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Home  JST's Cornered Test Drives Drove a Goat
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Written by JST
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Saturday, 22 May 2004 |
The sound you hear is me crossing it off my list.
No surprises, really. The car is too big, heavy and slow to work as an
M3 replacement. I was holding out hope that it would be 9/10s of a
CTS-V at 2/3 the price, but the older Omega/Commodore platform, the
weaker suspension, and the less aggressive V8 make it more like 2/3 of
a CTS-V at 2/3 the price. Not, then, much of a bargain.
I drove it at one of those parking lot test drive thingies, so I don't
have anything to say about high-speed performance. They were being less
vigorous than they normally are at those things about enforcing granny
speeds, so I actually pushed it around the course fast enough to get
some slip from the tires.
The interior is pretty n.ice {GRRR--Enough with the freaking random
word replacement. The interior of the GTO is n.ice, not "pimpin"},
though the seat is mounted way up in the vehicle, weirdly cutting down
on headroom. The shifter has long throws and is quite vague, very much
unlike (e.g.) a Mustang shifter. The seat looks aggressive, but is made
for big Aussie gents and offers only moderate lateral support.
The engine sounds wicked. It's force is blunted by the car's weight,
but it still moves it out pretty well. Compared to an E46 M3, a lot of
fast cars feel sluggish, so take my analysis with a grain of salt.
The handling is well balanced, though a stiffer suspension and more
aggressive anti-sway bars are DEFINITELY required. The car rolls a lot,
the tires start howling for mercy, and then there's a smooth,
progressive slip into very moderate understeer. I imagine throttle
steering would be pretty easy, though I didn't want to pull that kind
of stunt.
All in all, it's a very good car, but it's not really what I'm looking
for. It's too big and cushy for its Spartan appointments (no nav, no
sunroof, no heated seats, no folding seats, no side airbags, no curtain
airbags)--if I'm going to give all that stuff up, I'm going to get an
STi or Evo.
Still, I'm glad Lutz is bringing it in, and I have high hopes for the next gen, Sigma based car.
PS I also drove a Bonneville GXP. HA! That car is really "retro." A
more faithful recreation of a 1989 Bonneville SE is hard to imagine.
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Some other random thoughts re: the cars they had on static display:
The Ion Red Line has a supercharger that's about the same size as the
engine. It also has real Recaro seats, though they're obviously from
the lower end of the Recaro spectrum. Too bad the rest of the interior
is so hideous--whoever thought up the instrument-binnacle-in-the-center
idea should be shot. And the Ion RL gets a nomination for Most
Ridiculous Wing award.
The XLR is a nice {EDIT: Oh, come on} looking car, but the seats are
the flattest and least comfortable I've sampled in a while. The
instruments may have been desinged by Bulgari, but they look like they
were manufactered by K Mart.
In black, the CTS-V is looks really, really...REALLY...bad ass. It
looks like Darth Vader's helmet being worn by a Viking. Or something.
The G6 (Grand Am replacement) is a slick looking car, inside AND out.
Other than the bling bling chrome rims, it's marvellously clean and
well-executed, and the interior is shockingly un-bad (for a GM). I'm
not sure what cars the G6 competes with anymore--the Contour is dead
and the Japanese makers don't really have anything comparable. But I'd
sure buy one over a Stratus.
Originally posted on carmudgeons.com.
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