wakeech

i have no idea. they like eight cylinder motors. i guess dimentionally the motor would either be too big (in length) or too small (in displacement) to be what they're looking for...??

also, that lumpy, lopey idle which is characteristic of the impalance naturally found in a V8 is something that muscle people like anyways...

FamilyGuy

Oh, I can sympathize with that. The sound is music to my ears. But while I would miss it, I personally would much rather have something that's smoother and more efficient.

Baller

wakeech I agree...........

Strom

Everyone keeps talking about how inefficient the GTO is - doesn't it get better gas mileage than the RX-8, despite weighing a whole lot more? I mean, I like the RX-8 more than the GTO, but the GTO gets 29 MPG on the highway. That's pretty impressive.

PetersonPeleRx8

I just read a review of the GTO in some Pontiac magazine of the rack and I'm pretty sure I read that it gets 18 mpg city driving... so that shouldn't relate to 29 mpg highway.

Oh BTW... the reviewer loved the performance of the new goat... and also loved the fit and finish of the interior. The only negative thing he had to say about the car was once again the styling.

However, I've been lurking on newagegto.com and those guys are saying that they're gonna change the styling pretty dramatically in the next model year. So we've got that to look forward to!!

Strom

EPA Mileage Estimates: (City/Highway)
Manual: 17 mpg / 29 mpg
Automatic: : 16 mpg / 21 mpg


http://www.edmunds.com/new/2004/pont...h.0.3.Pontiac*

The low 6th gear allows for very low RPM highway cruising. That's why the 4-speed auto doesn't have the same mileage. Who wants to drive an auto anyway?

GodWhomIsMike

Someone who drives a high horsepower car and wants consecutive numbers on the 1/4 mile. BTW... the only difference between the manual and the auto is a .1 of a second and obviously the bad gas mileage. But, isn't that around the the gas mileage the RX-8 owners are seeing? I've read the auto runs the 1/4 in the high 13's, I'd only get the manual with the GTO if the gas mileage bothered me enough. Going with the manual GTO will get you that skip-shift feature that seems to be driving a lot of the manual owners nuts right now. I've noticed that the manual vs auto seems to bother import owners a lot more than high horsepower domestics.

Btw for those of you who are doubting the performance of the GTO, a bone stock GTO will kill a RX-8, 350Z, and a G35 coupe. The GTO uses a LS! engine which was used in the C5 corvette, there are tuners like Lingenfelter Performance who have pumped that engine to put out 650 - 800+ hp, I am just waiting until that technology is put into the GTO - according to Lingenfelter, that should coming out this year.

- Mike

GodWhomIsMike

A V8 fan would never ever think of driving a tarded up 4 cylinder. Also I'd take a GTO over either a Evo or STi, the GTO has cleaner lines and a more mature look IMHO. The GTO will be more confortable, better looking, and down right better sounding. But then again, your getting these opinions here from a V8 fan - :D
Getting a V8 fan to go out and buy something like an Evo or STi, would be a harder sell than having a religious diehard changing religions.

- Mike

FamilyGuy

I'm not in the market for a performance car, because I don't have the cash. If I was, I would be one of the people that wouldn't care what the engine was, as long as the car was comfortable and delivered wicked performance. Doesn't matter if it's a turbo 4, an inline 6, a V8, or a Wankel, as long as it's quick. I guess there aren't that many buyers like that.

V8 engines do sound better than anything else though.

Rotarian_SC

I think i would rather have a corvette than a $10k tuned up GTO. On the GTO the styling is just plain ugly, the interior is nice but not on par w/ bmw, does not have corvette power (it is tuned down), and yes it may b fast, but i think if i was given mayb $2k in aftermarket to even costs my 8 could beat it around a track and possibly in the 1/4 mile.

FamilyGuy

The GTO does have Corvette power from the standard C5 Corvette: 350 peak horsepower, 365 ft*lbs peak torque. It lags behind the Corvette Z06, but the Z06 is a $52,000 car.

The interior is not on par with BMW, but if you want a BMW with equivalent performance you will have to get an M3 - which costs a hell of a lot more. A $35,000 BMW 318 or 325 couldn't possibly keep pace with the GTO.

In the quarter mile or on a track, if you want to beat the GTO you could probably do it with an Lancer Evolution or WRX STI, and spend less money too. The GTO is not the best bang for your buck performance car.

tschangrx7

When you buy a Pontiac GTO, you're buying a luxury car that can hold its own with a Nissan 350Z on the track for about the same price. When you buy a Impreza or Lancer, you're buying an economy car that can beat a 350Z on the track for about the same price.

If you want luxury, go GTO.

Rotarian_SC

IMO, here is how the GTO should have looked.

http://hp-car.com/2005.html

camaro194

This is the car that some college student produced as a concept for the "future" camaro. I agree that it does look awesome. Looks alot better than the 05 retro-Mustang. One car that does look great and has some serious power is the SS Concept by Chevrolet. Nice design, 430 hp, pricing was around 30-40k...we'll have to wait and see

MikeW

This car stinks, even with its gas tank in the rear most position, the weight distribution is still 55/45. The US version has the gas tank raised and moved forward (bad for Cg, in both counts) The car has struts up front with trailing link steering and the rear has 1 semi-trailing arm and toe control link per side. Yuck. If this car had a modern (non obsolete) rear suspension, then the gas tank could be positioned under the rear seats and there would be room for decent sized mufflers in back flanking the full size spare wheel. And then the rear seats could fold too.
Try driving up Pike's Peak in this and an EVO (or anything else turbocharged)
If you live where the air pressure isn't 90% or better than sea level, then forced induction really helps out.

RXE16T

I sell this car everyday here in Australia while it is badged as a Monaro, fun to drive, but have the quality and ergonomics of a car originally designed over 7 years ago.

Okay for the average joe but not to the standards of Jap or Euro buyers of hi-po coupes.

Monaro is to us Aussies what the Mustang is to you Yanks... it's a trip down nostalgia lane to the glory days when muscle and cubic inches ruled the world.

Therefore I can understand it being badged a GTO. It's simply aimed at the heartstrings of baby boomers who want to relive a small part of their childhood.

Not the worse car on the planet, but nowhere near the best either.
I'll take my "Jap-Crap" cars any day.

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

If I wasn't in an RX-8 I would be in a Monaro, no questions. Or the 4-door version.

I said it pleny of times on the LS1 forum, so I may as well say it here - my 2 favourite engines are V8's and Rotary's.

Cheers,
Hymee.

Overport

i dont know about everyone else....but i am glad to see manufacturers looking into the future instead of living in the past...the new GTO looks, sounds, and performs amazingly....people need to stop criticizing such a great car

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

Well said, Doug!

FamilyGuy

Well, the thing is that GM resurrected the GTO nameplate for the car.

If GM called this thing something else, I don't know that anyone would complain about it. But they didn't do that, they brought back an old name plate and put it on a car that isn't connected to the legacy of the older car with that name in many ways at all.

cueball

LS1=Pushrod=one of the best engine out there.

Almost all LS1s put down 300+ WHP out of the factory. Just exhaust and headers will yield 35 HP. It is a compact, lightweight, and fuel efficent engine.

rx-7~rx-8

It's funny... car is built... and everyone says nagative shyt about the car.. think postive and screw the negative...

Baller

I would if the car was built with quality....but it is not, it is another GM product with a rubber-maid interior and inferior fit and finish, coupled with 60 year old engine designs and styling that looks like a over-grown Neon.

FamilyGuy

GM uses pushrod V6s in most of their sedans. They have the same reliability, performance, and gas mileage of engines of comparable power outputs from other automakers. What's the problem?

It's an old tech, but so is the wheel. It would be different if GM cars with pushrod engines had engine problems more ofen - but they don't. It would be a problem if they got bad gas mileage - but they don't. It would be a problem if they had poor performance - but they don't. Oh, a pushrod engine has to have larger cylinder displacement than a DOHC engine to get the same power output, but since the total engine weight is comparable because of the pushrod's smaller and lighter valvetrain the difference is meaningless.

My 3400 pound Impala with the 180 horsepower and 205 torque 3.4 liter pushrod V6 gets 24 mpg city, 30 mpg highway. That's pretty good.

wakeech

actually, what i've found out watching tv shows about classic cars (and remmebering dates) is that DOHC motors were being built in europe (for race cars) well before the first Chevy small block V8.

and as for your claimed performance on that Impala, a girl i dated about uh.... a year and a half ago had one as a courtesy car while her other one was in the shop (oh, the fun that can be had in a canyonous back seat), and just drank gas like there was a hole in the tank...