Chevrolet SSR: which version to buy
If you are choosing a Chevrolet SSR rather than reading about the model in general, the decision sits inside one generation (2003–2006, Pickup single-cab) and three named versions: 6.0 AT, 6.0 MT, and 5.3 AT.
If you are choosing a Chevrolet SSR rather than reading about the model in general, the decision sits inside one generation (2003–2006, Pickup single-cab) and three named versions: 6.0 AT, 6.0 MT, and 5.3 AT. All three share RWD, Gasoline V-shaped 8-cylinder engines with 2 valves per cylinder, No boost, Distributed injection (multi-point), 92 fuel, a 95 L tank, 154 mm ground clearance, 2159 kg kerb weight, disc brakes front and rear, and a 210 km/h top speed. The split is power, gearbox, 0–100 km/h, mpg-style consumption, and — on 5.3 AT only — rear suspension type and listed wheel sizes.
Chevrolet SSR specs that actually differ
| Version | hp | Nm | Displacement | Fuel | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 AT | 390 | 549 | 6000 | Gasoline | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic 4 | RWD |
| 6.0 MT | 390 | 549 | 6000 | Gasoline | 8 | V-shaped | No | Manual 6 | RWD |
| 5.3 AT | 300 | 449 | 5300 | Gasoline | 8 | V-shaped | No | Automatic 4 | RWD |
Power per litre: 6.0 AT and 6.0 MT make 390 hp from 6000 cm³ → 65.0 hp/L. 5.3 AT makes 300 hp from 5300 cm³ → 56.6 hp/L. The 6.0 versions therefore produce 8.4 hp more per litre, not only a larger engine.
Weight per horsepower (kerb 2159 kg on all three): 6.0 AT / 6.0 MT = 5.54 kg/hp; 5.3 AT = 7.20 kg/hp. That is 1.66 kg extra per horsepower on the smaller engine — a 30% heavier load per hp.
Torque gap: 6.0 AT and 6.0 MT 549 Nm vs 5.3 AT 449 Nm — 100 Nm, or 22% more on the 6.0.
Chevrolet SSR horsepower and engine: 6.0 vs 5.3
6.0 AT and 6.0 MT share the same engine sheet: 390 hp (287 kW) at 5400 rpm, 549 Nm at 4400 rpm, bore × stroke 101.6 × 92, Front, longitudinal, compression not measured. 5.3 AT is 300 hp (221 kW) at 5200 rpm, 449 Nm at 4000 rpm, bore × stroke 96 × 92, compression 9.5; engine position not measured.
What the extra 700 cm³ buys in this catalogue: +90 hp, +100 Nm, peak power 200 rpm higher, peak torque 400 rpm higher, and 0–100 km/h cut from 7.9 s (5.3 AT) to 5.7 s (6.0 AT) or 5.5 s (6.0 MT). That is 2.2 s and 2.4 s respectively — not a rounding error.
Chevrolet SSR engine size in the data is only these two displacements. There is no third engine option in this generation.
Chevrolet SSR for sale as a truck vs a convertible pickup
Body type in the data is Pickup single-cab for the whole generation. The catalogue does not split a separate convertible spec, so version choice is not “truck vs convertible”; it is 6.0 AT vs 6.0 MT vs 5.3 AT under that one body.
Rear suspension is the chassis fork: 6.0 AT and 6.0 MT use Dependent, spring at the rear; 5.3 AT uses Independent, spring at the rear. Front is Independent, spring on all three. If you care about how the rear axle is specified, 5.3 AT is the only version with an independent rear in this set.
Wheels: 5.3 AT lists 255/45 R19 and 295/40 R20. Wheel sizes for 6.0 AT and 6.0 MT are not measured.
Chevrolet SSR 0–100, top speed, and mpg
| Version | 0–100 km/h | Top speed | City L/100 km | Highway L/100 km | Combined L/100 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 AT | 5.7 | 210 | 16.5 | 12.1 | 14.5 |
| 6.0 MT | 5.5 | 210 | 18.0 | 10.7 | 14.7 |
| 5.3 AT | 7.9 | 210 | 15.7 | 12.4 | 13.8 |
Top speed does not choose a version: 210 km/h on all three.
Acceleration does: 6.0 MT is 0.2 s quicker than 6.0 AT and 2.4 s quicker than 5.3 AT. Automatic vs manual on the same 390 hp engine is a 0.2 s gap; engine size is a 2-second-plus gap.
Chevrolet SSR mpg in these figures (L/100 km, lower is less fuel):
- City: 5.3 AT 15.7 is 0.8 below 6.0 AT (16.5) and 2.3 below 6.0 MT (18.0). The 6-speed Manual is the thirstiest in town.
- Highway: 6.0 MT 10.7 is 1.4 below 6.0 AT (12.1) and 1.7 below 5.3 AT (12.4). The Manual wins on the open road.
- Combined: 5.3 AT 13.8 vs 6.0 AT 14.5 vs 6.0 MT 14.7. Combined spread is only 0.9 L/100 km. Over 95 L of tank, that is roughly 6.9 L of the tank’s worth of difference between the most and least economical combined figures — not a different class of vehicle.
CO2 and eco class: not measured on all three.
Chevrolet SSR weight, dimensions, tank
Chevrolet SSR curb weight in this data is 2159 kg for 6.0 AT, 6.0 MT, and 5.3 AT. Year-by-year weight (2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2006) is not split; one kerb figure covers the generation.
Gross weight: 2744 kg on 6.0 AT and 6.0 MT (payload arithmetic: 2744 − 2159 = 585 kg). Gross weight on 5.3 AT is not measured — do not assume 2744 kg there.
Ground clearance 154 mm on all three. Tank 95 L on all three.
Chevrolet SSR dimensions (length, width, height, wheelbase) are not measured in this dataset for any year or version. Do not treat missing dimensions as a difference between 6.0 AT, 6.0 MT, and 5.3 AT.
Which Chevrolet SSR version to choose
Choose 6.0 MT if the numbers you care about are acceleration and highway fuel. Same 390 hp / 549 Nm engine as 6.0 AT, Manual 6 instead of Automatic 4, 0–100 in 5.5 s (fastest here), highway 10.7 L/100 km (lowest here). Trade-off: city 18.0 L/100 km is the highest of the three, combined 14.7 is 0.2 above 6.0 AT. Rear: Dependent, spring. Wheels not measured. Gross 2744 kg.
Choose 6.0 AT if you want the 6.0 engine without the Manual. 390 hp, 549 Nm, Automatic 4, 0–100 5.7 s — only 0.2 s off 6.0 MT, 2.2 s ahead of 5.3 AT. City 16.5 sits between the other two; highway 12.1 is 1.4 above the Manual; combined 14.5 is 0.2 below 6.0 MT. Same chassis notes as 6.0 MT: Dependent, spring rear, wheels not measured, Front, longitudinal, 101.6 × 92.
Choose 5.3 AT if you want the least combined fuel, the independent rear, and listed wheel sizes, and you accept 90 hp and 100 Nm less. 300 hp, 449 Nm, Automatic 4, 0–100 7.9 s, combined 13.8 (best), city 15.7 (best), highway 12.4 (worst of the three). Independent, spring rear vs Dependent, spring on both 6.0 versions. Wheels 255/45 R19 and 295/40 R20. Compression 9.5 (the 6.0 pair: not measured). Engine position not measured. Gross weight not measured.
What “extra displacement” buys, in arithmetic only: +700 cm³ → +90 hp, +100 Nm, −2.2 to −2.4 s to 100 km/h, +8.4 hp/L, −1.66 kg/hp. Combined fuel cost of that step is +0.7 L/100 km vs 5.3 AT if you take 6.0 AT, or +0.9 if you take 6.0 MT.
There is no second generation to jump to: pokoleniy = 1, years 2003-01-01 to 2006-12-31, three versions. A 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2006 Chevrolet SSR in this catalogue is the same generation; horsepower and weight do not change by calendar year in the data.
Reliability and typical problems are not measured here. Price is not in the data, so “which is cheaper to buy” is not answered; only which numbers each named version carries.