GM's SSR Truely Dissappoints!

Let's start with the SSR's good points.

1) It looks good. It looks just like it did when it made the showcar circuit. Bravo, well done!

Ok, that's it for the good points.

Now on to, what will surely be, the fatal bad points.

1) Tonnage. Why in the hell did they design it so it ended up weighing freaking more than a dump truck? I mean c'mon... a 4,764 pound curb weight..?! Right there any chance this thing would even have a hint of sportiness just went out the window. In my book, right here, it's game over. Thanks for playing. The SSR won't last 3 years.

But just for the hell of it, let's press on.

2) This thing has tons (nearly 2 1/2) of image. Why not give it some balls, and go with what was originally planned to go under the hood... a full 6-liter LS1? Give the owner who just shelled out WELL over 40 grand some respect when he mashes the throttle. Note: 0-60 in 7 and the 1/4 mile in 15.4 @ 89 mph. < Weak, really weak! Losing to a fart-tiped Civic Si sporting a surf board size rear wing will be not make the SSR's owner happy about his purchase.

3) Price. $48,000??! For what? For a vehicle that does nothing really well...? The image thing is only going to last so long. After a while the owner is going to start noticing the details, and when he does, he's going to notice that GM didn't sweat the details.

Why why why didn't GM analyze the mistakes that Chysler made with the Prowler and the mistakes Ford made with the new T-bird? Instead they just repeated them. Shame on you GM! You could have done MUCH better, and the proof of this is the Corvette and the new Caddys.

Yes, I predict the SSR is going to fail for the same reasons the new T-bird is already on its way out. Beauty... or in the case of automobiles, goodness is more than skin deep!

Patrick '93 Cobra '83 LTD

Reply to
Patrick
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AMEN!

David Short

Reply to
Acura God

I was reading the article in Ward's Auto World yesterday and I came to the same conclussion. 48 grand for a 300 hp pickup that only does 7.6 seconds

0-60. The only people that will buy that must have more money than brains.

MadDAWG

Reply to
MadDAWG

Gee its pretty though...

Serge

Reply to
Serge

The CTS V series is here, now! Yep, and with a full 400-horse motor.

Why did they do it? I don't get it. The SSR has sporty written all over it, and they bloat it up to near 5,000 pounds...? I swear... the pot-smoking committee that designed the Pacer is still working in Detroit. They recently penned the Aztec, and now they somehow designed an extra 1,000 pounds into SSR.

Mr. Lutz, where was your oversite on this one?

Patrick '93 Cobra '83 LTD

Reply to
Patrick

Vic brought up a good point though. The Marauder could have been one hell of a car. DOHC powerplant in a full size RWD car with sport-tuned supspension.

Then they made it heavier and "nicer" than it had to be. Then they didn't market it. Then they charged way too much money for it.

If you didn't know it existed by being an enthusaist, you didn't know it existed. I've personally only seen two of these running around.. one in FLA and one in PA. The one in FLA was pulling into a Mercury dealership.

That's just the thing. Unless you're in the market for that specific car, you weren't going to a Mercury dealership and it wasn't going to catch your eye.

I even saw pictures of convertible Marauder concepts. Now there would have been a killer family cruiser. 300hp, decent suspension and ride, room for at least 4, and no roof to get in your way. First full-size convertible in quite some time. I was into it.

So... by the wayside it falls, with FoMoCo too cheap to advertise its new toy and not in touch with reality enough to offer a car that meets performance requirements and price requirements. Even the T-bird S/Cs lasted longer, which was a fine car in its own right.

*sigh*

Who are these pot-smoking chumps that can mess up a good idea? I was just talking with my girl's mom today and she was saying how there's really not that much appealing out there in the market as far as new cars. Me, if I

*had* to buy a new car real soon, I'd either get a GT/Cobra Mustang, hold out for the GTO, or just say to hell with performance, drive the fast cars I already have, and get a hybrid Civic. At least I can still get those with a stickshift.

JS

Reply to
JS

I'll second that. My Bronco is getting a little long in the tooth, but I can't find anything that even catches my eye to replace it. Maybe the new f150, but I'm sure they will be way over priced for me. I thought tha maybe GMs replacement for the S series was going to be something from the prototypes, but they managed to mess that up and make it look like a frigin' "ti-oat-ta" At this point I'm thinking I'll just fix up the old Bronco. Lets see 393 stroker 351w, small lift, custom hood..........

MadDAWG

Reply to
MadDAWG

I think a big car like the Marauder should not be a lightweight. You need that mass to make it a comfy ride. :) What it needs is a torque monster engine, not a high revver like the 4.6 it got. The '03 cobra engine would have made more popular Marauder. Or maybe a lower strung 5.4.

Chris

Reply to
Chris1

I don't know, Joe. I think the Merauder biggest problem is that it was about 10-12 years late to the marketplace. Think about it... if the Merauder would have debuted back in say... '90 or '91 with a 300 horsepower V8. Shoot, Ford would have sold everyone they could have built. But this is '03, and 300hp and 7 second 0-60 times from a "muscle car" is pathetic now days. Ford, somehow, forgot or overlooked that fact. Now, put a puffer on that 4.6, drop the price to about $30-$35K and the Merauder's sales, IMO, would quickly rebound.

I agree! They do look sharp. And have you heard one? They sound sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

Patrick '93 Cobra

Reply to
Patrick

A blower would have made the car a real performer for very little additional cost. Using a high revving, small displacement, multi-valve engine to move a two-ton boat isn't the best choice in power plants. A Cobra blower/intercooler would have given it the big block performance it was lacking.

Reply to
Michael Johnson, PE

"Michael Johnson, PE" wrote in news:Ws6dnbkWR_bc snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

I think the whole problem centers around the corporate mindset to homogenize every car into the standard lineup. Sure, Ford has the SVT line, but needs more offerings within it. IMO DC has it right with the SRT line.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Reply to
Joe

Actually, Ford should have let SVT do the Maurauder and I bet it would have had a blower or a 5.4L V-8. They (Ford) didn't realize the same demographic that buys the '03 Cobras also buy the Maurauder which is middle aged men. They also forgot that heavy muscle cars need TORQUE. I know you and I haven't forgot it. ;)

Reply to
Michael Johnson, PE

"Michael Johnson, PE" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Right on the money as usual, Michael!

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Reply to
Joe

Basically, it and the T-Bird are now cancelled.

-Rich

Reply to
rander3127

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