The Most Underrated Chevrolet Ever Made

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Sunday, 8 Nov 2026 23:00 0 14 autotech

Few cars in recent memory have been as quietly brilliant — and as thoroughly ignored — as the Chevrolet SS sedan. While enthusiasts were busy obsessing over the C6 ZR1’s 638 horsepower and debating the merits of every new Camaro variant, Chevy was quietly selling a full-size, rear-wheel-drive muscle sedan capable of embarrassing a BMW M3 or a Mustang GT at the stoplight. Almost nobody noticed. That’s the Chevy SS story in a nutshell: a genuinely great performance car that the buying public largely walked right past. For Chevrolet, it remains the one that got away.

The Chevy SS Is The Most Underrated Chevrolet Ever

Produced between 2014 and 2017, an era when full-size sedans still commanded a real place in the market, the Chevy SS was a roomy five-seater tailored toward gearheads and drivers who wanted genuine performance under the hood — or anyone who loved the idea of a BMW M5 but preferred to buy domestic.

Despite its size and interior room, the SS was more akin to a police interceptor or a getaway car than a limousine to be chauffeured around in. The fact that it carried no real nameplate save for a bold “SS” badge stamped on its backside should tell you everything about what this car is all about.

An Australian In Disguise

We could try to argue that the Chevy SS was the most underrated and overlooked American car in general, had it not been for the fact that it’s not an American car at all.

Like its true spiritual predecessor, the Pontiac G8 sedan (an underrated car in its own right), the Chevy SS is based on an Australian-market Holden Commodore VF. It was even built and assembled in Elizabeth, South Australia. Look closely under the hood and you’ll find Holden’s lion logo stamped on parts of the engine bay and frame.

That makes it no less cool, though.

The SS Was Chevrolet’s Official NASCAR Cup Series Car

With its predecessor, the Impala SS, having gone front-wheel drive, the Chevy SS also perfectly filled the slot as the brand’s RWD race car for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series between 2013 and 2017. It even got a 750-hp Elvis Presley NASCAR tribute version. It won multiple Manufacturers’ Championships during its NASCAR run, but none of that translated into showroom traffic.

The Quintessential ‘Sleeper’

2014-2017 Chevrolet-SS

Chevrolet

The Chevy SS was first and foremost a muscle car in its own right — one that arguably never got the recognition it deserved for its on-road performance. A big part of that was just how effectively it played the sleeper role. It was far more subdued and anonymous than a Dodge Charger SRT8, yet it packed even more power.

The term “sleeper car” gets thrown around freely in the industry today, but the Chevy SS truly embodied this design philosophy: minimal badging, restrained styling, and no conspicuous aero features beyond slightly larger intakes and two side vents behind the front wheels.

But that’s because of what hid under the hood.

The Chevy SS Is A Corvette At Heart

The 6.2-liter LS3 V8 from the 2014 Chevrolet SS

Specs

Engine	6.2-liter NA LS3 V8
Power	415 hp
Torque	415 lb-ft
0-60 MPH	4.5 seconds
Top Speed	155 mph (governed)

Chevrolet

Sitting under this full-size sedan’s hood is a torquey all-aluminum 6.2-liter LS3 V8 straight out of the C6 Corvette. This 415-hp unit has no trouble pushing the 4,000-lb sedan to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds — on par with a Porsche Cayman or Mustang GT of the same era. And just like the ‘Vette, mods can take the Chevy SS to extreme heights of performance. Featuring an active exhaust, the sound the Chevy SS makes at full throttle is the same deep rumble of a C6 Corvette. Its substantial torque output launches it forward at any speed with just a prod of the throttle, yet it tops out at an electronically governed 155 mph.

The engine was initially paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission in 2014, but to better appeal to driving enthusiasts, Chevy introduced a 6-speed manual the following year.

Giving the Chevy SS true sports sedan credentials is a performance-focused suspension with MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link independent setup out back, with aluminum components to trim weight. Keeping it both agile and comfortable is the optional “Magne Ride” magnetic ride control system with adaptive dampers.

The SS Also Boasted A Surprisingly Spacious Interior

Chevy SS interior dashboard
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Chevy SS front seats
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Chevy SS rear seats
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The cabin of the SS was conservative but comfortably seated five passengers. Inside, you’d find a surprisingly generous array of luxury, safety, and convenience features — some you’d expect only in much more expensive cars:

Stitched leather seats
Heated and ventilated leather seats with 8-way power adjustment
Dual-zone auto climate control
Advanced HUD with performance metrics
Bose premium 9-speaker audio system
8-inch touchscreen infotainment with Bluetooth and navigation

Low Production Numbers = High Collectability

Gearheads in the know appreciated the Chevy SS as a powerful sleeper car, yet its sales never really reflected how cool it was.

This problem was compounded by a premium price tag that put it in direct competition with fully-fledged luxury cars. It retailed for nearly $46,000 when it arrived in 2014, before options.

As a result, Chevy ended up producing just 12,924 units across the model’s entire 2014–2017 production run. So overlooked was the Chevy SS that it’s now in fact one of the rarest cars Chevrolet ever made.

Chevy SS Values Today

These rare performance sedans have developed a loyal collector following, and values reflect that. Used examples in good condition can be found across a wide range depending on year, mileage, and whether the car has the desirable 6-speed manual. Auction data compiled by Classic.com shows strong and rising average sale prices, while resources like Kelley Blue Book and Hagerty can help buyers gauge fair market value for specific model years. For a 415-horsepower full-size sedan with genuine Corvette DNA, even today’s asking prices represent a compelling value.

Based on current market trends, well-kept examples — especially manual-transmission cars — command a meaningful premium over higher-mileage automatic models. For the most underrated Chevrolet ever built, that’s still a bargain.

Sources: Chevrolet, Hagerty, Classic.com, KBB.