The cost of an SS

[Moriarty]

So I was looking over Chevy's website a while ago, especially the page about the Trailblazer SS. Now I think that everybody realizes that the Trailblazer SS is about the best SS you can get currently, with RWD and the Corvette V-8 and such. Over base price, the TB SS costs an extra $6275, plus tax. For what it gives you, it is an incredible deal, making it (in my opinion) a true SS.

However, the other SS's don't fare so well.

For a Malibu SS, which upgrades you from an 144 hp ecotec to a 240 hp 3.9L V-6, it costs $6255, or basically the same amount as the TB SS. Wouldn't it just be a lot easier to put in the Solstice GXP's turbo for the same amount that it is in the Solstice, $5000? You'd get more power, for cheaper! Besides, 260 hp sounds a lot cooler than 240, even if they may be not that much different.

For the Impala SS, which upgrades you from a 211 hp 3.5L V-6 to a 303 hp 5.3L V-8, it costs an expensive $7025. Why does it cost more to put a 5.3 in an Impala than a 6.0L in a TB? I understand that you wouldn't want to put in a more powerful engine due to FWD torque steer issues, but can't the 5.3 be cheaper?

For the Cobalt SS, which upgrades you from a 148 hp ecotec to a 205 hp supercharged ecotec, it costs and exorborant (sp?) $7800. Again, I say, put in the turbo ecotec for an even $5000 and be done with it.

However, the worst by far is the Silverado SS. The base Silverado is dirt cheap, really. $16,740 for a bare-bone V-6 half-ton. To plop in a 5.3, it costs a miserly $1,745. However, to upgrade to a SS, does it take a similar amount to the TB? You would think it would. In fact, it would make sense if it did. The Silverado is already RWD, already has a heavy-duty suspension, chassis, and drivetrain. You could probably throw in a Corvette 6.0L and call it good, not even messing with the tires or the suspension, or anything else. But does GM do it? No. Instead they double the price of the vehicle, an extra $17,440, and all they put in is a half-decent 345 hp V-8. What the hey?

So the real question is how much SHOULD GM be charging for their SS's, and what engines SHOULD they be putting in their vehicles to get the optimum performance for price? What do you think?

[lakefire]

keep in mind the upgrades aren't just engine upgrades. The SS on the silverado also has a plush interior. If you don't like the price, don't buy it. Capitalism at it's finest.

[loki]

lakefire's is correct .

but you need to compare not base models, but the best thing w/o going SS... malibu ltz w/ the same base options as SS then price the SS, that's much closer just finding the cost of the powertrain... what's the difference on a MC ls..2?... than the SS?

[Northstar]

As the people above said, it's not fair to compare some of them to the SS models. The TB SS is fairly stripped except for the engine being different, but the others are not. The Cobalt SS for example has a lot more features than the base Cobalt.

[Sixty8panther]

Agreed, the TrailBlazer is much cooler than

the rest of the 2007 SS lineup.