This is why American Auto Makers are in trouble...

NYSpeed Automotive
1

I have been doing alot of traveling lately and had the oppurtuinity to rent many cars and drive them for an extended period of time. It has now become very apparent why the american auto industry is in trouble.

List of cars driven:

GM:
Chevy Impala LS
Pontiac G6
Buick LaCrosse

Ford:
Taurus

Chrysler:
Jeep Liberty

Kia:
Spectra

Commentary:

Lets start with GM and the Impala, G6, & Lacrosse…

Powertrain: I will start by saying that the GM 3900 Pushrod engine is a very strong engine with a very broad powerband. Thats about where the positives end.

Interior: Seriously lacking. I feel that if i were to list the things that were lacking I would be here for days. The dash was like a rounded off and polished version of an 80’s style design. Nothing new or novel or even egonomic. The seats seems that they were designed around the cushions on my patio furniture. Side bolsters are non existant. Support is non-existant. It seems like it was designed for morbidly obsese people who take turns at 2 mph… which comes to my next point.

Chasis/Driving Dynamic: I spent alot of time in the blue mountain area with alot of beautiful twisty roads. The blue ridge mountains is known as one of americas top 10 driving roads. Its unfortunate that I had to spend much of my time there driving cars that really offer NO driving dynamic.

I will say that the ultimate grip of the chasis/tire combo is on par with foriegn cometitors but I will also say trying to test this was truely an unnerving experience.

The problem is not that the chasis is outwardly dangerous and will try to kill you the problem is that it provides absolutely ZERO feedback. You do not know if you are at 100 percent or 10 percent. The steering wheels of these cars have so much play that I can shake it back and forth really fast through 20-30 degrees of rotation AT SPEED and the car would not respond. When turning in the car was devoid of any sort of precision and kind of just floated its way through the turn.

It kind of scares me that chevy offers an SS version of the Impala… All that power through the front wheels that you can’t even control dosent sound like a good thing…

In my opinion america need to build a better “bread and butter” vehicle I dont see many of the cars that I have driven being good for anything other than a fleet vehicle. In the cars that I have driven the import competition is LIGHTYEARS ahead in in interior design, and driving dynamics when comparing the same Bread and Butter cars. They really need to stop rebadging reiterations of the same chasis and spend time making a GREAT family car.

Ford Taurus: Same commentary as above with a slightly better chasisis but a woefully weak engine.

Jeep: Actually not a bad vehicle for the pricepoint. I would probably buy. It dosent suck and thats the reason why they sell. Go figure building a car that dosent suck so that it sells. Who would have thought.

Kia spectra: Woefully weak engine. But best chasis dynamic and actually engaging to drive. Pretty sad that an economy vehicle offers a better driving experience than the cars listed above.

I cannot see too many people after test driving an accord or a camry choosing say an Impala LS by choice. They are just lightyears ahead in refinement and offer a much better driving experience.

My moms 98 honda accord offers more refinement and 10x better chasis dynamics than many of the vehicles listed and my dads 96 4runner has better steering response than many of the cars listed as well. Im not kidding.

My friends 05 accord is so many levels above in refinement, interior, and chaisis dynamics. It would take me DAYS to list why it is better.

I recently had a chance to drive a 06 honda civic. Although it was slow as shit it was fun to drive and the steering response was amazingly sharp. The interior was awesome layed out in a very egronomic and forward thinking and modern design.

Its pretty sad that the kia spectra offered the best driving dynamic of the cars that I have driven… american auto makers need to realize that slapping a good engine on a shittly designed car and unresponsive chasis dosent make a good car it makes a golden peanut stuck in a turd.

What really irks me is that america has the technology and the knowhow to make a good driving car. I recently drove a ford mustang and the car was very responsive and fun to drive. The corvette is the ICON of american performance and offers a driving experience like none other.

American automakers need so put some of this mojo into thier bread and butter lines. Thier specialty low volume production cars are amazing. It almost seems as if they put the least thought into designing the product lines that will make them the most money.

2

good writeup, and i couldnt agree more

3

yea, that pretty much sums it up.

If You have to live with a car every day, refinement:all

4

You would have been better off with a rental Focus. They’re lovely to drive.

And I’m not sure if older Accords are better than G6’s.

Oh wait, they are. Dear lord. Basically when you drive a Pontiac with any gusto you turn in, wait, react for what the car does, correct, wait, react, correct. Sporty for surely.

5

so the ride comfort and power are not what your looking for. thats what i look for in a car my only requirement for a interior is comfy seats no race car feel to um and a dark interior. these are cars ment to be driven daily not auto crossed not drag raced just dds. i personally like the g6 and it will probably be my next car if i dont find a used cts that i like.

6

Hmm… I presume these were all rentals.

And FWIW - I’d think that the G6 GTP (and Impala SS) would have different driving dynamics than base rentals.

In fact, I know that the base G6 uses electric-assisted steering, while the GTP uses hydraulic (which has much better feel).

7

I can sum up the reason the US auto makers are in trouble in one word: Unions.

8

Does the general driving public of this country really care about driving dynamics though? IMO NVH and comfort sell in this category and the easy way out is to let the dynamics suffer.

The focus is probably one of the only mainstream, domestic vehicles that got this balance right but it was designed in europe and now ford has left it stagnant for 8 years here.

9

Yeah Garick, but maybe it is just coming from someone who has driven imports all along, but a well-bolstered seat is more comfortable to sit in to me, than some groad bus-bench like most domestic cars seem to have.

10

But sadly, all the of gm’s are priced relatively close to the toyota’s and honda’s. Paying 20k to 30k and feeling like you are driving a car with a marshmallow suspension, when you could be driving a nicely refined feeling car, is what pisses me off.

11

I used to think I didnt care about a nice interior, until I was in some really intelligently designed interiors. Its a big factor to me, getting pissed while driving because something was designed by two retards that arent allowed to drive.

I drove two american cars for a total of 6 years, two sedans, 1989 a delta 88 and a 1997 Buick Century. I hate these cars, its like driving a huge block of soft cheese. The interiors are both ugly, uncomfortable and not ergonomic.

I also had a 1986 200sx a much cheaper, less powerful car. I love the way it drives, and I love the interior. I could drive this forever, and the interior only helps it.

I will not buy an american car unless they can overcome at least these obstacles.

12

Does the general american public really care about anything? Obviously the japanese public cares, and which companies are rapidly starting to take over the title of being the top 3 in the USA?

Yep, no one cares.

13

thats the problem with the unions and pention/health care of retired employees. It adds $2k to every car. So either they need to cut costs so they can price it the same as other cars in the market, or put the same features but charge more then the other cars. Shitty situation eitherway they do it. But i think it would be a little less shitty if they made the cars on par and charged a little more for them.

14

Its not even that… The honda accord and even the civic ride VERY comfortably and still provide the driver with a very good driving dynamic and feel. Its in no way a race car feel. It is just very engaging to drive. In one word refined. It manages to be very comfortable yet very engaging you feel like a driver not just a passenger with a steering wheel.

15

Plus you feel a little more in control and safer.

At least I do. I hate the steering wheels with very vague input limits and sensitivity.

16

The union does not design cars. Did GM ask the union for it’s OK to build the Aztek, Aveo or SSR? Are you saying big three cars built in (non-union) Mexico, Japan or Australia are on par with Toyotas & Hondas? With or without the UAW, the big three need to build cars that people want to buy. Believe it or not, Styling/Quality/performance etc. are controled by the company, NOT the union.

The Corvette is built at a UAW factory, with many UAW made parts. It sells out every year. Is that the Unions fault?

17

GM, In all their arrogance, really doesn’t care what you think. The Impala is the best selling domestic car this year. Let’s face it, we are car enthusiasts. Most buyers are not.

18

95% of car buyers don’t care about driving dynamics, side bolsters, sports suspension, etc. They want a car that is reliable and safe. So why would auto companies spend extra money and time designing these features into cars when the vast majority could care less. Same reason many SUV’s no longer have a low range for 4x4, because 95% of people don’t even know what it is, nor will they ever use it.

You need to realize you are the very small population who drives a car for fun, not functionality.

19

We will be surprised what the american public wants and does not want. It seems like the american public wants honda accords, toyota camrys, and nissan maximas alot more than they want thier american competitors…

These are in no way sports cars they are family sedans and advertized as such but they are fun and engaging to drive and offer REFINEMENT. The features go beyond what is adequate and provides the driver with that little bit extra FOR THE SAME price point.

If america really didnt care why is the accord and camry constantly battling for the top selling FAMILY car in north america for YEARS… Must be just sheer dumb luck…

If you subtract fleet sales of many of these domestic “bread and butter” vehicles I bet we will find that the numbers are woefully inadequate.

Heres an article that better illustrates my point.

The following article is from FORBES:

It reads:

“The Taurus and the Impala still make the top ten, even though they lag way behind Camry and Accord in terms of build quality, reliability and the level of features in the cars. One reason the Taurus and Impala sell so well is that a large percentage of them are sold with deep discounts to fleets such as rental car agencies. According to a recent report from Merrill Lynch (nyse: MER - news - people ), in the second quarter of 2004, the American automakers’ fleet sales as a percentage of total sales was 27.8%. The Japanese cars have a much higher percentage of cars sold for private use, meaning that the imports generate better per-car profits.”

“Another reason for the popularity of the American cars is the fact that they come with thousands of dollars in rebates and cut-rate financing, and the Japanese dealerships aren’t nearly as generous. The same is true for the Dodge Caravan; it is nowhere near as nice as the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey minivans, but it often comes with hefty incentives. Siennas, on the other hand, can sell for close to $40,000 without much in the way of incentives, if anything…”

http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/vehicles/2004/08/02/cx_dl_0802feat.html

You cant turn much a profit by selling cars at prices marginally above your cost of manufacture. It dosent make business sense.

Heres and article with commentary that sums it all up:

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=1848

20

The safest seats are those with firm cushioning that holds the occupants in place. This provides the least space for acceleration in a collision. They are also the most comfortable for long trips, affording support which prevents fatigue.

There is no excuse for GM to not have a good chassis to start with on the 5 cars they base off of it. Maybe if the Epsilon chassis was decent it would be able to sell at MSRP. Even in its sportiest iteration, the Saab 9-3, it fails to feel very sorted out. It’s just not a very good chassis, and no amount of firming the suspension, widening the tires, deepening the exhaust note, or giving the steering a heavier feel can mask it.