Chevrolet Lumina comes to the Philippines

[carlocaraddict]

Sir, move away from the vehicle.

hahahhaha! sorry, glntvr and I was so so curious and there was no queue so we tried it. No harm in trying hahahahahah!

[pink_cadillac]

hahahhaha! sorry, glntvr and I was so so curious and there was no queue so we tried it. No harm in trying hahahahahah!

Parang restaurant ang isang launch ng kotse.

Kung walang nakapila, malamang hindi masarap ang luto.

[carlocaraddict]

ladies and gentlemen, presenting, the Lumina boys!:


glntvr, carlocarddict, mbt and bench1ph

[mbt]

featherweight steering controlled by a thin-rimmed wheel, unyielding but spongy-feeling brake pedal, extra-floaty floatmobile, negligible [body] roll resistance, heavy understeer, some cheesy interior touches (like the "ELECTRONIC CLIMATE CONTROL" label right on the console sheesh, among other prominent labels announcing this or that feature), some controls and switches are still not up to the quality of the competition...

good for some folks, but not my cup of tea. to be fair though, i hardly fit the intended demographic for this car.

[glntVR]

hahaha... Parang bagay din to sa mga hotel as their service car.

[speedy]

Ah, alam ko na kung saan napupunta yung kotseng hindi nabibili sa US! It's here!

[empy]

Ah, alam ko na kung saan napupunta yung kotseng hindi nabibili sa US! It's here!

hehe...expect the pontiac aztek to hit philippine shores soon! :D

[ILuvDetailing]

Nice to hear that Cyberdoc

[benchph1]

also test drove this car along with mbt, glntvr & carlocaraddict.

as mbt noticed, some parts of the lumina and the venture are "shared"
i wonder if the performance is also the same?

it has a 2.5 gas v6 coupled with an automatic. lots of torque down below but takes forever to accelerate. well american engines doesn't really like to be revved high anyway.

so far the spongiest brake feel i've felt so far. like stepping on mud. i've driven big cars with abs. the feel of this car's brakes are just weird.

not really a driver's car but like mazdamazda said me too wouldn't mind being chauffered in the lumina.

[ultimate]

No offense,but the Lumina stopped production in the U.S. because it doesn't sell anymore.Perhaps the old people who used to buy them are all dead?

[BlueBimmer]

maybe we r getting the leftover inventory luminas, gnawa taung tambakan ng luma hehe

[ultimate]

Lumina's has stopped production in the U.S. kasi wala nang bumibili. Patay na ung mga senior citizen na nagpa-patronize nung brand na yan. No offense but the car is a piece of ****.

[baurtwellXUV]

if you ask me... lame car... by the looks of it hindi mo pwedeng gawin na everyday car mo. sguro nga pang hotel service car nalang yan. and most spec. ang mahal ng price nya.

[mbt]

actually, medyo mababa yung price ng lumina compared to its rivals.

[speedy]

Actually, not all Chevy products are service cars naman. Corvette's are rated quite well. Hindi lang nila ini-export sa pinas. As a matter of fact, the new Z06 with 500hp and 3100 lb weight should out performs most exotic cars around. Ang nakaka inis lang ay yung "parts sharring" and "re badging" of the same car with a different name brand. Ano ba ang akala nila, hindi natin mapapansin na pareho yung kotse! I know it profitable for the car companys to increase the versatility of their products but from the consumers stand point, its very disappointing.

[mazdamazda]

At least they are now pointing out the weakness of the cars that they drive.

Driving the Chevrolet Lumina
By Manny N. De Los Reyes
The Philippine STAR 07/06/2005

I have to admit I wasn’t too excited when I first laid eyes on the Chevrolet Lumina. My first impressions were that the front was a bit too bland with an almost generic-looking horizontal-slatted grille that you see on almost all cars from Sentras to Camrys to Mercedes-Benzes. The seemingly characterless side was marred by smallish alloy wheels and awkwardly tall tires.

Inside, the seats were leather but otherwise plain-looking. Ditto the dashboard and console whose only obvious claim to fame is the beautiful white-faced analog clock. Then I started using the car…

I had the Lumina for a week and on the second or third day realized one thing: that the Lumina was like a simple, down-to-earth girl-next-door whose virtues become obvious once you start living with her, er, it. Case in point: Performance is not overwhelming but the overall ride quality is sooo creamy smooth that you feel cosseted in a lover’s tight embrace. Okay, the car’s soft suspension settings make it feel twitchy, especially when upset by bumps in a middle of a curve taken at moderate to high speeds; but the Lumina is no BMW nor does it pretend to be.

Another plus is its drivetrain. The 2.5-liter V6, which makes approximately 155 hp, feels strong and indestructible. Power delivery is smooth (that word again) if not scintillating with a claimed sprint to 100 kph from a standstill in 12.8 seconds and a somewhat low top speed of 173 kph. GM makes perhaps the best V6 engines and automatic transmissions in the world. (Rolls-Royce used to buy automatic transmissions from GM before BMW bought the English luxury carmaker.) The motor even emits a silky snarl when pushed hard. The Lumina’s V6’s soundtrack would give BMW sixes a run for their money.

Sizewise, it’s the biggest in its class — four inches longer than the class-leading Camry and substantially taller and wider than that car, giving you literally more car for the money. You get lots of room and a big trunk, too.

Before I knew it, the Lumina looked a lot more attractive to me. After parking it at a mall, I turned around and discovered another facet that I totally overlooked: The Lumina has a gorgeous rear end. The wide pinched rear with the big, bright red taillights and the gracefully curving trunk lid (with a very appealing ducktail treatment) could easily grace the rear end of a Jaguar with its enchanting combination of sportiness and luxury. The prominent twin chrome tailpipes peering from under the bumper further add to the hint of excitement. Suddenly, the previously boring side angle looked beautifully minimalist with just the right amount of curves. The only thing I’d change would be the stock 15" wheels (with ultra-tall 215/70R15 tires) for more authoritative 16- or even 17-inchers (with 60- or even 55-series tires).

Dynamically, the car works best when driving in relaxed fashion (i.e. with a chauffeur). As noted, the engine is strong and willing but the chassis does not like to be hurried. If I bought one, I’d immediately swap the shocks for aftermarket Bilsteins for better control. The brakes — four-wheel discs with ABS — are powerful but require strong calf muscles to get maximum deceleration. It even exhibited reasonable fuel economy, with the trip meter registering 200 kilometers traveled with half the 72-liter tank still full. That equates to 5.5 kms per liter of fuel consumption in my basically two modes of driving: bumper-to-bumper crawl or flat-out blasts when the road is clear.

Before I drove the Lumina, I barely took notice of it. But having lived with one, I now have much greater respect for it.

The Good:

• strong, smooth engine

• ultra-smooth automatic gearbox

• spacious interior

• high build quality

• built-in tire pressure monitor and onboard diagnosis

• most car for the money (biggest in class)

• superb Concert Sound 6-speaker CD audio system

• J. Lo rear end

The Bad:

• too soft suspension

• front overhang scrapes on some steep inclines

• small wheel/tall tire combo needs an upgrade

• inordinately high brake pedal effort required

• over-eager automatic headlights turn on at the slightest shadow and takes a long time to shut off again

The Verdict:

The more you live with this car, the more you like it.

[empy]

Another plus is its drivetrain. The 2.5-liter V6, which makes approximately 155 hp, feels strong and indestructible. Power delivery is smooth (that word again) if not scintillating with a claimed sprint to 100 kph from a standstill in 12.8 seconds and a somewhat low top speed of 173 kph. GM makes perhaps the best V6 engines and automatic transmissions in the world. (Rolls-Royce used to buy automatic transmissions from GM before BMW bought the English luxury carmaker.) The motor even emits a silky snarl when pushed hard. The Lumina’s V6’s soundtrack would give BMW sixes a run for their money.

i think that all this is a terrible exaggeration, but that's just my opinion. he's right that GM makes really good a/t units though.

[carlocaraddict]

ehem!!! at least.

[eggman]

High bulid quality?What!

[pixelparadigm]

The author loves the sound pushrod engines make!? For me, pushrods sound like there's always something wrong with them. Best V6 from GM? he must be kidding. And the fuel mileage he got, 5.5Km/L... that's not really respectable.