Since the new GTO has the same motor/tranny as the vette, why is it so heavy? I have been on other boards and the GTO gets complaints on the weight. Also, C&D had an article and it had poor stopping numbers. Partly because of the weight and part because of the narrow tires. Not sure how the GTO compares to the holden can, but I would think it must be similar.

Any thoughts?

(It had 5.3 0-60, 185 FT 70-0, 1/4 in 14 sec. - not too bad for a "chubby"
car!)

Leather seats. Power everything. 10 speakers. Traction and ABS sensors and controls. CAGS. Steel grill. Not confirmed, but I'm guessing steel exhaust manifolds.
As a friend who drove a preproduction said, it's a 'grown-up' trans am - meaning it's all the oomph with comfort to go with it. Comfort is heavy.

Not only that, but lightweight costs lots of money. Monaro is built on an affordable platform that is VERY versatile. If you don't believe me, just look at the range of vehicles that Holden is building from this platform. The fact that they can bring the GTO to us for the price they are asking is very good in my opinion. It is rugged and robust.

If you want to find out why the Corvette is as light as it is, just go look at the sticker price sometime. There are a lot of good reasons that it costs that much more than a GTO considering that it has quite a lot 'less content'. One is the extensive use of aluminum throughout the car...which helps make it light ;)

Would you call Arnold Schwarzenegger chubby?

As rschumacherfan1 pointed out, the car is equipped with creature comforts and the weight of the toys adds up.

But the biggest point to keep in mind is that the car was primarily designed for Australian conditions. This adds weight in a number of subtle ways.

Consider the air conditioning system. It is designed for cooling the car day after day in the tropics (40C with humidity at 70% - a climate is rarely found in the USA). So the air conditioner compressor is fractionally beefer (add weight), so is the condenser at the front (add weight), and the evaporator inside (add weight). The radiator at the front has to cope with the extra heat load as well (add more weight). Compared to an air conditioning system designed for a milder climate and you could easily be looking at an extra pound or two.

Another example to consider is the suspension. Australian’s expect such cars (Commodore and Ford Falcon) to be able to cope on rough roads. I am not saying that the car is as strong as, say, a Toyota Landcruser. But the suspension will be beefer – in some ways - than the typical US muscle car. It can take hitting a pothole or a washout on the side of the road. Once again this reflects as heavier weight in the suspension and the chassis that the suspension connects to. The car is also designed to occasionally tow up to 2100 kgs. (I have not seen many vette equipped with tow bars!)

And so on over the rest of the car. (Not to mention the stone shield argument that I got myself into in another forum.) It is subtle; a few ounces here, a few ounces there. But it does add up to a heavier (and more durable) car.

But be aware that the car’s origins is from a “family car”. That does not mean that the chassis can take an unlimited increase in horsepower. Like any car, it will twist. The good news is that all these problems have been worked through by the Australian “street machine” guys. So there is plenty of information available on how to hot the car up.

I am very surprised that there was a poor report about the car’s brakes. While older model Commodores had only average brakes, all the newer (post 98) Commodores (and the one Monaro) that I have driven have had excellent brakes. The only thing that I can suggest is that a previous driver has completely cooked the brakes on the test car by too many times around a race circuit.

The cost for light weight has merrit, but leather seats, speakers, etc? Other cars have the same items, yet come in several hundred pounds less.

GTO of 3,725 lbs
Nissan 350Z 3197
Corvette Z06 3118
BMW M3 3415 (A bit heavy for it's size)
Crossfire 3060


Don't get me wrong, I want one. As soon as I can afford it, I am there.

Originally posted by appletonrc@Nov 5 2003, 06:42 PM
The cost for light weight has merrit, but leather seats, speakers, etc? Other cars have the same items, yet come in several hundred pounds less.

GTO of 3,725 lbs
Nissan 350Z 3197
Corvette Z06 3118
BMW M3 3415 (A bit heavy for it's size)
Crossfire 3060


Don't get me wrong, I want one. As soon as I can afford it, I am there.
Rememeber a GTO is a 4 passenger car. The GTO is also bigger than most of those cars. And the Vette is just in a whole different category.

well i took my loaded/t top/ auto/ 2000z28 to the scales at the truck stop it weighed in at 3520lbs with1/2 tank of gas//

The GTO is an Obese, Chubby, Heavy, Corpulent, Overblown, Fleshy, Plump, Beefy, Overweight, Stocky, Stout, Ponderous, Massive, Huge, Hefty, Portly, Cumbrous, Fat Car.

But it's my Obese, Chubby, Heavy, Corpulent, Overblown, Fleshy, Plump, Beefy, Overweight, Stocky, Stout, Ponderous, Massive, Huge, Hefty, Portly, Cumbrous, Fat
Car ****it!

:D :P :lol: :D :P :lol: :D :P :lol:

I can see that some people have lost it more than others.....

:laughbounce: :laughbounce: :laughbounce: :laughbounce:

WHEN are people gonna realize that this car is not DESIGNED or intended to really replace a Camaro/firebird? Its not that hard to figure out! This is gonna be a user-friendly version with a lot of luxurious creature comforts included. And this will ride like a nice car, but also not handle like a Camaro. Its just Simply a whole different market!

So I know this car is gonna be heavy, but if you need a lighter/faster car then go with a Z06. Its just like comparing apples and oranges.

This is really getting old.

I'm so excited for this car to come just as it is, yet there are so many complaints about it. We should all realize that this car is far superior to most others and enjoy it!

NOT saying this car is FOR EVERYONE. B)

hey i do not think its a replacement for the f body but in my case it is// i was just showing how heavy my z is ?? no complaing here iam not even complaing about the hood or the spoiler this car to me is about 99% and i have only seen one up close

Some of the cars I listed do seat 4, although tight. Put the LS6 in there and any weight issue would be fixed by gobs of power!

Compared to a car like the M3 (which is smaller) the GTO is a steal. If it was a tad lighter and had fatter meats, the Goat could probably put down M3's 0-60 in 4.8. It's certainly the best thing to have a Pontiac arrow on the front yet.

Thanks for the input. ;)