In making the transition from sedan to coupes and convertibles, mid-size cars almost always end up with nothing better than vestigial rear seating. In both cases, this happens because the car's creators want to give the roofline a more stylish shape by shortening and raking it at the back, which can greatly reduce the room available for a rear seat. There's also the need for some place to store the roof of a convertible when it's not covering the car's interior.
Obviously Pontiac thinks this is a major concern for buyers, since GM's performance division is making a big deal of the fact that the G6 convertible and coupe models it revealed at the 2005 LA auto show have ''true 2+2 seating,'' courtesy of a wheelbase that's quite long (2852 mm) in relation to the car's length (4802). Both cars also have very wide front doors, which make it easy for people to get in the back and -- it should be noted -- for people to get in the front. That's a plus of two-door cars that often goes unnoticed.
Anyway, Pontiac pushes this rear seat room thing before getting to the cars' style or performance or anything else, but more on all that in a minute.
It must be said that Pontiac is right about the ability of the G6 coupe and the convertible, which importantly comes with a folding hardtop roof rather than a folding softtop roof, to carry four adults in fairly decent comfort. If this is a serious issue for you, then, the G6 needs to be near the top of your consideration list.
As it happens, the two new variations of the G6 theme also do pretty well on the issues important to coupes and convertibles.
Mostly importantly, they are both very stylish, using many design cues from the exemplary G6 sedan and adding some unique features of their own. This is always a taste thing, of course, but at least there's nothing inherently ugly in their design the way there is in, say, the BMW 5-Series with that ungainly trunk bulge.
The other aspect of these two cars that is demonstrably worthwhile is that hardtop roof on the convertible, since that type of roof will deliver a roof-up experience for the occupants than any softtop model on the road, regardless of price. It will be quieter, warmer, less prone to vibrations and safer and more secure, and those are all good things.
The Karmann-designed retractable hardtop works through the push of a single button and takes about 30 seconds to appear or disappear.
We don't have to start taking Pontiac's word for the qualities of the G6 coupe and convertible until we get to the question of performance, though I would suggest that you will get a very strong indication of this in the way the G6 sedan runs. My time in that particular model suggests that Jim Bunnell, the general manager of Pontiac, is pretty much on the mark when he says the Coupe and Convertible will deliver ''outstanding performance''.
Both the G6 coupe and G6 convertible will be available in GT and GTP models.
GT models are powered by the 3.5-litre V-6, which produces 200 hp at 4800 rpm with 220 lb-ft of torque at 4400 rpm and sends it to the front wheels through the Hydra-Matic 4T45-E electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode.
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Anyway, Pontiac pushes this rear seat room thing before getting to the cars' style or performance or anything else, but more on all that in a minute.
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As it happens, the two new variations of the G6 theme also do pretty well on the issues important to coupes and convertibles.
Mostly importantly, they are both very stylish, using many design cues from the exemplary G6 sedan and adding some unique features of their own. This is always a taste thing, of course, but at least there's nothing inherently ugly in their design the way there is in, say, the BMW 5-Series with that ungainly trunk bulge.
The other aspect of these two cars that is demonstrably worthwhile is that hardtop roof on the convertible, since that type of roof will deliver a roof-up experience for the occupants than any softtop model on the road, regardless of price. It will be quieter, warmer, less prone to vibrations and safer and more secure, and those are all good things.
The Karmann-designed retractable hardtop works through the push of a single button and takes about 30 seconds to appear or disappear.
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Both the G6 coupe and G6 convertible will be available in GT and GTP models.
GT models are powered by the 3.5-litre V-6, which produces 200 hp at 4800 rpm with 220 lb-ft of torque at 4400 rpm and sends it to the front wheels through the Hydra-Matic 4T45-E electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode.