ponchoman49

How about a 3.6 liter 260 hp mid level model starting at around 28K?

Lol of course not. Why would Honda & Driver say get a Mustang over their awesome Accord? And why would Toyota Trend rank any GM over a Toyota?

Things I would like to see changed on the Malibu/G6 1) G6 name scrapped in favor of Grand Am 2) Better taillamp design on G6 3) Base 2.4 G6 coupe for $17995 4) Malibu LS to have the current 2.2, LT model to get the 2.4 170 hp engine, more hp for the big 3500 V6 5) Better quality cloth seat material for both and make the seats a tad softer 6) Other colors in the G6 other than black and tan which is getting so dull. 7) Keep the std rear spoilers for the G6 GT and GTP. Malibus are supposed to be less costly and except in SS form do not need this useless feature as std equipment as on the LTZ version. 8) Make a leather steering wheel std on the G6 GT as in the Malibu LT 9) Simplify the lineup on both versions. There are too many different model designations that makes it confusing as hell to get one the way you want it. 10) G6 needs to lose weight badly! 4 cylinder cars should not be over 3000 lbs and loaded 4 doors should be around 3200 lbs not 3500 plus!

I have shown the new Impala to my folks and 3 different friends. They all agreed that it looked more refined than the outgoing 05 version and it's interior was nicer looking and that the SS V8 model was awesome if a bit expensive. Not one of them said it looked bland. Refined and upscale was the word. They all gave the Camry and Accord the bland label which I found interesting. 06 Impalas have been selling like hotcakes in Upstate, NY and few of them have been rentals. In fact I have been hounding Enterprise to reserve me an LT to rent but they only have 2 in the whole area that are always being snapped up by corprate guys, but have 6 Chargers. Most Impalas I have seen are LT's with alloys and LT2 package. My neighbor just bought one like that in sport red paint with tan split bench seats and alloys and said she loves it and is getting very good mileage with it. I live in a more traditional area that still likes cars that look somewhat normal and don't go for the Japanese fad cars as much as the bigger cities.

Why can't we have both. Are coupes selling so badly that Chevy and Pontiac can only have one or two? If they made a good coupe then it would sell better. The current Monte Carlo annoys on so many counts. It's interior is 85% carried over with the Impalas center stack, floor shifter and a little brushed silver here and there but little else. The outside looks naked without a door molding or any chrome(this is a personal luxury coupe after all not a cheap econobucket). Why no wood interior trim option? Why no padded armrests on the doors? Why does it need to look almost just like an Impala in front? The only updates I like on this car are the more powerfull engines and the V8, even if it is paired with a weak 4 speed automatic.

Whatever :rolleyes:

Yup this is the direction of the 21st Century. Everything is cheaply made and throw away. Gosh I hope we find room to toss out all our 2 year old obsolete rubbish so we can go purchase our new soon to be obsolete stuff. :rolleyes:

I have always found the GP's interior to be a disaster. The seats are overly hard and way overbolstered. The dash is an uncoordinated mess and very chunky looking and childish with all those silly vents and switches everywhere. The glovebox is placed way down where you can't see whats inside. There is no headroom whatsoever if you are over 6" tall, even with the seat moved all the way down. The rear seat is even worse. The backrest is hard as a rock. Try putting your toes under the front seat. It isn't going to happen. Move the front seat back a little more than half way and see how much room is leftover. Watch that head of yours as it's touching the rear window and pray that you don't go over any big bumps. Wanna rest your arm. Your only choice is a rock hard door rest as Pontiac eliminated the rear seat armrst in the switch over to split rear seats. All this plus it just feels clausterphobic back there. Looking at several buy back rentals I have noticed this superb quality that several are talking about. 2 cars with moonroof needed hercules to open and close the cover. Yet another example had the plastic trim around the rood falling off because it must have been warped. I tried to put it back in place but it kept popping back off. One 2005 had the trim around the lower door opening rockers coming off because of a weak clip. Several had steering wheels with silver that was worn off where the audio controls are. Several cars also chirped when the starter engaged as if they had stripped gears. It was very tough to find a used 2005 or 2005 that didn't have something wrong quality wise. This is all a shame really as the exterior is really the strong point of this car and that 260 hp 3800 S/C and 28 mph highway rating. I must say the 2006 does make some improvements to the interior that I noticed right off the bat and I did like the perforated leather wheel too. It's sad they took the light out of the glovebox as that makes it even harder to see whats in there at night.

The Equinox's interior is one of the cheapest feeling i have ever seen. The gear shift indicator is placed from left to right instead of the normal way, the seat material is the same garbage that the Malibu uses, the pushrod 3400 feels very dated next to the Escapes 3.0 Duratec and the steering and handling will never win any enthusiast friends for there sloppy feel. The styling is the main attraction here but you can only seat 5 people in it. The rear loading tray design takes up too much space too. Also why did the 06 lose 2 mpg on the highway? This is one of those vehicles that looks much better on paper than it performs in real life. Suggestions to Chevy for 2007 would be to replace the 3400 with the 3500 and 3900 VVT, rear disk brakes, all new interior and dash with no ugly black plastic everywhere, a conventional looking shifter, regular power steering and the electric version as an option or at the very least a retuned electric steering, better rear shelving design and a more refined 5 speed automatic or GM's new 6 speed automatic. This would go a long way to improving a rather mediocre vehicle.

I can sympathize with this on many GM products. Why does the new Monte Carlo have a rear spoiler on every model as std with cheap plastic hubcaps. A base model shouldn't have a rear spoiler. Also why shove Onstar down out throats as std equipment. This adds $695 retail dollars to the price of this car. I would gladly sacrifice Onstar and the silly rear spoiler for a damn bodyside door molding, gear shifter indicators on the floor shifter, a glovebox light and alloy wheels on the base model. ANd god forbid a 6 speed automatic tranny. Another example is the Lucerne. Why do I need to spend 31K to get more than 200hp? Why can't I get a leather steering wheel on a base CX model? The way dealers are optioning the cars is so obviously geared towards price padding options like Onstar and XM satellite radio that bloat the stickers several thousand dollars. If I want a base LS Malibu, I shouldn't be forced to get it with a 4 banger only. A V6 or 2.4 170 hp L4 should atleast be an option. More examples: you must take your Colorado/Canyon in short bed lenght only with drum rear brakes only with no V6 or V8 options and mediocre towing ratings. It's GM's asinine thinking like this that really burns customers up and sends them to the competition.

It's funny how everybody pans the 500/Montego as being so dull and boring. These are great cars people. Ok so they look like a bloated Audi/Passat but that is hardly a bad thing. Driving one of these cars reveals an exceptionally roomy sedan with a commanding view of the road. The trunk is huge, back seat room is huge, headroom is pletifull. These cars have considerably more advanced trannys than anything GM currently has, AWD is available and the prices are very reasonable. From the 20 or so versions I have examined, quality control looks to be very good too! And I can't understand the stupid media saying the 500 is so underpowered. My front drive CVT rental consistantly banged off 7.5 second runs to 60 and had very strong mid range and highway punch. How many GM models accellerate to 60 in 7.5 seconds. Lets see, the new Impala does 8.3 with the base more powerfull 3500, 7.8 seconds with the big 3900 V6 and takes a V8 to really beat Fords little 3.0 liter V6. Malibus with the 3500 do 7.6 seconds according to Motor Trend. The new Lucerne with it's weaker 197 hp 3800 will probably be close to 8.5-9.0 seconds. The V8 Lucerne needs a 275 hp Northstar to do a 7.5 second run. It takes a high powered V8 or a S/C 3800 to beet the fwd 500/Montego. This Duratec may look small on paper but it provides plenty of power for 98% of the driving most americans do. And might I add that Ford wasn't as stupid as GM in discontinuing their RWD pony car and their full sized V8 model because they didn't want to ever invest in keeping them up to date. Ford at least has had the balls to introduce a nice new retro Mustang, the T-bird several years back and has continually updated the Crown Vic with new steering, stiffer frames, engine/tranny refinements and several styling refreshes along the way plus that neat Maurader. Don't get me wrong, Ford has made many mistakes over the years but no where near as many as the once almighty General!

I love the look of the current Malibu LT and LTZ models with the new bodyside molding with chrome accent, new grille and new chrome wheels. This looks ever so much sharper than any of Toyotas latest products such as this which to me look so dull in their monotone appearance, no door molding or character line etc and same 'ol Japanese styling cues which are so unoriginal as to be trademark of their brands. I sure hope the next generation Malibu doesn't degenerate into anyting like this. The only things I like are the 268 hp engine and the interior is ok too! I have to try out a car with the 6 speed automatic. That just seems like a lot of gears and shifting going on and adds considerable weight and complexity and cost when these things go out of their 3/36 warranties to repair.

I agree with most of there thoughts but formed a few of my own when checking over a base CX the other day. The trunk is 17.0 cu ft which is smaller than an Impala. Worse the trunk hinges swell right into the thick of the trunk potentially crushing luggage or other belongings. I never have understood the need for navigation on normal cars like this. It is a huge waste of money at over $2000 for a tiny little screen that looks at odds with the rest of the dash anyways. I guess if it was to be offered Buick should have had it ready in time for introduction like Caddy did with the DTS. The smaller cheaper LaCrosse has a tilt/telescoping wheel available but not in the flagship Lucerne. And you can't even order a leather steering wheel with controls in your base Lucerne as you can in your base LaCrosse. The base engine power issues had been beaten to death so i'll move on. The fuel economy is dissapointing on an all new 2006 model. 19/28 is one less on both counts than last years LeSabre/Park Ave with the more powerfull 205 hp 3800. The 17/25 of the V8 really gives pause. If driven even remotely spirited the V8 car will drink gas like an SUV and with the new 07 Tahoe getting over 20 combined this is not a good thing for a smaller lighter 4 door. Much of the blame probably goes to the old 4 speed automatic and outdated engines. That 5.3 303 hp DOD motor would have been a better choice at 18/28 and far superior performance numbers. Other than these gripes I too realy liked the cars I saw but would not coonsider one untill GM offers a better base engine and transmission. Oh and I applaud Buick for finally offering a floor shifter as std equipment.

It was interesting that the 3800 wasn't even mentioned once. Just the V8 versions which for sure are going to impress far more than the underpowered base cars. The mileage does seem low considering both Cadillac Devilles I rented a couple of years back with the same 275 hp engine and 3.11 gears were rated at 27 highway not 25. The little teeny bopper's reactions were typical. Most of these silly kids think that little ricer rockets are the only way to go. Boy how times have changed since I was a kid in the 80's when you just weren't cool unless you drove a Mustang/Camaro/Firebird/Daytona or Grand Am etc. Anybody driving a ricer car was dismissed as a sissy.

Here it is December 1st and there STILL are no Monte Carlos of any kind at any of the 6 dealerships in my area of a 100 mile radius. It's almost like they don't really care about the car. Impalas are stocked by the boatloads as are HHR's but not a singe Monte. This is very weird in the extreme.

Quote:"Baby boomers, they were the first group to come through with no loyalty to the domestic Big Three! These so called baby boomers are showing no loyalty to anything. They turn there noses up to our past. They keep tearing down old buildings and putting up blah new ones. They are getting into the auto industry and designig some of the worst styled product in the history of the automobile. They are making car companies like Toyota king and ignoring that our cars are justs as good. They are making and designing strip malls that a former kindergartner would laugh at with pathetically designed parking lots that are all jumbled and very hard to get in and out of. They have made box stores king like Walmart and have killed off all the nice old mom and pop stores. Where did the older generation go wrong? :rolleyes:

Saw a dark blue on in CXL 3800 guise for $28990. It was stunning to look at. I was a little peeved though to see body colored mirrors backed by black plastic(why not have them all body colored), trunk hinges that were huge and dipped well into the luggage compartment(why not use the hinge setup from the LaCrosse) and no available leather steering wheel on base CX models. Also was dissapointed to see that the mileage ratings are so poor. 17/25 for the V8 and 19/28 for the 3800 and it's tall 2.86:1 gears. I can see Toyota with it's Avalon commercials making a stink that it's car gets better mileage that Lucernes base weak 3800 and has the power of the optional V8 which gets a whopping 6 mpg less. The Lucerne is so much better to look at though.

I have driven the 2.2 Ecotec Malibus are they were fine for everyday driving. If your out to race people then none of these cars, even the GTP is for you. At 6.7 seconds to 60 even a Cobalt SS can beat you. SO on that thought a G6 2.4 coupe does indeed make sense. The old Grand AM sold in heavy quantities with the 4 cylinder so putting the 167 hp motor behind the new 6 speed manual should produce pretty decent power. The coupe with a 2.4 shouldn't weight much over 3200 lbs and maybe even a little under in a $17995 value edition. The trouble with the G6 coupe is that you must move up 2 wrungs to a GT model which is priced around 24-25K to get that 2 door model. A lower priced 2.4 or even base 3500 version would make perfect sense to bring in more traffic to the showroom. And not every car needs to accellerate to 60 in 4 seconds. 98% of the time on our super crowded highways you can never even use that power and with gas prices being so super unstable many folks want more economical choices. 34 mpg highway is very good for a big 4 in a mid size car.

Paint quality is enormously important to consumers and it is very important to get it right, Chrysler officials noted. Seeing the black paint on many Dodge trucks shows that Chrysler indeed needs to improve in this area. Talk about major orange peel. And the person and or machine that applys door moldings on the trucks needs to lay off the crack pipes for a while. 3 out of 10 trucks I saw at a Dodge dealer had misaligned door moldings. Dodge's car lineup is getting pretty weak with the elimination of the Stratus coupe and now the Neon. The Nitro is silly and just another in the huge line of small sport utes cluttering up the highways. The Stratus is old and the Charger/Magnum ugly but rear drive and powerfull. Sadly there is not a Dodge product that I would even consider other than a Caravan if I was in the market for one.

You must be joking! a 3900 lb Lucerne powered by a detuned 197 hp 3800 with lazy 2.86:1 gears. This car is a slug and won't even peel out it's front tires when floored. I know cause I test drove a V6 CXL yesterday with no salesman on board. My 2000 Lesabre with 205 hp series II motor and 3.05:1 gears and 3500 lbs of weight would eat this thing for breakfast. This is progress?

The new Impalas interior is pretty good but has several things that annoy me. One is the sterile looking shifter that is so obviously lacking gear indicators. Every freaking other car I looked at had this but not the Impala/Monte. And no glove box light either. The Accord/Camry/Sonota all had this. Also why does every car that GM makes have such hard ass seats? The leather ones seemed a little better but the cloth ones were really hard. With the front seat moved a little more than half way back for my 6' frame I was amazed at the lack of rear legroom. My 2000 had more of this. The Accord/Camry/Sonata and even the Fusion all had more back seat legroom with the front seat adjusted where I wanted it. Without the $275.00 optional split rear seat on LS and LT models, there is no fold down armrest for rear passengers whereas all these other cars have this on all models std. Lastly the lower portion of the dash just looks and feels cheap along with the door panals which once again are rock hard with no padding. This always annoyed me about my 2000 also on long drives where my arm would often fall asleep resting on the hard armrest. Don't get me wrong the new Impala is indeed a nice step forward for Chevy and the new powertrains deserve praise but I couldn't help feeling the whole time I drove an LT base rental that I was driving yesteryears technology and that better sedans exist.

We still don't have Monte Carlos let alone Lucernes in Upstate, NY. Amazing that these 2 cars were delayed so long.

77-85, 94-96. The new ones are just rebadged Lumina W-bodies!

Some facts about the W-body Cutlass The W-body Supreme went from 1988-1997 The 2.8 liter V6 was in all 1988 models and some 1989 versions. The 3.1 was an option mid way through the year with automatic trans only with the 2.8 being teamed with the stick The infamous "Quad 4" was introduced in 1990 while ABS was an option first seen in 1989 models 1990 was the first year for W-body 4-door Cutlass and the convertible The 3.1 was available with 4 speed automatic only in 89,90,91,94-97. 1992 and 1993 has 3.1 with standard 3 speed automatics in base "s" versions The 3.4 DOHC was introduced in 1991 as the International series engine and an option on regular versions and was paired with the new 4T60E electronic tranny. The 3.1 carried on with the regular non-electronic 4T65 1992 saw new front and rear styling and the Quad 4 was dropped. SL becomes an option package this year. The SL model had new side moldings, bucket seats, rallye guages, fog lamps and 16' tires The 3.4 DOHC wasn't available on converibles untill 1993 as an option but with automatic only. The 3.4 was an option on all other versions, again with 4 speed automatic only. Mid year saw an oddity in the newly available 3100 engine on SL value models. This was a heavily upgraded, quieter engine with 20 more hp and much better top end response. This engine did not make it's appearance in any other 93 model but was the standard engine in many other 94 models including the Supreme. 1994 sees the 160 hp 3100 and 4 speed electronic 4T60E as std fare. SL series I and II special value models were offered. The 3.4 DOHC was an option across the board. Anti-lock brakes and drivers airbag are now std also along with theatre dimming lights 1995 saw a new and improved dash and door panals and switches. SL value models and the convertible were the only cars offered this year. This was the last year for the convertible! 1996 was a carry over except for 4 available series models instead of last years 2. This was the last year for the 3.4 DOHC! 1997 was the last year for this design and could only be had with the 3100 engine and 4 speed automatic. 3 different series models were offered.

Ion interior = barforama