We were at the friendly Avis lot, and I spotted the Alcoa's and Trans Am fender extractors amongst the herd of base GP's. We rented it for our vacation, and I have a couple of comments.

1) It's really pathetic that such a well thought out engineering effort ends up in a fleet.

2) It's really pathetic that the interior and exterior look older and more poorly executed than the Grand Prix that preceded it.

3) When you drive it, the last two points dissapear from your mind completey.

This car is absolutely awesome. More than any in GM's lineup, it renews my faith in good ole' fashion American engineering. Somehow, RLS and his team managed to massage the turd that is the W-Body platform into a gem that makes the Dodge Charger feel like it's riding on marshmellows. My father owned a GTO and now has the Charger, and this car strikes the balance between the two. Better handling than the Dodge, more practical for everyday than the Goat. There definitely is the market for this kind of car, if only it wasn't for the aforementioned problems that have nothing to do with this package. This car really is a dream to drive. If you haven't been in one, test it out before it's too late. I really want to pick one up used when I get out of college.

Since I have to make this relevant to the future vehicle discussion room, this brings me to my question(s):

1) What timeframe would we be talking about in waiting for the Commodore to arrive.

2) Has anyone heard anything as to whether the Grand Prix name would live on in the Holden? I bring this up because I think that it would be a terrible shame for the name to dissapear. Unlike the Bonneville and Grand Am, Grand Prix has kept up some sort of validity as a sports-sedan. Perfect it isn't, but as evidenced by this Avis rent-a-car we've been driving, it still has a soul.

 

While not a GXP, I rented my wife an 06 GP GT when she had to go on a roadtrip and she fell in love with it.

 

"2) It's really pathetic that the interior and exterior look older and more poorly executed than the Grand Prix that preceded it."

Yep.

 

A few comments:

1. Refering to the Charger as riding on marshmellows, though you may be refering to the R/T Hemi, you obviously aren't talking about the Road & Track performance package. Like the GXP on the Grand Prix, it's a handling (and seat) package.

2. I agree wholeheartely about your observations about what a great job GMPD did with the Grand Prix.

3. Why are you against a car like that ending up in a rental fleet? Depending on how much you're willing to spend & what area you live in, you can rent just about anything from major companies like Hertz and Avis. It;s a great way to be exposed to some great cars. Just the fact a few end up as rentals, don't confuse it with the multitudes of bland cars that make up the core of the rental business.


Side note on rentals, Holden has no discounts or special rates for fleet and rental buyers on the new VE Commodore, and I couldn't find one to rent to save my life. If it wasn't for a combination of a connection and a stroke of pure luck, I would have returned from Oz without having driven one.

 

Yeah, about the fleet thing....

If it were not available, you wouldn't have been able to sample it, and now you say you want one. I'd say in retrospect it was a pretty good move on GMs part.

They are fun aren't they? Theres nothing like having an honest to goodness family car that really lets you "go fast daddy" when your 3 yr old asks you to.

 

Every time I've driven a GP GXP, I've been immensely impressed. It's really rare to find this level of focus in a performance package from GM. My hat is also off to RLS and his team for essentially turned this sow's ear into a silk purse. In many respects, I find the GXP a more satisfying ride than the GTO.

Of course, there are the aforementioned issues with it's styling and interior - and really, I feel that the LS4 stretches the limitations of FWD.

 

Just imagine if the shape of the car carried the same design impact that the 1997 change did.

 

^^^It wouldnt have taken much to make the current GP a great looking car . The greenhouse and roofline as is , is already pretty attractive . But the front and rear clips ruin it all .

 

Yeah, Im looking forward to your review

 

Well I did feel a little better when we returned it. The lady at the counter asked, "How'd you like that car?" And went on to tell us that it was the only one like it they had.

I guess I still found it a little sad simply because this Alamo lot looked as if it could have been a GP wholesaler. It's an ignomious fate for a model line that managed to look good and compete even during the dark years of the late '80s and '90's. It was really only five or six years ago that the GP GTP was considered a hot ride. If only the Holden could carry on the name, I'm sure it would do very well and that unlike the GTO moniker, it would not cost Pontiac a single sale.

 

I own an 06 GXP, and i cant believe the amount of options and gizmos that are available. mine has HUD, Lateral G-meter (accelerometer), nav system with MP3 playback (shows song titles in HUD), XM, Onstar, stealth mode for night (shuts off gauges and puts them into HUD)

It may be sprung a little to tight with too much rebound on the bilsteins, but its a fun ride nontheless, it kicks the riviera's ***