Yeah, just got back from GM's Autoshow in motion.

Before I get to the GXP...let me release some random thoughts buzzing around in my head.

Cadillac CTSv:

OMG!!!!!!!!!! What a forking awesome car!!!!!!!

GTO:

You know, it's such a nice car. I just like so many things about it. Ok, it's no slalom king and it won't take down an S2000 at an autocross....but I like it alot nontheless.
BTW, those fake hoodscoops do not enhance the GTO's driving experience one iota.

Cobalt:

You know how everyone is saying..."So what if the V6 Mustang feels crude, rude and cheap....what do you expect for $20K"?

Well, let me tell you..a $14,000 Cobalt coupe has an interior which is probably a touch higher quality than a V6 Mustang, and it drives pretty decent too. If we forget about which is FWD or RWD....I think the Cobalt makes a better more refined appliance. It's about 6 grand cheaper too.

If you want to compare a V6 Mustang Premium with a Cobalt SS...the Cobalt completely blows it away. Cobalt SS's interior is simply in a different class than Mustang V6.......and Cobalt SS is LOTS more fun to drive.

SSR:

I really wanted to drive a six speed..since I've driven several autos in the past. Unfortunately, because of rain, they had all the 6 speeds parked. Anyway, there weren't too many people in that area...so I took half a dozen runs with the SSR. It's a fun truck. For a truck, I like it an awful lot. I'd consider buying one....but I'd only do it for a 50% discount.


5.3 GXP:

It's really weird to get into a W-car, turn the ignition key, and hear the burble of a healthy V8. Weird but cool. Lots of V8 grunt, feels good.

This is by far the most well developed W-car package I've ever experienced. Really handled great..eventhough it was raining. Although I couldn't really drive too fast on the course that was laid out...I could get fast enough to feel the upgraded brakes. I wish that I could have spent more time with it....but from my few runs...I have to say that the LS4 felt surprisingly good going through the front wheels. If this package were RWD....HOLY COW!!!!!....I'd be all over it.

I think the upcoming Impala SS...which RP let me checkout at the Chicago show.... has a much nicer interior than the GXP. In fact it's so much nicer, I think I would trade some of GXP's chassis tweaks for Impala SS's nicer/less bizarre interior.

Who knows, I may even end up buying one. Is it possible that an LS4 Impala SS could be my first automatic trans car in over 25 years?

 

Great post!

Thanks for the tidbits. Were you able to engage the DOD feature or could you have even noticed? I'm guessing you didn't really have room to just cruise on a closed "course".

 

The DOD was imperceptible to me.

 

How was the torque steer on the GXP?

On our 04 GTP, it gets a little squirrly if you hammer it from a stop... the steering wheel starts jerking back-and-forth like Elaine from Seinfeld doing her little dance!! I figured the GXP would be even worse.

You did say it was raining, though, so you might not have had a chance to get a good idea....

 

Darth, someone who was there yesterday (no rain) posted on ClupGP that he experienced torque steer. I didn't experience any today...in the rain.

 

They also had a G6 GTP coupe, with six speed. It was display only...and I thought it looked really sharp....with it's 18" wheels and paint color. It was that dark blue/gray color..Stealth Gray? I can't tell you how sweet it was seeing a manual shifter in a GM product like that.

It looked pretty cool...not at all Solara-ish...as some pictures would make you think.

Looks like GM's got some good product in the pipe line.

 

You mentioned the Impala's new interior was better than Grand Prix's. Did GP's inter change for 2006??

 

AFAIK, GP's interior will remain unchanged for '06. The GXP that I drove has just been released and is...I believe.. an '05. It'll be a short run for it. The '06 GXP will be unchanged.

 

Well, the last one I saw had "$1,500 customer cash" writen on a tag hanging from the rearview mirror.


My objections to the GTO never had anything to do with the lack of hoodscoops, either.

The GTO is a great 1990s car. GM just got the decade wrong.


The last Cobalt coupe I spotted was a grim looking $17K vehicle with dinky 15 inch wheels.

Say what you want, but the 2005 Mustang....any 2005 Mustang.....has the looks of champ. You can understang why even V6 owners can get excited about their car. The new Mustang is about as "classy" as cheap car can get.

Chevy's Cobalt is just a Cavalier replacement - and that's exactly what it looks like.



I have to agree that the SSR would have been a brilliant vehicle....with a 50% discount.



If the Grand Prix GXP had been introduced before Chrysler's LX cars, it might have had a change. It might have.

The GXP still has it's place. As a source of cheap used car thrills, it will offer tremendous value to plenty of second owners.

 

Yeah....that puke green V6 model with the "knock-off" wheels I saw this week was really "classy" looking. I think the guy driving thought he looked like a "champ," but that car was beaten with an ugly stick.

 

Only think I hate about the GXP is the new front. The one on my car is already questionable, but the new one is hideous. Lutz sent the original 04 GP back for a redesign because it has picked up the nickname "bucky beaver". That being the case, I can't believe he signed off on the new one.

I see it, and my brain says...."how much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a ........

 

Why do you continue to magazine-compare vehicles? Charlie has actually driven both V6 Mustangs and Cobalts...and I can fully understand why he feels the Cobalt is more refined (suspension and interior) and probably a better value for what it is. Let's be candid now, buying a V6 Mustang means you're buying standard transportation with some "look at me" styling....and hey if that's worth the $6,000 premium, go for it. But you have to admit the base Cobalt models make good sense as sporty, solid transportation.

 

i can vouch for the cobalt being sporty
we just got a few at a local dealership and it looks excellent
some kind of greenish grey blue color coupe
i'd definately consider buying one if i had the money

 

I don't really disagree.

But my point is that some semblence of refinement can be had on a car south of $20,000.

Cobalt and Cobalt SS renders the argument that..... V6 Mustang has stylish sheetmetal and only cost $20k, so it's unreasonable to expect refinement and high quality....null and void.

 

I don't have to "admit the base Cobalt models make good sense as sporty, solid transportation." I have a hard time making the case for the Cobalt as a transportation appliance when you can buy a highly incentivized new midsized car for about the same price. When you see a new 2005 Taurus SE advertised for $13K+......

The bottom line is that the a comparably equipped Cobalt isn't $6,000 less than a 2005 Mustang. The embarrasing truth is that $19K Cobalt coupes will be competing with $21k Mustangs.