier this month. Holden is a wholly owned subsidiary of the General Motors Company.

Holden Commodore

The 2014 Chevrolet SS is of unitized body structure and frame, a large five-passenger sedan that is built in Elizabeth, Australia. Under the hood is a potent 6.2-liter overhead cam V-8 engine, the same LS3 engine used in other Chevrolet models including Corvette and Camaro. This 16-valve engine is of aluminum construction and has a 10.7-to-1 compression ratio.

Estimated performance numbers should hold up when the car is released during the fourth quarter of this year. This engine is rated at 415 horsepower at 5,900 rpm and makes 415 foot-pounds of torque at 4,600 rpm. It is paired with a six-speed shiftable automatic transmission and comes with paddle shifters. Its chief competition is the Dodge Charger SRT8.

For optimum performance, premium grade gasoline is recommended, but that is not required. Chevrolet estimates that this vehicle will travel from 0 to 60 mph in about five seconds.

Sport Suspension

The Chevrolet SS is outfitted with multi-link MacPherson struts and a direct-acting stabilizer bar up from. In the rear, four-link independent suspension with a stabilizer bar is standard. This vehicle has ventilated Brembo disc brakes front and back, and rides on 19-inch polished aluminum wheels that are set within Bridgestone high-performance tires. The front track comes in at 62.6 inches to 63.3 inches in the rear.

Preliminary specifications has this car sitting on a 114.8-inch wheelbase. The Chevrolet SS is 195.6 inches long by 74.8 inches wide by 58.7 inches tall. Total weight is likely to push up toward 5,000 pounds.

Pricing has not been announced, but figure that you will pay about $40,000 for this smoker. It represents the public version of the Chevrolet Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, a model that comes with numerous amenities including some that rival key European sedans.

Technology Highlights

Technology features are numerous and include a nine-speaker premium Bose audio system, a color head-up display, Chevrolet MyLink, push button start and a navigation system with a rear view camera. This sedan also comes with multiple safety features that go above and beyond the standard spec for such vehicles including forward collision alert, lane departure warning, side blind zone alert and rear cross traffic alert. The latter feature is viewed within the rear view camera.

Automatic parking assist comes to the SS too, the first Chevrolet model so equipped. This is a hands-free self-parking feature, one that controls the steering as you seek to squeeze into a parking space.

Fall Arrival

Further details about the Chevy SS will be provided when the sedan hits showrooms Chevrolet showrooms.

Photo courtesy of General Motors Company.

Hot Holden model dons a Chevrolet dress.

Police departments have a new vehicle choice in crime fighting.

At first glance, the Chevrolet Caprice PPV looks a lot like the Impala, particularly from the rear. When dressed in its unadorned detective version, the Caprice resembles the Pontiac G8, itself an American cousin to the Australian built Holden Commodore.

On the Market

The 2012 Chevy Caprice PPV is now on the market, but is available only to governmental units, such as law enforcement departments, unless you happened to be one of the few customers who discovered a Gaithersburg, Md., Chevrolet dealership advertising 13 of these vehicles to the general public. The Caprice began its quiet arrival in Chevy showrooms this past May and Criswell Chevrolet discovered in its contract with GM that it wasn’t barred from selling the car to consumers. Website Jalopnik outed the dealership and GM promptly ordered Criswell to halt sales according to Automotive News. GM lawyers immediately amended its dealer agreements to ensure future sales were for government entities.

That restriction is, of course, a source of disappointment for fans of the rear-wheel-drive Holden model powered by a 6.0-liter V-8 engine. This car first appeared in the United States in 2008 as the Pontiac G8, but was soon pulled when GM decided to shut down Pontiac following its bankruptcy and restructuring. G8 owners quickly found themselves with an orphaned model, one that has been favorably compared with BMW’s 5 Series for its size, handling and performance, but without the BMW price.

Chevrolet Police Pursuit

Within months after canceling the G8, GM decided to bring the Holden model back to the United States, but this time strictly as a pursuit vehicle. Chevrolet already had the front-wheel-drive Impala, but as law enforcement personnel will tell you rear-wheel-drive is the preferred choice.

Competitors Ford and Dodge have competing models, with Ford planning to end production of the big Crown Victoria at the end of this year, replacing this vehicle with an all-wheel-drive Ford Taurus. The Dodge Charger, powered by its rear wheels, has become an increasingly visible presence on America’s highways and byways. All three models will help offset the upcoming Carbon Motors E7, a built for the ground up police car that will be built in Indiana and is expected to go on sale in 2013.

Hot in Georgia

One of the first deliveries of the Chevy Caprice PPV was the Forsyth County (Ga.) sheriff’s department, which began to deploy its fleet in May. The 355 horsepower Caprice is a welcome addition and will begin to replace the department’s entire 175 units of pursuit vehicles in its entirety.

Besides raw power, the appeal of the Caprice is its class leading interior room and sculptured front seats, designed to permit officers to wear a gun belt while sitting. Numerous safety features are standard including stability control and a front seat only head curtain airbag, the latter which permits installation of a full-width prisoner partition separating the front and rear seats.