2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS: two performance tiers

This record's own dek describes 2004 as the year the supercharged SS, coded L67 at 240 hp, joins the existing 200-hp SS rather than replacing it, giving Monte Carlo buyers two distinct SS performance tiers to choose between for the year. Wikipedia's own 2000-2007 production table, citing The Encyclopedia of American Cars, gives 64,771 Monte Carlos of all trims for 2004 without a separate SS split, and this record's own production notes state that the missing SS figure reflects a genuine gap rather than an implied zero.¹

Two power teams are documented: the L36 3800 V6 at 200 hp and 225 lb-ft, standard on the plain SS, and the L67 supercharged 3800 at 240 hp and 280 lb-ft, standard on the new Supercharged SS and requiring 92-octane fuel per the same specification document. Chevrolet's own price schedule, effective June 16, 2003, lists three tiers for the year: $21,825 for the LS, $24,225 for the SS, and $27,795 for the Supercharged SS, a roughly $3,570 step up from the plain SS for the supercharged engine and its supporting hardware.

Both engines pair with an MX0 4T65-E four-speed automatic, though this record's own transmissions section describes the Supercharged SS's version specifically as a heavy-duty unit distinct from the plain SS's transmission, a distinction the factory specification document draws explicitly rather than treating the two transaxles as interchangeable. Compression differs between the two engines, 9.4:1 for the L36 against 8.5:1 for the supercharged L67, and their final drive ratios differ as well, 3.29:1 for the SS against 2.93:1 for the Supercharged SS, both figures confirmed identically across the specification sheet and the separate restoration kit.

Specification detail distinguishes the two SS variants further: an estimated curb weight of 3,434 lb for the plain SS against 3,522 lb for the Supercharged SS, an 88-lb difference with no stated cause in either source, and an EPA rating of 20 city and 30 highway mpg for the SS against 18 city and 28 highway mpg for the Supercharged SS, while wheelbase and overall length, 110.5 and 197.9 inches respectively, are shared across both. Tire sizes differ too, P225/60R-16 on the plain SS against P235/55R17 on the Supercharged SS, with both built at the same Oshawa, Ontario plant.

This record's own options, paint, interiors, performance and identification sections are all empty for 2004, a documented gap despite the depth of dual-powertrain specification detail already described above distinguishing the SS from the Supercharged SS. No color list, trim code, road-test figure, or VIN-decoding detail was found in an accessible source for either variant, leaving pricing, engines, transmissions and dimensional specification as the whole of this record's coverage for the year.

A single unpublished lead describes Wikipedia's mention of 2004 Dale Earnhardt Intimidator (L36) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (L67) special editions, but this record notes that the claim is tertiary and uncited, with no edition-specific production count established, so it is not adopted into this record's own configuration or production data for the year, leaving the two named editions undocumented beyond that single uncited mention.¹