I was up late last night reading reviews and watching youtube videos on the 2ss. I just wish it had more interior room. Rear seats in the G don't get used often, but occasionally 'stuff' goes there. Too bad the Chevy SS is such a pig. If it was around #3600/3700 with the 6.2L, that's be perfect.

 

I agree, rear seats are for bags and not really for people. There is more head room compared to the G coupe but less leg room. You can make it work for a short ride, but not ideal.
It will be awesome if Chevy will make a new SS ( sedan) with the Camaro platform and engine.

 

Mbar, can you comment on if the A8 (8L90) has the downshift rev matching feature (when using the manual shift mode)?

Tried searching for an answer on few of the camaro boards but can't find a definitive answer. Folks are arguing it's need in an auto implementation. Great for not upsetting the suspension while braking and downshifting for a corner.

 

The answer is yes and no.
No- it's not like the G with the sport pkg on auto that you just move to Sport and you get rev match.

Yes- when on sport or track mode, after a few aggressive maneuvers the car is switching to competitive mode( you get a msg on the screen like the Corvette). At that point the gear is behaving like the G , with down shifting after braking, holding gears to red line , stiffer steering and more. This option is available when leaving the transmission on auto.
Search on YouTube corvette with 8 speed auto movies on the track.

 

^^Interesting. The corvette A8 will rev match on the downshifts (like the G 7AT).

So if you are driving along and initiate the downshift via paddle what happens?

 

The A8 in the Camaro SS is the same as the Corvette. If you want to call it rev match go ahead I'll call it more like toque conversion.
I was referring to the automatic downshift after braking that the G has with the sport pkg. which the Camaro / Corvette has one engaged in performance mode.

 

As somebody who drives a G to work at GM everyday, nice choice! Been eyeing those in the lot, but I don't think I can give up the backseat.

 

Thanks. I hope that GM will make the Chevy SS sedan on the Camaro / Cadillac platform one day with a V8.
You can always buy a Cadillac CTS-V

 

They do make a Chevy SS in a sedan.

The 2016 Chevrolet SS combines sports car performance with the sophistication of a luxury sedan. Its 6.2L V8 delivers 415 horsepower and 415 lb.-ft. of torque, taking you from 0 to 60 in just 4.7 seconds†. A refined, elegant interior will keep you comfortable while you get there.

2016 SS Sports Sedan: 4-Door Sports Car | Chevrolet

lol nevermind read some more.

The performance comparison would inevitably be an easy win for Chevrolet had it chosen to fit the 2015 SS with its new 455 horsepower 6.2-liter LT1 V8 engine found in the sixth-generation Camaro. But instead, Chevrolet continued with the tired 6.2-liter LS3 V8 that made its debut seven years ago in the 2008 Corvette.

 

It's too heavy and getting too old. It's based on the old Camaro platform with the old Corvette engine. Nice ride, but nothing to write home about.

 

I see a trip to the chevy dealer in my future. I wasn't particularly impressed last year with the 2015. Hopefully the 2016 model will be more favorable. Found a local dealer(s) that have both the a8 and 6mt.

 

Took the G in for the smog test (it passed )this morning and stopped at the chevy dealer on the way home.

I was fortunate enough to drive both the A8 and 6mt back to back. The manual had magnetic ride, the auto did not. Both had the dual mode exhausts.

It's hard to tell if there was actual rev matching on the downshifts when using the paddle shifters. I didn't feel the car jerk, but the revs didn't increase very quickly either. The auto seemed to have a bit of throttle lag when taking off (both cars set to track mode). I'm not sure if this is part of the trans learning process or just characteristic of this trans. Overall the car had a heavy feeling. I expected as much with the steering set to track, but thought throttle response and acceleration would be stronger. I didn't beat on the car, just normal driving.

The 6mt didn't exhibit any throttle lag. The clutch was very light but still had good feel. Much better than the 2015 I tried last year. Gear shifter felt great. Solid, short throws with good feel. The only complaint is CAGS, which if I ever buy a car with is going to be remedied immediately. This is for fuel economy which prevents shifting to 2nd or 3rd gear under certain conditions. This 6mt had something called rev matching available which automatically blips the throttle for you when downshifting. It did a better job at it than I did. I'd probably get a better feel for the throttle with more time behind the wheel.

Visibility was reasonable. Being 6' tall, my head was about 1" from the ceiling with the seat properly adjusted (6mt). Sideview mirrors were ok. Both cars had blindspot monitoring, but I'd be adding small blind spot mirrors anyways.

I came in thinking I'd like the auto more, but after driving both cars, the 6mt felt more right. Funny how that worked out. Overall, impressive package for a ~$45K + ttl package.

The salesman made an interesting argument about the better mpg. Yes, the A8 gets better mileage and is marginally quicker, but the 6mt is cheaper up front. Considering the difference is only ~3 mpg on the highway side, how long would it take to break even...

GM has a promo out with 0% financing for 72 months through the end of the month for qualified buyers.

 

Thanks for the review. I would say that you might have experienced the traction control cutting some power with the A8 gear. There is SO much torque that stepping on it too hard will give you wheel spin right away.
Both transmission are good in their own way. I went with the Auto because it's my daily driver thru stop and go traffic.

 

I really wasn't taking off hard at all. I'll usually baby throttle on any foreign vehicle until I get some feel for it. If/when I'm actually ready to buy, I'll be taking it on more than a mile or two test drive. Need to find a dealer near a highway so I can get the car up to real speeds.

I do agree with you, driving in traffic with a manual sucks. I remember getting stuck on the interstate due to an accident. 5 miles of crawling. Honestly it wasn't terrible but required concentration to keep a reasonable distance to the car ahead, giving it just enough throttle to creep, then back off, to keep from riding the clutch. I was probably one of the few cars with brake lights that were barely on (following a truck is good in this circumstance).

The brakes do feel great on this car, even better than the G (stock OE S pads). They bite sooner. This may be remedied on the G with different pads though. Night and day difference from my 4th gen z28.