I've never understood the idea that it "isn't a GTO" because of how it looks. The original GTO looked like literally every other Pontiac that was made at the time. Tempest, Bonneville, Grand Prix, Catalina, and GTO all looked like the same every day family car. The 2004-2006 GTO was EXACTLY what a GTO is supposed to be: a powerful engine in a subdued body.
That's really true, growing up with Pontiac's I liked how the GTO looked like a muscled grand prix, but I forgot just how identical the Tempest and Le Man's were to the classic gto's. back in the day as well.
They complimented how cheap it was compared to the power you get thanks to the LS. And they knew that the tuning community would quickly find ways to make it even faster since the LS1/LS2 were very tuner-friendly during its time. Was it fast around a track? No. But they would have later episodes of them drifting the car around their track with Japanese drift racers, which shows how incredible of a machine the Monaro/GTO really was.
The irritating bit was Holden turned the whole production line for the Monaro into left hand drive, basically removing it from the Australian market to lob it at the US to miss the target.
@@markoz673bajen8 I remember it being on the news, the export deal over that way. I remember the example shown was the long wheelbase body (Statesman here), same as what was pitched to the US as an option to the Crown Vic as police cars.
@@DangerAngelous That was the downfall of both locally produced cars. Pricing. In 72 a HQ Kingswood sedan was $2990. A VW Beetle was $3990. Bang them out, cheap as chips, sold a bunch. I remember somewhere between VR and VT/VX base Commodores jumping from $20K to $35k. I truly think people still would of been buying, if they kept charging meat pie prices for meat pie cars. That's not an insult, that's what the base models were good at. Putting a new car under Australian arses.
I find it amusing that in the US, people are swapping Holden badges onto these. Here in Australia it is quite a common sight to see the Chevy bow tie slapped on the front of Comodores and the Pontiac front clip on the front of Monaros. I'm not sure if that says something about the owners or that the car itself had some sort of identity crisis since day one.
@@Shorty15c4007 you'll be surprised, I've seen a good amount of Japanese car enthusiasts put Acura badges on Interga's. (I've been into Hondas since the late 90s 🤷♂️)
@@MC4D. 🤣 Acura boys "Durr, my Acura is really a high performance Honda DC5. Check out my 9k redline" Honda Boys in Japan "Durr, my Honda is really an Acura luxury sedan. Check out my leather seats"
Wow! After eight years of watching RCR I finally get to see my car reviewed!! You know in a lot of ways it IS better than a Corvett....Mr Regular? I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!!
it's corvette performance that you can actually live with as a daily driver... though I am sure there is a vette enthusiasts that would say "well I daily my vette" as they struggle to get out of it after only a half hour drive, and complain about there back everyday.
they should have launched it as a camaro. pretty sure that was a pan at some point, not sure where i heard that though. it would have been quite a while ago.
Have you ever seen the old GTO's though? Style wasn't everything with those, but it definitely was distinct and the power plant wasn't the hottest thing available per se but it was very balanced and the shifter/tranny packages offered were excellent. I had a 68 judge clone in high school and it was something else... very fast, handled surprisingly well, crisp shifting, 4.11 gearing that could cook any tires, and styling that could get a dungeonmaster laid. These newer goats were cool as a concept, but once you got into one it was clear that it was just another GM rebadge.
@@420JackG the old ones are on another planet, I'm not even gonna argue. As for this one - a different name might've worked better, but calling it a GTO wasn't as bad as, say, putting an Eclipse badge onto a crossover like Mitsubishi did.
@@SwapBlogRU I don't think it would be remembered with such derision if it wasn't a one off. People like those late firebird/TAs. If they would've kept the name around as a trim level of Gran Prix or something (sorta like the impala or whatever), and then come out with the Holden rebadge people would be like "Man, those last GTOs were fire" because the frame of reference would've been totally different.
I've had my 2005 GTO for 15 years...it was damn near invisible up until about two years ago, since then I've got people fawning over the car every time I drive it, seems like everyone is finally recognizing how cool these GTOs are
Agreed. I always thought they were nicely understated. I'm having a 2022 2SS Vivid Orange Metallic Camaro built in memory of the 2006 GTO Brazen Orange I never brought.
Torrid Red--249k miles seat time--will take my wife out for a drive at 1/4 million miles and celebrate with champagne as she gave it to me as birthday present!
The Vauxhall Monaro (the UK's name for this brute) was and still just about is the only vehicle like it you could buy in this country. It was cheap, vastly undercutting the similarly-powered M-Cars and RS Audis of the era, but it was a Vauxhall - the official car brand of not knowing any better. Still, though, it carries quite a cult following, and since very few people know what it is, they definitely turn heads when they burble through a cobbled town centre. Probably not the car to pick right now, though, with fuel prices at £1.70 a litre ($8.40 a gallon).
'15 Corsa VXR: 1.6L turbo. 204hp and ~1250KG / 2755lb '05 Zafira VXR: 2l turbo, 236hp and 1434kg / 3161lb (MPV) '06 Astra VXR: 2l turbo, 241hp and 1230kg / 2711lb '12 Astra VXR: 2l turbo, 276hp and 1400kg / 3086lb '06 Vectra VXR: 2.8l V6 turbo, 248hp and 1400kg / 3086lb '09 Insignia VXR: 2.8L V6 turbo, 321hp and 1735 kg / 3825 lbs '09 Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S: blown V8, 560hp and 1830 kg / 4034 lbs I like vauxhalls for same reason I like Kawasaki's, Then engineers are unhinged and would totally put a overpowered engine into any car if they could (managments wouldnt let them because they wouldn't sell or meet emissions). Oh and quite obviously cars are getting fatter, A 2012 astra is 40% heavier than a 1994, around the same weight as a 6 year newer Vectra.
I got an '09 Corsa OPC and it just *feels* like it has too much power for it's own good, and this is the 192hp model even. Despite that, power delivery is quite linear, and it handles really nicely.
Towards the End of my trip through Europe with my wife in 2014, I spotted a ve hsv clubsport near Windsor Castle, I had been to many car museums, but seeing that car made me feel very homesick.
My buddy had one in a really nice spice red color. These cars are fast and had surprisingly nice interiors for the time. I turn my head every time I see one.
@@springwoodslasher79 GM dropping the ball on styling, again. The later SS looks like a Malibu. It's nice if you're doing extralegal things to have such an anonymous car, but it's meh to look back at in the parking lot.
@@bwofficial1776 At least it wasn't as conspicuously ugly as the GTO. The G8 and SS looked OK, and if they had been priced competitively they might have sold.
I've always liked the early 2000s GTO, which is weird for someone who normally is more into euro cars and trucks than muscle. The GTO is just one of those cars that makes you happy. I would do alot to get a yellow one with the 6MT.
That sort of makes sense that you would, being a Euro guy. The Monaro/Commodore shared a common platform with the Opel Omega, which is very much a European car.
@T.A I don't think the Ford Falcon had any relatives in Europe. Unless I'm missing something and it's related to the Ford Scorpio or something. As for engines - yes, what you write definitely stands true for Holden, but what American engine is the Ford Barra related to?
Such a shame that GM's Australian imports suffered from poor timing (G8), poor naming/identity (GTO) or over-pricing (Chevy SS). They really helped teach GM about what could be done, especially for seats and interior (especially in the mid 2000's era of GM).
Was the Chevy SS overpriced given it was a high performance v8 with magnetic ride suspension and was a 60kaud car if they sold it in Aus with the mrc on the ssv
yep great track car, just make sure you keep the oil topped up as the oil pan on the ls2 only is around 6 liters of oil. main weeakness is tire width, you can only fit around 275 width without rub and even less on front.
Good for the 1960's, in the US though The ancestors of the hot hatches in Europe would kick it's ass on any corner (the mini cooper, Renault 8 Gordini, Abarth 695, etc)
It is physically more capable than the '60s muscle cars that bore its name before it. However, 90% of what makes classic muscle cars, or classic cars of any kind good for that matter, is simply nostalgia.
Took my GTO to go test drive a newer Camaro SS a couple years ago because I thought it was finally time to upgrade....I was really happy when I got back in my GTO and left the Chevy dealer!
Or maybe not use a legacy name at all, like what they did with the Pontiac G8, which was also an Australian implant that had better sales with less model years.
Pontiac needed a halo car at the time after the Fbodies were axed. Obviously Chevy had the Vette. They could of imported the UTE as an El Camino instead of wasting all that R&D money on the SSR through.
Not really. It wouldn't have sold regardless of what GM did. It looked ricey back in the 2000s and it looked like a car that a kid would drive. I like BOTH of those things but let's be real: Most Americans do not. They want giant, ugly trucks and SUVs and something that makes up for how small they feel inside. This tiny car just wasn't it. Awesome car though. I want one BAD. Always loved them. Just crazy that it's a GM car.
My personal opinion this should’ve been the 2Dr Grand Prix GT. I say that cause the last generation GP didn’t have a 2Dr and the GP nameplate probably would’ve helped this car sell a bit more.
It could be because I'm some uncultured swine who has never cared about the original GTO, but I think this is a damn near perfect car. LS engine? Check. Manual? Check. RWD? Check. Reliable? Check. Good handling? Check. Practical enough to daily? Check. What's there not to like?
I'm with you, I was never one to get all bitchy over a nameplate being brought back for something it doesn't necessarily fit, if you're shopping for cars based on the history of the name you're doing it wrong
@@verdunian595 As someone who has one and loves it, I grew up with Pontiac's so I kinda liked how it was sort of a more muscled grand prix. It really was a "what if we built the gto into today's line-up in '06". Now whether that was a mistake is up to everyone's own opinion. I heard that is what Acura was trying with the new Integra, and had a similar failing. So I liked it, but I also see why it was a bad choice and got the reaction it did.
@@AnthonyMShadows eh, the new GTO made sense to have the GTO name, imo. Big V8, rwd, comfortable. The new integra really doesn't have much in common with the old integra besides the Acura badge.
7:16 Once again as a person who spent 10 years in the car business… dealerships and their greed is part of the problem why cool cars don’t sell as well as they should. Focus RS was a modern version of this I think that car would’ve sell better if dealers weren’t so damn greedy. I watched my managers put these huge markups on cars and then I had to try to justify it to customers. The first hellcat that we got in we sold for $90,000. I wasn’t the one that sold it but even though I knew it would make the salesman a ton of money I never agreed with it it just didn’t feel right. When this car came out I thought it was the coolest thing ever along with the Grand Prix GXP the Bonneville GXP and the vibe GXP those cars were so darn cool. To me as an import guy that was one of the only brand that caught my attention. Caught my attention.
And now dealers are marking up literally every car on the lot. They're moving so few vehicles now, I really hope this is the end of dealerships. They're antiquated, protected by outdated laws, and are an unnecessary middleman.
Car dealerships, like Hollywood, are an industry where normal market economics don't apply. They constantly make phenomenally bad business decisions, yet somehow always come out on top.
I've always liked the looks of the GTO. It feels like a modern muscle car that has it's own styling than a pure nostalgia plea like the mustang/challenger. Ironic to say a rebadged Monaro has it's own styling but you know what I mean.
Yeah this has become true more recently, when it first came out people hated the styling, but now I feel like people have come around and actually like the style of it. I've had one for 12 years, and I get way more compliments now compared to years ago.
As a fellow Australian i actually quite like the Holden Monaro/Pontiac GTO. My problem with the GTO you guys got is that the front grill is DOG UGLY compared to the Holden front end.
@@geerstyresoil3136 not sure your right on that one, as Pontiac of that era (much like Nissan today) were obsessed with making the front end of every vehicle (other then the Sunfire) look exactly the same (in hind sight with was probably due to financial issues within GM).
@@JustJay1281 no, I am talking about sourcing the Holden front end grille from Australia. Holden Australia would not allow purchase from US customers. (they most likely had a limited supply and did not want to make additional) I was a previous GTO owner and this was a common issue where owners wanted to change their look and make their cars look like the Australian Monaro. Because that is what the car really is, its a Monaro with a pontiac fascia stuck on... This car is NOT really a Pontiac, just in name only so it can be sold in the US. the manfacturer sticker says Holden and it has a Austrialian based VIN.
The most favorite car I've ever owned. So easy to upgrade with go fast parts and comfortable interior. It does have it's flaws though but the good outweighed the bad for me
I still have my 2004 GTO and I'll never get rid of it! Love that car. I have people stopping by my house all the time asking me if I'll sell it. This car is awesome!
My dream car since I was little. A Torrid Red ‘06 GTO with the stock 17” wheels and a 6MT. Add a cam and exhaust and that is it. Bam! Perfect. I somehow prefer the GTO front end to the Holden or Vauxhall.
Cops like to say: "You can't outrun the radio." One, they'll be looking for a Grand Am, or a Grand Prix. Two, if you all of the sudden start going the speed limit next to a Mustang, Challenger, or ANY other flashy sports car for that matter, they'll pull THAT guy over instead. The GTO was the ultimate sleeper when it rolled off the production line.
I know right I live in Indianapolis about 9 blocks down the street Trackside I'm on my way home from work I'm stopped at a light two black guys roll up next to me and the pastor start screaming at me hey dog hey dog my boy think he can get you I look to my left and what are they in there in a Malibu I literally started laughing out loud the passenger said hey doggie laughing at you hey man my boy can get you I said in that not a chance he said this car is fast I laughed again and said know that car is quick this car is fast he said you scared turn to his buddy and said he's scared dog he's scared I settled it I said what does his speedometer say he said something to his friend turn back to the right and said his speedometer says 85 mph as the light turned green easing off very reserved I said my speedometer says 200 have a nice day gentleman f****** Malibu are you kidding me
I remember when these came out, I was in high school. A lot of my friends’ chief complaint of these was that “they look too much like a regular car” to which I would reply that in 1964 the original GTO looked like a “regular car” *at the time* (when it came out) Anyway, I always liked these. The slippery look I think has aged better than the cheap shameless retro of the 2005 Mustang (not that those are terrible looking either, but haven’t aged great) It’s too bad we don’t like good cars here in the USA, just cars that look “badass”
This!!! Underrated car but it would've been far more successful had GM/Holden markted this car far more and if had not gotten the Potiac GTO name slapped on for no reason at all.
Finally you are reviewing my daily driver! 2006 GTO. I have never had more fun driving a car. It's not the nicest car I've owned but its def the most fun. There are only a handful of cars faster than this car 15 years later.
These went from reasonably priced to far overpriced because of “enthusiasts” who price gate keep to such an extent no one can afford a used sports or muscle car.
So you're telling me the usually Boomer wealthy collectors market that justifies jacking up the prices of everything fun either because they work for an insurance company and or paid by them or they just want to justify their hobby to their wife cuz owning 20 cars is expensive
A friend has a GTO with a swapped 6.0 LS that’s supercharged with 2 step, a big brake kit, semi slick tires in back, and a loud exhaust. The result is 600 whp and it sounds insane.
@@Meinstein the VU SS? got good memories cruising in my mates whilst he rowed the t56, only had cold air intake and exhaust but used to be pretty tail happy with an empty tray in the back lol
I was expecting your usual acerbic take on this car. I was pleasantly surprised. I bought a 2005 Automatic back in 2008 and loved it for 5 years. A long-distance job forced its sale and I still regret giving up on the most comfortable, highest horsepower vehicle I have owned to date.
I had a 2004, which was the LS1 instead of the LS2 - but I loved that damn car. Red with black interior, 6-MT. I put a full Pedders suspension in it, poly bushings, Bassani exhaust, and a GMM Ripshift to get rid of the janky stock shifter. It was like a poor-man's M6. Yeah, the styling was "subdued"... but that also meant that you drew less attention from law enforcement.
I find it funny that in the US, owners put Holden badges on them. In Australia, all the try-hards swap the Holden badges for chevy bow ties or swap the front grill for a Pontiac one. You always know what sort of person you're dealing with when you see one coming.
I’m on my second Holden badged ‘Vauxhall’ Monaro here in the UK (bought my first nearly new in 2006) Such a rare sight on our roads, but they’re highly revered by those who can remember some Top Gear episodes from the early 2000s. I get lots of thumbs up 👍🏼 from petrolheads / gearheads who know what the car is 😊
My only memories of this car are from video games, where it was always this mid tier muscle car that you unlock at the same time as a mustang, so you never pick it. Oh and they were always yellow for some reason...
i actually used this in NFSMW (the ORIGINAL most wanted, not the wannabe burnout game) because i was a little contrarian that felt the miniscule differences in acceleration between it and the 'stang were enough to justify it. and it was... meh.
NFS Underground 2, Most Wanted and Carbon had this car in Yellow, and ProStreet had it in Burgundy or maybe light blue, i dont remember. I believe it was also present in Test Drive Unlimited, which i think had it in Silver.
@@aaronabbey2604 Brazen Orange Metallic on the 06 only. Cosmos purple on 04 only. The two most sought after colors for the GTO. The purple has purple seats/suede
We had the Vauxhall Monaro here in Britain, an even less distinct rebadged Holden, and it was and still is a great way to get affordable right hand drive V8 power on tiny British roads. Great cars.
My dad picked one of these up when I was about 4, and drove it all the way up until I turned 10. Always fun to ride in, and the way he talked, it was fun to drive in. Ended up blowing the motor on the dyno and sold it for a corvette, but I haven’t forgotten it since
Will always be one of my favorite cars of all time. Love my 04 GTO. Had for about 5 years and about to sell it and upgrade to a 2006. Also nice having a car that you don’t see often. I always get people stopping me on the road asking to buy it. Old heads always giving me the thumbs up. You see tons of chargers and challengers everyday but rarely see GTO’s. And these cars are a blast to drive. Also the interior is much nicer than my mustang gt or Camaro
It has a 55-45 weight distribution, which means it's not afraid to throw it's weight around corners as a drift car. Aussies built these things and the Commodore to be able to literally throw around tight turns and you can see it from Clarkson's review from Top Gear.
When the marketplace shifts mainly to EVs and the large V8s are swept into the dustbins of history in favor of tiny engines with overworked turbos that fry out too soon, we will all look back and remember the pure, primal roar of a performance V8 and for those of us who will remember, there will be a twinge of sadness. Sometimes, and this is true with performance EVs, it isn't all about the insane numbers. It can also be about the experience, the rumble, the buzzing and growling... I never agreed with many of the magazine car reviews who called this design boring or not worth the GTO name. There's a thing called "understated" and given Pontiac's history of gross overstyling for awhile, this GTO was really, really sharp.
I bought my GTO in 2009 and have loved it ever since. It may not be the flashiest or fastest thing on the road, but it'll for sure put a smile on your face. Another overlooked reason why I think they didn't sell well is that they didn't diversify the line up. They basically said- "if you want a muscle car, here you go." Unlike other muscle cars (which work as a business model) who offer different engine sizes, convertibles, etc.
@@andrewrollason4963 I was meaning the GTO specifically. There was no convertible, 4cyl turbo, v6, or even crazy high performance version. They offered 1 car that had 2 options: color, and transmission. Compare this to its competition at the time like the Mustang, Camaro, Charger etc, where you can buy a base model for $25K or a high performance for $90K. I just appreciate the unapologetic mindset of "if you want a muscle car, here you go. If you want something to pick up groceries, there's other cars for that." It makes sense from a purist mindset, but not as much from a business mindset.
@@theoutoftunepianist5414 That's because Impala (which was rubbish in comparison with Commodore) existed. Pontiac G8 got closer to a fuller complement of that model's line up. Chevy SS also ended up being orphaned. Monaro was just the coupe of VT-VZ Commodore.
My first car, purchased right out of college in 2018, was a bone stock 6-speed 2005 GTO. It was waaaaayyy too much power for a first car. But man, what a fun machine! The torque was just intoxicating, and it was supremely comfortable on long trips (even for those in the back seats). Negatives were the sloppy gear shifter, tiny trunk, body roll and reliability issues. Sold it last year to get a C6 Z06! Or as Mr Regular puts it, a "better Holden" (1:23)
lol thanks to youtubers and other rich influences that lead me to believe these were "slow" when they were rather cheap when i was in high school. This channel is s good for all around information on a vehicle and never fails to make me laugh.
This and the G8 are probably my favorite muscle cars of all time. It sucks that they didn't make them for very long but that also adds to the uniqueness of them. Absolutely love these cars, especially the GTO's with the 6.0 and not the 5.7 lol
GM officially exported the Holden Monaro to the Middle Eastern market as the Chevy Lumina SS Coupe and amusingly, they were selling them right alongside the C5 Corvette. But truly, i would love to own a Monaro or a Commodore SS before it's too late.
I bought one of these in 2006 brand new, as Ford dealers in my area were all charging over sticker for the new Shelby Cobra, which is what I wanted. On paper, it was a killer formula - big V8, low price, and you have something that not everyone else has. And while the car was fun, it had problems. The optional 18" wheels for America were not tested very well, for example. I found that they caused the tire to rub on the inside edge against the shock tower while under cornering load. The digital info display on the dash failed, and it took two weeks to get a new part from Australia, only to then have to order a new body control module from Australia to match. Once, it had to be flatbedded to the dealer because it wouldn't start - because a poorly wrapped wire bundle had frayed against the frame and was shorting out the car. I also found the GTO owner forums to be a joke - if you dared suggest the car had problems it shouldn't have, you got attacked by everyone. Tesla cult before Tesla was a thing type stuff. "You don't think it should cord the insides of the tires at 10k miles? Well why don't you have aftermarket wheel spacers on there, didn't you read all the FAQs?" I liked the car for what it was, but I was glad to get rid of it probably two years later.
@@2URLex Exactly mate GM should've killed Buick instead of Pontiac. Had they kept Pontiac instead of Buick then Pontiac would've not only become GM's Mopar (like the GTO compete with the Charger and the Trans-AM compete with the Challenger) but it would've also become America's BMW as well (like the G6 compete with the M3/M4, the G8 compete with the M5/M6 and the Solstice compete with the BMW roadster).
@@CJColvin They kept Buck because it sold so well in China. They weren't thinking of the American market or nostalgia factor they could have cashed in on with the Trans--AM etc. Pontiac took a back seat for China.
@@CJColvin yep you’re right, Burns me up every time that they chose the Chinese market over us. GM literally has nothing to offer in their fleet lol everyone and their mom has a vette or camaro and that bores me.
Had an 04 with the 5.7 for about a year. Coilovers, poly bushings everywhere, etc. Took corners better than you expected for the type of car, but I just could not get past the steering ratio and feeling. It didn't inspire confidence. It felt more like a truck than a sports car, you had to turn the wheel 30-50% more than most cars and it felt numb. The shifter in mine (albeit, I had a short shifter) required so much force it felt like a boxing match, very notchy and forceful. Despite it getting more random compliments than all of my previous cars combined, I couldn't get over the clunky driving dynamics and stomping the gas on straights got old quick. Also had to redo the notorious sagging headliner. It looked and sounded great, but I ended up trading it for a BRZ
There was a third type of person that drove these... the U2 pilots of the USAF. they used them as chase cars to talk down U2 spy planes on final approach. (The U2 is notoriously tricky to land)
I think the 2000's GTO was/is awesome. The original GTO looked pretty much just like all the other Pontiacs of the time. It was just a hot-rodded Tempest. I like the styling of the newer GTO more now than I did when it came out. These cars are selling for some pretty high prices.
I miss Pontiac. I've always been partial to GM and Pontiac in particular with it's insane amount of plastic cladding. Which would you rather have, a 2002 SS Camaro or a 2002 Trans Am? They built a mid-engined sports car in the 1980s that unfortunately was saddled with a crappy engine and some dubious suspension parts because Chevy whines about the Corvette having to be the best. Also, they stole not one but two Australian cars, the GTO in the video and the G8, the latter selling in criminally small numbers before GM killed Pontiac. Going back to the Camaro/Firebird thing, I'll give you one reason why Pontiac was superior, what did Burt Reynolds drive? I think I've made my point.
I love my 05 GTO. It's a blast to drive, and it does feel like an imported car. It definitely feels better than anything else pontiac made around that time. It's fairly quick even for today's standards. It also doesn't stand out like a mustang or challenger does. It's also rare as shit to actually see another one out on the road. It's nice not seeing everyone have the same car you would owing a mustang.
Thank you! A week ago i was reading a magazine from 2003 that featured an article about the presentation. I thought to myself: "Man, honestly, i wouldn't even drive this today" The interior hasn't aged very well, it looks like the Opels of the time. Give me a TT anytime, that one still looks modern 23 years later. But TT was a different thing... I always thought, it looks like an Opel Omega that came out in '94
I am A huge Holden FANATIC as far as guys in the USA go. I have owned a 2013 PPV, 2016 SS and a 2004 GTO T56. I have an email from 2003 begging GM to import the Saudi Arabian/GCC LHD Chevrolet Lumina(Commodore) and Caprice. They responded kindly and said they would take it under advisory. They gave us the GTO a few months later. Of course I was only 20yrs old at the time and an E4 in the US Army in Germany. I wasn't paid enough to buy...much less insure one and even if I tried AAFES car sales couldn't sell me one in Germany because of import laws. I was stuck climbing the ladder from Ford Panthers with 4.6L 2v to a 2005 Mustang GT in 2007, a new 2010 Mustang GT and a new 2011 Mustang GT before I finally got my 2013 PPV with 800 miles in 2014. That was all it took to find out that LS is a helluva drug.
If this car is un-worthy of the GTO name, then that Mach-E sure as hell is un-worthy of the Mustang name. At least this one has balls and looks way better.
I had an automatic 05 for 6 years and absolutely loved it. Trans shit the bed at 140k and I sold it with the intention of getting something more practical, but the GTO turned me into a big Holden fan. I had to have the newer model, so now I have a g8 GT. Absolutely love that car as well. Aussies built a hell of a car, sadly GM shuttered the plant that built these, the g8, the SS, and the caprice PPV.
I would pick this up over a C5 Corvette. I think 💭 it’s better looking and we all know it’s way more comfortable inside. Good review and I hope to find one of these that isn’t modified down the road. (:
Just concentrate on the Car - and please stop talking about Dicks. This is a genuine criticism of your Reviews - constant Dick references are strange, off-putting, and not at all funny.
The first Monaro was a 1968, a 2 door hardtop sport coupe around the same size as the 68 Camaro. In fact it was styled like the Camaro, and offered a Chevy 327 as an option. Now THAT was a beautiful car!
They weren't that great as a car though. My old man had a Silver Mink HK GTS 186S back in the early 80s, he hated it. Sold it to his cousin for $400 and went back to driving his FC Station Sedan. An identical car to the one he owned sold for $130,000 not long ago. He still has his FC, along with a collection of mid 50's Fords, and doesn't regret selling the Monaro at all.
My 28 year old, newly married with a kid-on-the-way neighbor convinced his wife that this was a Pontiac family car, and since they already had a Tahoe, he got the go-ahead. A very happy dude driving this to work everyday.
I appreciate how you got all the right points. This is not a GTO. The failure of this great car was because it was labelled as a grumpy muscle car. It was misunderstood by the public because GM appears to have misunderstood the car themselves. Americans tried slapping muscle car styling into this car and it looked out of place. It wasn't meant to be that GTO, it was something else, and it was good.
This!!! Underrated car but it would've been far more successful had GM/Holden markted this car far more and if had not gotten the Potiac GTO slapped on t it for no reason at all.
I factory-ordered (with a 6 month wait!) a black-over-red 2006 GTO just like this one, also in a 6-speed manual. Added the full sport appearance package to try and win back some of the gaudiness of the Trans Am WS6 I'd had previously. Kept the GTO for 11 years, sold it with 36,000 miles on it. It was my last GM car. I'm in a Challenger 392 now. Might be my last V8, the way things are going.
I bought one years ago. A few years after they declined in popularity, 3500$. Still have it, not driving it much with the current gas prices. It's a great budget corvette. and if you remove the badges, a real sleeper.
I've never understood the idea that it "isn't a GTO" because of how it looks. The original GTO looked like literally every other Pontiac that was made at the time. Tempest, Bonneville, Grand Prix, Catalina, and GTO all looked like the same every day family car. The 2004-2006 GTO was EXACTLY what a GTO is supposed to be: a powerful engine in a subdued body.
That's really true, growing up with Pontiac's I liked how the GTO looked like a muscled grand prix, but I forgot just how identical the Tempest and Le Man's were to the classic gto's. back in the day as well.
*Insert Michael Scott thank you gif here*
Absolutely! The 1960s Pontiacs were cleanly attractive, but the GTO didn't stand oit from the rest.
For all but 6 years the GTO was an option package for another model.
At least the original GTOs looked a million times better than the newer ones did.
I remember seeing this on Top Gear back in the 2000s. They even voted it as surprise of the year at one time.
Throw a supercharger or an over sized turbo on top and then you gotta car that people would notice. They kept it too vanilla, and they paid for it.
@@calholli they made it more affordable… if they added a turbo then it would just be more money especially for 2006
They complimented how cheap it was compared to the power you get thanks to the LS. And they knew that the tuning community would quickly find ways to make it even faster since the LS1/LS2 were very tuner-friendly during its time. Was it fast around a track? No. But they would have later episodes of them drifting the car around their track with Japanese drift racers, which shows how incredible of a machine the Monaro/GTO really was.
The irritating bit was Holden turned the whole production line for the Monaro into left hand drive, basically removing it from the Australian market to lob it at the US to miss the target.
And then we bought 6 of them
The Middle East Arabia however got commodores in 2000 and badge the LHD as Chevy Luminas.
@@markoz673bajen8 I remember it being on the news, the export deal over that way. I remember the example shown was the long wheelbase body (Statesman here), same as what was pitched to the US as an option to the Crown Vic as police cars.
And of course somehow way more expensive at home for us than buying a GTO in America, shipping it here and converting it back
@@DangerAngelous That was the downfall of both locally produced cars. Pricing. In 72 a HQ Kingswood sedan was $2990. A VW Beetle was $3990. Bang them out, cheap as chips, sold a bunch. I remember somewhere between VR and VT/VX base Commodores jumping from $20K to $35k. I truly think people still would of been buying, if they kept charging meat pie prices for meat pie cars. That's not an insult, that's what the base models were good at. Putting a new car under Australian arses.
I find it amusing that in the US, people are swapping Holden badges onto these. Here in Australia it is quite a common sight to see the Chevy bow tie slapped on the front of Comodores and the Pontiac front clip on the front of Monaros. I'm not sure if that says something about the owners or that the car itself had some sort of identity crisis since day one.
I've seen pictures of Opel Insignias with Buick badging (they were sold in the US as the Buick Regal) for presumably the same reason.
Lmao, like Acura RSX owners putting Honda badges. Although I seriously doubt anyone in Japan are slapping Acura logos on their Integras.
Grass is always greener on the other side. I've been looking for US-spec bumpers for my VW for a while now. Edit: I live in Europe
@@Shorty15c4007 you'll be surprised, I've seen a good amount of Japanese car enthusiasts put Acura badges on Interga's. (I've been into Hondas since the late 90s 🤷♂️)
@@MC4D. 🤣
Acura boys "Durr, my Acura is really a high performance Honda DC5. Check out my 9k redline"
Honda Boys in Japan "Durr, my Honda is really an Acura luxury sedan. Check out my leather seats"
Wow! After eight years of watching RCR I finally get to see my car reviewed!! You know in a lot of ways it IS better than a Corvett....Mr Regular? I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!!
it's corvette performance that you can actually live with as a daily driver... though I am sure there is a vette enthusiasts that would say "well I daily my vette" as they struggle to get out of it after only a half hour drive, and complain about there back everyday.
Mmm. Let's see if it's a other giveaway click bait ...
Your car looks like a Pontiac sunfire with a grand am hood.
@@springwoodslasher79 Lol
@@springwoodslasher79 well sir that is just mean.😠
I've always liked this car, having been a fan of the Holden Monaro. I definitely don't mind the name, or the looks.
they should have launched it as a camaro. pretty sure that was a pan at some point, not sure where i heard that though. it would have been quite a while ago.
Have you ever seen the old GTO's though? Style wasn't everything with those, but it definitely was distinct and the power plant wasn't the hottest thing available per se but it was very balanced and the shifter/tranny packages offered were excellent. I had a 68 judge clone in high school and it was something else... very fast, handled surprisingly well, crisp shifting, 4.11 gearing that could cook any tires, and styling that could get a dungeonmaster laid. These newer goats were cool as a concept, but once you got into one it was clear that it was just another GM rebadge.
@@420JackG the old ones are on another planet, I'm not even gonna argue. As for this one - a different name might've worked better, but calling it a GTO wasn't as bad as, say, putting an Eclipse badge onto a crossover like Mitsubishi did.
@@SwapBlogRU I don't think it would be remembered with such derision if it wasn't a one off. People like those late firebird/TAs. If they would've kept the name around as a trim level of Gran Prix or something (sorta like the impala or whatever), and then come out with the Holden rebadge people would be like "Man, those last GTOs were fire" because the frame of reference would've been totally different.
Wasn’t it a vauxhall Monaro at some point
I've had my 2005 GTO for 15 years...it was damn near invisible up until about two years ago, since then I've got people fawning over the car every time I drive it, seems like everyone is finally recognizing how cool these GTOs are
Agreed. I always thought they were nicely understated. I'm having a 2022 2SS Vivid Orange Metallic Camaro built in memory of the 2006 GTO Brazen Orange I never brought.
Yeah I've had one for 12 years and only the last year or so, people have come around and started liking it.
Underrated.
Torrid Red--249k miles seat time--will take my wife out for a drive at 1/4 million miles and celebrate with champagne as she gave it to me as birthday present!
@@richardwichels7032 That is phenomenal! Mine is only at 123k so I guess barely broken in, haha
The Vauxhall Monaro (the UK's name for this brute) was and still just about is the only vehicle like it you could buy in this country. It was cheap, vastly undercutting the similarly-powered M-Cars and RS Audis of the era, but it was a Vauxhall - the official car brand of not knowing any better. Still, though, it carries quite a cult following, and since very few people know what it is, they definitely turn heads when they burble through a cobbled town centre. Probably not the car to pick right now, though, with fuel prices at £1.70 a litre ($8.40 a gallon).
'15 Corsa VXR: 1.6L turbo. 204hp and ~1250KG / 2755lb
'05 Zafira VXR: 2l turbo, 236hp and 1434kg / 3161lb (MPV)
'06 Astra VXR: 2l turbo, 241hp and 1230kg / 2711lb
'12 Astra VXR: 2l turbo, 276hp and 1400kg / 3086lb
'06 Vectra VXR: 2.8l V6 turbo, 248hp and 1400kg / 3086lb
'09 Insignia VXR: 2.8L V6 turbo, 321hp and 1735 kg / 3825 lbs
'09 Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S: blown V8, 560hp and 1830 kg / 4034 lbs
I like vauxhalls for same reason I like Kawasaki's, Then engineers are unhinged and would totally put a overpowered engine into any car if they could (managments wouldnt let them because they wouldn't sell or meet emissions).
Oh and quite obviously cars are getting fatter, A 2012 astra is 40% heavier than a 1994, around the same weight as a 6 year newer Vectra.
I got an '09 Corsa OPC and it just *feels* like it has too much power for it's own good, and this is the 192hp model even. Despite that, power delivery is quite linear, and it handles really nicely.
Wasn't there a supercharged version of this in the UK?
@@coreygolphenee9633 in the ve yes, it was a hsv clubsport with a Walkinshaw supercharger.
Towards the End of my trip through Europe with my wife in 2014, I spotted a ve hsv clubsport near Windsor Castle, I had been to many car museums, but seeing that car made me feel very homesick.
My buddy had one in a really nice spice red color. These cars are fast and had surprisingly nice interiors for the time. I turn my head every time I see one.
Probably the best interior of its class by a mile.
They look look a bigger sunfire.
They sound so good with a nice exhaust as well.
@@springwoodslasher79 GM dropping the ball on styling, again. The later SS looks like a Malibu. It's nice if you're doing extralegal things to have such an anonymous car, but it's meh to look back at in the parking lot.
@@bwofficial1776 At least it wasn't as conspicuously ugly as the GTO. The G8 and SS looked OK, and if they had been priced competitively they might have sold.
I've always liked the early 2000s GTO, which is weird for someone who normally is more into euro cars and trucks than muscle. The GTO is just one of those cars that makes you happy. I would do alot to get a yellow one with the 6MT.
That sort of makes sense that you would, being a Euro guy. The Monaro/Commodore shared a common platform with the Opel Omega, which is very much a European car.
@@SwapBlogRU I guess having a more modern, sleek design as opposed to the boxier Mustangs and Challengers is probably part of it.
@T.A I don't think the Ford Falcon had any relatives in Europe. Unless I'm missing something and it's related to the Ford Scorpio or something. As for engines - yes, what you write definitely stands true for Holden, but what American engine is the Ford Barra related to?
@T.A ok, I see, thanks for clearing that up.
@@yeeterskeeter6565 yeah I love holdens for their sleek design that’s not the hurr durr nostalgia muscle that’s popular today
I feel like this “gto” is way underrated and doesn’t get enough love and attention glad to see someone finally make a video on it going more in depth!
Such a shame that GM's Australian imports suffered from poor timing (G8), poor naming/identity (GTO) or over-pricing (Chevy SS). They really helped teach GM about what could be done, especially for seats and interior (especially in the mid 2000's era of GM).
Was the Chevy SS overpriced given it was a high performance v8 with magnetic ride suspension and was a 60kaud car if they sold it in Aus with the mrc on the ssv
@@Low760 fr the ss was ~45k new theyre just as expensive used now if not more. New mustangs/camaros/challengers cost just as much
@@ethanmiller8327 I have a S1 VF Calais (luxury) wagon with a 6lt l77, yes they are not cheap to buy now either.
@@Low760 most non enthusiasts arent gonna buy a performance car that costs 45k and looks identical to a Malibu
@@RAAM855 most non enthusiasts aren't gonna buy a performance car, period
I bought mine brand new in '04, when I was 24, because I am an engineer and could see the perfect blend of everything the car is. Still have it 👌
@@JHamilton791 now kiss
@@JHamilton791 love mine minus the cheap interior
“You have permission to go around, unrestricted climb!”
That sounds so fucking cool, you have no idea.
Sad part is, i personally believe this is superior to the GTOs of the past. This car can corner. A classic GTO is well, good for the 1960s.
yep great track car, just make sure you keep the oil topped up as the oil pan on the ls2 only is around 6 liters of oil. main weeakness is tire width, you can only fit around 275 width without rub and even less on front.
Good for the 1960's, in the US though
The ancestors of the hot hatches in Europe would kick it's ass on any corner (the mini cooper, Renault 8 Gordini, Abarth 695, etc)
It is physically more capable than the '60s muscle cars that bore its name before it. However, 90% of what makes classic muscle cars, or classic cars of any kind good for that matter, is simply nostalgia.
@@josephpbrown Have you heard of a restomod before mate.
Have you heard of a restomod before mate.
The visability was so much better than the Camaro that proceeded it. Its like driving an actual car, where the Camaro is like driving a submarine.
Absolutely. The 5th gen is almost unusable
The 4th gen wasn't great either, though admittedly the visibility was better - the interior was more cramped however.
Took my GTO to go test drive a newer Camaro SS a couple years ago because I thought it was finally time to upgrade....I was really happy when I got back in my GTO and left the Chevy dealer!
GM's just getting you ready for the day when the driving is done for you and you can actually have a submarine driving around. 😅
@@BennyT_3434 LULZ!!!!
as much as I love Pontiac, this likely would've sold better if it was branded as a Chevelle or something like that.
Or maybe not use a legacy name at all, like what they did with the Pontiac G8, which was also an Australian implant that had better sales with less model years.
Pontiac needed a halo car at the time after the Fbodies were axed. Obviously Chevy had the Vette. They could of imported the UTE as an El Camino instead of wasting all that R&D money on the SSR through.
Not really. It wouldn't have sold regardless of what GM did. It looked ricey back in the 2000s and it looked like a car that a kid would drive.
I like BOTH of those things but let's be real: Most Americans do not. They want giant, ugly trucks and SUVs and something that makes up for how small they feel inside.
This tiny car just wasn't it. Awesome car though. I want one BAD. Always loved them. Just crazy that it's a GM car.
My personal opinion this should’ve been the 2Dr Grand Prix GT. I say that cause the last generation GP didn’t have a 2Dr and the GP nameplate probably would’ve helped this car sell a bit more.
@@ThePhoenixw68 They were planning it, and even showed a prototype. Unfortunately the 2008 recession hits and it never materialized.
It could be because I'm some uncultured swine who has never cared about the original GTO, but I think this is a damn near perfect car.
LS engine? Check. Manual? Check. RWD? Check. Reliable? Check. Good handling? Check. Practical enough to daily? Check. What's there not to like?
I'm with you, I was never one to get all bitchy over a nameplate being brought back for something it doesn't necessarily fit, if you're shopping for cars based on the history of the name you're doing it wrong
@@verdunian595 As someone who has one and loves it, I grew up with Pontiac's so I kinda liked how it was sort of a more muscled grand prix. It really was a "what if we built the gto into today's line-up in '06". Now whether that was a mistake is up to everyone's own opinion. I heard that is what Acura was trying with the new Integra, and had a similar failing. So I liked it, but I also see why it was a bad choice and got the reaction it did.
@@AnthonyMShadows eh, the new GTO made sense to have the GTO name, imo. Big V8, rwd, comfortable. The new integra really doesn't have much in common with the old integra besides the Acura badge.
@@wigletron2846 they kinda do
@@Proxyyy825 the new integra is just a rebadged Si. Back in the day the integra was a different car.
7:16 Once again as a person who spent 10 years in the car business… dealerships and their greed is part of the problem why cool cars don’t sell as well as they should. Focus RS was a modern version of this I think that car would’ve sell better if dealers weren’t so damn greedy. I watched my managers put these huge markups on cars and then I had to try to justify it to customers. The first hellcat that we got in we sold for $90,000. I wasn’t the one that sold it but even though I knew it would make the salesman a ton of money I never agreed with it it just didn’t feel right. When this car came out I thought it was the coolest thing ever along with the Grand Prix GXP the Bonneville GXP and the vibe GXP those cars were so darn cool. To me as an import guy that was one of the only brand that caught my attention. Caught my attention.
And now dealers are marking up literally every car on the lot. They're moving so few vehicles now, I really hope this is the end of dealerships. They're antiquated, protected by outdated laws, and are an unnecessary middleman.
So nice to see someone else who thought the Vibe GXP was cool. So underrated!
Car dealerships, like Hollywood, are an industry where normal market economics don't apply. They constantly make phenomenally bad business decisions, yet somehow always come out on top.
@@wigletron2846 yes! I would love to see new dealerships disappear and be able to purchase directly from the manufacturer.
@@Lamtitude me too. I feel like we'd see a drop in vehicle prices buying directly from the manufacturer.
If the exhaust doesn't sound like Tim Allen on Home Improvement, there's no point. This car is a work of art.
I've always liked the looks of the GTO. It feels like a modern muscle car that has it's own styling than a pure nostalgia plea like the mustang/challenger. Ironic to say a rebadged Monaro has it's own styling but you know what I mean.
James May once said that retro styling was lazy, and I agree. I appreciate the looks of this thing more than the Mustang and Challenger of this era
I agree. She looks just fine as she sits. Nothing missing. Get in the cult of it or stay out. Easy.
Yeah this has become true more recently, when it first came out people hated the styling, but now I feel like people have come around and actually like the style of it. I've had one for 12 years, and I get way more compliments now compared to years ago.
@@jerryboy617 So you're saying this Holden GTO is vindicated by History? Good news for me.
@@jerryboy617What job do you have and how much money do you make in order to afford that GTO you have there as well as doing the mods with ease?
As a fellow Australian i actually quite like the Holden Monaro/Pontiac GTO. My problem with the GTO you guys got is that the front grill is DOG UGLY compared to the Holden front end.
I blame holden, you wouldn't sell us the holden front end back then for some reason like you started doing with the newer SS.
I think with aftermarket grill inserts that it looks badass.
@@geerstyresoil3136 not sure your right on that one, as Pontiac of that era (much like Nissan today) were obsessed with making the front end of every vehicle (other then the Sunfire) look exactly the same (in hind sight with was probably due to financial issues within GM).
@@JustJay1281 no, I am talking about sourcing the Holden front end grille from Australia. Holden Australia would not allow purchase from US customers. (they most likely had a limited supply and did not want to make additional) I was a previous GTO owner and this was a common issue where owners wanted to change their look and make their cars look like the Australian Monaro. Because that is what the car really is, its a Monaro with a pontiac fascia stuck on... This car is NOT really a Pontiac, just in name only so it can be sold in the US. the manfacturer sticker says Holden and it has a Austrialian based VIN.
That was the Pontiac style language at the time.
The most favorite car I've ever owned. So easy to upgrade with go fast parts and comfortable interior. It does have it's flaws though but the good outweighed the bad for me
Same. I have a g8 GT now and I love it, however it has the looming issue of DOD lifters and the seats are less comfortable.
As an Australian I must say the holden grill and classic big cat embelm made the car look slightly more modern some how.
2006 Pontiac GTO: When cops in Most Wanted start using this, you know you're going to get fucked over.
Man that brings back memories. Mine was built into a 200+mph monster
God, I built mine in Pro Street into a 900 HP drag strip monster. Still love this car because of that.
It's also the agency patrol car in Crackdown on Xbox 360.
@@andrewnicholson4278 Yeah but it's mostly remembered for when EA inserted these cars *everwhere* in NFS in the 2000s.
man i remember seeing this thing in prostreet and thinking "holy cow i never knew this existed this is cool", i loved its low-sedan design
Idc what anybody says..I will and always have loved these gtos. Still my favorite modern muscle car by FAR
I’ve had this car for almost 3 years now and its such a comfortable gt car to just cruise in.
I still have my 2004 GTO and I'll never get rid of it! Love that car. I have people stopping by my house all the time asking me if I'll sell it. This car is awesome!
My dream car since I was little. A Torrid Red ‘06 GTO with the stock 17” wheels and a 6MT. Add a cam and exhaust and that is it. Bam! Perfect. I somehow prefer the GTO front end to the Holden or Vauxhall.
it always fascinated me how GM's best vehicles are almost always never wearing Chevy badges.
Cops like to say: "You can't outrun the radio."
One, they'll be looking for a Grand Am, or a Grand Prix. Two, if you all of the sudden start going the speed limit next to a Mustang, Challenger, or ANY other flashy sports car for that matter, they'll pull THAT guy over instead.
The GTO was the ultimate sleeper when it rolled off the production line.
oh you can outrun a radio, my corolla did it twice. its about knowing the local roads better than 12 does
I know right I live in Indianapolis about 9 blocks down the street Trackside I'm on my way home from work I'm stopped at a light two black guys roll up next to me and the pastor start screaming at me hey dog hey dog my boy think he can get you I look to my left and what are they in there in a Malibu I literally started laughing out loud the passenger said hey doggie laughing at you hey man my boy can get you I said in that not a chance he said this car is fast I laughed again and said know that car is quick this car is fast he said you scared turn to his buddy and said he's scared dog he's scared I settled it I said what does his speedometer say he said something to his friend turn back to the right and said his speedometer says 85 mph as the light turned green easing off very reserved I said my speedometer says 200 have a nice day gentleman f****** Malibu are you kidding me
I remember when these came out, I was in high school. A lot of my friends’ chief complaint of these was that “they look too much like a regular car” to which I would reply that in 1964 the original GTO looked like a “regular car” *at the time* (when it came out)
Anyway, I always liked these. The slippery look I think has aged better than the cheap shameless retro of the 2005 Mustang (not that those are terrible looking either, but haven’t aged great)
It’s too bad we don’t like good cars here in the USA, just cars that look “badass”
I like the retro look of the 05 Mustang as well as this GTO. 2 sides of the same coin.
This!!! Underrated car but it would've been far more successful had GM/Holden markted this car far more and if had not gotten the Potiac GTO name slapped on for no reason at all.
Finally you are reviewing my daily driver! 2006 GTO. I have never had more fun driving a car. It's not the nicest car I've owned but its def the most fun. There are only a handful of cars faster than this car 15 years later.
These went from reasonably priced to far overpriced because of “enthusiasts” who price gate keep to such an extent no one can afford a used sports or muscle car.
So you're telling me the usually Boomer wealthy collectors market that justifies jacking up the prices of everything fun either because they work for an insurance company and or paid by them or they just want to justify their hobby to their wife cuz owning 20 cars is expensive
I KNOW WHAT I HAVE. NO TIRE KICKERS. ADULT FEMALE DRIVEN. CASH IN HAND FOR TEST DRIVE. $50K
@@wigletron2846 yep pretty much the same with gun shows. Everyone thinks everything is super valuable.
@@MultiRokusho Goes for most things unfortunately, motorcycles not as much but you still have a touch of that.
@@MultiRokusho if you think GTOs are bad, you should check out the miata market. Rusty, 200k, needs a top and interior are asking $10k.
A friend has a GTO with a swapped 6.0 LS that’s supercharged with 2 step, a big brake kit, semi slick tires in back, and a loud exhaust. The result is 600 whp and it sounds insane.
Why would you swap an LS into a car with an LS??
@@451degreesF Yo dawg, I heard you like LS swaps. So I LS swapped your LS GTO so you can swap while you swap.
@@451degreesF I think the previous owner sealed it from a 5.7 liter to a 6 liter.
@@marcolivares7413 lol! Yes.
The Monaro is one of the few Commodores I'd like to own :)
It wasn't even a good Manaro... it was a 2 door Commodore.
I've owned an SS. I want a Ute now. Pipe dreams.
@@wobblysauce and the 'good Monaros' were basically a 2 door kingswood/Belmont lol
they made one with a pickup bed that I SO wish they had imported here.
@@Meinstein the VU SS? got good memories cruising in my mates whilst he rowed the t56, only had cold air intake and exhaust but used to be pretty tail happy with an empty tray in the back lol
"You will ride eternal, shiny and thermoplastic front fascia."
I was expecting your usual acerbic take on this car. I was pleasantly surprised. I bought a 2005 Automatic back in 2008 and loved it for 5 years. A long-distance job forced its sale and I still regret giving up on the most comfortable, highest horsepower vehicle I have owned to date.
I had a 2004, which was the LS1 instead of the LS2 - but I loved that damn car. Red with black interior, 6-MT. I put a full Pedders suspension in it, poly bushings, Bassani exhaust, and a GMM Ripshift to get rid of the janky stock shifter. It was like a poor-man's M6. Yeah, the styling was "subdued"... but that also meant that you drew less attention from law enforcement.
I have the GMM ripshift in mine too, an absolutely fantastic shifter!
Always loved the understated design. Feels like the last hoorah of the late 90s-early 00s.
Edit: Especially in Cosmos Purple
just googled that color, wow is that awesome
I find it funny that in the US, owners put Holden badges on them. In Australia, all the try-hards swap the Holden badges for chevy bow ties or swap the front grill for a Pontiac one. You always know what sort of person you're dealing with when you see one coming.
I'm sure in Canada they would call em Beaumonts.
I’m on my second Holden badged ‘Vauxhall’ Monaro here in the UK (bought my first nearly new in 2006) Such a rare sight on our roads, but they’re highly revered by those who can remember some Top Gear episodes from the early 2000s. I get lots of thumbs up 👍🏼 from petrolheads / gearheads who know what the car is 😊
My only memories of this car are from video games, where it was always this mid tier muscle car that you unlock at the same time as a mustang, so you never pick it. Oh and they were always yellow for some reason...
i actually used this in NFSMW (the ORIGINAL most wanted, not the wannabe burnout game) because i was a little contrarian that felt the miniscule differences in acceleration between it and the 'stang were enough to justify it. and it was... meh.
@@milesmccollough5507 no need to clarify. That 2021 disappointment is barely talked about these days, everyone remembers the original
@T.A Pontiac did have a sort of metallic burnt orange color at the time. Idk if it was offered on the GTO.
NFS Underground 2, Most Wanted and Carbon had this car in Yellow, and ProStreet had it in Burgundy or maybe light blue, i dont remember. I believe it was also present in Test Drive Unlimited, which i think had it in Silver.
@@aaronabbey2604 Brazen Orange Metallic on the 06 only. Cosmos purple on 04 only. The two most sought after colors for the GTO. The purple has purple seats/suede
I just looked up this review by your channel 2 days ago hoping to see your opinion. And here it is 2 days later, thank you Mr. Regular!
We had the Vauxhall Monaro here in Britain, an even less distinct rebadged Holden, and it was and still is a great way to get affordable right hand drive V8 power on tiny British roads. Great cars.
My dad picked one of these up when I was about 4, and drove it all the way up until I turned 10. Always fun to ride in, and the way he talked, it was fun to drive in. Ended up blowing the motor on the dyno and sold it for a corvette, but I haven’t forgotten it since
This is my dream car. Especially with that 6.0.
Will always be one of my favorite cars of all time. Love my 04 GTO. Had for about 5 years and about to sell it and upgrade to a 2006. Also nice having a car that you don’t see often. I always get people stopping me on the road asking to buy it. Old heads always giving me the thumbs up. You see tons of chargers and challengers everyday but rarely see GTO’s. And these cars are a blast to drive. Also the interior is much nicer than my mustang gt or Camaro
It has a 55-45 weight distribution, which means it's not afraid to throw it's weight around corners as a drift car.
Aussies built these things and the Commodore to be able to literally throw around tight turns and you can see it from Clarkson's review from Top Gear.
When the marketplace shifts mainly to EVs and the large V8s are swept into the dustbins of history in favor of tiny engines with overworked turbos that fry out too soon, we will all look back and remember the pure, primal roar of a performance V8 and for those of us who will remember, there will be a twinge of sadness. Sometimes, and this is true with performance EVs, it isn't all about the insane numbers. It can also be about the experience, the rumble, the buzzing and growling...
I never agreed with many of the magazine car reviews who called this design boring or not worth the GTO name. There's a thing called "understated" and given Pontiac's history of gross overstyling for awhile, this GTO was really, really sharp.
I bought my GTO in 2009 and have loved it ever since. It may not be the flashiest or fastest thing on the road, but it'll for sure put a smile on your face. Another overlooked reason why I think they didn't sell well is that they didn't diversify the line up. They basically said- "if you want a muscle car, here you go." Unlike other muscle cars (which work as a business model) who offer different engine sizes, convertibles, etc.
"that they didn't diversify the line up"
Commodore came in Sedan, Wagon, Ute, with three engine choices
@@andrewrollason4963 I was meaning the GTO specifically. There was no convertible, 4cyl turbo, v6, or even crazy high performance version. They offered 1 car that had 2 options: color, and transmission. Compare this to its competition at the time like the Mustang, Camaro, Charger etc, where you can buy a base model for $25K or a high performance for $90K. I just appreciate the unapologetic mindset of "if you want a muscle car, here you go. If you want something to pick up groceries, there's other cars for that." It makes sense from a purist mindset, but not as much from a business mindset.
@@theoutoftunepianist5414 That's because Impala (which was rubbish in comparison with Commodore) existed.
Pontiac G8 got closer to a fuller complement of that model's line up. Chevy SS also ended up being orphaned.
Monaro was just the coupe of VT-VZ Commodore.
FINALLY SOMEONE DID THE GTO
I wasnt sure if you or Doug would win lol
Thisssssssss is the Pontiac tho!
I’ve always wanted a LS2 Goat since day one. Never been so tempted to buy mugs a day in my life until now.
Love it. As a side note though, any chance of these giveaways opening up to your friends up north?
My first car, purchased right out of college in 2018, was a bone stock 6-speed 2005 GTO. It was waaaaayyy too much power for a first car. But man, what a fun machine! The torque was just intoxicating, and it was supremely comfortable on long trips (even for those in the back seats). Negatives were the sloppy gear shifter, tiny trunk, body roll and reliability issues. Sold it last year to get a C6 Z06! Or as Mr Regular puts it, a "better Holden" (1:23)
lol thanks to youtubers and other rich influences that lead me to believe these were "slow" when they were rather cheap when i was in high school.
This channel is s good for all around information on a vehicle and never fails to make me laugh.
man, RCR uploads are ALWAYS a highlight of the day!
I still love my 04. The hood scoops in the 05-06 just look weird.
This and the G8 are probably my favorite muscle cars of all time. It sucks that they didn't make them for very long but that also adds to the uniqueness of them. Absolutely love these cars, especially the GTO's with the 6.0 and not the 5.7 lol
Me in 2004: Why didn’t they make it look like an old GTO? Lame…
Me in 2007, after visiting Australia: Wait, that thing was a Holden?!
My brother bought one used in 2006 and we had a lot of fun in it. Drove from Missouri to California and averaged 160 in the Arizona desert at 4am.
GM officially exported the Holden Monaro to the Middle Eastern market as the Chevy Lumina SS Coupe and amusingly, they were selling them right alongside the C5 Corvette.
But truly, i would love to own a Monaro or a Commodore SS before it's too late.
Yup we got plenty of those only sedans from 1998 to last 2015 gen badged chevy. No UTEs or coupes. The coupes were just GTOs.
I bought one of these in 2006 brand new, as Ford dealers in my area were all charging over sticker for the new Shelby Cobra, which is what I wanted. On paper, it was a killer formula - big V8, low price, and you have something that not everyone else has. And while the car was fun, it had problems. The optional 18" wheels for America were not tested very well, for example. I found that they caused the tire to rub on the inside edge against the shock tower while under cornering load. The digital info display on the dash failed, and it took two weeks to get a new part from Australia, only to then have to order a new body control module from Australia to match. Once, it had to be flatbedded to the dealer because it wouldn't start - because a poorly wrapped wire bundle had frayed against the frame and was shorting out the car. I also found the GTO owner forums to be a joke - if you dared suggest the car had problems it shouldn't have, you got attacked by everyone. Tesla cult before Tesla was a thing type stuff. "You don't think it should cord the insides of the tires at 10k miles? Well why don't you have aftermarket wheel spacers on there, didn't you read all the FAQs?"
I liked the car for what it was, but I was glad to get rid of it probably two years later.
I have ALWAYS loved this car. I was hurt when they took it away.
I’d only buy a goat or a TBSS other than that, GM can go to hell for dropping Pontiac.
@@2URLex Exactly mate GM should've killed Buick instead of Pontiac. Had they kept Pontiac instead of Buick then Pontiac would've not only become GM's Mopar (like the GTO compete with the Charger and the Trans-AM compete with the Challenger) but it would've also become America's BMW as well (like the G6 compete with the M3/M4, the G8 compete with the M5/M6 and the Solstice compete with the BMW roadster).
@@CJColvin They kept Buck because it sold so well in China. They weren't thinking of the American market or nostalgia factor they could have cashed in on with the Trans--AM etc. Pontiac took a back seat for China.
@@marcusdamberger Yeah then why couldn't they get rid of GMC then.
@@CJColvin yep you’re right, Burns me up every time that they chose the Chinese market over us. GM literally has nothing to offer in their fleet lol everyone and their mom has a vette or camaro and that bores me.
I bought one in '05. An LS2, a Tremec, and a plain wrapper for just under $30k. I still have it, it's got 32k miles on it and I love it.
Had an 04 with the 5.7 for about a year. Coilovers, poly bushings everywhere, etc. Took corners better than you expected for the type of car, but I just could not get past the steering ratio and feeling. It didn't inspire confidence. It felt more like a truck than a sports car, you had to turn the wheel 30-50% more than most cars and it felt numb. The shifter in mine (albeit, I had a short shifter) required so much force it felt like a boxing match, very notchy and forceful. Despite it getting more random compliments than all of my previous cars combined, I couldn't get over the clunky driving dynamics and stomping the gas on straights got old quick. Also had to redo the notorious sagging headliner. It looked and sounded great, but I ended up trading it for a BRZ
There was a third type of person that drove these... the U2 pilots of the USAF. they used them as chase cars to talk down U2 spy planes on final approach.
(The U2 is notoriously tricky to land)
Whenever RCR puts the amount of horsies on the title you already know its a giveaway lol
My dad had one of those GTOs in PM Yellow. It was a wild bit of fun.
Reason for failure: from 25 feet away could not distinguish from a 4 cyl Sunfire or Grand Am.
I think the 2000's GTO was/is awesome. The original GTO looked pretty much just like all the other Pontiacs of the time. It was just a hot-rodded Tempest. I like the styling of the newer GTO more now than I did when it came out. These cars are selling for some pretty high prices.
holy crap mr regular i was actually looking at some 6mt gtos and a ws6. wish me luck boys. i only got 16k.
This was my first car. I loved it so much that I still have it. And keeping a car that you don't daily in a garage in Queens isn't cheap, either.
The interiors on these were light-years ahead of the C5.
And C6.
This show is the best part about Mondays
I miss Pontiac. I've always been partial to GM and Pontiac in particular with it's insane amount of plastic cladding. Which would you rather have, a 2002 SS Camaro or a 2002 Trans Am? They built a mid-engined sports car in the 1980s that unfortunately was saddled with a crappy engine and some dubious suspension parts because Chevy whines about the Corvette having to be the best. Also, they stole not one but two Australian cars, the GTO in the video and the G8, the latter selling in criminally small numbers before GM killed Pontiac. Going back to the Camaro/Firebird thing, I'll give you one reason why Pontiac was superior, what did Burt Reynolds drive? I think I've made my point.
2002 ws6 trans am !!! I think garage would look great with the 06 gto and 02 ws6 😍 !!! And a g8 gxp in the drive way 🤤 !!! 🤣
A stark contrast review compared to the one youre giving away.
What a way to wake up, hope your Easter was great 👍👍
Same to u and everyone on here enjoying this
You too! Ty
I love my 05 GTO. It's a blast to drive, and it does feel like an imported car. It definitely feels better than anything else pontiac made around that time. It's fairly quick even for today's standards. It also doesn't stand out like a mustang or challenger does. It's also rare as shit to actually see another one out on the road. It's nice not seeing everyone have the same car you would owing a mustang.
I love my degenerate Australian! Great video dude!
Thank you!
A week ago i was reading a magazine from 2003 that featured an article about the presentation. I thought to myself: "Man, honestly, i wouldn't even drive this today" The interior hasn't aged very well, it looks like the Opels of the time. Give me a TT anytime, that one still looks modern 23 years later. But TT was a different thing...
I always thought, it looks like an Opel Omega that came out in '94
Being an Australian, getting rid of holden was a horrible decision
@M A agreed, now all we have are tiny hatchbacks and sedans that aren’t suited to the Australian roads.
I am A huge Holden FANATIC as far as guys in the USA go. I have owned a 2013 PPV, 2016 SS and a 2004 GTO T56. I have an email from 2003 begging GM to import the Saudi Arabian/GCC LHD Chevrolet Lumina(Commodore) and Caprice. They responded kindly and said they would take it under advisory. They gave us the GTO a few months later. Of course I was only 20yrs old at the time and an E4 in the US Army in Germany. I wasn't paid enough to buy...much less insure one and even if I tried AAFES car sales couldn't sell me one in Germany because of import laws. I was stuck climbing the ladder from Ford Panthers with 4.6L 2v to a 2005 Mustang GT in 2007, a new 2010 Mustang GT and a new 2011 Mustang GT before I finally got my 2013 PPV with 800 miles in 2014. That was all it took to find out that LS is a helluva drug.
If this car is un-worthy of the GTO name, then that Mach-E sure as hell is un-worthy of the Mustang name. At least this one has balls and looks way better.
Thank you.
I had an automatic 05 for 6 years and absolutely loved it. Trans shit the bed at 140k and I sold it with the intention of getting something more practical, but the GTO turned me into a big Holden fan. I had to have the newer model, so now I have a g8 GT. Absolutely love that car as well. Aussies built a hell of a car, sadly GM shuttered the plant that built these, the g8, the SS, and the caprice PPV.
These are so nice! I wish we got more Holden rebadges in the US
YES! I’ve been dying for you guys to review the Monaro! My American Holden collection is complete
Oh no, the youtube face thumbnail has come for Regular Cars.
Noooooooooo ;(
Finally! Had an 05 auto and it was freakin awesome!
It was absolutely a wonderful car… that unfortunately was styled like a Cavalier that put on about 30 lbs after getting married.
Sort of like what they did to the SS later. It looked like a Malibu. The imported Caprice police car looked like an inflated Impala.
I’m not sure if I love this episode for the GTO, or his ATC work
One of the few "domestic cars" that I really wouldn't mind having in my garage.
Not a better car to release a video on, sure is a birthday gift
Nah it aint a holden, its a V8 Opel Omega coupe lol
I would pick this up over a C5 Corvette. I think 💭 it’s better looking and we all know it’s way more comfortable inside. Good review and I hope to find one of these that isn’t modified down the road. (:
Just concentrate on the Car - and please stop talking about Dicks. This is a genuine criticism of your Reviews - constant Dick references are strange, off-putting, and not at all funny.
Can't do it any other way. Otherwise, he'd have nothing to talk about...Spray and walk away, Liam...
The first Monaro was a 1968, a 2 door hardtop sport coupe around the same size as the 68 Camaro. In fact it was styled like the Camaro, and offered a Chevy 327 as an option. Now THAT was a beautiful car!
They weren't that great as a car though. My old man had a Silver Mink HK GTS 186S back in the early 80s, he hated it. Sold it to his cousin for $400 and went back to driving his FC Station Sedan.
An identical car to the one he owned sold for $130,000 not long ago. He still has his FC, along with a collection of mid 50's Fords, and doesn't regret selling the Monaro at all.
My 28 year old, newly married with a kid-on-the-way neighbor convinced his wife that this was a Pontiac family car, and since they already had a Tahoe, he got the go-ahead. A very happy dude driving this to work everyday.
I appreciate how you got all the right points. This is not a GTO. The failure of this great car was because it was labelled as a grumpy muscle car. It was misunderstood by the public because GM appears to have misunderstood the car themselves. Americans tried slapping muscle car styling into this car and it looked out of place. It wasn't meant to be that GTO, it was something else, and it was good.
This!!! Underrated car but it would've been far more successful had GM/Holden markted this car far more and if had not gotten the Potiac GTO slapped on t it for no reason at all.
I factory-ordered (with a 6 month wait!) a black-over-red 2006 GTO just like this one, also in a 6-speed manual. Added the full sport appearance package to try and win back some of the gaudiness of the Trans Am WS6 I'd had previously. Kept the GTO for 11 years, sold it with 36,000 miles on it. It was my last GM car. I'm in a Challenger 392 now. Might be my last V8, the way things are going.
I bought one years ago. A few years after they declined in popularity, 3500$.
Still have it, not driving it much with the current gas prices.
It's a great budget corvette. and if you remove the badges, a real sleeper.