2005 Pontiac G6: In The Autoblog Garage Day 4

I'm not sure if I should just wrap up the G6 today or add more tomorrow. Basically the car has gone back to wherever test cars go when I'm done with them and I'm left with just my images and memories…awww. Seriously though the G6 does deliver that American sport sedan that Pontiac promised. Could it do a better job? Definitely. Is it worth the $21-$23,000 sticker price. Sure.

In the end I think Pontiac fans can now buy a new model without the guilt that they?re throwing their money away on an outdated looking vehicle. There?s no excess to the design and the interior is, again, very nice. Here are pics of the rear door handles that I thought felt so cheap. The door handles all around were really the only disappointment inside.

The stereo has a decent sound quality but I?m alarmed that so much travel information is stored in the stereo display. What if I want an aftermarket unit? Luckily the controls are handy once you learn what they all do, and there are a lot of them. Maybe just a round of new speakers and an amp would suffice the audiophiles out there. Steering wheel controls aren?t so easily laid out and I didn?t adjust the stereo volume much using them. And like all Chevy and Pontiac products of late the wheel itself is the dopey four-pronged affair. Check out the new Corvette and ask yourself what it?s doing there as well.

In the performance arena I would?ve liked a little tighter steering and a shorter wheelbase. I?m sure this is the length it needed to be to push the wheels to the edge of the bumpers as far as they can go to placate the design mavens. But should they if it effects the way the car performs?  Add that to the transmission problems I?ve already mentioned and that could turn some people off.

When you put the G6 side by side with the Mazda 6 it?s a tough call. Depending on your taste in looks you could go either way. But because of the engine and other performance issues I would lean towards the 6 myself. Although I sure wouldn?t turn my nose down at a friend that bought the G6 either. Not in the same way I do whenever I see a new Grand Am on the street.

And to answer my own question I?ll probably do a gallery roundup tomorrow.

Check out Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 in the G6.



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