avro206

Has anyone driven both of these cars? Do they feel different, could you tell blindfolded which was which?

Is the steering, suspension different? Enough to make them feel distinct from eachother?

I drove a Monte SS--sure it had power but everything else was bad. It just drove like something 20 years old--that was in great shape. Seats were super wide and flat too.

GXP prices are pretty low. Only exp I have with them is a base 3800--didn't like it. With more power, looks ect and two tone interior, maybe the GXP would work for me.

Z28 Autobot

yes and no...I had the opportunity to drive an Impala SS and a GXP..you comparing a 2 door to a 4 door for one thing. But besides that..the GXP is a little more tweeked for spirited driving.

Go take a spin in a GXP you will notice the options that make up the GP GXP make it a much more complete handling car.

Not taking away anything from the Impala or MC. as they edge out in speed. But on a winding road. It might be more fun.

Bryan921SS

2 Door FTW!!!


GXP's have more flashy bits....

bigboy3l

^^^What He said^^^

My opinion is totally unbiased

Heslekrants

I'm a big Monte Carlo fan having owned 5 of them but from a driver's view the GXP handles & brakes way better than the MC or Imp SS. Another big plus is that you can run a 275/40/18 on factory front rims of the GXP.

Now if you swapped the GXP parts onto the MC SS then you would have a really nice car.

DavidGXP

iTrader: (14)

i love my gxp i just wish it was a 2 door ( needed a four door). bigger brakes, wider stag tires with forged wheels, tuned suspension, touch sceen dvd nav with hud. suade inserts and very nice gauges with drivers information center. i blast through corners all of the time. people always bag on my car cause it's fwd and i do too, but once i get behind the wheel and start driving i could care less cause it works; the engineers did a fantastic job. id say you would get more personal value from a gxp.

StealthV8

iTrader: (1)

if you are good at launching you will notice the benefit of having the gxps wider front tires.. I believe the GXP only weights 2-300 pounds more, which is 2 tenths off the qtr. In a stright line its really a drivers race between all 4 models, in the corners the GXP and the buick version a better than the imp and mc.

bigboy3l

My only issue with the MCSS is the interior I think is outdated. If it had GXP like interior it would have been even better. Or maybe I am tired of loking at it after two years of daily driving LOL.

Bryan921SS

If there was such a thing as an 04+ 2 Door Grand Prix then that's what I would be driving....it is a real shame that Pontiac/GM didn't make a 2 Door.

williamGT

iTrader: (5)

Yeah I wish my car was a 2 door, but they stop making the in 2003

texasGXP08

I think it comes down to personal taste.

I liked my GXP for the suspension, brakes, and heated seats when I bought it. The one thing I thought was a gimmick at the time, was the heads up display. Now that I have had a car with it, I can't imagine not having it. It is one of those things were it seems like a minor perk, until you drive a car with it for a week, then go to another car without it and you are like "****..."

If you are set on getting a two door car, the Monte can be a nice value, as long as you are aware of the w-body platform performance limitations (GXP included). I may get flamed for this but if your are set on 2 door, also consider late model GTO, Camaro, or Trans Am.

With that, I must add that you are in the right freaking place for LS4 mods and info. The guys here are truly pioneering new stuff daily. FWD, tiny intake, and DoD be damned! I think the best stuff for these cars will come this year!

jabronie78

iTrader: (1)

I thought I read somewhere that the SS's were faster than the GXP because of a different final drive ratio. In fact I think there was a thread on.

I'll have to look for it.

jabronie78

iTrader: (1)

Despite the antics of the overwhelmed tires, hard acceleration still leaves the driver giddy — at least for the first few runs. We certainly can't argue with this kind of performance from a family sedan that starts at $26,990 — there's that 0-to-60 time of 5.6 seconds, the quarter-mile turns in 14.2 seconds at 101 mph, and the ungoverned top speed is 154 mph. Much to our surprise, the SS turned out to be 0.1 second faster from 0 to 60 and in the quarter-mile than the identically powered but 132-pounds-lighter Grand Prix GXP we tested last fall.

The SS's quicker acceleration can likely be traced to its shorter final-drive ratio (3.29:1 vs. 2.93). It's also interesting to note that this level of acceleration is accomplished with a four-speed automatic — that's called making the most of what you've got. But despite this performance, the Impala isn't convincing as a sports sedan.


http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...a_ss-road_test

StealthV8

iTrader: (1)

i agree the best is yet to come.. As soon as the LS4's are cheap enough that kids under 18 can buy them and still mod them things will change fast. Thats what happened with the early w-bodies, and pretty much every import. only thing that will hurt us is the low production numbers.

94ss06gxp

iTrader: (5)

just get a GXP

Mgpeagle

iTrader: (6)

I didn't know the GXP was 132 lbs. lighter. Cool beans... I have 3.29's.... : )

-Mike

GXP25

iTrader: (3)

That might have something to do with the back seat.

JP_GXP

I've been trying to tell you all that the GXP is only ~50 lbs heavier than the MCSS. The article states that the GXP is 130 lbs lighter than the ~3700 lbs ISS.

This is the third recent thread about which LS4 to get, just drive them both.

For the record, I vote GXP.




https://ls1tech.com/forums/ls4-front...8-ls4-get.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/ls4-front...fferences.html

Heslekrants

My GXP weighs 3600lbs with 1/2 tank of gas.

jabronie78

iTrader: (1)

Yeah it weighs less and is still slower. huh.