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Driving Impressions
The Bonneville gang managed to pump up the horses from 205 to 225 and increase the torque from 260 to 275 pound-feet without sacrificing fuel efficiency (17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway). And the increase in brawn was evident in the SSE's performance: It did 0 to 60 mph in eight seconds. During this acceleration we could hear the engine flexing its muscles, but it didn't make undue fuss. And the supercharged V6 purred in the cruise mode at just under 2,000 rpm at 65 mph.With such spirited performance, we expected to give up a bit in ride comfort when hotdogging it. And physics dictates that SSE drivers will experience a bit of lean when hitting a tight corner in the 25-mph range. It's nothing a healthy urban adventurer can't weather. Otherwise, the SSE drove like a dream, crisply maneuvering in and out of traffic with just one hand on the wheel. In fact, such is the SSE's high-speed comfort level that, at one point, we looked down and were surprised to see that we were hauling tail at about 85 mph. The tightness of the steering was a plus in heavy traffic and in slalom-type maneuvers, although while parallel parking we had to exert a bit more effort than we would have liked. The anti-lock brakes, meanwhile, were sure and deliberate: At 30 mph we executed an abrupt stop in four seconds with no significant loss of control.
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