Idling at a red light, the 2017 Chevrolet SS writhes under my seat, the power of its 6.2-liter V8 shimmying this sedan like it wants to tear out of here in a cloud of tire smoke. The average person walking down the street doesn't look twice, however, as the SS is a bonafide sleeper.

When the light turns green, those nearby pedestrians get treated to a deep-throated roar from the exhaust, although I refrain from burning up the tires.

The SS is the kind of car that aficionados love; not flashy but amped up with old school power. Leave the Camaro for the baseball cap and goatee crowd, the SS shows off true muscle car heritage. And not just typical American muscle, as the SS actually comes from our brothers down under, Australia, which boasts a similarly rich history of car enthusiasts.

Chevrolet imports the SS from GM's Holden factory in Australia, where it is known as the VF Commodore. Despite these origins, the steering wheel is on the right side, by which I mean the left side, and the speedometer shows miles-per-hour. Also familiar to me was the inclusion of GM's standard technology load, encompassing driver assistance and dashboard electronics. The American-ness of the SS didn't surprise me terribly, as I'd driven a Holden Calais-V Sportwagon in Australia two years ago, which showed how GM globalized its technology.

Mild-looking Chevrolet SS a muscle car... See full gallery

The SS muscles in between the Malibu and Impala in Chevy's sedan line-up, but fills an entirely different niche than its economical siblings. Along with its big V8 engine, the SS comes with a magnetic adaptive suspension, adjusting the damping rate depending on sensor data to keep the car level in the turns and improve handling, along with rear-wheel-drive. And its optional six speed manual transmission is something you won't find amongst its sedan brethren.

The body design doesn't show much in the way of bravado, and most people will likely confuse it with a Malibu, given the similar grille styling. But some performance cues stand out, such as hood and fender vents, and the bright red Brembo brake calipers peeking out from the wheel spokes.

I found the cabin roomy and comfortable, the sports seats' bolsters not too prominent to prevent easy access. A mix of leather and soft touch materials cover seats and door panels, red stitching adding to the look along with SS badges on seat backs and dashboard.

Familiar to me from past Chevrolet models, an 8-inch touchscreen centered in the dash shows the MyLink infotainment system, standard for the SS with navigation, stereo, hands-free phone and OnStar telematics. However, after plugging my iPhone into one of the car's two USB ports, I was disappointed to find it lacked Apple CarPlay, indicating a past generation of MyLink that would not support Android Auto, either.

Although not the latest version of MyLink, its navigation remains usable, with colorful and easy-to-read maps showing live traffic information. As destination entry lacks one-box input, I was left with the clunky method of entering city, then street, then street number for addresses, or figuring out a category for points of interest. It locks out more involved destination entry while underway, too, so I had to pull over to get navigation going.

Its audio sources include the typical, such as Bluetooth, USB and radio, but also add app integration for Pandora and Stitcher. The Bose 220-watt nine-speaker stereo could use more bass to compete with the engine sound, but overall it was enjoyable.