My last car was a 99 Z-24 ATX, and I gotta tell ya, that thing had a great slushbox. No problem redlining it, and it was WAY better that the 99 MTX ('00 MTX was another story, with the Getrag...)
I've never driven at the track, but my Z-24 "felt" faster than my SVT, and this is what I contribute it to:
The J-body had to work harder to get the same or close to equivalent performance out of it - the SVT is calm, composed, and SMOOTH - it never feels like it's working all that hard. There's really no comparison between the Contour and the Cavalier. The ride in the Contour is miles ahead of the Cavalier, and so what if the Z's quicker off the line - we'll just fly by it a few hundred feet down the road.
If I really wanted to drag race, I probably would have kept my Z-24 and thrown a turbo and a chip on it, cause it could move in a straight line. But I'd rather have my "sleeper" SVT and cruise comfortably at autobahn-like speeds, and get more enjoyment out of corners. I don't know, just my input.
