Dishing Up Sleekness with Performance to Match
GM's Pontiac division was in desperate need of some new fixins if it was to attract more attention from the X and Y generations than
a knitting convention in Florida. Well the fixins have been served and now has more opportunity to pull in that intended buyer with some rather tantalizing un-Pontiac-like offerings. Along with the economical Pursuit four-door and new Pursuit coupe, plus the convertible [link artid="54211"]Solstice[/link] roadster and all-wheel-drive (AWD) Torrent, the G6 is one of those dishes. It's a completely new vehicle from Pontiac, not a warmed-over Grand Am with restyled washboard cladding, and this week's GTP Coupe tester is the sportiest G6 of all.
Admirably GM shattered the molds typical of Pontiac when penning the exterior
lines of the new coupe. It's as sleek as any moderately priced example out there, such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry Solara. I really admire the clean, uncluttered simplicity of the G6 Coupe's body shape: no cladding, no phony spoiler (at least not on my tester) and no gimmicky stick-ons such as fake air scoops and imitation vents - how refreshing is that!
Size-wise, this front-wheel-drive two-door falls nicely between the slightly smaller Accord coupe and the marginally larger Solara; but when it comes to wheelbase, GM's coupe eats-up a full 13 cm (5 inches) more tarmac over Toyota's version. Compare rear overhangs and one can easily see that GM made a purposeful effort to place the rear wheels of the G6 Coupe as far into the corners as possible. Not only does this approach improve the visual balance of the vehicle, but it also contributes to interior roominess, especially in the back seat, and impressive ride and handling dynamics.
GM's Pontiac division was in desperate need of some new fixins if it was to attract more attention from the X and Y generations than
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| Pontiac's GTP Coupe is the sportiest G6 of all. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
Admirably GM shattered the molds typical of Pontiac when penning the exterior
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| The G6 Coupe is as sleek as any moderately priced two-door out there, such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry Solara. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
Size-wise, this front-wheel-drive two-door falls nicely between the slightly smaller Accord coupe and the marginally larger Solara; but when it comes to wheelbase, GM's coupe eats-up a full 13 cm (5 inches) more tarmac over Toyota's version. Compare rear overhangs and one can easily see that GM made a purposeful effort to place the rear wheels of the G6 Coupe as far into the corners as possible. Not only does this approach improve the visual balance of the vehicle, but it also contributes to interior roominess, especially in the back seat, and impressive ride and handling dynamics.