Chevy SSR: The truck that tried really hard not to be

[Music] thank you welcome to Auto chatter today's episode is about the Chevrolet SSR this retro styled pickup certainly turned heads or raised eyebrows even today let's explore a little history on this unusual truck as always facts opinions and speculation will be given please give a like or subscribe if you enjoyed the video now let's get retro starting in the later part of the 1990s a vehicle Trend was beginning we were seeing more retro inspired vehicles the wildly styled Plymouth Prowler debuted for 1997 and I made a video about that one already VW brought back an icon with the new beetle in 1998 and I made mention of it in my VW Beetle video before too by 2001 Mini Coopers were back and Chrysler had a retro styled tall wagon called a PT Cruiser yeah I've got a video about the PT Cruiser already as well Ford made a splash the first decade of the 21st century with a 1950s Style Thunderbird for 2002 a new retro Mustang started in 2005 and also that year we got the Ford GT again there's been other retro styled vehicles too then but you kind of get the idea GM in the beginning of the 21st century seemed eager to green light out of the norm projects anyway I'm just glad no one at GM then suggested a six-wheel drive Corvette with a diesel and a camper shell because it might have just been made I mean how else do you explain the Pontiac Aztec and yeah I've done a video on that one already as well but not to be outdone by other car makers retro-ness and more would follow later in the decade from General Motors Chevrolet debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in 2000 a super sport Roadster concept the final product later would end up looking a lot like it on the outside the interior on the concept had a bench seat that could seat three across and the shifter was relocated in the steering wheel to allow for it power for the concept was a six liter V8 and it was rear wheel drive only The Styling was inspired by the advanced design Chevy trucks after World War II that were sold in the late 40s through the mid 50s Auto journalists were mixed on this new SSR some said it was a nice design exercise others proclaimed this could be the fire-breathing hot rod with a big V8 we've been waiting for Prowler wasn't having only a V6 under the hood so GM greenlit the SSR for production and the first ones for sale come for the 2003 model year the platform it rides on was shared with GM's new then mid-size SUVs so it's a mechanical cousin to the Chevy Trailblazer GMC Envoy Oz wheel Bravada Buick Rainier Isuzu Ascender and Saab 97X the SSR was also also used other parts from its more pedestrian looking and more practical platform mates like this steering four-speed automatic transmission braking system and suspension this was a smart play to keep production costs in check Carmen designed the retractable hardtop same company who built several specialty Vehicles over the years including the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia which I've done a video on the top itself for the SSR was built by ASC or the American Sunroof company they were the go-to for a lot of Manufacturers over the years if you wanted a Chop Top version of your car or truck and have unfortunately gone out of business by 2017. the interior of the SSR was toned down noticeably from the concept the three across seating was dropped in favor of just two and an automatic shifter was placed in a conventional location on the floor the interior had some of the GM cursed plastic thin but had a little flare here and there even if a lot of the aluminum looking bits were actually plastic under the hood wasn't the 6 liter V8 the concept had you got a 5.3 liter V8 with 300 horsepower it was basically the Trailblazers optional V8 but tuned for an extra 10 ponies Concepts rims made the cut though as you had quite large for the time 19s in the front and 20s in the rear the SSR was rear-wheel drive only and the bed wasn't what you normally see with a pickup it was lined with a nylon type material that didn't scream luxury but also didn't seem designed with trips to Home Depot to load up bags of wet mulch in mind these shallow and narrow bed or large trunk depending on your point of view came with a tonneau cover that lifted up it made for a large rain proof area but the cover itself would hinder what you could haul in your truck height wise it was removable though and Chevy offered a kit to mount the bed cover in your garage on the wall I'm not sure how easy it is to remove or reinstall the cover but I'm sure YouTube has a how-to video for that as far as options there was some available you could get stereo upgrades navigation dual power seats polished cast aluminum wheels heated seats CD Changers antique wood strips for the floor of the bed and a few other things even a base SSR wasn't a stripped down model though so how much was it in 2003 they started around 42 000 which is about 69 500 now a Ford Thunderbird then started about five grand less and a Chrysler Prowler was killed off in 2002 but the last year Prowler then was a little more than what an SSR cost trying to compare what the SSR competed against was confusing so bear with me it was basically a Porsche Boxster priced and it was a convertible too but with the SSR weighing in over 4 700 pounds you can't really call it a sports car that's F-150 weight the SSR is a pickup of sorts with a impractical shallow bed lined with a material more like a trunk no four-wheel drive options and 2500 pound towing capacity so it's not much of a truck practicality wise you could buy a small four-cylinder pickup that could tow more than that and get three of them for what an SSR cost back in the day maybe it's a muscle car then 4 760 pounds 300 horsepower and a four-speed automatic 0-60 took a leisurely mid to Upper seven second range which wasn't really great considering it looked like a hot rod that should be feared at a stop light that was about the same 0-60 time a Miata could achieve then so what are we left with a heavy two-seater cruiser with a large trunk power top and eye-catching looks it's like it was designed exclusively for that older person with strong Nostalgia feels that never misses a Cars and Coffee and loves how these small fold-out table for car show trophies and portable chairs fit in the bed plus they had Corvette or Porsche money to invest in such a ride how many buyers fit that description unfortunately for Chevrolet not many 2003 sold less than 1700 but maybe production wasn't rolling yet 2004 was better hitting about 9 650. for 2005 Chevrolet attempted to address some of these shortcomings the SSR had performance wise it gets a 6 liter V8 barred from the C6 Corvette standard and now pumps out 90 more horsepower to 390. on top of that a six-speed manual is optional along with the four-speed automatic 0-60 times dropped the low 5 Second range which is more fitting for a muscle car or truck especially a very heavy one sales in 2005 dips though to around 8 100. 2006 is the final year for the SSR Chevy finds another five horsepower bringing it up to 395. sales of the 06 models was in the 4000 range a little over 24 000 SSRS were sold over its four model years I love that GM took a chance building it as Quirky Niche vehicles are my jam and I like the SSR but I'm in the minority as uh it couldn't manage even modest sales Productions Chevy was uh shooting for a Corvette was about the same money as an SSR in 2006 but I guess more groceries would fit in an SSR maybe if it had a larger engine and manual transmission at launch or if they offered a lighter and cheaper permanent hardtop version sales would have been better I know someone who has an o5 SSR he loves it and also owned an O2 Thunderbird in the past if you're considering a used one be advised that although an SSR shares a lot of Mechanicals with a Trailblazer there are some modules and other parts that have been discontinued long ago that are SSR specific the SSR hasn't skyrocketed in value as of this writing yet so you may be able to buy one for a good price bill and who knows if it'll be a great investment newer 05 and o6 models with the larger engine and manual transmission would be the most sought after in any event even today an SSR will attract attention at the next Cars and Coffee and don't seem to be losing value it was a cool retro truck or Roadster or whatever you consider it anyway this has been my Chevy SSR chatter I hope you liked it please give a like and comment to let me know I'd love to hear comments from people who own one or um or they used to own one until next time chatter out

Channel: Auto Chatter

Views: 1,616

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Id: IDNmfgvjZuM

Length: 10min 27sec (627 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 09 2023