GM Shows 2009 Changes!

[nsap]

Originally Posted by SAngelo

I do love that the Malubu and Aura are getting 6 speeds in the 4 cylinders. These are two awesome cars, I wish the Aura would sell more.

- NSAP, I understand when you said the 6 speed and 3.6 doesnt fit in the Lucerne, but why cant you put a 5 or a 6 speed in the Northstar ? The Avalon is for older people too and that vehicle has a 5 speed. Also, how many cars in the competition still have 4 speed automatics ? A 5 speed would be acceptable but a 4 speed is unacceptable.

- I read on this site that Car and Driver magazine said the G6 was getting a MCE. All this car really needs is a few interior refines. Maybe a little more brushed aluminum and the Corporate radio. Why would the Cobalt and G5 have the Corporate Radio but not the G6.

- YOu said the STS will be replaced, I heard that too but when. I love the exterior (its unique) and its a drivers car but the dash needs to look better for the price you pay for this car. its not horrible but could be better. Do you know why we didn't get the SLS chinese interior ?

It just bothers me that the competition does not have as many cars with dated technology. Honda and Toyota have none.

-

-I should have been more specific. The 6T70 does not fit on the G-Bodies period, regardless of engine. Yes, a 5-speed would be nice, but GM does not have any in-house 5-speed automatics.

-It is sounding like we will get an all-new Epsilon II G6 in 2011 MY. With that, I suspect it is hard for them to justify spending money on the current car.

-The STS will hit the end of it's life in 2010-ish. I'm not sure why we didn't get the SLS interior. It made no sense to me then, and it still does not today.

I beg to differ on your last statement. Why does the brand new Corolla, new for 2009, still use a 4-speed automatic? Nearly all of the newer competition has gone to 5-speeds or CVT's. The same should be said about the Yaris. You sure don't see a Versa or Fit with a 4-speed automatic....

[osv_alero]

GM got a lot of crap for making ABS standard back then because not everybody believed in it. As I understand it, There was a fair number of older guys who did not want the ABS and picked the Impala for that reason.

[63GrandSport001]

Originally Posted by osv_alero

GM got a lot of crap for making ABS standard back then because not everybody believed in it. As I understand it, There was a fair number of older guys who did not want the ABS and picked the Impala for that reason.

A large part of not wanting the ABS on their cars was not knowing how to properly use them.

[88ls1blazer]

Originally Posted by 1G6

3.9 is a combo aluminum head/iron block. I'm ridding my fleet of aluminum-engined cars.

Good luck doing that AND purchasing new cars in the future.

Aluminum is better for NVH, it is lighter to help shave weight, it is surperior in transferring heat, and is almost the same cost. Plus the durability is pretty darned good (some would argue better then Iron, I would be one of them), as good as 3800's were, Gen III and Gen IV LS motors are easily matching their reliability with none of the intake manifold issues seen in the 3800. IIRC the only V8 that GM makes that still uses an Iron block is the 6.0 in SOME of the trucks, and maybe the 4.8. The 5.3 DOD, 6.2, and some 6.0 have moved to aluminum foundations.

Now if your argument is based on iron block w/ aluminum head, get something called an MLS (multi-layered steel) head gaskets. Never seen an issue on an engine that had good parts. Hell, my Olds Alero w. a 2.4 twin-cam just rolled past 200k miles on original everything, except clutch, plugs, and filter... Runs just as good as Day one...

[1G6]

Originally Posted by 88ls1blazer

Good luck doing that AND purchasing new cars in the future.

I realize that, but one last 3800 ensures that I won't have to worry about it for a long time.

[Bigbee60]

Originally Posted by nsap

-I should have been more specific. The 6T70 does not fit on the G-Bodies period, regardless of engine. Yes, a 5-speed would be nice, but GM does not have any in-house 5-speed automatics....

I thought Holden has the 5-speed auto going into the G8 V-6 and Opel had a 5-speed in one or two models? I know the Equinox/Torrent 5-speed is outsourced, but I thought GM had a few 5-speeds in distant part bins?

Is it true that the 6T40 in the Malibu 2.4L LTZ and in lots of 2009 products is made for GM in Korea?

[AndrewGS]

Originally Posted by SAngelo

A 5 speed would be acceptable but a 4 speed is unacceptable.

Why? Because it sounds good when you're telling your friends?

One ratio isn't going to change the world. My mother's new Torrent has a 5-speed and I can't tell the difference between it and my sister's G6 with a 4-speed. A 5 or 6-speed may gain you a MPG or a couple of tenths 0-60, but in normal driving a transmission with more ratios just shifts more often.

I'm pretty happy with the '09 changes. I'm trying to talk my grandfather into trading his '07 Acadia in for an '09 to get DI and the rearview camera. I haven't looked yet but it would be even sweeter if it's available with NavTraffic.

[nsap]

Originally Posted by Bigbee60

I thought Holden has the 5-speed auto going into the G8 V-6 and Opel had a 5-speed in one or two models? I know the Equinox/Torrent 5-speed is outsourced, but I thought GM had a few 5-speeds in distant part bins?

Is it true that the 6T40 in the Malibu 2.4L LTZ and in lots of 2009 products is made for GM in Korea?

GM does not have any FWD 5-Speeds. Yes, they have the 5L50 and 5L60, but both are RWD transmissions...which isn't going to do anything for the Lucerne. The Opel ones are likely Aisin units like the Equinox.

[ogg vorbis]

Originally Posted by 88ls1blazer

Good luck doing that AND purchasing new cars in the future.

Aluminum is better for NVH, it is lighter to help shave weight, it is surperior in transferring heat, and is almost the same cost. Plus the durability is pretty darned good (some would argue better then Iron, I would be one of them), as good as 3800's were, Gen III and Gen IV LS motors are easily matching their reliability with none of the intake manifold issues seen in the 3800. IIRC the only V8 that GM makes that still uses an Iron block is the 6.0 in SOME of the trucks, and maybe the 4.8. The 5.3 DOD, 6.2, and some 6.0 have moved to aluminum foundations.

compact graphite iron is the choice material for diesel engine blocks...we'll see MORE of them!

cast iron is better for nvh! aluminum is a better conductor, but there's a thermal break at the IRON liner...which also complicates casting and limits bore size. ohv engines with cast iron blocks are still lighter than all aluminum dohc (ohv has a lower c of g). it's not a benefit in itself, but to offset a [weight] disadvantage in the heads. they don't use it because it's more durable.

the LS1 block is $1500, while the 6L iron block is $500. 300% higher cost is not 'almost the same'. the C5R block is $6500 and can take 1000 hp. the LSX iron block is $1900 and can take 2500 hp. the 2JZ has a cast iron block, and street engines see north of 700 hp on stock parts.

marine engines are often ALL cast iron. you can get away with aluminum in cars if you don't overheat them for too long. not worrying about fasteners seizing, stripping and heli-coil tapping them is another good reason.

an aluminum block with nikasil or silicon liners matches piston expansion rate, thus you can reduce allowances, blowby, cold engine piston slap, hp, etc. they still coat the pistons with iron. the gt-r needs better coolant management to keep parts from warping.

high heat transfer also means you lose heat from combustion, so you need to increase compression ratio to compensate. ice are most mechanically efficient at 10.1:1. increasing compression raises thermal efficiency, and lowers mechanical efficiency past this point.

you can never go wrong using quality parts.

so is the lucerne the only car with an ohv v6? has anyone announced when the ohv v6 dies? if the ohv v8 can live on, the v6 should have an even stronger position in gm's lineup!

[CadiEldo67]

Originally Posted by nsap

I beg to differ on your last statement. Why does the brand new Corolla, new for 2009, still use a 4-speed automatic? Nearly all of the newer competition has gone to 5-speeds or CVT's. The same should be said about the Yaris. You sure don't see a Versa or Fit with a 4-speed automatic....

I really like the way that VW handles their transmissions. They are standard with a 5/6 speed manual, and then the other option is a 6 speed DSG autobox. I kind of wish that GM could do something similar, but GM does have a much larger variety of vehicles to provide for. And of course, there is more than one reason as to why VW doesn't make any money in the U.S.

[SAngelo]

NSAP, thanks for answering my post. I think part of the problem is GM has too many models to update. I like the idea of Buick and Pontiac being combined, Chevrolet should be the only division with a full line-up. If GM had to cut divisions I would be happy with Cadillac, Chevrolet and Saturn-(you need Saturn, its the only division with all competitive cars) and then GMC, Saab, Hummer.
- Well I am glad a new Lacrosse is coming, the new Traverse for Chevy and the dated Envoy and Trailblazer are going. I would drop the Saturn Outlook because of Lambda overkill and perhaps cannibalization of the wonderful Acadia and Enclave. I think the new Cobalt will follow the Lacrosse, followed by a new Equinox

-Any news on the new Impala ?

[Orbit Orange]

-I have heard tid-bits on a Malibu Sport coming in 2009 MY. It is likely still on, remember; not all of the 2009 changes are on that site yet!

Can you elaborate any? My wife has her heart set on the Malibu and I'd love to see what a Malibu Sport would offer over the Malibu LTZ.

[GMfan1111]

Originally Posted by Orbit Orange

Can you elaborate any? My wife has her heart set on the Malibu and I'd love to see what a Malibu Sport would offer over the Malibu LTZ.

I wonder too but I'm not expecting a significant increase in horsepower. if anything the sport will probably offer upgrades for parts such as the suspension and also cosmetically enhance the interior and exterior details. personally i can't wait to see the sport model but until prototypes are spotted that suggest otherwise i'm not getting my hopes up

[nsap]

Originally Posted by Orbit Orange

Can you elaborate any? My wife has her heart set on the Malibu and I'd love to see what a Malibu Sport would offer over the Malibu LTZ.

There are rumors of it having the 290 HP 3.6L SIDI V6 and some body changes.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by nsap

The most notable change that is seen on nearly every 2009 General Motors product is the very welcoming addition of Bluetooth connectivity. We’ve been complaining to GM for the last two (or has it been three?) years to stop loving with OnStar and give the people what they want: Bluetooth! The interesting aspect of this is that we have a few different descriptions of the Bluetooth option. Some models refer to it as the “Human Machine user interface,” some simply say “Bluetooth phone connectivity” and some say “OnStar with Bluetooth.” This isn’t entirely surprising as there are still a few GM models that are not using the GM LAN electronic network, which probably hampers the abilities of the Bluetooth. Nontheless, we are very pleased to see Bluetooth on the option lists of so many GM models. Look for it on the option lists as PRO code “UPF.”

A dominate theme in the 2009 additions is connectivity. Another option popping up on the option lists for 2009 is XM Nav Traffic. In 2008 this was on the Cadillac CTS and that was about it for the GM lineup. Now XM Nav Traffic is part of the corporate navigation system, so if the vehicle has an available navigation system…chances are it has the XM Nav Traffic capabilities. In addition to live traffic updates, GM has added their recently-announced navigation downloads to the option lists of GM’s higher-end models. This system allows you or OnStar to send directions or an address to the navigation unit remotely. Most of the models that will have this for 2009 are Cadillac models. It is also worth mentioning that GM has made XM Radio standard in several more models, even the HHR.

Its good to hear GM has finally decided to widely accept these technologies.