Outside of the Corvette, Chevy is BS excitement and design-wise. And that is that. Even the Corvette could use a little help with those headlights IMO. I really think they could have been done better.

 

To build on what BigAl said....the ENGINES have street credibility, not the cars per se. When someone says "LS1," people respect the performance of the vehicle. Most import guys/gals I know even realize what that means...

It's also quite funny how "WS6" has become attached to one vehicle...the '98-'02 Ram Air Trans Am. That code has been used for some time, but yet it has come to mean one thing on the street. Maybe it's the menacing looks

 

Or maybe because it was the first one to actually put a WS6 emblem on the car.

 

Maybe you're right, but I think it has more to do with people simply calling them "WS6's"

 

True, but I would think they did because of that.

Also, you guys gotta remember that sometimes people with way slower cars will challenge you just for fun or to see what the car can do. Some will race anything or get beat by a faster car just to see.

 

Or dub s6 . LOL , I about **** when I heard a kid ask me " maaaan , is that one of those duuub s6's "

Chevys help is coming . Like you said the Cobalt will draw alot of new young enthusist . Its already being praised to hell in import mags , and everything ecotec is setting records everywhere both at bonneville and in drag racing . Once they are ready to step up , I think chevy will have product by then . And hey , the malibu is getting a new nose , thats something to cheer about right there

 

Ive had a tons of times where people just wanted to hear my exhaust . Funniest time being a turbo beetle , this kid kept reving the crap outa his car behind me at every light . He finally was able to get beside , so I figured wth , I'll make him see what areal car will do . I did full throttle 1-2 blip . Kid pulls up at the next light with him and his g/f just smiling , and he said " man , sweet a** car , I just wanted to hear what it sounded like "

 

There is no question in my mind that the Malibu is a decent car. I don't care whether a person likes the looks or not...its a decent car. But it has the enthusiast appeal of drying paint...potentially less.

Years ago, from J body to F body and everything in between...there was a "performance" version. Sure, some of these cars had barely any more performance than their run-of-the-mill variants...but there was this aura around them...whether they deserved it or not.

It would not cost GM much $$$ to take a Malibu, make it a coupe, throw some ground effects on it ala a Mazda 6s, and give it the G6's 3.9 and 6 speed. Even with the ugly nose, paint the bar body color and throw a front air dam on it. At least then you'd have something in between a Cobalt and a Monte SS...which no one really takes that seriously anyways!

 

Chevy needs to

- Bring back the Camaro with a 250HP+ V6 on the low end LS2 on the high
- offer "Stage 1" style packages for the Cobalt SS
- Build that damn LS2 Colorado SS and offer it with all 3 cabs.
- Build the Monte on the Epsilon platfom and offer a 3.9L HV and turbo V6 ( keep price down)
- LS2 Silverado SS, 6 spd, and offer reg & ext cab., drop manditory heated leather.
- Build a RWD sedan and sell it with the 400HP LS2 at no more than the price of an LS2 Camaro.


A problem I notice with Chevy is that if you are 16-19 and want a sporty used first car that is not too expensive your screwed if you like Chevy. Cavi is a joke, F4 Camaros have the high insurance and RWD scares parents. When I was 16 there was a nice selection of used Z24s (with V6) Berettas GTZ & Z26, Z34's, and V6 Camaros. Chevy at one time made a nice selection on sporty low cost cars. Malibu is a nice car, but it isn't as sporty looking as an Altima, Accord, or Mazda 6.

Cobalt is a huge move in the right direction for Chevy street cred. Now how about some RWD cars?

 

GM just needs to pull its head out of its ***. With few exceptions, all of its products are vanilla pudding. Even the Cobalt SS is missing about 40hp. They need to take a stand and come out with some hairy monster of a car that puts the affordable performance world on notice, but it wont happen. I gave up hope a while back. How about a turbo soltice rated around 271 hp with the ability to push 350hp with minor mods? Nope, won't happen.

With GM, the brighter days are perpetually just around the corner.

 

im 19 and i feel there is no replacement for a good old RWD american muscle car
when my parents bought their first new cars that i was old enought to appreiciate i was out checkin out the rides at the ford dealer and i couldnt take my eyes of the sn95 5.0 stangs that was my first dream car when it came to to get my first car i looked at some stangs but my parents wouldnt let me get one cause they thought i would kill myself or somthin but around the southbend area in INdiana i think that chevy still has some credibility cause there are about 50 million fbodys to rule the streets
but i pulled up next to a mid 90's talon tsi in my 94 Z i ran the dude of cours he took me off the line but i flew past him when i got traction
ended up talkin to him and he was lik man Z's never can keep up with me i thought your car was an SS debaged or somethin
and for the slow cars runnin everyone I go out in my moms 98 windstar and run ricers all the time to put em in their place ive beat numerous riced civics with a freakin mini van and occaisionally ill pull up next to an STi and try and get em to run just for Sh!tz and giggles so dont take them all seriously especially the minivans
ok end rant

 

I have had ricers ask me if its a 305 in it, can it break into the 14's, that doesnt handle well does it? My honda accord probably handles better than that. Just some stuff I hear on a day to dya basis. The other thing I hear about all the time is once how a manual makes these imports and domestic rice 14 second cars. My friend just built a integra with the non v-tec motor, B18A2? or A1... not sure, with a big trim t3/t4, its still slow, and doesnt start spooling until 3200 rpm's!! Keep in mind its just a dohc motor, no valve timing etc.. so its power is solely on its low 1.8l displacement with a turbo to big to be efficient, not sure what his redline is, but he thinks he will be getting 400 horsepower and be well into the 12's. It always floors it and you hear this sound... he thinks its cool turbo chatter... but its compressor surge, I find it funny. Yet, it doesn't impress me actually. He has like 10k+ in that car, and its just depressing to know that he isn't going to be much faster, he won't be as fast as he thinks. If it was the GSR motor, it would have much more potential, and maybe pull the times he is hoping for. We will see. I just wish stock civics/saturns/celicas/cavaliars etc.. would just stop and figure something out. Z/28's arent the fastest, yet they are no slouch on the street, and are one of the greatest handling cars you can get for the price!

 

Bottom line is Chevy needs some affordable cars/trucks that can do 13's

 

A testament to GM's decline in public opinion, when I got my tC this summer, I pulled up to work next to a guy with a new GTO. He was walking to his car with coworkers, and they all turned to my car and started asking me questions and wanting to check out all the niceties.

I don't think my car is even in the same league as the new goat, but the fact of the matter is, it excites people. People see or hear about my car and I'm amazed at how interested they are. I point out GTOs to my friends while driving and they say "oh....."

Honestly, the youth market and the enthusiast market (which cross over a lot but are not the same) have been all but abandoned by GM. They want to make expensive high margin sports cars and trucks for middle aged/old men with too much money, and blander than bland cars for middle aged men with not as much money.

As this post points out, GM is just thinking in the short term. The people into Scion today are probably going to look at Toyota first when it's time to buy a family hauler. The people into Honda today are going to look at Acura first when it's time to buy that nice sedan since you just got a big raise. The people driving Cavaliers today are going to swear to never buy another piece of crap Chevy again. Cobalt is a good step up, but what does the young guy who's grown out of a sport compact but can't afford a GTO do? Sorry, but the Monte SS and Impala SS are straight pretty much aimed right at the NASCAR fan, especially the Monte. That is a good sized demographic, but they need to branch out and stop targeting a niche with 2 of the biggest volume cars in Chevy's lineup.

Honestly, after owning my tC a while I realize there's just a lack of attention to detail in GM's cars, (as well as other manufacturer's, but this is a GM site so I'll keep it specific to them) Why can't their cars come with nice looking wheels, body kits, interiors? The tC is really nothing special. Camry engine and transmission, not particularly great performance....the body is nothing outrageous or aggressive, but the small touches made it a car that I'd buy, in fact the first car I've bought new. If GM would start paying attention to detail, the cars would improve and buyers would follow

 

I believe 3rd gen Firebirds that had the WS6 option had WS6 printed on the center cap of the gold honeycomb wheels.