Thank you to Wallingford Buick GMC for allowing me to take this car for a spin!
I stepped out of my FWD, 228 hp, 4 cylinder, turbocharged hot hatch and into this RWD, 420 hp, 6.2L V8 beast of a car.
Initial Thoughts:
The car may be low to the ground, but everything about this 4000+ pound beast screams big and burly. The clutch is heavy - with the bite point almost all the way at the top - the shifter - with a very nice leather shift knob - takes some force to get it moving, and the engine has that classic V8, American muscle sound I had imagined when I started it up.
Getting in, I noticed that the bright orange seats that come with the 2SS package aren't just for show, they're actually very comfortable. The visibility is OK, but that back window could definitely be a little bigger. The infotainment screen looks like they swiped the interface straight out of 1995, and there are a few gages down below the bulbous temperature controls, that are a little tough to see.
Back Seats:
The back seats are small, but I fit OK at 5'7", with the driver's seat set for me as well. I imagine I wouldn't want to sit back there for too long, and I certainly wouldn't fit too well with a taller driver in there. Then again, you don't buy this car because you want something convenient to haul people around in.
Driving:
Once you get moving, it's not nearly as loud as I had expected inside the cabin, especially with this one being a convertible. It's a pretty smooth ride too. I get up to speed pretty quickly, rowing through the gears. There's a little bit of rev hang, but nothing too annoying. I've heard it gets worse as you get higher up in the RPMs, but I didn't really rev it out too much. As I hit the highway, I'm waiting for the non-existent turbo to kick in, until I look at the tastefully done heads-up display that shows me going 85 miles per hour. It doesn't feel fast, but it certainly gets out of its own way in a hurry.
After exiting the highway, I found it comfortable and capable on the backroads. If you want to take a corner hard, the back will certainly kick out on you a bit, but I cruised around comfortably in 3rd for the most part, without really feeling too much of a need to shift.
The Tech:
The aforementioned infotainment screen is dated, to say the least, but they did pack quite a few features into it. There is no Apple Carplay or Android Auto in this one, so if you need directions, you'll have to resort to the built-in nav or a phone mounted someplace. I tested out the nav system, to bring me back to the dealership, and it's not too intuitive, and it had me hovering out in a field for a while. The heads up display and voice-commands managed to stay on track though, and led me back to the dealership without issue.
Additional features of note are Bluetooth, aux connection, USB connection, optional XM Radio, a Boston Acoustics stereo system (it was fine - nothing to write home about), and a backup camera.
Overall:
If you're into American Muscle, it's certainly a solid choice. Great sound, comfortable interior, and rewarding to work through the gears. I imagine traffic wouldn't be the most fun, given the weight of the clutch, but I'd gladly endure it in order to better enjoy the time spent cruising around town.
