ponchoman49

Wow this is the second replacement Toyota that looks far worse than the model before it, the 07 Camry Bugs Bunny mobile being the other. What a dull dull blob of a thing.

Further proof that Honda or Toyota can't come up with an original body style to save there lives!

It should have been called a Regal from day one instead of having to burn up 2 names for one identical car. I mean the China car still uses this name to my understanding.

Which in my book makes the 3900 seem inferior. The LaCrosse and Impala are W-body cars with similar weight and both use the same 4T65 tranny. The LaCrosse uses steeper 3.69:1 gears and makes but 2 less hp than the 3900 Impala which has lazier 3.29:1 gears, needs extra displacement and VVT to get at 242 hp output and sounds so much less refined than the 3.6 DOHC. I'm not sure which car would win a race but I have seen the LaCrosse anywhere from 6.7 seconds to 8.0 seconds by the auto rags and Chevy puts the 3900 Impala at 7.8 seconds which ironically is what I got with a base rental LS Impala with the 3500 and 2.86:1 gears. I would expect both engines to do around 7.0 seconds to 60 in my experiences so peformance would be similar. The sweet refined sound of the 3.6 DOHC would put that engine in my favor, albeit with a bit more torque. From my experience with the Impala with the 3500 I say that GM still has a way to go to make this engine sound refined. As far as the G6 goes, if GM installed the 3.6 in that with 3.29:1 gears instead of the 3.69:1 geared 3900 it would get a lot better than the horrible 26 highway mpg rating and be just as quick in 250 hp guise.

Well get used to it. 98% of the crap coming out for 06 and 07 have steel panals and not even a door protection molding. BMW's, Caddys, Toyotas, new Nissans and even Lincoln's have plain, naked steel dorrs with no protection whatsoever. The paintless dent removing bodyshops are going to get rich on these car companies cost cutting! :rolleyes:

We may still see some 07's with the 3800. After all it has been re-certified for the Lucerne and is already in series III format for the GP, Lucerne and LaCrosse. It won't be long before we find out as one month of this year is almost gone already...gasp!

But to spoiled modern day North Americans it will be a big deal. It really is too much to ask that someone needs to press 2 buttons instead of one to access there trunk. This is afterall the generation that wants to be able to click there mouse once and get instant right now response from their pc's versus 2 clicks and a little wait.

Things I would like see changed on the 07 Monte Carlo that would make it go from bad to at least acceptable: knights logo on rear pillar, better and different looking grille with more class, delete silly rear spoiler on base LS and LT versions, reinstate bodyside door molding and put a nice chrome sliver in the LTZ version like the Malibu LT and LTZ have, a new center console with shift indicators, padded door armrests, a dash with two tone treatment, not solid black or black and tan but dark and light tan or dark gray and light gray, a choice of brushed silver or woodgrain accents, a 6 speed automatic on the higher trim models and maybe a little more slimming down in the rear end treatment. I would trade Onstar and that rear spoiler for these changes and would probably buy one if Chevy did these things to the car.

I agree about the rear seat legroom. If you put the front seat all the way back there is little legroom left. I didn't find my rental base LS Impala noisy on the highway. In fact it was quieter than my 00 which wasn't really that bad for road noise. I did find the 3500 made more noise than it should have with a heavy throttle foot. The suspension on my LS was plenty firm and it would take any corner I threw at it better than my old 00 with sport suspension and 3800 package did. The ride was a bit firm and indeed it didn't like sharp pot holes that well. But overall I rated ride/handling as one of the Impalas strenghts, an opinion many editors seem to agree with. Agree about the dash looking cheesy and plasticy, especially the lower portion. The door panals could use a little more trim like the previous gen Impalas had. Sorry to hear the car stranded you. I luckily have never had that happen with any of my GM's knock on wood and hope never to in the future. I want to rent a V6 Malibu for a weekend to give a report on that.

THIS is a Lincoln? From the side it looks like any blah ordinary Japanese compact sport ute. The interior is ok but the exterior is utterly forgettable like most newly introduced vehicles of late! Hate the name too. Why is every luxury car maker copying the same theme here: dull plain looking sides with no door molding and absence of chrome and trim, alphanumeric names, dull Japanese styling etc?

It may just be running a tad rich then. That can indeed make a car run really smooth. A good scanner can tell if all your sensors are in parameter or out of parameter. I would start with a fresh 02 sensor.

I agree about most of what you said here even though I would never pay extra money for Hids or NAV. Both are a waste of money to me. I would like to add to this list a few simple things that Buick should have done on this car. The exterior review mirrors are body color but the housing is still black plastic. Why is this? The cheaper LaCrosse doesn't do this. Also the trunk size is dissapointing and worse the hinges still intrude. Again the LaCrosse avoids this. Again minor niggles but kind of annoying when Buick got these things right on there cheaper LaCrosse. My ideal Lucerne would be a black CXL with roof and a 3.6 DOHC and 6 speed automatic. And kudos to Buick for making a floor shifter std equipment. Both dealers in my area are selling them as quick as they can get them in. Everytime I go to look at cars there are new Lucernes in the back row that still have the wraps on the fenders and plastic on the seats ready to fill the holes in the front row. Hope this car annihilates the boring, plain looking Avalon and retains it's place as number one selling full size.

I find it hard to believe too. I mean 211 torque! Come on! No other magazine has even come close to this time that I have read.

I hear that the 2.4/stick does 0-60 in 8.0 seconds or less. If this is true then the HHR is certainly not underpowered. I can't say that about the 2.2 automatic though. With almost 30 less hp this combo would strike me as being a flatlander's special.

I drove both and didn't see much difference at all. In fact the 3900 Impala actually seemed to have a slightly sportier sounding exhaust than the 3500. Some reports seem to indicate that the 3900 is indeed quieter than it's predecessors such as in the G6 compared to the old Grand Am with it's hoary old 3400. I'm going to try and rent something with the 3900 to spend some more time with it.

Yes it could mess up the test. Exhaust back pressure is significantly altered which screws up the O2 sensor and your emmision levels will be off. These old computer controlled carbureted engines are very fussy and need every single emission device hooked up and working properly to get them dialed in. I have seen a single vacuum leak that caused the carb to go lean that really messed up the engine before which in turn caused the mixture control solenoid to compensate and go rich till the proper fuel/air mixture was reached. That car surged and bucked and got poor mileage as a result. There are so many factors involved in getting one of these cars to run right that I can't list them here. Best thing to do is get a service manual on Ebay for your car which has flow charts and such and diagrams that show where eveything goes. Or you could find an old timer mechanic somewhere that knows these cars and can get it up to snuff for you. Also do check out oldsperformance307.com site. Tons of good info that should get your car running like a top again.

I did read in Motor Trend, I think, that the 07 Grand Prix and LaCrosse were getting the 3900 V6 for 07 in place of the 3800. I'll believe this when I see it. Don't know whats going to take the place of the 3800 S/C. I would imagine the GXP will be retained as is. No mention of any radical styling or interior changes for 07. 08 is supposed to usher in a replacement for the dead 05 Bonneville and 07 Grand Prix called unbelievably G8, but this is old news now which may have been changed for all I know. Don't expect the new 6speed auto to show up in the GXP because it's torque rating is quite a bit lower than the 5.3 puts out.

I think even if the G6 had the DOHC 3.6, a 7 speed manual, no air leaks and outperformed the other cars totally, Foreign & Driver would still put it last with quips like: the synergy between gas pedal and clutch wasn't quite as rewarding as our beloved Accord or TSX or the "athletic tension" just wasn't the same as our mainstay foreign cars. Whenever I now read a comparo from these guys, it is quite apparent that they are now really reaching to justify keeping there beloved ricers on top. I now put there writeups alongside Consumer Reports for credulance!

Sounds like that Park Ave is running way too rich. I would have it put on an analyser and have the exhaust sniffed. Could be a bad oxygen sensor. That may account for it's better performance. The Bonny is lighter than that Park Ave with essentially the same 307 motor with 5A heads, 200R4 trans, 2.73:1 gears etc. Of course you need to check the sticker in your trunk on that Park Ave and find out what rear gears you have. They came with 2.73:1 GU2 and could get optional 3.08:1 GU4 or 3.23:1 GU5's. If that car has an optional ratio it would make it faster and worse on gas to some extent than the Bonneville. But if everything is equal and stock on both cars the Bonny should outperform the heavier Park Ave.

I would be shocked if it showed up in a Chevy that soon. The Aura, yes. Maybe some Caddys. A Chevy, doubtful. Hope i'm wrong.

I see no need for either Buick or Pontiac to make a minivan. Buick is the luxury division and Pontiac is supposed to be the sporty marque. So why have clone minivans? Leave the vans for Chevy and Saturn. Chevy can be the entry level to mid level with Saturn taking the mid to high level spot. Enough said!

Gosh, I didn't realize how much nicer I liked the Sonata after this picture comparo. The Camry in the Photo says it's an XLE which is the best model. Everything from the wheels to the hideous front end to the naked, plain looking side with no chrome door handles to no door moldings make the Camry blander than ever. Add a smaller trunk with intrusive trunk hinges and a lower output 4 cylinder, 2.4 Camry engine makes 158hp, GM's 2.4 Ecotec makes from 167hp to 177hp. Sonata 2.4 makes 162hp! People comparing this car online will find several dissapointments here. The Impala really trumps this car on trunk space with non intrusive hinges at 18.6 cu.ft. But it's that magical Toyota name that will keep this lame duck a best seller and put our workers on the streets!

Bugs Bunny would loveth it!

I too had that very same engine in my 1981 Grand Prix LJ. It was reasonably peppy in that 3390 lb car. However the heavier Bonnevilles which were 3600-3700 lbs felt sluggish with that engine. The 307 put out 150 hp in the Bonny and the 265 was 120 hp which is a 30 hp difference. The torque on the 265 was 205 and the 307 made 240. Also notable in the larger Bonneville was the fact that the 265 came in 3 speed automatic only guise with 2.41:1 rear gears whereas the 307 came with the then new 200R-4 4 speed auto overdrive tranny and better 2.73:1 gears which made a big difference in overall performance. The 1980 Bonnys had both the 265 V8 and the 301 V8 as the Olds engines were restricted to there own cars in that year. The difference between those 2 Pontiac engines was 20 hp and 30 torque. However the 301 didn't seem much quicker than it's little 265 brother because it used the same lazier 2.41:1 rear gears and had a whimpier cam than the 265. My 81 GP 265 engine also lasted for well over 150k with only a timing chain and was a good daily driver. I wish Pontiac had kept there V8's out longer and had developed them more. Imagine the 301 turbo in 1987 alongside the Grand National 3.8 turbo. That would have been a world beater in those years in the Trand Ams.

Lets not forget too that the Malibu for $16365 is an automatic and has several features not available on the Sonota like std telescoping wheel, fold flat passenger seat, trip computer and outside temp, automatic headlights, DRL's, floormats etc. The automatic Hyundai starts at $18795 but does have side curtain airbags and ABS/stability control included. Still if you were looking for an above average commuter that gets good mileage, the Malibu at $16990 with dest is a good buy.