Hi I'm new here and just have a couple of questions. I currently have a 98 Z28 M6 and it's millage is getting too high and small things are starting to go wrong here and there so I'm looking to get into a new vehicle. I have narrowed it down to LS2 GTO M6, a car which I'm familiar with and it's the safest option imo, The SRT-6 and 05+ G35 M6. I'm here because I'm not too familiar with the SRT-6.

I've read all the reviews and they appraise the performance, so that's obvious, at the same time I read the so-so interior, which is also ok with me because you can't get any more rock bottom than my 98 z28 interior lol

My question are the everyday daily driving behaviors. My Z28 on the highway can give me 24mpg, what's realistic to expect on this car?

Hows the interior room of this car? I'm not a huge person, but I'm not small ether, I'm 6 foot and 220lbs, my concern is that i'll feel really tight moving from the camaro to the Srt6, the No-2 back seats, i might get used to but not the fact if it's to tight on the width, would i be too close to my passenger, almost touching them?

Hows the reliability of this car? Any major issues or concerns that are known to go wrong? I'm not going to be racing this car, I just like to have a good looking fast car that my heavy right foot likes to play with sometimes, nothing too crazy though. I know it's a Mercedes underneath the hood so i assume the fixes aren't cheap, correct?

I've also heard it's actually quite manageable during snow time as long as you have snow tires, this true? this is surprising considering how low the srt-6 is lol

Thanks everyone

 

Wow, my best guess is for you to at least sit in any Crossfire that you come across to see how you'll fit inside there. Not just hand built in Germany with a Mercedes motor, but the entire drivetrain is AMG. I love the comfort of my SRT6 which fits like a glove to me, but I'm only 5'8" and 160 lbs. When I picked up my car a few years back, I had to get a few minor kinks worked out with only 3000 miles on the odometer, probably because it sat too long. But since then it's been pretty reliable and I now am getting close to 40k miles. Gas mileage would probably be the same as your Camaro. I've owned a few performance cars like a Nissan 300ZX TT, 2 Corvettes, C3 & C4 and a Mustang GT. This car is by far the fastest and most comfortable compared to the others. I just did a few simple mods such as a pulley. tune, CAI and modded exhaust running high 11's in the 1/4. No complaints here. And for driving in the snow, as long as you have good snow tires, no problem. Good luck!

 

I agree with all the above that was stated. I am an old Camaro fanatic. There isn't any comparison between a Camaro and an SRT6. This little car will run rings around the older Camaros, and probably around the newer Camaros if any of them would want to play. They don't...LOL...There isn't any support from Chrysler on this car, so if you are good with wrenching, or know someone who can, then not a problem. Not major issues by any means, little things. By little things, maybe a crankshaft position sensor, or a control module, inner cooler pump, but not anything you couldn't get help on, right here on the forum. There is a knee bolster that can be removed to give you more room in the leg area, but the seats are narrow, compared to a camaro seat. Go sit in one, go drive one, and see what you think...but I will tell you, if performance is what you want...it will take on any those cars you mentioned, quarter mile or top in....and still give you 24-28 mpg...good luck in your decision...but hey, we are crossfire lovers here....

 

I'm 6'5 230.

I fit in the car but by no means is it a perfect fit. If I drive more than about an hour I'll start to feel it in my back.

 

I owned a 2005 GTO with the LS2 engine for just under three years. I loved it. And it has a story like the Crossfire. German chassis (Opel) from the late 90's, US drivetrain (LS2 & Tremec T56), styled and assembled in Austrailia by GM's Holden brand, sold in the US as a Pointiack.

The engines are very similar in nature. The little AMG blown V6 has a broad flat torque peak just like the LS2 V8. Both engines run out of steam around 5,800 RPM. They don't breathe extremely well at high RPM and don't like to rev really high. But that's OK, they don't need to. The good news is that you can feel and hear when both engines are approaching red line. This is in stark contrast to my S2000 which would scream all the way to 8,200 RPM with no warning at all that you were approaching the rev limiter.

The transmission is where the two cars really begin to diverge. The Crossfire has a wonderfully slick n smooooth 5 speed automatic gearbox with full manual control. The GTO has a @$#%ing annoying Tremec T56 gear masher with an even more annoying CAGS "feature" built in. I think the T56 design is compromised by its very nature, a manual gearbox designed to handle more than 400 lb/ft of torque. At any rate, shift lever throws are long, shift gates are clunky, and the CAGS system is the dumbest thing ever done to a transmission. After 6 months with the T56, I regretted passing up GM's really excellent 4L65E 4 speed automatic. The 3rd gear gate was especially problematic. A 4-3 downshift was always a 50/50 proposition. The T56 does not like to be rushed. You need to plan ahead and slow down your shift lever movement or the thing will balk at gear engagement. The T56 is by far the worst manual transmission I have ever driven outside of a truck. The clutch was fine though. Not too much effort given the torque it was managing.

The two Chassis both have stories as well. The SRT6 started life as a Mercedes roadster with reasonable stiffness to which Chrysler added a fixed roof for even more stiffness. The GTO started life as an Opel sedan which GM's Holden group cut down into a coupe body there by increasing its stiffness as well. But, where the end result in the Crossfire weighs 3,200 lbs, the GTO ends up clearly in the grand touring class at 3,700 lbs. That weight difference make a huge difference in driving enjoyment for me. Neither car has top notch steering feel. Both steering systems are geared on the slow side and neither one has really excellent feel. But both are very livable after a month or so acclimating to them. On the plus side, the Crossfire's 32.4 ft turn radius makes it way more maneuverable in tight spaces than the GTO's 36.1 ft turn radius.

The GTO obviously adds two rear seats. They are a PITB to climb into but once seated, they are really roomy and comfy. GM should have used spring loaded mechanical seat rails on this coupe rather than the painfully slow electric motors. The SRT6 wins on useful trunk space as the GTO has the gas tank mounted in such a way as to leave you with a small, oddly shaped place to put your cargo.

For its price point the GTO has a very decent but simple interior with a decent audio system that lacks many of today's standard features. Likewise the Crossfire audio system is a bit dated but functional. Both cars have nice seats and good instrumentation. I'd have to give the nod to the SRT6 for overall quality and design.

As for performance, GM claimed 4.7 0-60 for the GTO and Chrysler claimed "under 5 seconds" for the SRT6. Road & Track reported 4.8 seconds. I'd call it a tie for acceleration. As for braking, it's no contest. Road & Track measured a 0-80 stop for the GTO at 221 ft whereas the SRT6 stopped 20 ft sooner at 201. That's not the whole story either. The SRT6 brakes have much better feel. The GTO brakes aren't horrible but they're trying to control another 500 lbs and the Goodrich KDWS OEM tires sucked.

As for fit, I'm very close to your size at 6'0" and 215 lbs. I find the Crossfire very comfortable and plenty roomy with good ergonomics. But then, I found my S2000 comfy and roomy enough. I think this one is purely subjective and it comes down to what you can tolerate. The Crossfire does have a chopped roof effect from a high belt line and very short windows along with a narrow rear view. I can see how some people might find it a little too claustrophobic.

My GTO would get 18 mpg in mixed driving and could reach 25 mpg in pure highway cruising. The Crossfire returns about 20 mpg in the really heavy traffic I commute in now. I have no idea what its capable of on the highway as I've never had it out for a long highway trip yet.

A final note on the Infiniti. My wife drives a 2008 G35x with the Nissan 3.5L VQHR engine. I LOVE the engine. It has a 7,500 RPM redline and loves to rev. It's one of the best NA engines I've ever experienced. But, its fuel economy sucks. Unfortunately, I haven't driven the Infiniti manual transmission so I can't give you any feedback there. The G35x returns about 18 mpg around town and the best I've ever seen on the highway is 24 mpg but 23 mpg is more typical.

 

Here's my experience as a newer owner. I've had my 05 SRT6 for about a yr and 12k miles. Got it at 48k and its now at 60k. Using it as a daily driver, except when its raining or there's snow on the ground (I have an explorer for those times)

milage has been in the mid 20's mpg in moderate traffic while driving reasonably, ie. usually 10 over the limit unless I breaking out of traffic

no problems except the door locking pump (know issue) although I will probably have to replace my IC pump soon. Most if not all issues have already been covered on this great forum.

I must say, oil changes have been much cheaper than I expected (quoted $160 at the stealership). I get the mobil 1 when its on sale for $6/quart ($54) , oil filter is about $16 on ebay and I found a independent mercedes shop near me that charges me $7 to change it for me. Originally they quoted me $20 for the oil change but each time I've taken it in, the mechanic charges me .2 hrs, I think he likes working on it

Anyway, I like it so much I bought a 2nd one, although it is a rare 06 SRT6 that lives in my garage. So in a yr, I've gone from 1 car to 3 cars....

Best of luck.

 

Thanks for all the replies, they've been very helpful.

I think why the GTO is very appealing to me is that I'm very fimiliar with it, know how to work on it and it has a very good quality and roomy interior, with a great V8 growl.

I'm hesitant about the SRT-6 b/c i'm not completely fimiliar with it as much as I need to be.
A. I'm not sure if it's roomy enough, I hate to feel cramped
B. An automatic sports car it's a weird concept to me, I've always had manuals, even manual SUV

I think I just really need to test drive one or go sit in one to get a good idea of this car

 

Thanks for the detailed comparison. I've test driven a GTO a few times and also few of my friends have them so I'm fimiliar with it pretty decently. I agree about the not so amazing braking and a not so sharp steering but the interior is kind of matter of preference I guess, because I love the GTO's interior, the seats are fantastic and everything feels very well put together, no cheap GM feeling at all.

 

I have to agree with him on the gto. The gearbox is horrible. The clutch is horrible.
I did drive an auto gto and it was ok but you could definately feel the power difference.

 

i have an SRT6 and a '00 Z28 so i switch back and forth. i'm only 5'10 and i feel like a pretzel getting in and out of the srt but once in i'm fine. you wont be able to recline the seat like in the z28. oh and no tilt steering wheel either. the srt is much more fun to drive and if you dont need the back seat as with the gto i would go with the srt, a lot more bang for the buck.

 

Hi, I have an SRT6 and a 93 RX7 TT. I'm 5'11" 185. The SRT6 and RX7 fit me perfectly. Although I too love manuals (RX7) the automatic is easy to get used to. You can hold gears with it all day long if you want. What surprises me with this transmission is how much engine braking you get. Almost as much as my RX7. I get about 22mpg, most of my travel is city streets with the occasional highway. I prefer stiff suspensions and razor sharp handling. The SRT6 steering is a little vague on center, and is not very communicative. I've had one issue with the car, well documented and that is the transmission leak. Other than that I love the car, I now have put 32K miles on her since I purchased her new in 2008 with 8 miles on the odo. Originally I walked away when I say the cars in 05, 45K dollars for a car with an automatic not me! But when I saw the car in 08, with only 8 miles on her for 24K I could not pass her up. I have learned to like the transmission. Good luck on whatever you do, but I don't think you would be disappointed.

 

Well I can feel your pain with this kind of decision but we just made a 1000 mile roadtrip, our first in this car. it was surprisingly comfortable. My wife is six feet tall, all leg and uncompromising in car comfort. She didn't suffer a bit and loved driving. Not to mention we did not see one other Crossfire between here and Seattle, both ways. Mileage was decent, power delightful, and handling that sticks to the road. For me this was a make it or break it trip. I don't have time or patience with a car that won't return at least a little of the love I give it. So the SRT-6 is here to stay and sits patiently in the garage waiting for the next road trip.

 

The best thing you can do is test drive the six. Forum bantering regarding the auto and if it is a good performance granny wont sway you. The six handles well, has a ton of power, and if you tune, pulley and CAI you can have a sub 12 second car. You seem to have a grasp of the GTO. Do yourself the favor of the test drive and let us know how it went.

Being a former owner of a NA and owning a 6 its a night and day difference so defiantly drive a 6. Plus you get a great forum full of great people and very very very rarely do you see hateful or disrespectful comments on the forums.

Jason