2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP (Video Clip)

2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP (Photo: Michel Deslauriers, Auto123)

Among other features, you'll find the heads-up display that's been in Pontiac models for several years now. When it's on, you can set the brightness and adjust the height of the projection. However, you will always see the reflection of the heads-up housing on the windshield, whether it's on or off. The driver information centre has a couple of neat features, such as a gravity force meter, which measures acceleration, braking and lateral acceleration figures in G's. My best lateral result was 0.74 g, so I was a good boy. It was raining all week though, which discouraged me to whip the GXP into corners. There is also a fuel consumption average meter and a real-time consumption readout, which amusingly climbs to 99.9 L/100 km while you're waiting at a stoplight. Coast on the highway and your real-time fuel economy will dive down to about 3.5 or 4.0 L/100 km, stomp the pedal and it blinks up to 40.0 L/100 km. Very entertaining.

The navigation system baffles me. You can punch in the name of a nearby restaurant and it will find it, the screen shows a map and the directions to get to your destination in a way that's easy to understand. The directions even appear in the heads-up display, which is a very nice touch. But, the system seemed determined to send my in the wrong direction, trying to send me on the highway when I didn't need to, telling me to do a U-turn on a busy four-lane boulevard, and so on. Maybe I needed a little more

2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP (Photo: Michel Deslauriers, Auto123)

time to configure it properly, which I didn't. The upgraded sound system sounds terrific, by the way. It shares its interface with the navigation screen, but there are wheel-mounted audio controls that I liked to use instead of taking my eyes off the road.

Unless I'm wrong, GM is the first manufacturer to offer a factory-installed remote starter. Kudos to them! No need for carrying two key fobs around in your pocket (in certain cases), and you won't be worried that the employees of the nearby car care store drop by your place for a visit in the dead of night, knowing exactly how to get in to your car, since they're the one who installed your remote starter.

Base price for the 2005 GXP is $37,110 and this car included such options as the dual-zone climate control ($400), the navigation system with upgraded sound system ($2,605) and the leather/suede seats ($1,240), for a grand total of $41,355. For 2006, expect very minor changes but with a reduced base price of $36,235, which undercuts the 2006 Charger R/T by about $1,500.

So, is this Grand Prix a worthy contender against the Charger R/T, which is just about its worst enemy? Not quite. Don't get me wrong, the GXP's is

2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP (Photo: Michel Deslauriers, Auto123)

an interesting and powerful long-distance cruise missile. It's a driver's car, and if you like GM products, than you'll love this Grand Prix. Also, with all the marketing hype surrounding the DaimlerChrysler sedans, the Grand Prix is standing in their shadow. That may not be a bad thing for those who want a certain level of exclusivity. But its chassis dynamics are slightly inferior to the newer Charger, and let's not forget that GXP's Achille's heel.

Still, I admire GM for taking the extra effort in creating the GXP, and it performed beyond my expectations.

What I like:
Powerful good-sounding V8
Sporty and agressive exterior appearance
High level of equipment and nice touches

What I didn't like:
Torque steer, obviously
Unexciting interior
Lack of rear seat space

Click here to view the 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP's specifications.