![]() If it is an auto, and only runs on four-cylinders most of the time, how badly does it lag behind the manual SS? Well, it does – but the effect is negligible. Theoretically it should be a trifle more efficient too thanks to GM’s active on demand fuelling technology, which runs the Lumina SS auto on only half its eight cylinders when you’re not in a hurry.Īt this point I know what you’re thinking. Unquestionably, the six-speed auto is a superior car in traffic. Whether commuting to the office or navigating my way to Robertson for the wine festival, the Lumina SS displayed a benevolent duality – one part effortless sedan cruiser, the other half pure four-door muscle car. Those red voltage, oil temperature and fuel consumption displays atop the fascia are simply horrid, illuminating in a font and hue reminiscent of a scientific calculator I despised in high school.Īside from the abovementioned ergonomic gremlins the sound system is superb, huge steering wheel entirely in step with the Lumina’s dynamic intensions and those seats are awfully comfy – whether you’re at the helm or along for the ride as a passenger. It would be nice if the driver’s seat lowered a few centimetres deeper too and you scuff the back of your hand against the door pocket each time you try to adjust it. Then there’s the cabin boot release, which is a button inexplicably located within the cubby hold. The electric windows don’t feature one-touch actuation on either the up or down stroke – which is something you find on most double-cab bakkies nowadays. Although it is well equipped, the Lumina SS does have some rather peculiar ergonomic features. The driving position and cabin functionally are a mixed bag. On the school run I found myself glancing back intermittently to make sure I had all the kids on board, as they seemed lost in the sheer vastness of the rear seating accommodation. Wine connoisseur friends weren’t particularly taken by the rear-spoiler (“what’s that for” followed by “does it really work” were the two stock responses), yet admitted the Lumina’s clean, defined lines were attractive.Ĭonsidering the Lumina’s sheer size it is hardly surprising to find it a perfect conveyance for South African family requirements. Finished in black and rolling 18-inch alloys, our test car looked menacing and, when accompanying me to a popular wine festival, the SS attracted quite a diffuse range of comments.Įach time I stopped, farm kids immediately gravitated to the Lumina’s rear, pointing out the set of dual-exhausts as a sign of V8 internal-combustion virility. Performance sedan purists will quickly point out the ornate rear spoiler and oversized front lower fascia air intake as styling debits, yet this is a car marketed at customers who appreciate some visual clues to its latent performance potential.Īll things considered, there is little to fault regarding the Lumina’s aesthetics. The Lumina’s simple lines and bold proportions make for a big car that remains attractive and attention-grabbing even five years after its launch. This is, of course, not at all a bad thing. There’s no way of telling the difference between a manual or automatic SS Lumina judging by surfacing or styling details alone. The issue at hand concerns just how much of the Lumina’s dynamic character goes amiss with the self-shifter? To find out we spent a week burbling about in the SS auto. Naturally Chevrolet has an alternative, a dual-pedal planetary shifter also sporting six-ratios and clever cylinder cut-out technology. ![]() Simply put – a manual shifting Lumina SS sedan can be terrifyingly tiresome to drive in congested urban traffic. Therefore, considering the similarities in heat, dust and distances encountered in the two rivalling former British colonies, the Lumina makes a lot of sense to South African hooligans burdened by family life.īeyond its effortlessly crushing performance, massive 496l boot and rear seat accommodation generous enough to host the current Springbok front-row in comfort, there has always been an issue with the Lumina SS in tri-pedal configuration.Īccountable for transferring 530Nm of peak rotational force to the rear-wheels, the Lumina SS six-speed manual transmission only reacts to very deliberate thigh and forearm inputs. ![]() Generously spacious inside, handsome and robust – the Bowtie Thunder from Down Under has proven the perfect foil to the more expensive, sophisticated and frailer German four-door performance sedan fare.Īlthough the Lumina SS is adorned with Chevrolet’s signature bowtie in the middle of the grille it remains a thoroughly Australian product. ![]() If ever there was a four-door performance sedan suited to South African requirements, it would be the Chevrolet Lumina.
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