![]() Fortunately, this kit included four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock, as well as dual airbags. GM was now competing on value, and an extensive feature list was evidence of this. Chevrolet was trying to wrest sales leadership from Ford forget polish or excitement, these Chevrolets were about bang for your buck. The Lumina started at $15k, the Monte Carlo just under $17k. Value for money was the order of the day for Chevy’s new-for-1995 midsizers. The ’95 Monte was inoffensive and hardly unattractive, but visually was so closely linked to the Lumina that it may as well have just been called the Lumina Coupe. Throughout its history, the Monte Carlo badge had always been affixed to a coupe on Chevy’s mid-size platform, but one that always looked very different from its siblings. There were no more ‘hips’, and not even unique front and rear fasciae from the Lumina.Įven GM’s other brands had done a better job of differentiating their coupes from the sedans: Witness the menacing Grand Prix GTP coupe and the unique Regal coupe. Tastes had changed aero was the new normal, but Chevrolet didn’t try to incorporate heritage cues with this new design language, bar a slightly formal C-pillar treatment. The Monte Carlo was a similarly conservative entry. The 1995 Lumina, though, was an unambitious redesign with any hint of sportiness (Euro and Z34 trims, manual transmissions) or uniqueness (interior design) removed. Ford’s 1996 Taurus had a lot of time and money invested in its quality the mission statement had quite simply been, “Beat Camry”. Look at what the other domestics were releasing at the time. The Lumina seemed to represent GM giving up on tackling the Camry, Accord and Taurus. I’m often quite a defender of GM vehicles, but this generation of Lumina and Monte Carlo really receive my ire. Look at the hideous interior, and what do you see? A Lumina. After all, look at the front and rear fasciae and what do you see? A Lumina. It stood out.įrankly, it seems as though GM’s decision to call this a Monte Carlo was a last minute one. It featured available Z34 trim with the new 3.4 LQ1 V6, as well as a pretty wild body kit. In between its launch and the G-Body Monte’s demise, there was a coupe version of the Chevrolet Lumina. Yes, there were base 2.8 sedans with bench seats, but many G-body coupes were plebeian V6s with wire wheel covers. There was smooth, new styling, turbo V6s, Quad 4s and sumptuous bucket seats. ![]() Pontiac tried something daring and new, with character. “Why is that acceptable, but this Monte Carlo isn’t?”, you may ask. Simple. The G-body Grand Prix was an untouched relic in the Pontiac lineup when the excitement brand replaced it with a slick FWD coupe and sedan. In my opinion, switching to FWD isn’t always a death knell sometimes, the transition is logical. I’m not, although such changes didn’t exactly earn this generation a storied place in history. From that title, it sounds like I’m criticizing this generation of Chevrolet’s personal luxury coupe for losing the rear-wheel-drive layout and V8s of its predecessor. (first posted ) I want to make something very clear.
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