As part of its downsizing, General Motors has announced a list of high-performance models to be discontinued, by the end of the year:

• Chevrolet Cobalt SS sedan
• Chevrolet Impala SS
• Cadillac STS-V
• Pontiac G6 GXP

Some of these are bigger losses than others. The Cobalt SS is a fast and fun-to-drive inexpensive sporty car that transcends its modest Cobalt origins. The STS-V is based on the very capable STS, but the STS has below average reliability. There is also a question of overlap: the CTS-V makes the STS-V somewhat redundant.

In the “they won’t be missed” category are the G6 GXP and the Impala SS. While we never tested a G6 GXP, other G6s didn’t impress in our testing. (Since you can get the roomier Chevy Malibu LTZ with the same drivetrain, losing the GXP essentially eliminates a redundancy.) The Monte Carlo SS we tested, essentially a two-door version of the Impala SS, had copious torque steer and wasn’t all that fun to drive. (That’s why we wish the Pontiac G8 GT would be rebadged as an Impala SS replacement, but that option seems to be off the table.) Both the Impala SS and the V6-powered G6 had below average reliability in our survey.

Safe so far: the Corvette. We thoroughly enjoyed the last Corvette we tested, the awesome Z06. Still, one has to wonder how long GM can keep building (and evolving and improving) the C6 platform and remain competitive in the sports car segment.

—Tom Mutchler