gavriil

I am a Hertz member, though Hertz was sold out at Dulles Airport last week and so I had to go with Alamo (Avis was sold out as well - the TSA had a huge convention around the area). Spending 2 days at our nation's capital's "burbs".

So I was surprised to see that what Alamo does is:

After you pick your vehicle size, which means, Compact, Mid-size, Full-Size, etc., they send you out in an area where you can pick your own car, as long as you are at right lot (size-wise). Very happy I was, as I am fed up with the usual Taurus from Hertz. Enough already.

As you know, Hertz is a "Ford shop". It's now owned completely by Ford anyway. I discovered that Alamo is a GM shop. So I thought, let's go with that yellow Chevy Monte Carlo.

Open the trunk with the remote to put the suitcase in. Wow! Trunk is huge for a 2 door car. Ala-CL. Close trunk...Sound: thunk...grang! Hmmm...

Get in car, it's not easy to get into this coupe, my feet stop on the sills. Start car, computer says "Need Oil Change"...oh come on Alamo! Then it says, "Trunk Open". Damn! Get out, open trunk, close with one hand, "thunk-crunk!"...still not closing all the way, God #$%#^%...two hands and you can tell you are dealing with pieces of metal that have been produced/made by people who were speaking different languages. They aint fitting right damn it! Thinking: "oh how spoiled the CLS and RX have me" then thinking "it cant be just that, GM makes cars like they made them in the 80s", but then I am thinking "Chevy cars at least, cos the case was not so with other GM cars".

I mean Lutz admits it. He says, we fixed Cadillac and Pontiac is on the same track, now it's time for Chevy and Buick. And I believe him. When I test drove the CTS, no such issues were present.

Back to the car. Same feeling when closing the door. Thunk...drang! What the f#$%? Who made this thing?

OK get in, try to settle in, interestingly, I found a comfortable position quickly. As you expect, the car is a base car, base engine, no leather, no power everything (although many things were power operated). Not the seats. No prob. Though I was surprised they were comfortable and from an ergonomics perspective, after playing with the seat and the steering rack, I found a comfortable position quickly. Kudos on that. To me, no need for heavy motors to make a seat power-operated. Apply the principle of true sports roadsters on coupes as well. Make it mechanical. How many times would you change your seat's position anyway? Well, that would be an issue if you had the wole family use your car, I guess. Anyway...

Also, another thing I liked, which my RX has and this Monte Carlo had, was the fact that the ignition (where the key sticks at least), is not on the steering rack, but on the dash. Much more ergonomic that way. Easy to find in the dark as it was iluminated. But mostly easy to put the key in and start the car quickly. It's cold out. DC colder than Chicago! You know something's not right.

I mean GM is full of surprises. You never know where they will fail and where they will be ahead of everyone, in a car that should not be ahead of everyone. In any class. I have seen it before with other GM cars.

You can see what I mean about the ignition in this photo below:



Another thing that was surpirsing, was the use of dual side temp controls in this car. It's manual, though it's dual side. I mean, our car does not car dual side controls. That's not saying that I'd prefer the HVAC system of the MC's in my CLS. Nothing beats a digital HVAC system.

Mind you, it's 7PM and it's pitch dark, so I cant see the interior that well. Though it looks, fells and smells...cheap. Like it should have. Just as I expected from a Chevy currently. Next day, in the light of day, the above suspicion and overall feeling, is confirmed.

Start the engine, try to adjust mirrors. They are power mirrors. Weeeerrrrrr.....The sound they make as they move makes you think that they are ready to bust on you at any second now. Can it make it all the way out? Maybe, maybe not. All the signs of low quality parts used. All the signs of a team that had to make something under a certain budget, under a certain deadline and had no energy nor the resources to concentrate on what the customer might THINK after using this thing this team is making. Pathetic, from that respect. I can picture those asses (engineers, project managers, you name the title), going to work and trying to survive for the day, save their job taking it a day at a time, protect their turf, all the on-the-job politics that make a company fail due to this ill culture. Maybe I am wrong, though their product betrays, that type of environment. And something tells me, I am not far from the truth.

Anyway....way too much to derive from, from the noise of the electric mirrors, dont you think? I hope I am wrong though.

Look behind me. Wow! Tons of space for the rear passengers, if any were present and sitting there, that is. Seriously, this coupe has the space of a sedan in the rear. At least legroom-wise.

Start moving. Right away, I can tell effort was exurted on how the steering feels. Not only heavy, as a coupe's should be, but also not that inacurate either, considering the price and...the sound of the trunk, doors and power mirrors. Seriously, the steering was heavier than in our CLS and nearly as acurate. Which is not BMW acurate, but hey! it's a $20K Chevy. As I said, you never know when you'll be surprised in these GM cars.

Next thing that happens is I notice the sound of the engine. Sounds good. OK stop and give the papers to the exit guy. Blah, blah, blah. Step on it at the light and...wow! This thing has some grunt. And the sound of that engine is great... I can easily tell you that it sounds better than any 3.0 BMW car I have ever driven. And that's not saying that 330s sound good. I dont hear it. They used artificial "boomboxes" in the Z4, went out of their way...nothing. It's buzzing like an above average 4 cylinder from a Mitsu car. Sorry. Back to the MC.

Later, after opening the hood, I realize it's the 3.4 V6 GM uses "all over the place" in their cars. I tell ya, I have experienced this engine before, in Buicks and I can tell you that the numbers say none of what this engine, feels like, in all these cars I drove.

3.4 liters, V6
180HP at a very low 5200 rpm and
205 lb-ft at 4000 rpm.

The Monte Carlo felt stronger at low rpm than my CLS. And the mid range was par. Note that it's also lighter at 3340 pounds.

Suspension. Not bad at all. The ride was...in a way...a less refined felling-ride than our CLS'. I mean it absorbed all the things you'd want a GT coupe car to absorb in every day driving conditions. Great for dealing with the broken pavement during the commute to work. Sound-proofing was, as expected, of lower intensity than our CLS' but not by leaps and bounds. I'd say 20% more road noise would enter the cabin. Overall not bad.

I can tell you, the sound proofing and ride were clearly better than the Maxima I lived with for 5 days in San Fran a couple of months ago (it was a previous gen. Maxima - not the brand new one).

Flooring it from a dead stop, the wheels would chirp but not lose traction. And there was NO torque steer. The car, like ours, is FWD.

So overall, as I expected, GM's powertrains are once again shining (considering the category) and build quality and materials used, suck, big time. Usability is there. Ergonomics as well. Not sure about quality of course. Typical Chevy. As expected.

Overall this Monte Carlo is...another Chevy. Lots of car for the money probably, but one that could pay a few thousand more, should not buy this car. Accord coupe would make a lot more sense, though it would cost a lot more money with a V6.

It only reinforced how much work Lutz and the rest of the Chevy folks have in front of them. I hear that build quality is excellent with the new Malibu and I believe it. I hope they apply that to all their Chevy cars. Quickly. It's already late. Maybe too late.

J.T.'s 3.2CL

No way that POS american engine sounds better than a BMW inline 6.

Red Rider

Maybe the ugliest car on the road

JZ

The BMW inline 6 sounds like crap! In fact, you can barely hear what little sound it does make at all!

rickm

Great review, I've always wondered what they're REALLy like. I pass a black one with "Intimidator" stickers on it everyday coming home from work. When I pass it, I say to "you ain't intimidating nothing" (it's my own form of Turette Syndrom). I've seen some (without stickers and stuff all over) that look okay though, GM still scares me with Quality, my last GM swore me off American cars for good.

Tommy H

You nailed it on the head about GM quality. When I was in Long Beach over the summer, a friend had rented an Impala. I reached into the trunk to grab my luggage and sliced open my hand on a piece of jagged metal that was just hanging down from the top of the trunk! I still have a scar from it.

suXor

There is no f**king way a GM main-stream vehicle deserves such attention on this board, let alone that much of a write up. GO wash your Acura...

dj5

I agree they are pretty ugly. You wonder what people were thinking when they purchased one. No accounting for some people's taste in vehicles.

joeshmoe

I could never understand why GM turned the monte carlo from a v8 to a v6. I loved the older body style v8's.

einsatz

I disagree. One of the reasons I enjoy A-CL is that it's not just "All things CL". It's waaaay more general. The Automotive News board covers all makes and models and is one of the things that keeps me coming back. The Car Talk has often covered other makes/models (look at the S60R thread up there now), and I fail to see how covering GM is any exception.

I, too have been curious about the Monte Carlo. Reading a review from another Acura owner is certainly something I can relate to more than reading it from some dickhead C&D editor.

dfreder371

I rented one of these a year ago for two days when I was in (where else?) Ohio. The car wasn't that bad at all. The only point I can recall about it was the absurdely non linearity of the gas guage. By the time the guage fell to 3/4 of a tank, we had driven 225 miles, implying a range of 900 miles per tank! That didn't happen.

And on another Ohio trip, we rented a malibu. I swear to god, the fabric for the seats looked, and felt, like they were made out of pajamas!

This is a dirty, rotten shame. I'm dating myself here, but back when I was 18 in 1969, there was no more exciting automotive place than the Chevy showroom.

302 cid Z-28. I owned one, a rare factory black. 1969 $3,600, new.
My neighbors 396 cid 375 hp SS/RS camaro convertible, BEFORE we added headers and put in a 4.88 rear axle, DAMN that thing was fast.
My co workers 454 cic 450 hp SS chevelle with cowl induction.
And there was always the corvette.

Chevy has become the Enron of the automotive world.

gavriil

To me it does. And because the difference is so significant (between the two), I bet most will prefer the engine sound from the Chevy.

gavriil

Currently, GM quality is largely dependant on the subsidiary. And even then, it's dependant on the actual model. I guess you have to distinguish the pre-Lutz era GM and the post-Lutz era GM.

gavriil

Ouch!

gavriil

To a true automotive enthusiast, every vehicle deserves attention. Especially when lived with it for a few minutes, hours, days, etc.

Python2121

when we rented one (my parents im only 17) i got to drive it and i have to say, the transmission is something to be envied. the preformance is far superior to my 3.0

gavriil

I do not find the Monte Carlo ugly at all. Not the prettiest coupe on the road, but for the category it's nice and spicy.

gavriil

einsatz

gavriil

During an interview, Bob Lutz was asked what he has in his garage. He numbered about 8-10 vehicles, of which one or two were GM cars from the 60s. And I remember him saying (paraphrasing here): No owned why GM had 65% of the market back then. These things are so well made, they are up to par even with today's standards. That's where GM deserves to be today, etc, etc.

Your description reminded me of that note by Bob.

dallison

had one for a loaner and it was so uncomfortable POS

blader

I have one in my town that thinks its straight outta NASCAR .. nascar stickers, black wheels and tires with the yellow lettering

dallison

you know in a way i like that one only, i know its the epitomy of white trash and its all they strive for, a car with nascar logos on it!!!

i like nascar so i can make fun of it n all

mattg

damn that thing is ugly.

1killercls

x 911087445009326

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

It's the same thing as an Impala with two less doors. No wonder it's so big.

One of my roommates has one, base model. I hate the interior. Every time I drive his car, it's like staring at a wall in front of me.

And about the mirrors, it's not just the cheaper models. My dad just picked up an '04 XL Denali, fully loaded. The power mirrors do the same damn thing. Especially when I fold them in and fold them back out. It takes a long time, like it's stuck on something, then it literally pops into place. On a 55,000-dollar car. Yeah.... After 2-3 months of owning the car, my dad already said he's done with GM now. This is going to be his last GM. He used to have a Tahoe before the Denali, and that thing was solid. I think GM quality went down over the recent years. They develop their products for the lower end models, then use the same cheap-ass parts on their upper-line models, and merely add some gizmos and body panels to it -- voila, you have a Denali and an Escalade. GM is a huge company and I understand that they musut share parts among models to save costs. But sometimes it's just ridiculously low quality.

Chopsie

A friend of mine has a White MC SS with the Aero kit on it and nascar spoiler on it. I think it looks really long. I agree with everything you mentioned on this car Gavrill. Not a bad car for the money, but good ole "quality" GM materials.

Chaptorial

Awesome review Gavriil. It read better then most i've seen in major car mags.

The new MC really is one ugly car. I've never sat in one but now i know my suspicions have been confirmed when i thought this car was cheap.

Did it have the standard #3 on the rear window?

blackmagiCL_S

I like it. But I would NOT buy one. Too much GM cheez.

Strange thing is, I find myself liking a lot of the "big" coupes and the MC is one of them. THe exception being the silly MCs that have Tzx or some other sh!t on it like a racing flag that says either "pull me over" or "I am too old and I thought this was cool". I've raced the MC and 80mph+ they are okay but not worthy of the name. We are faster but we don't blow them away....it is just slow enough to smile and wave as we pass. . I like the looks, I respect playing at 80-100mph, I am VERY VERY glad that I have a CLS. Maybe the new supercharged one will be better.

24_karat

Actually I think the CL-S sounds better than 3.0 bimmer too.

blackmagiCL_S

A lot of that (liking one or the other) is FWD vs. RWD. I have test driven the 330xi and I wasn't impressed as far as acceleration. The coupe might be different.

gavriil

Thanks Chaptorial.

No, no #3 in the rear window

gavriil

Not blowing them away is true. In some cases, we will be par actually. Like low speed/rpm cases.

If you have an auto CLS like me, 80-100 mph is the sweet spot on 3rd as you know. 85-110 is even sweeter. Like 55-70 mph on 2nd.

gavriil

To me, it sounds WAY better. No comparison. Sound is subjective though. But as I said before, the BMW 3.0 engine is so uninspiring, I believe most car enthusiasts will agree.

gavriil

I am guessing that you will not be impressed with the coupe either. They feel slower than they are because of the way torque is "released". If it was not for the short gearing of the manuals, they feel even slower.

CLASSYCLS

My co-worker has a black 02 SS, I drove it, it is a good car!!! Power was there when needed, handled great considering the size of the SS, styling is nice and is very comfortable! I realize people have their own opinons, which I can respect, but their is alot of bashing on this car from people who havent experinced the SS, if they have, then opinons have been respected, but those who havent, drive it, then speak!!

Maximized

I don't know which model you tested with the BMW 3.0L, but there is no way that the 3.4 sounds anywhere near as good as the BMW engine. I have had a couple of loaner cars with that exact engine and in the upper rpms it sounds real bad. You can hear that the engine is struggling.

gavriil

I have tested 330i and 330Ci, the M Roadster (with the 3.2L 240HP engine and that was not very impressive either), the Z4 with the 3.0 and the 2.5, the 325i and finally the 530i. I also have driven a 328 car.

I would not even rate them average actually. Disappointed I was.

gavriil

I can only imagine the SS being better overall than the car I drove, from a drivetrain standpoint. And if that's the case, then it should drive significantly above average for the category.