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Comments
(Inches)
04 GXP 01 Impala LS
Front head room 38.70 39.20
Front Leg 42.60 42.20
Rear Leg 38.00 38.40
Front Shoulder 59.00 59.00
Rear Shoulder 58.40 58.90
Front Hip 55.70 56.50
Rear Hip 56.40 55.70
Overall
Passenger Volume- 103.80 104.50
(CU FT)
I really do not see that much of a difference.
Where you gain in front hip and front head room, you have less in front leg room in the Impala.
Rear leg is less in the Bonneville, but the hip room is more.
Bottom line in answer to your question is that both the newer version Bonneville (2000 on out and the newer Impala's have less interior room than the older model Bonneville's (92 to 99.)
Good luck with whatever you decide to buy!!
Thanks for the research. I realize the dimensions may not seem all that different, but the little bit of xtra headroom, and lesser extent, hip room, make the Imp livable. As it is, an Imp with a sunroof is no longer a valid ride for me. That's how close it is.
Something that the dimensions do not show is fit/ergonomics. In the Bonnie, I found the center console very intrusive, I couldn't find a really comfortable position. It wasn't a hardship mind you, I was just always aware the center console was there against my right leg. This is not a problem for me in the Imp.
This is still one of her complaints about the 2003 Grand Prix GT she now has- she hates the center console-not enough room for her "STUFF"
loved to put everything right next to her.
I know you can't get it in the GXP, but I think it still is an option on the base SE. Possibly something to consider.
do the computers still adjust to the style in which the car is usually driven so that they perform briskly or perform in a more economical manner if driven "gently"?
If so I'd clear the computer and retrain the Buick. Our 03 Limited just gave 35 on open back highways across Ohio at 55 mph. One interstate it's done the same but easily moves off that number down to 31 with some hills and rest stops. Your 30 including some city sounds about right. But put these on the highway for lots of smooth miles and they save on gas easily.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I got my letter dated June,2004 in the mail 2 days ago for the replacement of the Fuel Pressure Regulator-
Had it done this morning at the dealership. It took less than 45 minutes total.
*Notification also was sent to my " MY GM LINK " vehicle page which I have both of our cars VIN'S registered on. Really nice site!
No luck getting the newer lower arms though...
At about 30000mls, I complained about it to the dealer and they confirmed that the tires wouldn't balance using road-force balancing. A new set was ordered and assembled under warranty, but a few weeks later the resonance was still there, though milder. As I said, they found that one of the tires, though still within tolerance, was almost twice off as the other 3, so it was replaced with another with similar characteristics to the rest.
WRT the hydraulic bushings, it's not a recall, but is mentioned in a TSB about this issue as the last resort fix (such TSB is perhaps in its 3rd edition, each one specifying a different fix, including replacing the tires with a pre-sorted set).
My Bonneville is nearing 36000, so any repair now will have to be in the extended warranty (up to 72000mls), with a $100 deductible. :-/
I suspect that the SLE would easily get 35 at 55mph. But on the interstates in AZ, one will get run over at that speed. There is some danger of being run over at 75 but it is much less than 55. The SLE may continue to improve a bit as the engine gets a few more miles on it.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/autos/columnists.nsf/0/EE4004962- 14ED95C86256EB0004F7ED2?OpenDocument&Headline=Pontiac+Bonnevi- lle+GXP+gets+V-8+power+courtesy+of+friends+at
From the St Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/13/04.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04191/343659.stm
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7/9/04. Wrong photos--not a GXP.
http://www.auto123.com/en/info/news/roadtest,view,Pontiac.spy?art- id=26456&pg=3
From Canadian Automotive Network, 7/12/04.
And MotorWeek TV is going to be doing an GXP review on Aug 22-23 on PBS and the Speed Channel:
http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/onair.shtml
Scott
Regarding the Z-5, you can't use it by itself - need to either apply Z-1 Polish Lok (think "base"), or mix up the ZFX accelerant in a small bottle with the Z-5 or Z-2. Otherwise, you did nothing for yourself but waste the Z-5. I've never had problems with removal unless you applied it way too thick (a common experience for those migrating from wax - you want your car to have a very thin haze on it, not a thick paste.
My Zaino regimen is:
1) wash car with blue Dawn
2) clay if necessary
3) wash car with Z-7
4) apply Z-1 (if not using ZFX)
5) if swirls/scratches, apply Z-5 (use ZFX if you didn't apply Z-1 above), otherwise use Z-2 (for clearcoat paints (use Z-3 for non-clearcoat) - and don't forget to use ZFX if you didn't use Z-1)
6) use Z-6 Gloss Enhancer in between coats of Z-5 and/or Z-2.
I try to put between 6 and 12 coats of Z-5 on before applying Z-2. Then it's pretty much a 20-minute wash and maybe some Z-6 to make my car beautiful again (at least on the outside :-)
Regarding the scratch, this depends upon how bad it is. You may be able to get away with using something like 3M Swirl Mark remover (there are two versions - one for dark paint, the other for light) or Meguiar's ScratchX - but, if you're not familiar with/comfortable with doing this, best to ask a pro...
Hope this helps,
--Robert
What Robert said! :-) I follow basically the same Zaino regimen that he does.
On fine scratches I have used a 3M product called Finesse-it II Finishing material. Some guys in car shows I used to enter my cars in put me onto that product. It is a VERY mild polishing compund. The products Robert mentioned are likely even milder. Assuming your scratch is of the fine variety, I'd try them first.
The microfriber cloths will pick up all sorts of stuff so you have to be very careful not to drop them on the ground, etc. But they are the best thing I've found for drying my black cars without spotting or streaking, and for polishing.
Bill
Scott
I do have an orbital polisher which I use along with a couple of different pads (foam and wool), to do deoxidization and swirl mark removal. I use 3M's professional products in conjunction with the polisher. A friend of mine who restores classic Pontiacs (has a '69 Firebird convertible, is now restoring a '69 TA) taught me everything I know - let me practice on a couple of "beater" type cars he was fixing up for friends. If you decide to go the polisher route (lots of folks advocate a Porter Cable unit, I went with a Milwaukee Electric Tool (5460-6) because they're local :-), practicing on an unimportant surface is very important/highly recommended.
Hope this helps,
--Robert
http://www.media.gm.com/division/pontiac/
go to the Bonneville and you can see the differences.
I have 4,900 on mine. I'm getting an easy 18 mpg in town now, and 25 on road trips. Going to take an 1,800 mile trip across the Colorado Rockies and back a week from now. Will be interesting to see the gas mileage. Only mods I've made are a K&N filter and Mobil One. No issues with the car. The front wheel brake dust we get is probably because of the huge rotors up front, and the wide open 5-spoke wheels. Easy to clean. Car runs great. Agree it's a blast to drive.
Really love the combined sound of the V8 and exhaust. Pontiac really got that right for the kind of car that it is. My long time muffler shop let me "try out" a set of Flowmasters on it for a couple days to satisfy my (and their) curiosity. The sound was too "heavy and deep" for my tastes, and I could no longer hear the engine--just the exhaust. So I put the stocks back on. I like the light "rap" sound better.
The interior touches--the carbon fibre pieces and the suede seat inserts are really growing on me. Really like the look and feel. I bought a set of custom floor mats for the front, back, and trunk with the red Pontiac arrow logo embroidered on them. Very cool looking. I was disappointed that the mats that came with the car did not have "GXP" or something embroidered on them like the SSEi mats had.
Something that has been very impressive is the fit and finish of the entire car--inside and out. It rivals anything I've seen on the Japanese and German cars some of my friends have. Didn't used to be that way with GM cars. According to JD Powers the initial quality rankings of the Bonnevilles is now way up thanks to improved manufacturing processes and QA inspections. It shows.
I've only seen 3 or 4 GXP's on the road so far. My dealer now has four 2005 GXP's on his lot. I thought that was interesting since the new models usually don't show up until September-ish around here. The only difference I see is they have a new combined OnStar and XM radio antenna on the front of the top instead of the two antennas in the rear that I have. I'd prefer the single antenna, but that's the way it goes.
Bill
Scott
1500 mines on my GXP in 2+ months. Drove it to Delaware on Friday, it was a great trip, awesome car, and a beautiful day. I agree with you about the car's fit and finish, and I liked the carbon and other unique touches first time I saw it (in the catalog!). But then, I studied the catalog at least 6 weeks and was on-line regulary on the GM site looking at the car before I bought it, so...
I am enjoying the satellite radio and heads up display. I hope I never have another car without both of them. The car has met all my expectations and then some. Now that the roof rattle is gone, I think the car is extremely quiet and feels really "tight". And the monsoon sound system is extremely good to my ear. Unlike you, I have no ability (not mechanical at all) to modify the car or tweak it for ultimate performance (all thumbs, etc.) Sure do wish I did--but I really enjoy reading about others like you who do. But, this car seems to be right for me the way it is, and like I've read on other Edmunds boards, "Buy and drive what you like". So I did.
Like you, I haven't seen many GXP's on the road--only two that I can remember. I have seen none on any dealer's lot, other than when my car was delivered. I will have to keep an eye out for mats with the Pontiac emblem on them, in red too. I think that will go good with the gray interior. Thanks for the info.
Bryan
Scott: Good luck with the Finesse-It II. It has worked great for me. Just this past weekend while we were at a restaurant, some loser ran three parallel scratches across a corner of the hood and on down the fender and the whole passenger side of the car. I didn't see them until I got home. Forunately the Zaino coats kept the keys or whatever he/she used from getting a good bite, so the scratches were light but very visible. My Finesse-It II took them all out. Can't tell they were even there now. Whew! As you might imagine, I was really cranky when I saw those scratches. Guess I don't know what causes some peoeple to want to do that.
Bill
Scott
Complaints included the interior materials and dashboard layout, 4spd auto, steering feel, suspension... etc. They did for the most part like the engine and StabiliTrak. And they thought it is overpriced - "An expensive does of so-so".
They really gushed over the 300c. Accolades all around.
For the most part I do agree with them. I have driven the 300c and it is a really nice car. I still really do like the GXP though - even with some shortcomings.
Test result numbers -
0-60 6.9
1/4 mile 15.4 @ 91
rolling 5-60 7.0
30-50 3.3
50-70 4.2
top speed 141 best in test
braking 70-0 187 - best in test
lateral g .79 best in test
Pretty good numbers although I am surprised that the 0-60 time is not little better.
On a side note - they have a great article on the new Vette - they love it!
To me, that tells how much C&D's opinions are worth...
I have been a lurker in the Bonneville forums for a long time now because I have always liked the Bonneville and do like the new GXP. I even test-drove one at a Pontiac dealer and liked the way it rode and sounded from the quad exhaust tips. I, however, was won over by the Olds Aurora back in 2003 and bought a Final 500 Aurora over the 2003 Bonneville SSEi. Now, I do like the upgraded, higher performance GXP with the Northstar V-8.
Here is another good review of the GXP I found at Automobile.com. I agree with much of what they discuss in the review also.
Past the link below into your browser and Enjoy!!
Bryant
http://automobile.auto123.com/en/info/roadtest/view.spy?make=Pont- iac&artid=27190
Thanks for posting the article. Apart from the usual noise about FWD, no 5-speed transmission, busy dash, old style, etc., it is a pretty good review of the car's positive features.
I personally still can't get excited about the 300C's looks. The Bonneville may be an "old style," but its looks really appeal to me. The hemi power would be nice, but I'm happy with the Northstar's performance. I don't need to blow people's doors off anymore. Been there, done that with my Trans Ams, and have the speeding tickets to show for it.
I just returned from a 1,600 mile run across Kansas and the Colorado Rocky Mountains and back, and the GXP was a real pleasure to drive. XM radio is priceless on a trip like that. The car was a real blast in the Rockies. Speed limits are 65-75 most of the way up and down 6-8% grades. Going up I kept it in cruise control most of the way up, and it did its own downshifting as necessary--very smooth shifts with lots of ear candy as the engine and exhaust "talked." Plenty of passing power when needed. Coming down I kept it in 3rd gear a lot for engine braking and still had to use the brakes a lot. I don't know what a 5th gear would have done for me.
I got 22.5 mpg going out and 21.5 coming back mostly due to the altitude and the Rockies and the fact that for about 70 miles west of Denver coming back, the traffic was bumper-to bumper at 5 mph. Normally I get about 24 on the highway and 18 in town.
The September issue of Popular Mechanics has a FWD vs. RWD article and the two fullsize V8 cars they compare are the GXP and the 300C. Interesting article. Their conclusion:
"Neither front-wheel drive nor rear-wheel drive is really better than the other. Today's sophisticated traction and stability control systems are so good they can mask or enhance the true driving dynamics of a vehicle. That said, through most of this test we found the effectiveness of these systems had more to do with a car's performance than which wheels were actually doing the driving."
They did like the 300C's stability control system a little better than the GXP's.
In the GXP, a shorter 1st gear would have allowed it to retain the longer axle ratio of the V6 models, improving its highway mileage.
I'd actually hope for both better acceleration (C+D's 15.4 @ 91 is not very impressive, today) and better highway fuel economy.
At $35+K or so with a sunroof, I'd expect better in both departments. When I saw the initial information on the GXP, I had expected GM to use the STS version of the Northstar - and had hopes for both a sub-15 sec. quarter and high 20s for highway mileage.
(sigh)
But then, for a FWD V8 - well, there are not many choices . . .
- Ray
Ready for a 6 ratio spread next time out . . .
I did test drive the Magnum and the materials used in it are laughable. Not that the GXP is too far away, but definitely better. For example, the padding at the bottom of the side windows were hard plastic and the the lower I looked in the cabin, the worse the plastic was, with barbs showing and poor fitting. When I got back into my SLE, I felt as though I were in a car of a higher category.
Yes, the Hemi pulls nicely, but I've never driven a harsher a more stupid transmission, shaking the car when passing through reverse and hesitating between gears when lifting the accelerator.
Somehow, I ended up with the impression that the winner of that comparison "had" to be the 300C...
Scott
In any case, with all of the great incentives out there, just bought a GTO - figured if I'm going to go for a sportier car than the GXP, I'm going all the way (RWD, coupe). Love the car, don't really need the 4 doors as my wife and I are DINKs. Not a shot at the Bonnie, just my preference. YMMV. I will be garaging the GTO and driving the Aurora this winter (wife's driving it now, while we sell her GTP).
--Robert
The GXP just feels sportier and has more of a road feel to me than the Aurora, which has more of a luxury car ride, if that makes any sense. Can't say I prefer driving one over the other--they are just different cars.
My only "complaints" with the GXP are the gas mileage and the brake dust on the front wheels. Saw the GM of the dealer last weekend where I purchased it, and he said they would look into retrofit with ceramic "whatevers" that should alleviate the dust (I'm not mechanically inclined at all, can you tell?). Anyway, a car wash takes care of the brake dust just fine.
The fit and finish on the GXP is excellent to my eye. It's quiet but I can still hear that throaty growl that I really like. I used the air compressor feature installed in the rear trunk area to inflate bicycle tires. That sure beat using the manual pump I had been using for years. Now my neighbors all want me to inflate their bike tires next weekend for them when they saw me doing it to my bike. I finally got 22 highway MPG on the last road trip--car now has almost 2,000 miles. It will improve some more I'm sure as it did on the Aurora as more miles were driven.
Like hammen2 did on his new GTO, I used all types of incentives and GM coupons to purchase the GXP. No regrets here.
The one on the lot is the pearl white and this color doesn't do anything for the car. Hope the other color choices are better.
I saw the GM of the dealer where I purchased my 04 GXP, and he has ordered an 05 in Crimson. I'm anxious to see it in person when the car comes in.
Many thanks,
jbm
Bryan: The brake dust shows more on GXP's because of the 18" wheels and the open 5 spoke design. I agree that frequent washings take care of the dust. I wash mine a couple times a week and Zaino it about once a month, so brake dust is really not an issue for me.
I would buy this car again.