2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Review: Road Test

The optional Sport Suspension works with the SS model's fat P225/60R16 Goodyear Eagle RSA tires to provide surprisingly high levels of grip. The tires are a little noisy, but that's a tradeoff we willingly accept for their bite. The Monte Carlo has the widest front and rear track in its segment. (The track is the distance between the left and right tires.)

Engine and transmission are responsive as well. The Monte Carlo SS features GM's thoroughly proven 3800 V6, which delivers 200 horsepower and 225 pounds-feet of torque. That may sound puny compared to, say, a 7.4-liter Monte Carlo SS from 1970, but it's more than enough to break the tires loose on this front-wheel-drive car. Punch the throttle and there's instant power and lots of it. It's probably the most highly developed overhead-valve V6 in the world. GM has baked in plenty of refinement since the late 1970s, reducing valve-train and bearing friction, bolstering bottom-end strength, and tweaking the electronic engine management and fuel injection. For a pushrod V6, this is about as good as it gets. Couple this engine to GM's excellent four-speed automatic transmission, add all-speed traction control, and you've got yourself a really solid drive train that offers fun as well as decent fuel economy.