re: Quit trashing GM engines

["Tony Sims" <SimsTony@domain.elided>]

>C M Smith wrote:
>
>One thing GM does extremely well is engines. Come to think of it, their
>transmissions ain't bad either. And if anybody knows a company who does
>HVAC better, name it.
>

I'm sure GM builds some reliable components -- although I think it's fair to
point out that their record for assembling these components into reliable cars
is spotty at best.  What's the old saying -- necessity is the mother of
invention?  GM had to create a good service and parts organization, it's
required to keep their cars on the road! ;-)

I think the issue that concerns enthusiasts is a more subjective area of
performance.  GM has lost touch with most enthusiasts in the last 30 years.
It's all brand positioning, market research, supplier consolidation and
manufacturing efficiency.  If you look at current press reviews of GM cars,
the common words describing their engines are "coarse", "industrial",
"agricultural", and the like.  I'm sure they assemble as easily as Lego's, but
who wants to drive one?

Certainly there are exceptions like the Corvette, but one would expect the
premier label of a brand to be better than the average.  And if you think back
to the 80's, the Corvette was no treat -- completely castrated by GM's
unwillingness to invest in emissions-compliant high performance for their top
of the line model, and then saddled with a reputation for dismal build quality
in the 90's.  At the other end of the scale, Volkswagen managed to avoid
catalysts and air pumps until the mid-80's on all their cars by using widely
available technology (Bosch EFI) to meet the emission standards.

When I think back over the cars I've owned and driven, there is a clear divide
between the American and import brands.  Within the American brands, I think
Ford products seem to come closer to the international standard for the
subjective factors.  Most GM cars are simply bland, with little apparent
attention given to the pleasure of driving -- they are appliances.  Pontiacs
are the worst, appliances with lots of protective plastic cladding -- like a
washing machine covered in motocross pads.

Asian cars are like tools -- they are more purposeful, more efficient-feeling,
but they don't have much personality.  I think Honda stands out among Asian
brands, they are pleasing in the way of fine machinery like Swiss watches or
Swedish sewing machines.  Subarus used to be likeably non-conformist, but all
that remains is questionable styling.

The subjective difference that most European brands have managed to keep alive
longer than others is "personality".  Their cars have had a distinct "feel",
something that promotes enthusiastic driving and prompts unusual loyalty.
Certainly some of that was created by the engineering and styling, but some of
it seems to just be the embodiment of the company's culture.  From what I've
noticed in the last 10 years or so, that part is changing quickly, especially
in the cars offered to the US market.  Mercedes builds the perfect
transportation module, so filled with electronics that I'm sure they are
completely ready for the implementation of centrally controlled roads -- the
driver is redundant.  BMW and Volkswagen have taken their brands down the
Asian path, creating superb, impersonal tools.  If you close your eyes, all
their cars feel exactly alike now.  Saab and Volvo are rapidly being
assimilated by GM, with target marketing and economies of scale leading the
development strategy.  Your comment about Saab's turbo 4 is telling -- GM
hasn't touched it because they don't care -- it won't be supported for
cross-platform use, and when Saab wants to upgrade it they'll be told "just
pick from the corporate parts bin".  That's why they ended up with the Opel
V6.

I haven't driven a Renault or Peugeot in about 5 years, but my last experience
was good -- they were still fun, still different, still engaging.  The last
Fiat I drove was my own 1978 X1/9, 15 years ago -- and it wasn't remotely
stock, so it's safe to say it had both personality and enthusiastic
performance.  In my previous job I was in Brazil monthly, so I've driven
current Alfas in the last year, and they also seem to be holding on to the
personality that keeps the conversation lively on this board (and FWD hasn't
hurt that, IMHO).

I haven't been reading all the Fiat/GM/Alfa posts, so I'm not going to pretend
to be current on what's going on with the ownership of Alfa.  I do think that
if Alfa ends up under GM's umbrella, Alfa cars (and enthusiasts) will
eventually suffer.  GM simply doesn't *get* enthusiast cars.  When they try to
produce personality, we get the Aztec and the Avalanche.  Gaaak!

Tony
'74 GTV in REALLY rainy Portland

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