2014 Chevy SS priced at $44,470

The 2014 Chevy SS sedan will cost $44,470 when it goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2013. That price includes neither destination charges nor gas-guzzler tax, which the SS will be subject to.

The SS will get Chevy's 6.2-liter small-block V8 making 415 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission will send power to the proper axle. The sprint to 60 mph will take about five seconds, according to Chevy.

Standard features will include high-intensity discharge headlamps with LEDs, automatic parking assist, Chevrolet MyLink, Bose premium audio system, heads-up display, dual-zone climate control, alloy pedal covers, heated and ventilated front seats, Side Blind Zone Alert and lane departure warning, rearview camera and keyless entry and start.

The only options offered are a sunroof ($900) and a full-size spare ($500).

The cars will be offered in five colors: Mystic green, Silver Ice metallic, Red Hot 2, Phantom black metallic and Heron white. All interiors will be black.

The SS has a MacPherson strut front and multilink independent rear suspension as well as an electronic power steering system, which Chevy says is optimized for sporty driving. Brembo brakes will sit up front, but GM isn't specifying who'll supply the rear brakes.

The SS has a nearly 50/50 weight distribution according to Chevy, and we believe them. We drove both the V8 and V6 Caprice Police Patrol Vehicles in 2012, and they were miles ahead of the older Caprice and even the current-at-the-time Impala. Those cars all had a sport setting for the transmission; we hope the SS will have the same.

Regardless, it's good to see the General back in the full-size rear-wheel-drive sedan market. We shed more than a single tear when the G8 finally met its demise.

By Jake Lingeman