24 cars blue sky: 2014 Chevrolet SS: Suck On This, CAFE

Here's our first look at the Chevrolet SS. Silly moniker aside, it looks like a home run.

My biggest fear with the car – that GM would add too much crap and excess detailing, ala the Corvette C7 – has been alleviated. The design looks clean and businesslike. I might be inclined to swap out the Monte Carlo SS-looking rims for something else, but I wouldn't be embarassed to valet park an SS anywhere.

The one misstep is that Chevrolet didn't offer a 6-speed manual with the 415 horsepower LS3. I'm sure it would have been easy to find a transmission, though cost issues relating to model mix may play a part here. I'm sure the take rate would be higher than it would be for a traditional sedan, but the 94-96 Impala SS didn't offer a stick and it scarcely bothered the thousands of buyers who snapped up the entire run. The SRT 300C and Charger, the chief rivals of the SS, don't offer a stick either.

Now all that's left is a Jack Baruth track test.