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Future Vehicles 2009 Chevy Impala RWD
124 messages, Last post on Feb 28, 2008 at 4:33 PM
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Replying to: fintail (Nov 13, 2006 2:38 pm) Sounds like a Winning combo to me.  Rocky
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Replying to: fintail (Nov 13, 2006 2:38 pm) |
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Replying to: rockylee (Nov 13, 2006 3:14 pm) IMO, the Malibu and Impala have always been too close together in size, which probably causes them to cannibalize sales from each other. In fact, I remember when the '97 Malibu came out, I checked one out at the dealership, and compared it to a new Lumina, and it really seemed to make the Lumina redundant. It has roughly the same wheelbase (107 for the Malibu, 107.5 for the Lumina IIRC), and was about 8 inches shorter (~192 versus ~200") but I swear the Malibu had a bigger trunk, more headroom, and more legroom. About the only place the Lumina beat it was shoulder room. When the Impala came out, it was about the same size overall as the Lumina, but the wheelbase shot up to 110.5". But it didn't seem like any of that stretch in wheelbase went to improve legroom much, especially in the back seat. And the '06 restyle, which I thought improved the looks and the interior quality, actually seemed to steal some legroom and headroom in the back! At least I don't remember being able to hit my head on the back window of the '00-05 like I could the '06. When the '08 Malibu comes out, I think it's really going to make the Impala redundant, especially if it's going to that 112.3" wheelbase that the Aura and G6 use. I guess the Impala will still have it beat in shoulder room and trunk space though. It'll be interesting to see how well Chevy does with a RWD Impala. Will it be a success, or will it be too late to the party? It's a shame that the automakers don't make more platforms where they could be versatile enough to accommodate FWD, RWD, or AWD configurations.
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Maybe Chevy can make it like the old days for some differentiation. Offer a 2 door post, 2 door HT, 4 door post, 4 door HT, convertible, and wagon. Offer like 4 engine choices. GM isn't a quick adopter of most trends...I think 09 is acceptable given the snail's pace of this company. The Malibu issue will indeed be more important...I wonder how they will segment this car. |
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Replying to: andre1969 (Nov 14, 2006 8:28 am) I wish they'd create a generic manual transmission that could be purchased as an option on a bunch of cars, sporting and not. The default option could be the usual slushbox, but for a little extra, the iconoclast buyer could outfit his Impala with a stick shift for instance. A Malibu Maxx with a stick could well become the bargain basement old-school-style Saab...  RWD is great, but to me, it's only 1/2 the equation...
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Replying to: john_324 (Nov 14, 2006 9:52 am)
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isn't the only way to get a manual is to get the stripper 4-cyl version? I guess one big problem is that the domestic makers tend to look at manual shifts as cars for cheap people, so they just don't put much effort into them. In contrast, the Japanese and Europeans are more willing to offer a manual transmission with a more upscale, powerful car.
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Replying to: andre1969 (Nov 15, 2006 9:07 am)
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Replying to: sls002 (Nov 15, 2006 9:11 am) Oh cool...looks like Pontiac actually TRIED to do something fun with a stick then! I thought I read somewhere that the 3.9 is going to get replaced in the G6 by the 3.6 DOHC V-6? I wonder if they'll still mate a stick shift to that engine? |
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Replying to: sls002 (Nov 15, 2006 8:39 am) I'm thinking really in terms of bigger, 4-door sedans here. For them, when a manual is available (rarely), you have to buy the high-end-expensive-loaded with-heated-seats-and-other-things-I-don't-need-performance model to get it. So how cool would it be if GM offered the "sport transmission" option for the Impala, Malibu, etc., across the line? Surely there are some people who need a family car who'd still like to have a little fun while driving... |
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