Short Take Road Test
Jeff Gordon drives one. So do Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson. Heck, even Dale Earnhardt Jr. slaps his No. 8 on one. We're talking about the Chevy Monte Carlo--specifically, the NASCAR race car, Little E.'s winning ride at this year's Daytona 500, not to mention the most victorious nameplate in NASCAR history. With accolades like that, there's no arguing the M.C.'s racing success.
The street version of this famous namesake, however, hasn't received the same fanfare lately. The old practice of "race on Sunday, sell on Monday" was worth exactly 66,976 new-car sales of the Monte Carlo to Chevy in 2003. That's a far cry from the success Ford has run up with its NASCAR nameplate--the Taurus found 300,496 takers--and almost 10,000 shy of Dodge's stock-car-inspired sedan, the Intrepid, at 76,473. And let's not forget the Monte's corporate sibling and NASCAR foe, the Pontiac Grand Prix, which sold 125,441 units.
Perhaps the Monte Carlo's biggest problem in '03 was that in standard SS form it topped out at 200 horsepower. Channeled through a four-speed automatic transmission, that oomph was anything but NASCAR-like. For 2004, Chevy is offering a spiced-up M.C. that it hopes can build some excitement (sorry, Pontiac) and boost those fourth-place sales.
That Carlo caliente is the Supercharged SS you see on this page. How do we know it's supercharged? Well, it says so--in huge script on the rear quarter-panels, and also on the dash and on the kick plates. So conspicuous are the labels that staffers began querying sarcastically, "Are you sure that's supercharged?" Chevy made other less-obvious modifications, adding a decklid spoiler, fog lamps, dual stainless-steel exhaust tips, and 17-inch diamond-cut wheels shod with Goodyear Eagles. The Supercharged SS looks sportier than its tamer siblings, but it's still not especially handsome to our eyes.
Underneath, the changes are more significant. The ride height has been lowered almost half an inch, the spring rates are said to be stiffer at all four corners, and the anti-roll bars are larger front and rear. Obviously, the biggest upgrade is what lurks under the hood--a supercharged version of GM's 3800 Series II pushrod V-6, which makes 240 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 280 pound-feet of torque at 3600 and is paired with a beefier four-speed auto. Compared with the standard SS, that's an upgrade of 40 horsepower and 55 pound-feet.
At the track, the Monte's newfound power and chassis enhancements were evident. We ripped off 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and the quarter-mile in 15.1 at 93 mph, 2.1 and 1.5 seconds quicker, respectively, than the numbers put up by a standard SS ("Low-Impact Sports," September 2002). Moreover, the Supercharged SS's wider, lower-profile tires (235/55R-17s versus 225/60R-16s) and tauter suspension held on for 0.83 g at the skidpad, a sizable improvement over the SS's 0.79. Ride quality has diminished slightly compared with the SS's conservatively tuned suppleness, but it's a welcome trade-off. And Chevy's engineers have done a commendable job of quelling the torque-steer issue. Braking was vastly better, too--70 mph to a standstill came in 186 feet, 20 feet shorter--and pedal feel was linear and easy to modulate.
There are more pros to pile on this blown Monte Carlo. The structure is about as shaky as Gibraltar, the fit and finish is respectable, and the interior is roomy and comfortable, especially in the back seat.
Of course, with pros come cons. The supercharged Monte still delivers a numb steering sensation that Led Zeppelin would describe as a communication breakdown. It feels overassisted and lacks precise, direct feedback to the driver. The ebony interior is just that--dark, cold, monotonous--and the quality of the plastics seems low-rent. Then there are the matters of poundage and price. The Supercharged SS weighs 3530 pounds and has a $27,895 base price. Compared with a $26,990 Honda Accord Coupe EX V-6 (September 2003) with a six-speed manual and a $23,460 Toyota Camry Solara SE Sport V-6 (October 2003), the Chevy puts the biggest dent in the pavement and your pocketbook. Not helping the Monte's case are the Accord's acceleration times, which are all quicker, or the Solara's Lexus-like cockpit, which, in light (we wish) of the Monte Carlo's second-rate interior, is like comparing Hugo Boss with Boss Hogg.
That said, this latest street iteration of Chevy's famed racing coupe does offer up performance that far surpasses that of the standard SS, a car that tested at $24,575. For an additional $3320, that's a serious bump in the bang-for-the-buck department. Plus, with all that torque on tap, the Supercharged SS easily chirps its front tires--which may be all that's needed to boost sales and the passion among Chevy's NASCAR faithful.
