At first glance, it may look like the ‘SS’ coming to our shores, but there are tons of differences -including the engine. Compared to this Commodore, the Chevy SS will have an additional 53 horsepower.

It’s no longer a secret that some of the latest GM performance vehicles have been shipped in from The General’s Australian division, Holden. First there was the “Neo-GTO,” then there was the G8. Now that the Chevy SS is going to be released before the end of the year, we’re getting all kinds of new information from our colleagues Down Under.

Performance Drive has tested the entire new range of VF Commodore vehicles – including the wagon, Ute, and our favorite, the SSV Redline, featured here. Packing 270 kilowatts (or 362 HP), there’s enough power to push this 4,000-pound sedan to a 0-62 MPH sprint to 4.8 seconds.

You can thank that Yankee aluminum V-8 under the hood, namely, the L76 6-liter – a derivative of the LS-Series engine featuring Active Fuel Management. It may not be as powerful as the LS3 sitting under the hood of our upcoming Chevy SS (415 HP), but it proves what can be done with 53 less horsepower on tap.

With this latest edition of Commodore scheduled to be replaced around the 2016 timeframe, we’re already wondering if the Chevy SS will be here to stay, or if it will live on as a “three model year special,” like the ’90s LT1-powered Impala SS or Pontiac GTO. Only time will tell.