2003 Chevrolet SSR | Retro Review

Well this Chevy SSR has aged strangely, but yet...
Show 2303 | Original Airdate 09-19-2003
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[@mumwifeteacher]

If General Motors designed the space shuttle they would have put a 4 speed transmission in it.

[@robertisaar]

Houston, the space shuttle has 7, I repeat, 7 neutrals, please advise.

[@kevinbarry71]

General Motors did finally put in the 6 L with a manual transmission; but of course in typical General Motors fashion it was too late and nobody cared

[@CB12345]

Now these SSR trucks go for ridiculous amounts of money, even seeing a lot of them go above the original price when it first came out. Honestly, these will be future collectables and worth every penny, but of course people slept on these gems. 😂

[@samholdsworth420]

GM sucks 😂

[@bmacster1985]

I knew they threw the ls2 in it but didn’t know they put the 6spd in it

[@RetroKingOG]

At least they gave it a V8, even if they had put the 6.0L There would’ve been limited sales any way. Because it was deemed weird at the time…

[@RetroKingOG]

@@samholdsworth420i gather you’re a ford guy, let me ruin that for you, since 2015 Ford has been recently borrowing parts from GM Which helped to increase the lack of reliability in many of new Ford products.

[@sterlinsilver]

I remember as a kid I was selling things at a yard sale and these two old ladies pulled up in a red SSR and I was amazed! I asked them what on earth they were driving and one of the ladies said "watch this" and pulled the roof down and I was amazed! Still remember it some 15 years later...

[@Fleetwoodjohn]

GM wanted their own Prowler Another wild vehicle that amazingly got built.

[@foxtrot685]

Just like the SSR the prowler was launched with the wrong engine. GM did actually fix this issue, albeit way too late.

[@Policearegood-mt6kx]

I still see a ton of these on the roads.

[@TinHatRanch]

Only GM could make a 2 seat vehicle 4700lbs.

[@darksith6666]

OMG a Chrylser Sebring and a SSR in the same video !!!! I'm french, I had a Chryler Sebring sedan 2.7V6 (without reliability issue, they fixed before sell it in europe). It was a geat car ! reliable, great little V6 (nice sound !) smooth transmission, and a wonderfull sound system. And I love the SSR !

[@OldFordTaurus]

Those old Chrysler/ dodge sound systems use to be out of this world. I had a 2004 ram 1500 and a 1994 Chrysler Concorde. Both were amazing.

[@SparkZ1420]

Even though it was boomer bait, i did like them. It certainly stood out from normal traffic

[@iluvcamaros1912]

You read my mind. I was thinking "This is the boomeriest vehicle that ever boomered... but I like it."

[@arieljones4595]

These got trashed a little bit back when they came out. At the same time, we complain that automakers only do "boring", "cookie cutter" cars. Those pay the bills, of course. I respect any time an auto make hangs it out there and tried something different. It keeps things interesting. I'm looking at you, Prowler!

[@DorDor400]

Someone out there has one of these and a Plymouth prowler with the factory tires still on them for suuuuureeee

[@10RRASK]

I dream of some day having a SSR, Prowler and Thunderbird in my garage

[@Lianpe98]

​​​@@10RRASK Add an HHR SS and a PT cruiser GT for extra 2000's retro-ness 🤪

[@ftr911drvr]

When it finally got the 6l it was pretty fun to drive and sounded really good. I niss when automakers made these cars that werent just about making sense but just bringing a cool concept to reality.

[@MitchGrooms]

Congrats to Chevy for taking a chance. I love these trucks,

[@svpracer98]

Definitely would consider this a "cult classic" nowadays. Anyone remember racing this in GT 4 on PS2?

[@aaryeshg.6526]

Yup even Test Drive Unlimited had it.

[@Ferraridude13]

The fact that they made this monstrosity on the Trailblazer platform when they already had the Holden Maloo in their catalog tells you everything about GM’s lack of vision. They could have brought over the Maloo like they did the Monaro, called it an El Camino and it would have sold well and been less expensive.

[@jcat96]

It's so heinous. I love it.

[@pontiacGXPfan]

So was the Avalanche

[@user-cj4sm8hv9y]

Forever Cruisin’

[@torres3800]

I never realized they went all the way back to 2003. Even working at a Chevy dealer as a Technician in 2007, i saw and drove them all the time. I still think they're awesome. Funny, they started with a 5.3 V8, nearly the same as my 2003 Silverado.

[@bradleymeyer9775]

When I was younger I had a toy Chevy SSR in purple.

[@SolamenteVees]

Not even the 6.0 LS2 could save this bold styling exercise.

[@thegamingchannel9899]

Use the L83 crossfire

[@x1boomer]

LS 🚮

[@taurussho86]

It would've, but no marketing and no excitement. They needed a powerful motor and aftermarket accessories to make this successful.

[@trumpet12345]

i bet if fiat did this with a hemi, people would buy it with proper style. with the 8 speed, the performance would be insane.

[@Greatdome99]

300 hp, 4700 pounds, 0-60 in 7.9 seconds? Even the brakes are bad.

[@LordMcTurtle]

I was surprised by the braking distance too !

[@theforgottenorg]

It was a beast for its day. It was also a pig for its day.

[@ideaynojodas]

I'd definitely get one today. In yellow or orange. Damn nice.

[@JayMartel24]

I see a yellow one in my city in the summer time and older couple driving it

[@Lianpe98]

click* NOICE

[@PaulHo]

Still a better pick than any contemporary coupe crossover of today.

[@chaseman94]

GM could've and should've imported one of the Holden Utes that were available in Australia at the time instead making this thing.

[@BastardX13]

A worthy successor to an El Camino SS. Those are cool.

[@JayMartel24]

Love that SSR I have a 118 Scale of that one in Black It takes great photos outdoors

[@t-roy2418]

I always liked this truck….

[@shanet7511]

It's no wonder GM went bankrupt considering this made it to production while the cadillac sixteen didn't.

[@ensignjimmy3237]

They took the inexpensive route using off the shelf parts versus a low volume car with one off parts that would cost well over $100k. Not defending either choice, but you can guess which was more appealing to bean counters. Would you want that car to be taken care of by your local GM dealer?

[@SpikeRazzor]

A travesty.

[@shanet7511]

@@ensignjimmy3237 These didn't sell well at all despite a reasonable price point because nobody wants a useless pickup truck or shitty driving convertible. A well executed luxury sedan on the other hand would've sold well and they could've shared the development costs with other cadillacs to improve them and used existing bits to make parts of the production cadillac sixteen and lower the production costs. For example dump the 16 cylinder motor and factory supercharge the LS 6.0/6.2 or even the 8.1 with 500-600hp. But that would've required them to use their brains.

[@ensignjimmy3237]

@@shanet7511 - I wasn’t disputing your point(s). I was saying look at GM at the time and what they were doing. For them this was a “safe bet”. The XLR shouldn’t have had a Northstar either but we saw how that went.

[@CB12345]

The Cadillac Cien is another gem that should have been in production.

[@texan176]

Made no sense to buy this over the Corvette for a little more money. It is still great they had the guts to make this thing to try and fill the void left when the Camaro went away. The engineering and tooling to do the hardtop convertible was way more than had they done a fabric top.

[@LordMcTurtle]

Sometimes things do not need to make sense. It wasn’t made for the average Corvette buyer. It’s for the ones who like to look different .

[@mbox314]

This was an interesting idea and car companies should take more chances like this.

[@ThomasSchick]

…beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to this thing 😂😂😂

[@glimpseofgood2464]

I'd have hated to buy an early one of these only for the 6 liter version to come out.

[@jrockudont]

Very controversial but I love that thing.

[@ez33kiel6]

Been obsessed with the SSR ever since i drove one in Gran Turismo 4 as a kid lol i like them

[@epbrown01]

I saw one today in the parking lot of a Raisin’ Canes - yellow.

[@grayrecluse7496]

This could have been so great!

[@HeyyImMatt]

I remember when these came out. Someone in my town bought one when I was a kid. It was bright yellow. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I haven’t ever seen one since.

[@topherlikescandy]

As a kid I would draw pictures of this and tell my parents we had to buy one. They said they “totally would” but there were no backseats for my brother and I 😅

[@kjverhage5706]

I remember when these were new my mom wanted one in that blue/purple color so, dad went and talked to his buddy at the local Chevrolet dealer. Sure $43,000 in 2003 no thank you.

[@user-tu1ee6dc5f]

I'm in MO. I've seen two parked in the same driveway within the last couple months and a few on the road while driving around. I wondered what motor they had in them. Thanks for the throwback.

[@antonparks9147]

I guess this can be a more fancy & joyful ride to drive in on road trips compare to some other trucks, despite it's expense & high price. I would get that in the future, and that's... the truth.

[@beyondu77]

I've always loved how the SSR looked.

[@lukepakseresht4020]

I never liked the "marketable experiment" cars. But certain models in the mid 2000s like the 2005 Ford Mustang make great use of the retro-futuristic designs. I love those things, not this... Alien ship

[@bradleymeyer9775]

I like these. It’s a muscle car, a convertible, and a truck.

[@jacksmack6956]

It’s a shame they didn’t make it good looking

[@javierjavier7291]

Still own mine and loving it

[@TrailBlazerSS502]

If Dodge put the Dakota based Sidewinder into production, well…

[@ericcarabetta1161]

They had a whole snake theme going, didn’t they? Sidewinder, Copperhead, Viper 🐍

[@TrailBlazerSS502]

Yup.

[@carlosgil4248]

I remember when 7.9 seconds to 60 was fast when i heard about these. Now it's like 5.5.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I want a 6 liter manual model. But only so I can cut up the body and make it look good

[@bantuatha]

Richard Hammond's choice of truck to drive in Grand Tour in Eurocrash special, question how the heck his honk speaker got replaced?

[@TenchiFreak5]

Chrysler: Let's make a high end tech showcase entirely out of aluminum. GM: Let's make a convertible Trailblazer and put "aluminum" trim in it.

[@Thankyou_3]

Wow, I can’t I am saying this. This SSR actually a nice vehicle with decent engine unlike the small garbage engines they are making nowadays.

[@WhattheHusker]

He has a marvelous mullet

[@johnbehneman1546]

Thank you so much

[@qmto]

everybody thought this was a joke back then.

[@johnbehneman1546]

I love it. I would love to own one

[@roddydykes7053]

Still see the yellow and black ones up here in Saskatoon

[@rustbeltrobclassic2512]

The thing is, now that it's been long dead, i can see it as something that is becoming collectible, especially the later MT version..

[@DQSpider]

42k to get blown off by fart cannoned Civics in your shiny new sport truck. Can't imagine why it flopped...

[@ronhoover5516]

Idk. I hear what you're saying, but I still dig that they took a chance. In a day when a Toyota Crown looks cutting edge, I like that GM went different here even if it was a misstep.

[@nathanmcdonald610]

I don't think the intent with these we're to be red light racers as much as they we're supposed to be glorified cruisers for 70+ year old's looking for that hit of nostalgia.

[@ronhoover5516]

@@nathanmcdonald610 Agree. It was meant to be a feel good ride for boomers at the time.

[@kireality]

These aren't all that rare. I think the Prowler is still more rare of a vehicle to see on the street. I see SSR's occasionally. I never see Prowlers.

[@crocglox7797]

please jazz one of these up with 1949 Buick chrome and stainless

[@OldFordTaurus]

Gm should’ve spent the money they wasted developing and making this to give their vehicles at the time better interiors.

[@jeffisaliar]

Chevy ssr, Chrysler PT cruiser, Ford's last Thunderbird. Cheesy attempts at old time styling that pretty well flopped.

[@Kamikazekims]

I love the ssr

[@DougCam-ed5tc]

I still like it

[@mumwifeteacher]

Sticking to the Gm game plan - release it underdeveloped , slowly improving to perfection and then cancel it.

[@richarddiditall]

Here from the grand tour

[@gregg9672]

PT cruiser truck?

[@curtcollett2893]

Always thought an HHR pickup could have sold well.

[@curtcollett2893]

@@Brian_Eugene_LeeI just figured since it was a Cavalier underneath maybe if they priced it cheap enough it could hold it’s own. Retooling costs would have been low since it was already a wagon. Will never find out anyway.

[@glovedcop69]

7.9 sec at 41K?! Damn not all that great.

[@ensignjimmy3237]

That’s why the 6.0 came along. Early 00s, remember?

[@glovedcop69]

@@ensignjimmy3237 yeah.. it sucked for the early adopters

[@ensignjimmy3237]

@@glovedcop69 - a bit heavier than the Trailblazer too

[@JacobPaul-ix7oc]

It's funny that a turbo 4-cylinder HHR SS would come along a few years later and be able to stomp this thing. I'm sure pairing the 5.3 V8 with the slushbox 4 speed didn't help anything. They should have come with a 6-speed manual standard.

[@VcArena]

Just imagine if they would have brought the holden ute over with the ls1 and ls2 or kept the f body going with the ls2 instead of this. I see these and dislike them on site

[@agamemnon8163]

Shame this arrived too soon. Truely a head of its time.

[@wheelzwheela]

Still looks cool to me.

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Nice 😊

[@pontiacmaniac7772]

I never knew these had the 5.3. I always just assumed it had an LS1 or LS2

[@TheCosmicGuy0111]

Nice

[@Rascofresco11]

Imagine if this had an LT4 or LS6 from production start. There would have definitely been a 3rd-4th gen by now.

[@bmacster1985]

The second/final generation of the SSr got the 6.0L ls2 and it was better. The ls2 had almost the same horsepower as the ls6 but a better tq. Curve than the ls6

[@JohnMachado24]

I always loved the style of it lol, I'm one of the few...

[@secondtimearound8222]

Head turning style? Yeah, turn the other way😂😂

[@Evolution8R]

nice rock crawler

[@markchizmadia2004]

Is Blurpel a color?

[@noseefood1943]

Did anybody actually bought one of these?

[@ensignjimmy3237]

24,150 made give or take.

[@JacobPaul-ix7oc]

I see two in my area every summer, a red one and yellow one. I see PT Cruisers and HHRs on the roads daily, though.

[@ensignjimmy3237]

@@JacobPaul-ix7oc - yeah there is 1 or 2 around here. I see an HHR once in a while along with the random PT Cruiser or two. The rust, head gaskets, and timing belts have taken most of those PTs.

[@oreally8605]

You mean to tell me that my 2012 Scion xB has the same 1/4 miles numbers with half the hp? Shame.

[@johnjones393]

I'm not a fan of GM but at least they took a chance with this. I only wish they didn't make it a boomer-mobile and gave it a modern (for the time) design.

[@TenOrbital]

A retro retro review

[@theforgottenorg]

It reminds me of quark and garak talking about root beer. Many really wanted this car to be a success but for its time, it was way too heavy.

[@3wrapframe]

Looked cool, caught eyes, but what a dog. I worked for Chevy when they were new. When the 6.0 was put in, it finally made it. Over all super cool and I think only about 40,000 total were ever made.

[@davidmagen415]

I too loved the novelty and exclusivity of the car. Unfortunately when it came out it was to expensive and grossly underpowered 🏖️

[@Domthedominator7]

4:51 that MSRP translates to >$71k in 2024. I’d never spend that much on a GM product.

[@michaelthompson4178]

I'd buy a C8 for that kinda money, that's about it.

[@blairbrown4812]

Underrated classic, IMO

[@jeffreygorey5540]

My Dad had one of these for years. I drove it a few times. It was ugly, uncomfortable and drove like shit, but for some reason my Dad thought it was awesome. I think he got tired of me trashing it because now he has a mustang lol.

[@BReal-10EC]

The fenders just never looked right in person.

[@dodgeguyz]

Why these were never offered with the 6.0L and 6 speed manual is beyond me!

[@kevindavis5966]

They did both, but not until 2006, the last year of production.

[@Matticus289]

This was GM's attempt at throwing their hat in the PT Cruiser ring. Kind of almost seemed cool at first, but the more you looked at it, the more forgettable and dumb the car became

[@teej626]

Not true. GM had the HHR which was a direct competitor to the PT. This is nothing close to that.

[@JacobPaul-ix7oc]

From Wiki: The SSR's styled design was inspired by Chevrolet's late-1940s Advance Design trucks, in particular the 1947-1955 pickups. The PT Cruiser was first released in 2001. The concept for the SSR began in 1999 under direction from GM Design vice president Wayne Cherry

[@bmacster1985]

They should have at least put the ls 1 in it when it first came out

[@renownedfear187]

It was a dumb move financially. But I like these boomer cash grabs. Such as this, prowler, thinderbird ect. Because they were weird & different. It's too bad they fumbled on a few features though. Cuz a manual prowler sounds nice... or one that didn't have a mediocre engine.

[@davidbaron6647]

I always thought it was cool and oddly different, it's understandable that it never really got good sales. And was discontinued fast. The 0 to 60 in 7 to 8 seconds didn't help. If 6 seconds and under like 5 to 6 seconds would have helped. With 300hp. Owell oldie.

[@JacobPaul-ix7oc]

The 2005 SSR with a 390hp 6.0 LS2 and a six-speed manual did 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, but by then it was too late.

[@davidbaron6647]

@JacobPaul-ix7oc yeah I hear there was the last year ? A 6L , engine. Thanks for the information 👍

[@user-tg9qz2ul2k]

Was cool to look at some one made a rc was a bodey on a tamey rc chasey was neat

[@kalebbrown93]

Hated those things then, still hate them now. lol!

[@epicraptorman]

I would've liked it more as a true hardtop

[@palebeachbum]

The V8 is cool, but in person, the SSR is an awkward-looking vehicle in a similar way to the Nissan Murano convertible. It's oddly tall and bulky. I'd much rather take a purple Plymouth Prowler.

[@anthonyfrench3169]

I remember seeing this as a concept and thinking GM wouldn't build this... moan and regurgitate all that you read about this. It was GM's version of the Prowler and especially at that time it took gusto to make that thing.

[@AndersonFilhotin]

Caraca que maneiro só importado clássicos 🇺🇸👍👍👍🎤🎤

[@forterierocks]

My friends dad has a bright yellow SSR with under 20,000 kilometers on it, ugly as sin but kinda cool🤷‍♂️

[@gus91340]

16.0 Seconds in the quarter!!!!😬😬😬😬😬