New for 2009, the Pontiac G8 GT Sedan explodes onto the scene with a massive presence. With a starting price of $28500, this is a car that is a force to be reckoned with. Exterior presence screams performance with functional ducts on the hood and a front facia that screams move it or lose it. Underneat that hood, sits a 6.0L V8 pumping out 361 very furious horses which are ready to run on command. Flex your ankle and your heart will start to race as the tachometer starts to the swing to the right and the rear tires struggle for grip. Nice thick black marks are left on the road way as you quickly hurtle yourself up to speed. The only thing left in your wake is tire smoke making even performance sedans costing twice as much envious.
Keep your foot in it and transmission shifts are met with smooth changes before engaging the next gear and the symphony of engine growl continues to chase you down the roadway. The growl that is chasing you is something akin to an American performance sedan. Not loud of obnoxious, but something smooth and deep which makes you want to dip into the performance band each and everytime you pull away from a stop light or a fancy sedan which thinks they are the baddest boy on the block.
Suspension refinement soak up bumps without overly upsetting the chassis. The firm suspension however does communication with the driver and it lets you know when something is wrong. I can only imagine that this car would be very talkative at higher speeds or traction limits. At docile roadways speeds, it is compliant enough to make driving comfortable.
The interior is nothing spectacular to write home about, but it gets the job done. Functional buttons combined with a large screen center mounted in the console make it easy to see what is being done at all times and buttons are easy to push and feel sturdy.
Our only complaint with this car is that massive engine under the hood has massive exhaust tubes which run down the center of the car and after lots of blistering runs tends to make the center mounted tunnel very 'warm'. You'll need to make sure the A/C is set to circulate air both top and bottom so your legs don't feel the heat. Well, as the saying goes, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
This car is a blast to drive and with plenty of room for your friends, is definitely something to be considered if you are looking for a combination of practicality and speed combined into a satisfying package.
Oh... and there is a GXP version coming out next year that will be equipped with a 450HP motor and a six speed manual transmission. If I were you, I'd start buying stock in tire companies now... cause that monster is going to roast the tires off of the best performance sedans out there.
Showing posts with label Pontiac. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pontiac. Show all posts
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
2006 Pontiac Solistice
This car is one of those that I wouldn't wish on anybody. I'll start out with the good points because those will be quick. The car has a great air conditioner. It was a warm 95 degrees out... and the air conditioner was blowing extremely cold. Was very refreshing with the top down for open air motoring.
Now to the bad stuff... this car is absolutely dreadful. The looks, well... that's opinion based. I couldn't stand the way it looked ... it actually annoys me to look at this car. The front looks strange the back looks just as strange. The hood and trunk open in clamshell fashion revealing very very little free space.
This car gives new meaning to the words "pack light." Except for the center compartment that divides the two seats, there is abolutely no room to hold anything in this car. The trunk is consumed by the entire manual retractable hardtop. The engine bay is stuffed with a small underpowered (I'll get to that in a bit) engine. The passenger compartment is the void of all elements you are used to. No nooks, no crannies, no cupholders, no place to store you cellphone. I ended up storing mine in the dash rings that housed the speedometer and tachometers.
The performance of the car is absolutely dreadful. It's good for absolutely nothing except sitting in traffic with that wonderful A/C I mentioned earlier. The engine is anemic to say it lightly. Winding it out under full throttle makes you wonder if the engine is powered by two hamsters on a wheel. To get to sixty miles per hour requires a shift to third gear resulting in horrible acceleration times. Merging onto the highway is downright scary, especially when highwas speeds of the oncoming traffic are in excess of eighty miles per hour. The guages on the dash are far from accurate. Rev matches on the dash were often accomplished before the tachometer has a chance to properly respond. Steering of the car is very good, very firm... but without any power to actually push this car to it's traction limits, it is wasted.
The seating configuation leaves little to be adjusted. The seats only more foreward and backward and there is not a reclining function available. The seats did not move far enough back to comforatbly fit. I often found my knees rubbing on the steering wheel during gear changes and rev matching downshifts. The doorsills are high, giving you the feeling as if you are sitting in a bathtub. The hood is never ending and feels like you are driving a corvette because it goes on forever. The rear, well it's not as long, but it is high. Good thing is if this car had power, you would know it because you literally sit on the back wheels.
Hope this review is helpful to whoever those are looking...
Now to the bad stuff... this car is absolutely dreadful. The looks, well... that's opinion based. I couldn't stand the way it looked ... it actually annoys me to look at this car. The front looks strange the back looks just as strange. The hood and trunk open in clamshell fashion revealing very very little free space.
This car gives new meaning to the words "pack light." Except for the center compartment that divides the two seats, there is abolutely no room to hold anything in this car. The trunk is consumed by the entire manual retractable hardtop. The engine bay is stuffed with a small underpowered (I'll get to that in a bit) engine. The passenger compartment is the void of all elements you are used to. No nooks, no crannies, no cupholders, no place to store you cellphone. I ended up storing mine in the dash rings that housed the speedometer and tachometers.
The performance of the car is absolutely dreadful. It's good for absolutely nothing except sitting in traffic with that wonderful A/C I mentioned earlier. The engine is anemic to say it lightly. Winding it out under full throttle makes you wonder if the engine is powered by two hamsters on a wheel. To get to sixty miles per hour requires a shift to third gear resulting in horrible acceleration times. Merging onto the highway is downright scary, especially when highwas speeds of the oncoming traffic are in excess of eighty miles per hour. The guages on the dash are far from accurate. Rev matches on the dash were often accomplished before the tachometer has a chance to properly respond. Steering of the car is very good, very firm... but without any power to actually push this car to it's traction limits, it is wasted.
The seating configuation leaves little to be adjusted. The seats only more foreward and backward and there is not a reclining function available. The seats did not move far enough back to comforatbly fit. I often found my knees rubbing on the steering wheel during gear changes and rev matching downshifts. The doorsills are high, giving you the feeling as if you are sitting in a bathtub. The hood is never ending and feels like you are driving a corvette because it goes on forever. The rear, well it's not as long, but it is high. Good thing is if this car had power, you would know it because you literally sit on the back wheels.
Hope this review is helpful to whoever those are looking...
Monday, August 9, 2004
2003 Pontiac Grand Prix
Pros
Good Speed Sensitive Radio
Decent Speakers
Good Power
Cons
FWD
No Limited Slip (or a poorly designed one)
Horrible Interior
Non Intuitive setup
Poor Transmission
Bad Blind Spots
Poor Headlights
No steering wheel controls for radio
I had a chance to drive a 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix base model the other day which had about 17000 miles on the odometer. The car left a poor taste in my mouth reminding me why I don't like American cars. The car had good power, but without any good way to put it down. As soon as you touch the accelerator pedal, the front wheels spin and god forbid you are going around a corner. A quick jump into traffic around a 90 degree corner will leave you with billows of tire smoke coming over the hood and into the cabin.
Ride was firm but handling was lacking. The car tracked dead straight and you felt everything in the road, but any attempt to change direction left you with an uneasy feeling in your stomach. Cruising on the highway was comfortable and effortless with that much power. The transmission often would get confused tho and gear hunt on specific occasions.
The cabin was lacking in my opinion. The dash, while pretty was a bit overwhelming. I'm partly thinking that the speed I once thought the car had was just an illusion of by how big the speedmeter is (it's huge). The radio controls were functional, but to this time for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to turn on the interior lights without opening the door.
Hope that helps somebody.
Good Speed Sensitive Radio
Decent Speakers
Good Power
Cons
FWD
No Limited Slip (or a poorly designed one)
Horrible Interior
Non Intuitive setup
Poor Transmission
Bad Blind Spots
Poor Headlights
No steering wheel controls for radio
I had a chance to drive a 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix base model the other day which had about 17000 miles on the odometer. The car left a poor taste in my mouth reminding me why I don't like American cars. The car had good power, but without any good way to put it down. As soon as you touch the accelerator pedal, the front wheels spin and god forbid you are going around a corner. A quick jump into traffic around a 90 degree corner will leave you with billows of tire smoke coming over the hood and into the cabin.
Ride was firm but handling was lacking. The car tracked dead straight and you felt everything in the road, but any attempt to change direction left you with an uneasy feeling in your stomach. Cruising on the highway was comfortable and effortless with that much power. The transmission often would get confused tho and gear hunt on specific occasions.
The cabin was lacking in my opinion. The dash, while pretty was a bit overwhelming. I'm partly thinking that the speed I once thought the car had was just an illusion of by how big the speedmeter is (it's huge). The radio controls were functional, but to this time for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to turn on the interior lights without opening the door.
Hope that helps somebody.
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