Some folks have been critical of GM's decision to power the SSR with its venerable Vortec 5.3 truck engine, rather than the fire-breathing Corvette powerplant or even the larger displacement 6.0-liter truck unit - and given the staggering price Chevy demands for
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| I wouldn't characterize the SSR as under-powered, but for the price I expected a bit more punch. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
an SSR I have to concur. However, I wouldn't characterize the SSR as under-powered - I'd characterize its power rating as not being commensurate with the Canadian sticker price of $69,995 for the base SSR. Surely for that kind of coin Chevy could scrounge up a few more Corvette engines and drastically increase the value and desirability of the SSR, not to mention its performance.But all of these could-have-beens and should-have-beens melt away when behind the wheel of the SSR on a sunny day.
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| No matter the temperature, it was hard to resist driving around without the top down. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
During my test period, the sun shone down upon the good earth on just about every occasion I motored about town or country in the SSR, with the top lowered of course. On numerous mornings en-route to my day job, a thin veil of frost coated the lawns and rooftops as the sun was breaking the horizon. With an ambient air temperature brushing the freezing mark, I dropped the top, raised the side windows, activated the optional heated driver's seat (after opening the door to do so), spun some old-time Eddy Arnold in the CD changer - in recognition of the 1950s theme - and headed into the crisp darkness. There's something quite inspirational about driving under the stars of a darkened sky, bundled in fleece and listening to old Eddy croon like no one else. Sometimes the road to work is too short!
