The same drivers will likely find plenty of comfort in the wide front buckets, but sadly little in the way of side-bolster
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| The 12-way power seats offer tremendously large seating and back rest areas, but are fairly flat in contour when compared to seats in other premium sport sedans. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
support. The 12-way power seats offer tremendously large seating and back rest areas, but are fairly flat in contour when compared to seats in other premium sport sedans, such as the Recarro designed perches found in the V8 powered Audi S4. The fall-out from the plush, but less body hugging seats, combined with the absence of a manual-mode shifter is a mixed performance message. "Yes we give you a sensational V8 with plenty of punch, a taut performance tuned suspension, speed rated tires, 18-inch wheels and massive brakes - but we don't really expect you to use it," is my interpretation of what Pontiac is saying in regard to the GXP's performance equipment. And that's unfortunate because the GXP is quite a performer when engaging the added muscle 'neath its hood. The Northstar powerplant is renowned for its ability to hustle Cadillacs down the thoroughfare with authority and refinement. In its Bonneville application the
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| Equipped with the Northstar powerplant, Pontiac claims the GXP is faster from 0 to 100 km/h than the BMW 330Xi and the Lexus ES 330. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
horsepower rating has been dropped slightly to 275 - 25 more ponies and 600 cubic centimeters larger than when in the defunct Oldsmobile Aurora. Pontiac literature claims a 0 to 96 km/h (0-60 mph) time of just over 6-seconds, declaring the GXP to be faster than the BMW 330Xi and the Lexus ES 330. A closer comparison would be to Chrysler's HEMI-powered 300C, as the two models it chose to put to task offer relatively low-powered 6-cylinder engines. One thing that's for certain is the sweetness of the Bonneville's V8 growl. Pontiac didn't stumble onto the authoritative exhaust note by accident, mind you, as plenty of R&D went into the "burble" of the GXP's pipes, which end at a pair of chrome tips tucked neatly beneath the rear fascia.
