Everyone should grab the latest Motor issue. How excited was i waking up Wed morning to find my delivered copy featuring a Monaro vs Z comparo. Interestingly, the article that doesnt go that far with the details of each, i assume because the Motor writing hacks wouldnt want to publish much that would hurt the image of their beloved icon Monaro.

Bottom line is tho, with less capacity and less power, the Z still managed to blow the Monaro down the strip. And thats gotta **** off all the guys down at the local

I also love the writers explanation as to why the Z is such a better handler than the Monaro. Their reasoning......the Z's wheelbase......is that all they could come up with. Come on Motor its ok u can tell the public, they already now the gearbox and drivetrain qualities of a Holden V8. Sure its a good reason, but where was the talk of the Z's full aluminium suspension over the bandaid engineered Holden ahem IRS, or the extra strengthening in the Z's chassis over the Holden chassis that dates back to the VB commo

Of course they did not call a winner. How could they when readers want to c Holdens and Fords in every mag, and inevatbly feature the same SS vs XR tests issue after issue. No they say the Z is hard to live with on a daily basis coz of its harder suspension......the Monaro has softer springs so its the better car im assuming I guess blowing the power steering pump after a spirited drive or the frequent piston slap from the Gen III rnt every day issues LOL!

Sorry if this was post was draining, i just love to argue about cars, its my passion

I actually sent a letter to monitor once, but suprisingly they didnt publish it. I posted it here, it was in response to an M3 owner bagging the Z. If ne1 wants it ill post it

 

The holden Monaro will be here in the U.S. Late this year or next year (can't remember at the moment) As the pontiac GTO. What power does the Monaro put out there?

Just wondering how the 2 will compare in the U.S.

 

Monaro is 235kw

Whats funny about the Pontiac, apart from the ill redesigned front end, is that GM US export the obsolete low tech LS1 to Aus, Holden then assemble and export the Monaro back to US....meanwhile GM US have the newer, smoother running and what looks like, problem free, LT4. How are the marketing guys gonna get around that one?

I doubt the Pontiac will be accepted well in the US, given the GTO name holds historical importance, yet the car has no specific Pontiac heritage. But compared to what Ford r selling (Mustang), the Monaro exhibits Audi like interior quality and BMW drivetrain smoothness

Whats the interest and feedback like from the US car mags, Road n Track, Car n Driver, etc ????

 

What does 235 Kw translate to in HP? The GTO (so far) is 340hp, 360 Tq on the LS1 with open up breathing and exhaust from the holden.

I guess there was strong buzz originally, but I from what I read the GTO diehards are not happy with the mellow design of the GTO. It seems to only be a GTO by nameplate and really has no styleing cues of the original.

Kind of sad all they did was change the exhaust outlet side. and put a mild looking front bumper on it. I hope they go back and add some aggression to the car. Vintage GTO's looked mean.

 

umm on the basis that 184kw = 250bhp (i hope thats correct), the Monaro is pumping out 320bhp.

Its funny u mention the styling as being a bit staid. The Aus motoring journalists aliken the plain styling to Euro elegance, yet strangely they also equate the bold hyper plastic HSV models as having Bavarian (BMW M) muscular looks

 

I just read the article today. Amongst other things they claim the Z is a SOHC. They clearly favour the Monaro and just can't bring themselves to admit the Z is a better car. Instead they say it'd be hard to live with on a daily basis.

 

yeap aps exactly my point. I ended up sending a letter to Motor. I got a reply from the author too......everything is listed below;

"How excited was i waking up Wednesday morning to find my delivered copy of Motor featuring a Monaro vs 350Z comparo. Interestingly, the article didn't delve that far with the details of each. I assume because the flag saluting Jesse Taylor wouldn't want to write much that would hurt the image of Australia's beloved icon Monaro.

Funnily enough, with less capacity and less power, the Z still managed to outrun the Monaro down the strip. And thats surely gotta **** off all the guys down at the local.

I also love the writer's explanation as to why the Z is quicker over backroads. Your reasoning...the Z's wheelbase. Is that all you could come up with? Come on Jesse it's ok, you can tell the public, they already know the gearbox and drivetrain qualities of a Holden V8. Sure it's a good reason, but where was the talk of the Z's full independent aluminuim suspension over the bandaid engineered Holden ahem IRS, or the extra strengthening in the Z's chassis over the Holden chassis that's now old enought to vote.

Of course you did not call a winner. How could you when readers want to see Holdens and Fords in every mag, and inevatbly feature the same SS vs XR tests issue after issue. No you say the Z is hard to live with on a daily basis because of it's harder suspension...the Monaro has softer springs so it's the better car? I guess blowing the power steering pump after three corners or the frequent piston slap from the Gen III aren't every day issues?"

This is the reply i recieved from the author;

"G'day Samuel,

You're the first person defending the position of the Zed. I've been abused by plenty of Holden fans for not giving the Monaro enough love. The point is everyone is entitled to an opinion, even me, and mine's based on years of experience and driving both cars over the same roads. And wheelbase is a huge contributing factor to handling. Below is my original copy (there's a few bits that where cut for reasons of space), you'll notice I mention the Viper. Both the Zed and the Viper use very similar suspension technology (and the Viper has more mechanical grip) yet the Zed is a far superior handling car.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

Cheers,

Jesse Taylor

Deputy Editor

MOTOR"

And as i cannot stand not having the last word, here's what i replied;

"Thanks for taking the time to reply Jesse.

I hope my letter wasn't too crude towards you. It just gets tiring recieving Motor mags every month with the same Holdens and Fords featured over and over. And finally when Motor throws a non Australian car into the front page comparo, it's credentials and areas of superiority over the Australian car are omittied.

I could imagine the mindset of those who would write in in angst that a Japanese coupe could be better than a car like the Monaro, which the media, Motor included, has created a huge hype over, only to be let down by the same quality and engineering deficiencies that plague the donor Executive. It took me a while to accept a Japanese coupe being anything other than mediocre, having only purchased European cars in the past.

Once again thanks for your reply. Upon seeing your reply in my mailbox, i was preparing to be chastised. But it was'nt the case. I sure look forward to reading those pro Monaro letters in Write-off next month

Ciao "

 

It's to bad when a magazine editor writes his opinions about a car and not the facts that he discovers in testing