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Chevrolet Monte Carlo coupe casts a sport-minded Z34 edition
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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Turn Five at Road America, a 4-mile serpentine race track spread across rolling Wisconsin hills near Elkhart Lake, cuts sharply left following a half-mile down-slope straight where you can pedal up to triple-digit speeds.
To earn respectable lap times, a driver must not only keep all four tires on blacktop coming around this squealer, but maintain straightaway speed until a hairy point that seems far too close to the apex: Brake too soon and you could chip valuable seconds off the lap clock; brake too late and it could cost a car or even your neck.
That dicy left dog-leg I use to measure the handling merits of various models when Chevrolet turns autowriters loose on the track with the year's new crop of cars.
This year, my hair-raising Chevy laps produced impressive performance tricks from a sport-tuned mid-size coupe called Z34.
Less flashy renditions, currently flowing from Chevrolet's Canadian assembly plant in Oshawa, Ontario, sport the name of Chevy's 1970 muscle car, Monte Carlo.
What began late in 1969 as a 360-horsepower sports coupe whose front hood stretched for six feet, Monte Carlo by the 1980s scored 95 NASCAR victories in 183 Winston Cup events before being deleted in 1988.
Monte Carlo returned in 1994 with futuristic lines in a mid-size format built on the same chassis that supports the popular Lumina sedan. A sleek shell, looking like it could ride the wind, conceals a taut structural system, comfortable interior components and two power choices.
Monte Carlo LS, the volume model, totes V6 power with GM's 3100 series 3.1-liter engine. It pumps 160 hp, plus fuel figures kicked to 29 mpg.
Yet Z34, the sporty Monte Carlo pushed around Road America, draws from a 3.4-liter dual-cam V6 with multi-valve technology that runs the power curve to 215 hp.
Torque peaks at 220 lbs/ft at 4000 rpm, and there's plenty available when moving through lower gears.
This is a modern engine design for Chevrolet. It consists of aluminum cylinder heads and pent-roof firing chambers featuring central positioning of spark plugs to guarantee complete combustion.
Despite the high power and usable torque numbers, Z34's engine runs on regular unleaded gasoline and earns EPA fuel figures up to 26 mpg.
Both LS and Z34 plants tie to GM's smooth Hydra-matic 4-speed electronic automatic transmission with powertrain control module which adapts to changes in engine load and barometric pressure, even variations in altitude.
The Z34 means more than muscle, though, because its structural system and suspension hardware create a crisp ride quality.
Jon Moss -- Chevrolet's developer of racy innovations like Camaro Z28 -- showed off the Z34 prototype in 1994 as we ripped around Indianapolis Motor Speedway's famed Brickyard oval in test laps at well over 100 mph.
"Notice how firm it takes this curve," Moss said, holding a hard line on a banked third turn coming off the backstretch straightaway. "We gave this car a rigid body and independent suspension to create remarkable balance and stability, even at high speeds above normal driving limits."
At Road America, the tester Z34's 16-inch tires screamed during my controlled slide through Turn Five.
But it also held a hard line before drifting toward the shoulder rumble strips.
It wears impressive independent suspension components like MacPherson struts at each wheel with specially tuned deflected disc shock valving. Further, front and rear stabilizer bars check body lean through any twisties.
Z34 gets the firm-ride module, while Monte Carlo LS uses a soft-ride suspension.
Quick-acting rack and pinion steering is standard on both cars, along with the safety asset of anti-lock brakes.
My initial turn in a production Z34, scalping Blue Ridge slopes two years ago on snaky Georgia routes, produced more than a smile with each power surge from its engine.
More importantly, it hugged those Georgia mountain curves with a precision and tight-fisted grip I usually experience only in fancy imports.
Tests in Monte Carlo LS generated similar reactions, although LS's engine is not as quick in takeoffs and you can detect the different suspension tuning and tires.
The LS rolls on 15-inch steel wheels with P205/70R-15 rubber, but Z34 uses 16-inch aluminum wheels and P225/60R-16 performance tires for more sporty maneuvers.
Bottom line here is that Z34 carves tighter turns without excessive tire squeal, yet the ride quality feels firm. That LS is perhaps the easier car to live with for boulevard driving although it will not be as aggressive because that's not the mission.
Monte Carlo's interior definitely fits comfortably, and there's ample room for full-framed adult riders.
A front bench splitting in 60/40 ratio appears as the standard in LS, with optional 40/40 cloth-clad front buckets separated by a center console. The Z34 employs this latter layout, where leather upholstery becomes a luxury option.
The driver-oriented cockpit stocks readable round analog gauges and large rotary control knobs which seem easy to operate, even for gloved fingers.
Standard details on both models include map lights, door pockets, tilting steering wheel, power door locks, air conditioning and backseat heating ducts, a split-folding rear seatback, variable intermittent wipers and power windows with one-touch express down button.
Safety systems also abound: Dual airbags, the anti-lock brakes, front and rear structural crumple zones, anti-submarine design for front buckets so riders remain seated during frontal crashes, plus comfort adjustments on shoulder belts and guides on rear straps to adapt for children.
All of these fine points come together into two nice coupes for Chevrolet, which in 1996 editions receive new features like dual-zone temperature controls, more paint color choices and Z34's leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Monte Carlo never looked so good, and with base retail prices figures spread from $17,300 to $19,500, Chevy's mid-size coupes run to the top of their price-conscious class.
1996 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1996 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size sports coupe |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size sports coupe |
| Wheelbase: |
107.5 inches |
| Overall Length: |
200.7 inches
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| Engine Size: |
LS: OHV 3.1-L V6
Z34: DOHC 3.4-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
LS: Power disc/drum/ABS
Z34: Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
LS: 20/29 mpg
Z34: 17/26 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 17,500 to $ 20,000 |
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