Pontiac G6 review
Mar 12, 2007, 12:57 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: IAD, DCA, SAN
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Posts: 1,236
Pontiac G6 review
I was given a 2007 Pontiac G6 sedan with 18 miles on it this weekend from IAD. Some impressions.
Powertrain: The G6 is only available with the ECOEC 2.4, 4 Cylinder MFI engine capable of 168 HP coupled to a 4 speed automatic transmission. For DC this seemed like more than sporty power and fun driving. The transmission had a funny habit of searching for a gear when going downhill, but I generally drive a standard and do not know if that is a Pontiac common occurrence.
Ride/Handling: This car is made to look good, and it does that. It is not a sports car, but it is fun to drive. I did find and occasion or two to "gun" the engine (to merge safely of course) and the engine delivers the output, the tranny just is a bit slow managing that power. As for handling, for city driving it was fun. Lots of salt and melting snow on the roads this weekend in the DC area, I did not challenge this two wheel drive vehicle. I am used to Audi Quattro handling and I feel a bit put off feeling a light car slip on a freeway onramp. So, If I get the car again in better weather, I may drive it a bit harder. Oh, it did have traction control by the way, but it still slid a bit more than comfortable just on easy turns. Again, roads were wet. Car ride was firm. I like firm rides. Some may say that the G6 is too far sports tuned in the suspension department. I liked it. Brakes were very good. Again. Roads were not ideal and I never felt the brakes falter. The break "feel" was solid to my toe and consistent through the application.
Interior: Congratulations Pontiac. Wow, an American car with a solid, well engineered interior. Very nice red illuminated needles on white dials with red illumination. The instrument cluster is well organized and handsome to look at. Very European to the touch. I really enjoyed sitting in the car and feeling the firm bolster of the seats and the cockpit feeling of the driver position. I wish more American cars had this feel. I REALLY hope that the interior holds up to use and wear. The radio is one of the better OEM head units and actually is intuitive and makes sense. I am not sure why the clock is on the corner of the radio display, but that is really the only instrumentation complaint I have. This four door is a four seater in a pinch. I put three in it and they were comfortable (9 yo in the back). I would not expect four full sized adults to be comfortable. This is a sub mid sized car I would say. I thought that the bind spots were huge, however, that was with only three days of driving. It may just take more getting used to. I caught myself more than once doing a double take when I would look over my right shoulder and see the pillar blind spot. VERY generous trunk.
Design: I really liked the design. The car looks great on the road or in a parking lot. The interior shows thoughtful engineering. A lot of chrome which I would have preferred to have seen carbon fiber, but that is really small potato's. I like having a hand parking break vice the foot pedal. I forgot to count AC adapters, but I remember only one which I used regularly up front. No sunroof on my rental.
Value: I received this car as an upgrade to the Toyota Corolla category. It was quite an upgrade. Normally I get SUV's from IAD and the G6 was quite a change, but very nice. Not as large as the Mazda M6, but certainly fun to drive.
To sum it up:
The Good
Looks
Nice interior
Fun driving
The Bad
Blind spots
Traction on wet roads
Powertrain: The G6 is only available with the ECOEC 2.4, 4 Cylinder MFI engine capable of 168 HP coupled to a 4 speed automatic transmission. For DC this seemed like more than sporty power and fun driving. The transmission had a funny habit of searching for a gear when going downhill, but I generally drive a standard and do not know if that is a Pontiac common occurrence.
Ride/Handling: This car is made to look good, and it does that. It is not a sports car, but it is fun to drive. I did find and occasion or two to "gun" the engine (to merge safely of course) and the engine delivers the output, the tranny just is a bit slow managing that power. As for handling, for city driving it was fun. Lots of salt and melting snow on the roads this weekend in the DC area, I did not challenge this two wheel drive vehicle. I am used to Audi Quattro handling and I feel a bit put off feeling a light car slip on a freeway onramp. So, If I get the car again in better weather, I may drive it a bit harder. Oh, it did have traction control by the way, but it still slid a bit more than comfortable just on easy turns. Again, roads were wet. Car ride was firm. I like firm rides. Some may say that the G6 is too far sports tuned in the suspension department. I liked it. Brakes were very good. Again. Roads were not ideal and I never felt the brakes falter. The break "feel" was solid to my toe and consistent through the application.
Interior: Congratulations Pontiac. Wow, an American car with a solid, well engineered interior. Very nice red illuminated needles on white dials with red illumination. The instrument cluster is well organized and handsome to look at. Very European to the touch. I really enjoyed sitting in the car and feeling the firm bolster of the seats and the cockpit feeling of the driver position. I wish more American cars had this feel. I REALLY hope that the interior holds up to use and wear. The radio is one of the better OEM head units and actually is intuitive and makes sense. I am not sure why the clock is on the corner of the radio display, but that is really the only instrumentation complaint I have. This four door is a four seater in a pinch. I put three in it and they were comfortable (9 yo in the back). I would not expect four full sized adults to be comfortable. This is a sub mid sized car I would say. I thought that the bind spots were huge, however, that was with only three days of driving. It may just take more getting used to. I caught myself more than once doing a double take when I would look over my right shoulder and see the pillar blind spot. VERY generous trunk.
Design: I really liked the design. The car looks great on the road or in a parking lot. The interior shows thoughtful engineering. A lot of chrome which I would have preferred to have seen carbon fiber, but that is really small potato's. I like having a hand parking break vice the foot pedal. I forgot to count AC adapters, but I remember only one which I used regularly up front. No sunroof on my rental.
Value: I received this car as an upgrade to the Toyota Corolla category. It was quite an upgrade. Normally I get SUV's from IAD and the G6 was quite a change, but very nice. Not as large as the Mazda M6, but certainly fun to drive.
To sum it up:
The Good
Looks
Nice interior
Fun driving
The Bad
Blind spots
Traction on wet roads
Mar 12, 2007, 1:29 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: FNT/MBS
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Nice review. I enjoyed reading and agree on some of your points, although overall this is a great product by Pontiac (although everyone gripes about it at National). One quick note, the G6 is available in a 2.4L I4, 3.5L V6, 3.6L V6 and a refreshed 3.9L V6 for the GTP model this year. If you liked this car, go drive the new Saturn Aura as its an even better model that is very simliar to the G6...
Mar 13, 2007, 10:09 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Nice review. ^ I too, got a G6 this week, and it looks especially striking in black with chrome wheels. 
Not a fan of the interior design IMO, but materials are definitely a step up from previous Pontiacs.
I agree with the other poster that the Aura is even better when it comes to the GM midsize sedans. Overall, some great products are starting to trickle out of the General with every life cycle. ^
Not a fan of the interior design IMO, but materials are definitely a step up from previous Pontiacs.I agree with the other poster that the Aura is even better when it comes to the GM midsize sedans. Overall, some great products are starting to trickle out of the General with every life cycle. ^