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Comments
Bye bye G6.
Reg is about to break the champagne open....
Revka
Host/Hatchbacks & Wagons
And now, back to the subject of the Chevy Malibu Maxx! ;-)
Revka
Host/Hatchbacks & Wagon
Harry
The Maxx looks better to my eyes, the rear 3/4s view is its best.
-juice
No doubt a lot of that 722m was for new equipment at the plant. HOWEVER, I am sure many millions would have been saved had they just swapped the Opel lightning bolt with a Chevy bow tie.
Or, maybe that 722m was just to re-equip the plant for production only. Who knows how much coin was wasted at GM just redesigning the body into something uglier than the attractive and entirely US salable Vectra.
I'm sure the cost of modifying the body is marginal at best.
It's OK, "wagon" is a bad word in marketing terms, "hatch" equates to cheap.
-juice
its not an easy thing for automakers to create extra new dies with new mathematical
data, and then for unibody it required structural crash analysis as well. And then, all bumper designs etc. come into question along with wind testing, verifying all lights and signals are within height compliance, etc.
Its not like a spaceframe where the skin is doing nothing and changes can be made without adverse effects. While the 'platform' hard points may be the same, many many things are affected and this creates a bunch of cost implications.
For example, I hope they at least left the 4 'door rings' in tact. If Chevy resisted the urge to tamper with those, kudos. But the structure framing the door openings needs extreme engineering and changing the door opening even slightly means reengineering = dollars.
Now is the windshield rake and structure the same too? Probably. For sure? Who knows.
The C pillar and back glass of the passenger safety cage is different. So there was money blown re-engineering that by Chevy when the more pleasing roof shape and taper of the Vectra woulda been fine, coinsidering how ugly the butt end of the bu turned out anyways.
Once you screw with the passenger safety cage, costs = goes up.
Take your Alero. Do you think its a mere coincidence its a Grand Am in drag? (or vice versa). GM designed one safety cage for both cars and also saved money form interchangable parts as well between the two. In that example, GM saves money from doing that.
GM didn't even design a safety cage for the current Grand Am and Alero. They both failed all of the important crash tests. At least I'm fairly safe in my old 'Bu, unless some id**t in his or her SUV hits me in the driver's door.
Still a GM-intender.
What's intriguing to me is that the replacement for the Saturn L-Series will be a Malibu clone, with a Maxx "hatch/wagon" as well.
ION is a ridiculous name. Wonder what they'll come up with for the new L-Series??
Suggestions (be nice)???
Let's hope not in the G6, as well.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/L- - ayout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&am- p;am- p;cid=1062065846099
Sounds like the biggest downer is the tires.
Buy a Mazda6 Wagon and get it over with. It will have a better suspension and feel more like a driver's car than the MAXX, right?
Dinu
Dinu
I'll go to my dealer on Monday to see if any sedans have come in. Thanks for not missing me.
Glad you're back.
Harry
Reg, you'll have fun with that one. Thaught Cobalt was absurd.
maxx, join in the fun. Labor Day Weekend!
What am I kidding about?
the 626 rumbled and sputtered after sitting for a week. I kicked it a few times and murmured...Maxx..Maxx....and then I thought....rebate....rebate....and I kissed and made up........for now!!!
Suggestions for a stronger engine:
245 horsepower V-6 engine
260 lb-ft of torque
4500 rpm
Why, you ask? So everyone will know reg when he comes down the street with his little red wagon!
Too bad about the OEM tires. Hardly a unique problem in this category. FWD midsize sedans have such a broad market, finding the perfect OEM tire is impossible.
The best thing to do is work with your dealer and swap for the tire of your choice before taking delivery. You'll get a credit for the OEMs and have exactly what you want.
In comparing wagons, I think any wagon is fair game for comparison. In fact, I believe the Maxx will make the VW Passat wagon look like a very dumb purchase (overpriced that is)
Looks are a bit dowdy and you can no longer get a stick. Cargo area isn't much more than a Ford Focus wagon, which is cheaper. The Jetta wagon and new Lancer Sportback promise comparable cargo space. The L is a decent drive, but its old and tired by now. The motor is OHC but is a rehashed Opel bit.
And then, why would I buy any of those when the superior and classy Mazda6 wagon is right around the bend?
Let's dissect dindak's 'logic' again
"Because the car would then start $25K instead of $18K"
and of course, no factual info to say 'why'? In a world where 15,000 dollar Kia Optimas and 8,000 Kia Rios and sub10k Cavaliers and Foci have an OHC powertrain and Ford Taurus has an OHC Duratec as an option for about a 1000 bucks, dindak goes way off the deep end and suggests it would take GM raising the MSRP a whole whopping 7 grand (And that's AMURCHAN dollars) for the general to plop a motor that's already engineered for the car (Vectra and upcoming G6) and selling in Europe. And he even has the audacity to suggest that it should not even be available as an option to those that want it.
from jchan
"Why not use a decontented version of the 3.6 (i.e instead of 260 horsepower maybe somewhere around 235-245 horsepower)"
Agreed. Use the 3.2l version that's already out in EU with about 225hp and you're in business. Its already been engineered for the car.
"Pontiac Pursuit??? Reg, you'll have fun with that one. Thaught Cobalt was absurd."
Again showing the GENIUS of GM marketing. Has to be the most LAME model name ever....ROTFLMAO! How juvenile and absurd. Buyers will laugh!
Star reviewer must have been paid off big time by GM after the Lutz visit AFTER he trashed the GP. Some big GM promo dollars headed the writer's way for the about face.
Why is re-badging a Cobalt for Pontiac a joke? Small cars are BIG business up here and I'm sure the Pontiac dealers will sell heaps of the Pursuits. The 03 Vibes were sold out long ago up here, 04s have been on sale for weeks. Small=big up here.
"Star reviewer must have been paid off big time"
Absolutely! If they don't agree with your pre-judgement or are even slightly positive on a GM product they must be getting paid off!
Trip for Family to Europe
Rental Opel Signum in Europe
Chance to drive Corvette and XLR on closed Course
Trip to China
Rental Buick Sail in China
$5,000 shopping spree at the mall closest to Home
Lots o' Wine
Chance to see upcoming GM designs. (in 2003 you would have seen development of the 9-2 and the 9-3X)
All This for a page long favorable review of the Chevrolet Cavalier or Pontiac Aztek.
(If you say something good about the Aztek, you get two rental cars and a 5-star hotel in Europe instead of a 3-star.)
I know Jim Kenzie's writing well, he is pretty objective and has criticized GM cars many times in the past and I certainly don't agree with him on many things he writes.