![]() Instead, GM used frustrating door-mounted seatbelts.įor 1991, Chevrolet added GM’s first double overhead cam V6, the Twin Dual Cam 3.4 V6. During the Lumina’s run, a driver’s airbag was never available despite the increasing number of cars so equipped. The bigger engine was standard in the mid-range Euro, which for an extra $2000 over a base four offered a firmer suspension tune, larger 15-inch wheels, standard air-conditioning and an attractive monochromatic exterior treatment.Ī standard four-speed automatic wasn’t the only unfortunate omission. This meant fuel economy was scarcely better in the I-4: gas mileage was 21/28 mpg, while a 3.1/4-spd achieved 19/29 mpg. This was a far superior choice to the four-cylinder, as a four-speed automatic was optional as with the Cavalier, Corsica and Beretta, the four-cylinder Lumina was saddled with a three-speed automatic. It had 135 hp and 175 ft-lbs, and 0-60 was accomplished in 10.5 seconds. The ubiquitous 60-degree Chevrolet V6, now displacing 3.1 liters, was available throughout the Lumina’s run. Neither four-banger was especially refined or powerful, and this underscored GM’s lack of enthusiasm for creating competitive four-cylinder engines in the 1980s and early 1990s (the Quad 4 was more modern, sure, but flaky and unrefined.) For 1993, Chevy replaced the Tech IV with the 2.2 four (110 hp, 130 ft-lbs) used in the Cavalier, Beretta and Corsica, before dropping that for the Lumina’s final year. This was the only W-Body application of the engine: Grand Prix and Cutlass Supreme were available with four-cylinder power for two years (1990-91), but used the much more powerful Quad 4. The engine lineup started with the venerable Tech IV 2.5 four, with 105 hp and 135 ft-lbs. To support this, Lumina MSRPs were below those of the Taurus. Of the GM-10s, the Lumina was targeted at families and value-conscious buyers: there were promotional tie-ins with Disney, including TV commercials with Disney characters jumping around the Lumina, and Chevrolet general manager Jim Perkins had declared Chevrolet a “value” brand. It also had some odd elements to it, like squared off wheel arches and a lengthy front overhang. This was because the design had actually been penned seven years earlier, according to the late head of design at GM, Chuck Jordan. The Lumina’s aerodynamic design didn’t shake up the mid-size sector like the slick Taurus had in 1986. There was no wagon version, unlike the rival Taurus: the Celebrity wagon was replaced by the Lumina APV minivan. Up front were McPherson struts, coil springs and a stabilizer bar, while the rear had McPherson struts, a stabilizer bar and a plastic transverse leaf spring à la the Corvette. It was a more modern car, too: the W-Body platform had four-wheel disc brakes and four-wheel independent suspension. It was a bigger car overall: 10 inches longer with a 2.6 inch longer wheelbase, and 350 lbs heavier. ![]() The Lumina replaced Chevrolet’s aging Celebrity, which had launched in 1982. The Lumina range was also the last to arrive: the Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Pontiac Grand Prix coupes were launched in 1988, although their sedan models arrived in 1990. The GM-10 program represented a $7 billion dollar investment in seven factories that were supposed to produce enough sedans and coupes to account for 21% of the American auto market. The Lumina was arguably the least compelling of the four GM-10 (1 st generation W-Body) cars. The Taurus had been on sale for four years, and GM’s much-touted Lumina couldn’t best it. But there was one reason the Lumina’s inferiority against its crosstown rival was so disappointing: GM didn’t launch the Lumina until 1990. ![]() ![]() The Lumina wasn’t a bad offering, per se: the basic platform was sound, the styling was contemporary, the prices low and the powertrains mostly reliable. (first posted ) In the battle between the Chevrolet Lumina and the Ford Taurus, the latter not only sold better, it was almost universally considered to be the superior car. ![]()
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