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Comments
The SS was rated at 13 / 7.8 L/100km which is excellent IMO. The interior was leather and it has the chrome wheel option. The silver nickel accents gave it a great look and the quality of materials was excellent. It was loaded up so it's MSRP went from C$32500 to about $38K.
The LT had no info on the sticker (all blank) but mileage was rated at 11.3 / 7 L/100km which has to be class leading again for a larger midsize. Interior had wood trim which was ok but not as nice as the nickel IMO. It also had the 6 passenger configuration which I hate but will sell to those looking for the flexibility. No price or option list but it was attractive.
I think the SS is just an amazing amount of car for the buck. I can see buying one down the road though even an LT would be a great value if I decide I want to use the $4000 difference for a bike or something.
Inside the seats are of better material and are firmer.......the dashboard gauges more modern, but are smaller then previous (I don't like that)......the exterior mirrors are smaller (don't like that) The dashboard is 6 inches narrower, feels more roomy, then the current Impalas, the console is kind of plain, with a large shifter.....it only says SS on the steering wheel hub, It should say Super Sport on the dash to sport it up a bit, no SS on the door panels as the previous SS cars had..the black interior is definetly better looking then the Gray interior one I sat in. Overall inside nothing jumped out at me.....the interior materials are better then previous but nothing exciting inside about this car (my opinion).......there was a black 2005 SS parked beside the black 2006 SS...the 2005 SS definetly looked sportier mainly because of the wheels......the older style SS wheels are definetly better looking then the new big bulky plain looking SS wheels on the new model...from the exterior side of the car it looks kind of plain, still has the dreaded roof straps that lift after a couple years.On one of the black SS cars the drivers side roof strap was already lifting at the back...(poor quality control) ..sportier spoke wheels would definetly be an improvement. the back is ok, small Impala name on the trunk lid.....the front is large and distinctive.......all 2006 GM cars now have a small GM badge on the lower front fenders by the front door (don't care for that)
Overall The car is built better, with more performance but not too sporty (in my opinion) for a car that is suppose to represent a sport sedan...I was expecting more...Most will buy the SS for its V8 performance. My 1964 Impala SS red on red is definetly more sporty looking inside then the new model which looks a little too generic or conservative......these are just my opinions......
Any reason as to why have a roof rack on the SS?? Not a fan of the roof straps either. Would think those would have been eliminated for a cleaner look. Agree on the dash emblem as well. My 66 has "Impala SS" on it, nothing much or special, but again, it's the little details that can give a big impact. Has the dash layout, full instrumentation (speedo, tach, oil press., fuel, temp, volts)? In any event, GM can keep that thing; will continue to hang on to my 66 until I get my hands on another V8, RWD Impala.
Also, is it me, or does that GM badge on the side look like the badge/emblem from the old seatbelt buckles?
I also agree the little details make big improvements.......instead of the basic Impala emblem on the rear side pillers, why not 1962, 63 or 64 Impala SS emblems would look nicer.....bring back a little heritage that this SS name plate was famous for. The gauges are the same as previous base & LS Impalas.........Gas Gauge, Tach, Speedometer, thats it. No volt meter or oil pressure as offered in the Previous SS cars.......put 327 or 5.3 V8 crossed flag emblems on the doors. No where on the car does it have V8 or 5.3......check out the new Dodge Chargers, they have HEMI all over the car..........
The salesman confirmed that the Police Impalas will only be offered with the 3.9 V6.....and no 18" wheels.....
I personally like simple interiors. I find dash boards with a million little buttons to be a pain, especially with gloves on in January. Clean look of Impala dash suits me to a T.
I agree with charts, the build quality is top notch and materials are all good. Doors shut with a nice solid thud. Where else can you get a 303 hp car for C$32K?? SS will sell very well.
SS - Eagle RS-A
LT - Goodyear Regatta 2
Vanman 1, simple dashboard is fine (in a base model) but let people know you are in an SS. How much would it have cost to put different color seat inserts like the GTO has.....I would pay extra! ....it says IMPALA on the dash in front of the passenger side, just like the 2006 base models and LTZ .....it should say Impala SS or SUPERSPORT with nice heritage crossed flag emblems or say 5.3 V8.......those wheels are not growing on me.....they are too plain for a car that will be marketed as Chevys full sized performance sport sedan.......Chevy should have had Chip Foose design the wheels. I would pay extra.....I want people to notice me that I am driving an SS....a car that has its SS heritage going all the way back to 1961...... Today wheels make or break a cars exterior styling....and I think looking at this car from the side just doesn't do it.... I expected more from Chevys Sport Sedan, for a car design that will be around for the next 3 years.... (just my opinion)
Don't get me wrong. I am no knocking the car overall. But a few details could have made this car a much bigger eye catcher, and if I am going to spend $33,000 Canadian I want people to notice my car. When I saw the black 2006 parked beside the black 2005 today the 2005 caught my attention more....
Also catch the eyes of the local law enforcement agents...
I would MUCH prefer a sleeper.
About four relevant things to add here:
*The things GM was taking out of the Impala (coin holder, PRNDL indicator, glove box light, etc.)...these things affected convenience as opposed to appearance. I wonder if any of them came back for 2006. Ford, by the way, is even more guilty of some of this. I see in some of the Impala pix the bright red light shining on the inside of the doors! Ford doesn't even have so much as a reflector on the Five Hundreds, at any trim level. To look at the visors of the Five Hundred is to laugh hysterically--they are not fitting for a Kia, much less a Five Hundred...Then again, Ford has priced this car aggressively and left out some things to do it...like an in glass antenna, a glove box light (stop giggling!), but it DOES have a LIT PRNDL indicator (but no real gears to indicate, tee hee).
* I love the AWD even more than I thought I would. And though the power IS lacking, especially at the low-end, this 3800 pound car gets almost the mileage the Impala did on the highway, and does much better than the Chevy did in town. I wonder why GM isn't pushing ANY AWD cars yet...It's QUITE the omission (and a major reason I switched to FoMoCo after more than 10 years of non-Fords and only two Fords up til then).
* As for drawing attention from law enforcement and thieves, I wonder how a Lincoln Zephyr would rate. Under neath all that Lincoln stuff is the bones of that same Mazda6 I looked at earlier, but without at least some of the NVH, and with a bit more room...The extra insulation and much better dealer service and warranty interest me, but I worry about driving a so-called luxury car (even if it isn't)..I still won't be interested in that car til the 3.5 and AWD debut, which I hear may be before the 3.5 is available on the Five Hundred/Montego.
* For me, one of the best features of my 98 Grand Prix GTP is back in the Five Hundred--automatic climate control. How come Chevy doesn't include it, even as an option (or am I wrong?) on the Impala? Perhaps I don't want to buy a Buick, or deal with the local Buick dealers? Driving across country (which I do frequently) without having to constantly hassle with the climate control (now I am too hot, now I am too cold, now she is too hot, now she thinks I play with the climate controls too often....sheesh) is a major plus. I swan if GM offered automatic climate control on the Impala SS, I know a Ford Five Hundred that would be being traded in the next few weeks...it's THAT important to me....It's absence will keep me a Ford man for quite some time....and no, I do NOT want to drive a Buick, thank you. I never realized just how much I missed automatic climate control until I got it back again. Would I miss the AWD? Sure. But I'd still trade to get the V-8 if I could also keep my automatic climate control (assuming I am happy with the Chevy's driving dynamics when it comes out...which I figure I will be).
I love these forums...and have gotten great advice here from time to time...
There is a distinct "SS" emblem on the back and both doors for the car in addition to the Impala emblem behind the rear windows. That's a lot more than you would find on a BMW M3 or a Cadillac V.
ps: The PRNDL is not on the floor console of the 2006 Impala..(looks plain in my opinion) ...not sure if the coin holder came back. I agree with you AWD is now offered from many car manufactures. I hope their is a courtesy light under the hood, previous Impalas never had that. Just make the option list longer (wheels, interior colors, optional gauge package etc ) there are those that will pay!. Ask Chrysler.
Actually, while I agree that the next GTO will unfortunately be more retro than the current model, the 2005's are actually selling better than expected - so much so that GM had to remove them from the Employee Price for Everyone promo, because there were only 400 of them left on dealer lots across the U.S. (until another boat docks).
Back to the Impala discussion... I didn't like the tails on the 00-05 Impala, but, after seeing the current car at the Chicago Auto Show back in February, I have to say that it misses having this styling touch to its predecessors (odd that some Cobalt models now have similar 00-05 Impala style tails). The car looks like a modern version of my '96 Lumina - which was a very solid and reliable, but relatively boring car to drive (sold mine to my wife's aunt, after buying my Aurora). The interior of the previous Impala was a complete turn-off, but the new one looks nice. With the addition of the V-8 models I would expect them to sell at least as well, if not more, than the previous model, assuming the 3.5 and 3.9 prove to be trouble-free...
--Robert
The car is now selling better and will continue at the next refreshening because GM knows with a little more retro with a RETRO NAME cars sell!...Thousands of 60's & 70's GTO supporters voiced their dislike about the 2004 car when it came out and Pontiac had to listen.....(Pontiac's division is not doing very well) ...eg. Chrylser 300, Mustang, the Corvette has had retro built in since day 1 .....
Changes to the 2005 GTO
......5.7 Litre V8 dumped for the new 6.0 Litre 400 V8
.....New dual exhaust system
.....Revised rear Fascia
....NEW BADGING 6.0 Litre badges put on the car, similar to what the 1964 GTO had.(RETRO!!) ...thats important to GTO lovers from the past, who know more about GTO then many of the new young GTO buyers today. I was there in 64 when the GTO came out. It set the standard for an American performance car. I know its hard for young people to understand. But ou just can't make a car and put a Heritage name on it without building in some of the past.
....Bigger and Better Brakes
... Hood design with dual hood scoops like the 60's GTO more! (RETRO!!)
These are the reasons the car is and will sell better. There are more GTO people from the past then the new buyers today who just don't understand.
If everyone was satisfied with the way the car was in 2004 it would be the same in 2005............see how these appearance changes made the car a much better seller
The 2006 Impala SS is OK! but it lacks the enthusiasm/excitement that previous Impala SS cars had ...ask anyone who were Impala SS owners from the past
Vanman 1.
I am happy for you that you are TOTALLY 100% happy with the improvements on this 2006 Impala SS.....If there were no people like myself voicing for some other improvements nothing would ever change....
.....In 1 year the GTO is a testimonial to that..........they listened to those that wanted improvements, if you build it they will come.
Young buyers today just don't understand, how important retro is with a retro name.
Over 40% of Impala's sales are Fleet Rentals, Leased, Police etc. The Impala LS/LT/LTZ will make up the bulk of the rest of sales to the public...the SS will sell the remaining, maybe 25 to 35,000....(thats a long way from your 200K) GM should not (risk) or take a chance to spice this car up a bit. Thats one reason GM is in a financial mess. They sold off their Geo division a few years back (boring cars) Oldsmobile division bit the dust 2 years ago, why because they didn't make exciting cars anymore!! . Read what the car enthusiasts say! During the past year Pontiac is now losing ground and could be the next division to go. All GM's divisions were up with this employee pricing program except (Pontiac sales dropped 14.1% in June)
You say the SS has nice CONSERVATIVE styling......Chevy din't call the car the Impala Conservative, its called the Impala SS (SUPER SPORT) what do the words SUPER SPORT mean? They don't mean conservative......conservative styling is what you would describe the Impala LS/LT/LTZ.
Watch what the car critics say about this car........when Motor Trend, Car and Driver do full road test report on the SS, I believe they will say the V8 is a nice addtion to ad performance, the car is built stronger BUT!! a little more attention should have been made to make the car a little more sportier then the other Impala models. This car will compete with the Dodge Charger R/T, no conservatism there!
I do believe the big three have come a long way in the past 3 years in building better vehicles.....they had to, but so have the Japanese. The Japanese cars still have a couple edges over the American cars. They can build quality in to them for less, because they don't have the legacy costs that the big three have, (and wlll continue to grow) and the Japanese cars have a MUCH better resale value, and those two points are very important to consumers of automobiles.
.
It was never a division.
It didn't sell it.
No one bought it.
It marketed cars either produced in concert with Toyota (the Prizm, for example), or by other GM affiliates or companies not even affiliated with GM.
Dropping it was a marketing move, plain and simple. It required no great moves with state franchise laws, as would dropping Buick or Pontiac. I believe you will find GM learned a very expensive lesson when it dropped Oldsmobile.
I don't know if GM can really get over this financial mess they are in, with the truck market going soft (high gas prices) & almost 60% of the vehicles that Chevrolet sells are trucks that generate huge profits per vehicle, and only a few car lines like the Impala, Malibu and Cobalt in the top 10 that don't really generate a lot of profit, something else will have to give! Its going to be interesting.
What would you do to make the SS better that it is? What exactly? All the things other car makers do to make their performance line to make them look the part have been done to the SS version of the Impala. :confuse:
An easy answer is that perhaps an optional package should be available with the things he is wanting, and those willing can pay for it, while the rest of us can skip it.
I do NOT want my cars to stand out. I want to be part of the anonymous herd, except for my own driving experience. Decals and the like bring attention I don't want, from law enforcement and thieves....
4th topic down.........pictures from 2006 Impala HHR ride & Drive event ....last page
2006 Impala and Lumina comparison pictures.......take off the 18" wheels and grill. Looks Lumina to me and other posters on that forum!.....is this exciting or what!
"an easy answer is that perhaps an optional package should be available for the things he is wanting, and those willing can pay for it while the rest of us can skip it"
If I remember correctly from several of your previous posts you wouldn't buy an new Impala because they eliminated the coin holder and PRNL letters on the shifter...I think they are worth about $7.00 ......."an easy answer is that perhaps an optional package should be availabe for the things you are wanting, and those willng can pay (coin holder - PRNL) for them while the rest of us can skip it"
If you ever buy an Impala again, remember to buy the base model so the Police & Thieves will not be a concern.
We will see what MY 2008 brings, to the entire automotive world.
One thing is for sure, and I trust you will agree. The days when GM could put out a car and wait for the buyers to bang down the doors to get one are mostly over...
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
People could have made a fortune by just taking charge of GM and telling everybody todo what "people tell us to do" and owned most of the company now with stock options and perks; however I don't believe it's that easy in a world where the competition has benefited from a low valued currency (Japan, China) in trade with US which makes their vehicle prices lower than real value.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Are there things I would change for the 06.. absolutely. Everyone one would. Over all though, I think Chevy has done a good job (assuming the car drives as good as it looks).
I see the Impala has dual zone air conditioning listed; I'm surprised there isn't an automatic air option. I'll stop by the Chev dealer today.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The new 2005 Mustang is RETRO and it's a high volume car, not a low volume. On pace to sell about 200,000 this year !! Similar sales figures to Impala.
.......GM has been accused over the last few years for not pushing the envelope. (read what the all the car magazine writers say) and they are not biased, because GM spends millions advertising in their magazines. I'm not the only one who can see that improvements could be made. They have done a great job with better materials and a V8 that most everyone wanted.....GM listened.....as stated previously the 94-96 SS was a real hit and was much different then the comparable Caprice at that time....again I believe the car is OK! big performance, stronger structure, new engines, freshened look, but will it be enough to compete with the styling of the other big two. Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, have distinctive styling and thats the talk of the car critics and television car shows. I will continue to buy Chevy as I have since day one, but nothing wrong with joining others and looking for improvments......a lot of people criticized the Impala from the last generation because there were a lot of screw heads showing and the trim did not fit properly. GM must have heard these concerns because those issues have been addressed with the new car. For years GM did not listen to what people wanted. Times are slowly changing.
Everyone has a wish list.........some wanted a 4 speed standard, others 6 speed automatic, a large group are discontent because its not rear wheel drive. Others want the 6 rear tailights from the early Impala's, or coin holder or PRNL We all have our wants and changes we would make, I voiced mine. If everyone was always happy with the product, changes would come a lot slower then they do now.
Post #395 the PNRL shows just below the speedometer
Vanman 1 you say in Post #396 there are changes that you would make......well what are they?
Were not here to argue with each other, but its important to know that others have legitimate views on what they would like the car to be, and thats important!
Other main stream cars not going Retro? ........The Chrysler 300 is a design & name with a long hood and short deck similar to what Chryslers had years ago, selling very well, its just a modern version.......The new Dodge Charger is selling extremely well and its image is of the 60's Charger check them out. Chryslers sales have increased in the past few years much faster then GM. the Impala SS will be a competetor of the Charger, with Impala being FWD and the Charger, RWD. These cars have turned Chrysler around. The Impala SS wil probably sell 30-35,000 a year thats a long way from your figure. The Ford Five Hundred name is a retro name from the Ford Fairlane 500 from years ago.....The new Mustang has retro all over it, and inside even retro gauges from a 60's/70's Mustang. The car critics love that! PT cruiser is modern retro of a 30's sedan delivery, The HHR is a design from the 1948 Chev Suburban, it will sell well. The new Dodge Challenger coming (2007 or 08 is a throw back to the 60's challenger) it will be a big seller. I am not saying that this Impala SS should go retro but many would like to see a bit more heritage from a name plate Impala/ SS that at one time was the top selling name plate in the USA. To sell more cars you give more choices. Check out what others say, I'm not the only one! Maybe you should write to Motor Trend/Car & Driver magazines, and other car critics why the SS could have been a little bit more. See what they say.
Prime example: For those that remember Chevy spent a ton of money advertising the 1994 Impala SS when it came out. Had the detuned Corvette engine 17" wheels, RWD. people rushed to the showrooms to see the car. It only came in BLACK and had the shifter on the steering column, sales were disappointing, and the car was almost cancelled. A couple Chevy salesmen at that time that I know had people complaining that Black was not the color they wanted and it should have a console......1995 changes were made (Chevy listened) a console was added and I believe three more colors.....Sales picked up.....1996 Impala SS now offered a floor console shifter and analog gauges and a few more options.......the car sold extremely well. 1996 is the most desirable Impala SS cars in the collector market, of that group, because it was had a sportier interior and offered more options then the two previous years. The car was cancelled because Chevy decided they could convert the Arlington Texas plant to making trucks which made more profit per vehicle then the SS Impala. After a few years and many unhappy Impala SS fans, the car was reintroduced in 2004, but with FWD. Many of the sales of the 94SS-96SS were to men in there 50s' and 60's who remembered the SS from years before. I wonder how many 2006 Impala SS cars would sell if they were only black.....give the people more choices they will come........the proof is in this story.
As with charts, one of my "wishes" with the latest SS, besides going back to RWD (another topic that doesn't need to be rehashed) is that I, me, myself, not speaking for anyone else, feel it should have been a little more sportier. As stated in post 401, in regards to the 94 - 96SS, each year it got a little more sportier each year, not with stickers and emblems all over the place, but with touches/changes that made it sportier, like back in the day: more instrumentation, floor shifter, more color options. But the basic core of the car remained the same. It was a little different than the Caprice, had a look that set it apart. For me, when I first saw it at the SEMA show, all I could say was, "Build it". It just had that "look", the "soul" of the original SS. Just as in the beginning, when it was first intro'd in 1958. The Impala took the place of the Bel Air, which was considered the top of the Chevy line. Again, the Bel Air was basically a trim package with a little more pizzazz, that separated it from the rest of the lineup. Wasn't until the tri-5s (55, 56, 57) that they were really differentiated.
Again, these same things worked when the car was introduced back in '61. And remember, the base SS option was a trim package, available on any Impala, 2-dr or 4-dr, I6 up to to the 409. It wasn't until 1964 that the SS became it's own model, only on 2-dr hardtop/convertible. And even then, there were optional trim packages, so if you just wanted exterior scripts, you could just get them; if you wanted interior and exterior scripts, you could get it; different gauge packages, seating configurations, hubcaps. Even if you didn't get extra exterior/interior scripts, you could always tell an Impala from the other full-size Chevys by the taillamps, Impalas ALWAYS had three each side, the rest of the lineup had two. Plus, the Impala had the sportroof, while the others were posts (can't remember if the Caprice was a post when it came out in '66). But again, optional things that grabbed your eye, pulled your collar, made you take a second look. And if you look, some kats and kittens that own '94 - 96 SSs, add the flags, interior/exterior scripts, to there Impalas. Also, you see people "Impala-ize" their Caprices (some good, some horribly bad!), with wheels, emblems.
As on my 66, the only way people know it's an SS is that it has the SuperSport scripts instead of Impala on the fenders. It has the cross flags on the fenders as well. That's pretty much it for the exterior. Interior-wise, has the same dash layout as a regular Impala of the day (which drives me nuts sometimes, but don't have the heart to cut it up or drop in a new cluster), with the only hint of it being an SS is the "Impala SS" emblem on the glovebox door. Is this too much? Do the supersport scripts make it a non-sleeper, causing me to get nailed and hounded by police all the time? No to both counts, again, my opinion.
Again, sorry for bringing up such a hell-storm about badging and sportifying this latest SS.
This is one of several cases where GM did attempt to rectify errors / address concerns by changing a model’s equipment and / or options over time, and finally ‘got it right’ – often with substantial increase in sales - only to kill it. The Caddy Allante comes immediately to mind.
And not only GM. Ford / L-M’s Mercury Marauder had potential, but needed development. (More power, manumatic control for the auto. trans., and a few other things.) A half hearted attempt to address this ensued – and then it was killed. A mid-15 sec quarter mile was not enough ‘guts’ to back up the looks. And initially the only exterior color available was: black. Repeating one of GM’s earlier mistakes. Etc.
Sometimes I wonder if the thinking is: “We tried that and it failed.” When the reality is something closer to: “We didn’t get it exactly right, out of the starting gate, but if we had done this or that slightly differently and / or done some other things better, it could have been a real sales success.”
It will be interesting to see what the Impala SS (and my GP GXP) ‘morph’ into over the next couple of years. Or if they morph at all . .
- Ray
Happy with the ‘out of the starting gate’ GXP . .
Retro sells, but only for awhile. The New Beetle and PT Cruiser were hot, but sales cooled after the gimmick wore off. And, it sure didn't work for the Ford Thunderbird. I expect Mustang sales will cool in a year or so - as supply catches up with demand - but I don't think sales will drop off as dramatically as they did for the New Beetle and the PT. Incidentally, I don't expect the HHR to sell that well - initial reviews aren't very good, and many people who wanted a vehicle like that, bought the PT. Only way they'll move them is to keep the prices low. Heck, that worked for the Aztek :-)
Some people may like the retro interior of the 'stang but to me it's the weakest part of the car. I spend more time on the inside of the car than the outside, so having a clean, modern, well-designed interior (no cheap plastics) is high on my list of requirements. The Impala LTZ or SS would fit that bill should I be in the market (moreso than the Grand Prix GXP).
Too much retro is a design dead end. Where does Ford go with the next gen? Do they copy the Mustang II? The early '80's Fox-body? Having said that, what could it have hurt Chevy to put the proper 3 round taillamps on the Impala, like in the 60's? I originally hated the 2 big lamps on the 2000-2005 Impala, but it grew on me. Interesting the Cobalt coupe carries this styling touch, but not the new Impala. I think that was a mistake...
--Robert
1) Pontiac/GM/dealers expected the car to sell itself. Very little advertising (though how much is appropriate for a model that can only sell 12-18k per year?). What advertising there was, was pretty ineffective (still is). Dealerships refused to discount the cars at all - in fact, many applied $5k-$10k of price markup - and refused test drives without a purchase agreement - just diluting demand further.
2) Distribution was based on sales volume. Dealerships in the upper Midwest, which sell a lot more Pontiacs than those on the east and especially West coasts, got the majority of the first cars... in December/January. Hello Pontiac!?!? RWD cars do not sell in January in the middle of winter!
3) People who ordered their cars waited, and waited, and waited. Many gave up and bought something else. STS-V, 350Z, Cobra, you name it.
4) Rumors of the LS2 and hood scoops for '05 dried up interest from a lot of the old Pontiac guys. Many of them didn't NEED a new car, so they decided to wait.
5) Pontiac held off on incentives way too long, hoping they'd turn around. They were then forced to fire-sale the '04 cars at the end of the year because the '05's were built and on the boat. They came up with the idea of a Sport Appearance Package ('05 hood, autocross grilles and spoiler) for the '04's, but, by the time those kits arrived in February, the glut of '04 GTO's had been sold. They were then forced to dump these kits basically at cost (many dealers never read their bulletins/didn't know they were coming).
The LS2 was coming with the C6 'Vette. The hood scoops (the '04 is the only GTO model to not have hood scoops) and revised rear fascia (the '04 has a true dual exhaust, it's just that both pipes exit on the left side) couldn't be done in time for '04 (remember, it was less than two years from the GTO announcement until the first cars went on sale - and there were over 400 changes that had to be made to federalize the GTO, including fitting the LS1/revising the exhaust, moving the gas tank, coming up with a revised interior that would meet U.S., not Australian, climate extremes). In retrospect maybe they should have waited 6-12 more months and shipped the '05, but then I wouldn't have had my car for 6+ months. BTW, the 2004 has the retro-inspired "GTO" badges, they just say 5.7 instead of 6.0 like the '05's have :-)
The next GTO will be more retro styled (think 1999 GTO concept - hopefully not typical Pontiac excess). I still believe the car is thematically just like the '64 GTO - it looks like any generic Pontiac of its day, but it has a big (350hp) motor in it. Unlike the '64, the car can do more than go fast in a straight line, and the interior is unarguably one of the best, if not GM's best, sold in North America...
Here lies another problem... who is the target market for the 2004-2005 GTO?
Is it the guy who bought a '64-'74 new? He'd be in his late 40's to late 50's by now.
Is it the '90s'-'02 Camaro/Firebird/Trans Am owner? Typically younger than above.
Is it the former import (Honda, Subaru, Infiniti) driver?
Is it the ex-BMW owner?
Interestingly enough, on the other GTO discussion board I participate in, there are members of all 4 groups. I don't fit into any of those particular pigeonholes, though :-)
This isn't the GTO discussion here on Edmunds - I strongly suggest we follow this discussion up there. Just wanted to reply to your post with some facts and insight, form my perspective.
--Robert
--Robert