I know I don't get around here too much anymore (this job is a little more work than I anticipated...), but I've been thinking about this idea for awhile now, and wanted to hear some opinions on it...

In my 2 months here, I've had 2 different SRT-4s as demos (the Crossfire got the boot from demo duty when I discovered during an early morning freeway romp that you literally can park an Explorer in the rear blind spots of a Crossfire coupe ). Say what you will about these cars, but the drive is a complete blast, and the mileage is phenomenal if you keep your foot out of it, routinely giving me 30 MPG in a 80/20 mix of highway/city driving.

I kept thinking, what if this car had a better quality interior? What if it had a normal exhaust that would allow for less NVH? I mean, does a young person like myself really NEED a larger car than something Neon/Cobalt sized?

The idea I have is really simple. Nothing larger than a G6 (and even that would be on the large size of ideal). RWD/AWD and an M6 are a must. If you want to give it an American flare, give it an LSx or a small Hemi. A blown 3900 type engine would be fine, too. Give it 50/50 weight distribution, and bring it in right at the $30k mark. No rebates, no games...just an honest 3 series fighter.

Could Pontiac and/or Dodge sell a car like this, or are Americans too stuck on big? With $3/gal gas, smaller cars just seem to make so much more sense than a couple years ago.

Doesn't this sound like exactly what the G6 GXP would've/could've been?? I guess you could say after several years of larger coupes, I have found a real appreciation for small cars that pack a big punch...

 

IMO, it'd be a hard sell in general.

People just don't equate "small" with "premium" when it comes to normal cars.

Personally, I honestly wouldn't be interested. Too small for my tastes.

(FWIW, I don't think the idea is bad... I just don't think this market would embrace it)

 

That is where a Kappa Sedan could come in. I'd never pay $24K for a Delta FWD sedan (or $20K) but I'd definatly be interested in a Kappa RWD car the size of a Cobalt with premium features for $24K

 

A cobalt\civic\neon sized\priced RWD car would be pretty cool as long as it had 4 seats.

 

I agree with Darth. A premium Neon sized car would be not only a hard sell, but an impossible one if it were under an American brand.

I also like the SRT-4. But a huge part of the fun about the car is that it's c-h-e-a-p to buy as well as it's high powered drivetrain.

Although I can even see myself with an SRT-4, I can't see anyone paying upper 20s for that sized vehicle, even with that power level.

 

Why must RWD = premium?

 

How about a Neon sized RWD car with the Solstice GXP 260HP turbo engine at the same price as a Solstice GXP ~$25K. Jaw dropping styling is also a must for any premium small car. Mini Cooper did it

 

How about sticking the 260HP turbo 4 in an Aveo sized car?

 

Maybe where you live, but here in San Francisco there's a lot of desire for premium/luxury small cars. The streets are filled with 3-Series, Jettas, A4s, Acura TSXs and so on. Not mention all the Minis and Priuses (really a semi-lux subcompact). That's a lot of people spending 30K+ for a compact. It's similar in LA and on the east coast -- any place where parking is tight, even wealthy people appreciate smaller cars.

GM cars tend to be bloated IMO -- even something like the Cobalt 4door appears large compared to a new Civic (and the G6 compared to the Accord, CTS compared to the 3-Series, etc). A car like the Grand Prix is all fenders. And these cars keep getting bigger. Just another reason they sell poorly on the urban coasts.

 

Yeah. LSX or Hemi would be kinda out of place for this car. I'm thinking a "hi-tech" boosted 4 or 6 would fit better. And if Americans weren't as silly, then a turbo diesel would be great.

 

I wouldnt have agreed with you before I bought my 2005 Cobalt SS . I was leary actually before the purchase as my smallest car prior had been my f-bodies and my last round of daily drivers has been a 87 Sable , 93 bonnie SSE and I traded in a 97 Bonnie SSE on the SS . After being in the car for about 1 year now , this sized car is absolutely perfect for me as a daily driver , not mention its faster than a stock LT1 F-body and averages about 25-26 mpg with a mix of city and 85 mph hwy cruising . It handles like its on rails and it feel like a light car ....because it is I dont miss my big cars 1 single bit , period .

If Caddy had a RWD GTI sized 3 door hatch , with say a 6-speed and a 2.8 turbo v6 or even the new ecotec DI 2.0 turbo priced at $27-28,000 I would be ALL about that . Hell , I like my SS enuff ...that if chevy were to put the 260 hp 2.0 T , a 6-speed and seriously upgraded the interior material quality , I would pay $26-27,000 for one .

The new Saturn Astra should be pretty premium , and if the Redline version is as the VXR is in Europe it will make for one hell of a premuim small car .

 

Lets just say if they made a Kappa coupe, like a Solstice coupe with that new turbocharged Ecotec, I'd be ALL OVER IT. I love Camaros and Corvettes a ton, but eventually, I want a small coupe to be the daily driver while a Camaro comes out to play only a few days a week.

Cobalt SS's are a blast to drive (as are SRT-4's) and their size is perfect (alot better feel than my old Sunfire) but I would love to have a small powerful RWD Solstice coupe for a daily driver.

 

I think that there needs to be a small American car that can be a "nice" econobox but with some *****.
Nice interiors are not hard to make, and IMO GM can make some cars with power and gas mileage like anything else. FWIW if they made it a hybrid it would have great torque.

 

I don't think it would be a hard sell, I've been looking for a small premium car, and so far the only car that seems to come close to suiting what I want is the Audi A3 but what I really want is a coupe. I want something easy to drive around a big city, I want options like duel zone climate control, leather, AWD, and with some decent HP, and so far the A3 has all that, it's just too bad it's an Audi and a wagon. If GM made a small premium coupe, with the options I listed I'd buy it in a second, I think Saab would be the perfect company for a car like that.

 

ATS based on Kappa II, traditional unibody without frame rails, anyone? Put it alongside a Pontiac sedan, vert, and coupe and your business case looks pretty well put together, should fill up Willmington nicely.

All in Favor?