Reading the latest on the new FWD GM cars. What's this talk about a 4.6L Northstar in the Bonneville and 5.3L V8 in the Gran Prix. Also a couple of others in the works. Even mentioned how the front wheels are going to be an inch wider.

300+ lbs-ft of torque is not going to be happy going through the front wheels... C'mon GM, where's the AWD system from Subaru? You are bringing back performance sedans and offering them with manuals, but wrong wheel drive!

-B

 

I think there is unquestionably a place for FWD cars of all sizes... but, I think we are reaching the limits of sensable horsepower in them.

I think these cars are partially a "stop gap" until the new RWD cars start coming out from GM.

 

Because everyones doing it Bazzle!

Serious...I think its one of the only ways GM can compete power wise with Honda and Nissan. I think we are hitting a ceiling as well for FWD's. Thats why 80+% are still around the 200HP range.

 

Cuz thats what the public wants...untill the realize that a 300hp car needs RWD, then the Camaro will come out and be a huge it.

 

Why? Cause they have this stupid fear of AWD, and are behind everyone else in implementing this throughout their high powered FWD-based line/cars or even their regular bread and butter cars with decent hp/tq.

Like i said before...don't even bother giving us high performance varients if you're going to shackle them down with a crappy FWD setup.

 

Simple...the cars are a stop-gap until Zeta debuts. As a stop-gap however, I think the GP is pretty damn cool

 

I've been looking forward to the the V8 W-bodies. With todays technology high powered FWD cars aren't that bad, heck 300hp FWD Northstars have been around for 10 years now. The FWD Caddy ETC drives very well for the power it puts down and the kickdown is much quicker than any RWD car. Don't get me wrong I prefer RWD anyday over FWD, especialy in a performance car. Since we have switched to Chevy at work I am hoping sometime next year I'll be driving a V8 Impala 9C1. Hopefully the horsepower will be a little higher than the quoted 285, but if it is 285 I can live with that. Anything is better than the current Crown Vic.

 

Yes...bad GM.
Lets not forget everyone elses high powerd FWD cars.
Why cant you drop the best selling cars and make them RWD?!?! What are you stupid GM?!?!
The chassis is there, and there are people that want a fast ride. It workds for Honda and Acura, as well as Nissan, and everyone praises them. But when GM does it, all you can do is boo?
Sorry if GM cant make a small percentage of the car buying population happy by converting all there cars to RWD, or drop teh massive amounts of money into AWD.

 

It gives them a competitor against Acura TL, Nissan Maxima/Altima V6, Mitsubishi Galant V6, etc. At one time, the supercharged GP was the quickest FWD car out there in the $25-$35 price range. Now, it's been
surpassed by some of the above.

They aren't very interesting to me either, but there are some people who are afraid of RWD but still want good HP.

 

FWD = not interesting = no sale

 

Quite the opposite

 

FWD with high HP screws up the handling. Too much weight on the nose and the front wheels are doing all the work.

But I'm not complaining, any type of exciting new product from GM should be good news

 

Honda/Acura went RWD with their NSX/S2000, and they went AWD with their 300hp 3.5L Acura RL. Honda/Acura specifically cited that they're already pretty much reached the limited of FWD in high hp, high performance applications. They do not have a sub-300hp FWD car. Nither does Nissan whose highest hp FWD car has an ouput south of 265hp and nowhere near the tq of the new v8 GXP.

Oh Btw, the biggest criticisim against the Maxima and Acura TL is that they're FWD. Infact, Acura has been flamed continuously, and their status as a Luxury marquee questioned, and even they will soon give the TL, etc.... AWD. Nissan's FWD 3.5 Altima and Maxima have been torched for their Tq steer. So no, they are NOT recieving praises for their FWD setup and niether will this new GXP.

Leave FWD to the underpowered 4 bangers and lower-output v6's and if you're going to give a car a serious motor, give it the matcing and right drive-wheel(s).

 

The above statement seems to imply because Honda doesn't do it, neither should GM. Say what? Since when is different a bad thing? Just because Honda doesn't do it doesn't mean it can't be done!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, years ago I remember when Motor Trend tested the new-for-'92 Seville with its 200hp 4.9 V8. At that time the consensus was that 200hp was the top limit for FWD. I think time proved that wrong, and Caddy proved it wrong exactly 1 year later. Northstars have/had very little torque steer. Now granted, some of the refined feeling IS indeed lacking with a FWD car...hence Caddy making the switch.

However, many people enjoy FWD for the inclement weather benefits. Put the same tires and same power in a FWD car and a RWD car, and the FWD car will, by nature, be better in snow every time. Now, I am all for RWD...but I can see some real, tangible benefits to FWD for many. As for the AWD argument, not EVERYONE wants to pay for AWD. And if that's what it takes to make a certain car line do well in snow, people up north and in snow climates may be unhappy with the increased cost, complexity and MPG deficit...

Not everyone is a performance enthusiast...hence why FWD still has some real uses and benefits to it. Those who say FWD = bad simply are not looking at the bigger picture...

With that said, I wish all my cars were RWD But I'm a much different driver than, say, my mother...who just wants good all-weather capability and good MPG.

 

I only used Honda/Acura because someone brought up how Honda/Nissan get praised for using FWD, when it is the opposite. I only made a note of how they think they've reached the practical levels of FWD in a high hp, high tq application and how they too are making the switch. And yes, Even the Acura TL uses this supposed cure/bandaid for Tq steer called "equal length driveshafts". What's "new" that GM can use in quelling this tendency?

Honestly, there's a pretty darn GOOD reason why there aren't too many FWD cars with Sub-300hp outputs and matching tq. I don’t care how smooth or limited the Tq steer is on the Cadillacs, its still there. You can think it is perfectly fine for GM to be “different” and push the envelope of high output FWD vehicles past their practical limits, but in the end, GM’s only bandaging the problem. It will STILL be there.

In the end, if GM wants to market this as a performance car, they should give it the right hardware (5.3L v8 is good move). And while FWD is still better in nasty weather, RWD cars like the CTS, 3-series, etc... are very drivable in the winter given todays tech, and AWD would be perfectly at home in such weather. I just see this as a half-hearted effort on GM's part with them shoe-horning in a nice v8, but sticking with FWD. In the end, as Pontiac's flagship car and rumored BMW fighter, it deserves a little more.