For that 5 thousand more you get AWD, extended cab, and all weather capability. And you can toss a pair of baby seats in the back if need be. Say the Lightning measures up in those areas.? The SS is a good compromise for those who can't afford the Lightning, Expedition, and an F150. The SS does the duty of all three of those in one package. True I see your point it's not as fast as a Lightning but who with common sense wants Lightning performance with your 2 year old in the back seat, if that be the case.

 

As far as the "worthiness" of the SS title, does the same logic apply to other makes? Case in point:
Dodge Neon SRT-4: hp: 230, 0-60: 5.5, 1/4 mile: 14.0 at 102.7 mph

Ford SVT Focus: hp: 170, 0-60: 7.4, 1/4 mile: 15.4 at 90.6 mph

These are MotorTrends most recent numbers and the Focus gets destroyed on all counts. Is it still worthy of SVT badging? According to the logic of this thread it isn't. These cars target the same market so it is an apples to apples comparison. Sorry to go off topic but the "logic" of the SS badging being a joke because of numbers makes no sense to me.

 

SS stands for Super Sport, not "a little sporty." I would be ashamed if SVT made a similar truck. It is a compromise like you say, but feel it's bad marketing of a good name. It may serve a good purpose, give a little bit of everything, but Chevy used to save SS for vehicles that were among the best of the best.

 

In future years, if the lightning and srt-10 rise in sales, the SS might be made to compete with them, its got the engine and the looks.

 

I've seen an article about a concept Silverado SS that would be much more powerfull to compete with SVT and SRT-10. Anyways, it seems we all have our opinions about the current one, and we're not going to change each other's minds, so I'l leave it alone for now.
As far as the SVT Focus, I feel it was a bit dissapointing, but when it was introduced it was best in class. They also no longer make it.

 

Yeah, but there's 4 of them (new) sitting on my Ford dealer's lot, SVT badges and all...

 

Alright....good discussion though!

 

"As far as the "worthiness" of the SS title, does the same logic apply to other makes? Case in point:
Dodge Neon SRT-4: hp: 230, 0-60: 5.5, 1/4 mile: 14.0 at 102.7 mph

Ford SVT Focus: hp: 170, 0-60: 7.4, 1/4 mile: 15.4 at 90.6 mph"

Yeah but the neon costs $100 more... Oh wait, umm...
You can only get it in a 4 door. No "sports car" can be 4 doors, right?
Man, how dare you make a good point. Uhh... DODGE SUCKS! (try and argue w/ that!)

 

Saying the SS doesn't compete w/ a lightning is rediculous IMO. So let's compare to a 4x4 F150 ext cab: The SS costs roughly 5K more than the F(when optioned as close as possible). It runs high 14's off the lot. What does a 4x4 F150 run? I'll guess mid to low 16's (correct me if I'm wrong). So you could supercharge the F, but then good bye warranty hello aftermarket supercharger issues (it's rare that a supercharger bolts on w/ no other alterations despite what the manufacturers say). You still don't have a sport suspension/ aggressive wheels.

You can try and say the L and the SS are in the same class, but do you really think a non brand biased person considering either would consider the other? Something tells me if the tables were turned and nothing but the brand was changed you guys would be singing a different tune. GM had no intentions of pitting the SS against the L or a 4X4 f150 and that seems pretty obvious to me. The lightning wasn't designed for someone who needs a daily driver that can haul more than 3 people and drive thru harsh winters. The f150 was never intended to be "sporty". The SS isn't mean to be a mustang eater, just a fun to drive aggresive looking truck that can still do pretty much everything a non sporty one can. It's in a class of its own, and there's nothing wrong w/ that. Where are these rules on what makes a sport truck? The SS is quite a bit faster, handles quite a bit better (from what I've heard) and has a more aggresive look than the regular model it's based on. How does that not qualify for an SS badge? I wouldn't buy one(GM ranks just above Mitsu. in my book and that's not a compliment), but some of you guy's have some pretty lame arguements.

 

What you're not including is the crew cab version of the Harley Davidson. It has a slightly detuned lightning engine in it, 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, quarter mile in 14.8 seconds at 94.8 mph, and costs $37,295.

The SS does 0-60 in 6.6 seconds, quarter mile in 15.0 seconds at 89.1 mph, and costs $41,010.

It would seem to me that a crew cab that is faster with 20" rims as well would be the logical choice over the extended cab bowtie, especially since the Harley is cheaper. Those are all Motor Trend test numbers.

 

I think I'll leave this discussion alone, too. It's already been beaten more than it's worth.

 

"What you're not including is the crew cab version of the Harley Davidson. It has a slightly detuned lightning engine in it, 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, quarter mile in 14.8 seconds at 94.8 mph, and costs $37,295.

The SS does 0-60 in 6.6 seconds, quarter mile in 15.0 seconds at 89.1 mph, and costs $41,010.

It would seem to me that a crew cab that is faster with 20" rims as well would be the logical choice over the extended cab bowtie, especially since the Harley is cheaper. Those are all Motor Trend test numbers."

Good point, but:
A. You can't buy a new one (not around here, anymore), I've seen L's w/ in the last few months still on the showroom floor, I guess they were new.
B. they don't have AWD available (not a neccesity for me, but it is for some) that makes a big difference in price
C. I would rather have a NA motor than a blown motor, factory or not, as far as reliability is concerned (blown 5.4's aren't known for their superb reliability)
D. AWD is not going to help in a 1/4 mile drag race w/ these trucks and a good driver, yes you get a better launch, but the weight ends up hurting more than anything. It seems as though the Harley should be running better #'s (Looking at the MPH diff. it could w/ some more traction). this can be argued but this is my personal experience from my dakota tuning days.
E. Unless they were run side by side those #'s are hard to use as proof. This could go either way. Were they? I don't get Motor Trend anynore.
F. the SS has 20's as well

 

To a point I think this whole argument is redicules. Now wait, stay with me for a moment.

As an early Chevy muslce car guy I can tell you chevy had 3 classes of cars. Standard, SS and Z cars. Ford as the same thing, Standard, GT and SVT. In trucks, Chevy builds a standard and SS. Ford and Dodge have standards and SVT's. Comparing a SS to a standard is just as bad as comparing the SS to the SVT's. You can't compare apples to oranges.

Chevy in this case choose a section of the market where they could win, no one there. IMO this may have been a good move on there part. If Ford and Dodge don't rise to the challenge then they have an oppertunity to dominate the middle market and it really did not cost them the money it would have to put an SVT type vehicle out there.

The real question is this market large enough to support the effort. If it is both Ford and Dodge will jump in. Then you will have something to compare.

 

If Chevy is in this segment alone, what segment do you put the Harley Davidson's in? Like the SS, it is full size with all the capabilities of any other the full size truck, both are limited editions, and both are around $40,000. The Harley can be had in 4 doors while the SS is limited to extended cab. The Harley is faster and it cost slightly less as well. It looks like Ford is dominating that segment, given the fact that HD f150s are now hard to find at the dealer while the SS just sits on the lot.

 

"The Harley is faster and it cost slightly less as well. It looks like Ford is dominating that segment, given the fact that HD f150s are now hard to find at the dealer while the SS just sits on the lot."

Well they aren't presently being made(is it?), thats why you don't see them on the lot. Show me some sales figures and I'll listen, until then lets try to stick to facts here. It's too soon for that so I'll move on.

Wow, the Harley's .1 second faster in the 1/4. When your still hovering aroung 15 seconds .1 isn't much of a difference. Technically your right (maybe-still haven't seen side by side) but come on, .1( maybe .2)? While were nit-picking #'s the SS gets 1 mpg better city and HWY. I have heard of Harley's doing mid 14's more often than the 14.8 someone mentioned in all fairness. A supercharged 5.4 2wd vs a NA 6.0 4x4? I should hope the Harley would win. Even if the harley is a 1/2 second faster, it doesn't matter, it's still in a different class. Why? read on

The 4 door is a benefit to some and it definetly has that going for it, but I would personally (if in the market) get an ext. cab even on an f-series (my dog is the only one that rides back there, except maybe once a month). The Harley is missing 4wd(as far as capabilities), though I'm sure some SS buyers would prefer 2wd and can't have it. this has definetly been discussed, so I'll move on.
The SS also has a longer bed than the harley supercrew. This has forced some F150 buyers (not just talking harley here) to either stick to an ext. cab or move up to a superduty, just to get a normal short bed. After you put a tool chest back there(in Screws), there isn't much bed space available. I have a small (really small) sailboat that I carry in the reg. (short) bed, the 5.5' bed just wouldn't work for me.

The SS is also rated to tow 3,100#'s more (a popular subject on this site) 4,500 vs 7,600, pretty big difference. The SS has full-size ability, the Harley doesn't-different class of trucks. Hope you guys don't consider this trolling, I just root for the underdog-especially if it isn't really the underdog. I also like debates so I await your rebuttal.