Admittedly, prejudice is an ugly emotion that definitely exists within the ranks of automotive journalists--present company included.
So, based on my experiences with its 23-year-old precursor, the ancient--yet best selling-- Pontiac Sunfire, and its GM global Delta platform-mate, the Saturn Ion, it was all too easy to form an unfavourable opinion about the new 2005 Pontiac Pursuit before actually driving one.
Except for the Pontiac-speared front grille, driver instrumentation colours, and some interior trim, the Pursuit is the Canadian-exclusive clone of the also new for 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt four-door compact sedan. Funnily enough, despite the brand's "action" oriented marketing, there is no Pursuit two-door as offered in the Cobalt lineup, Pontiac deciding only to offer the existing Sunfire GT Coupe ($19,550 before rebates).
The new Pursuit menu starts with the base model ($15,925), which gets a standard 145 horsepower, 155 pound-feet of torque 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine with a five-speed manual transmission. Our mid-range Pontiac SE Sport model ($20,795) adds air conditioning, leather shifter and steering wheel with redundant audio and cruise controls, power windows and mirrors, door locks with remote access, a larger 16-inch wheel and tire combo, anti-lock brakes, front fog lights, and finally, a nice chrome exhaust tip.
Pontiac is marketing the Pursuit as a "premium compact": think Volkswagen Jetta and make the Pontiac marketing folks happy. To that end, our loaded-to-the-gills Pursuit SE Sport press car had the optional four-speed slushbox, heated leather seats, 228 watt Pioneer AM/FM/CD/MP3 sound system with a 10 inch subwoofer in the trunk, curtain airbags and OnStar. Total bill: $24,915. Right smack where the last generation Jetta's pricing started.
Frankly, General Motors cheaped out on its first North American Delta car--the aforementioned Ion. A car that Saturn engineers have been trying to fix for the past two years. For the Pursuit (and Cobalt), in what can only be described as a change in philosophy, GM realized that money spent on upfront engineering should be regained in selling cars with smaller rebates.
All towards the goal of reducing the excessive noise those first Ions generated, a foam-backed plastic engine cover, additional door seals, a new cast alloy oil pan that stiffens, and therefore quiets, the engine's structure, and a laminated steel fire wall and cowl plenum have all been added to the new Deltas.
And when was the last time you saw a GM product with anything but department store tires? Not so with the Pursuit. The SE Sport model comes with generous 205/55R16 Pirelli P6s, chosen for their low noise and tight steering response--Pirellis!
Succinctly, it all pays off. Driving the Pursuit is the best way to eradicate any prejudices about previous Pontiac compacts.
With counter-rotating balance shafts, twin overhead cams, and four valves per cylinder, the all aluminum four cylinder engine is surprisingly more refined than the 136 horsepower, 2.0-litre mill found in the Focus SE ($18,515). The four-speed automatic transmission shifted smoothly, though you really have to floor the accelerator to get it to kick down a gear or two, just like a Jetta.
So, based on my experiences with its 23-year-old precursor, the ancient--yet best selling-- Pontiac Sunfire, and its GM global Delta platform-mate, the Saturn Ion, it was all too easy to form an unfavourable opinion about the new 2005 Pontiac Pursuit before actually driving one.
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| 2005 Pontiac Pursuit (photo : John Leblanc, straight-six.com) |
The new Pursuit menu starts with the base model ($15,925), which gets a standard 145 horsepower, 155 pound-feet of torque 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine with a five-speed manual transmission. Our mid-range Pontiac SE Sport model ($20,795) adds air conditioning, leather shifter and steering wheel with redundant audio and cruise controls, power windows and mirrors, door locks with remote access, a larger 16-inch wheel and tire combo, anti-lock brakes, front fog lights, and finally, a nice chrome exhaust tip.
 |
| 2005 Pontiac Pursuit (photo : John Leblanc, straight-six.com) |
Frankly, General Motors cheaped out on its first North American Delta car--the aforementioned Ion. A car that Saturn engineers have been trying to fix for the past two years. For the Pursuit (and Cobalt), in what can only be described as a change in philosophy, GM realized that money spent on upfront engineering should be regained in selling cars with smaller rebates.
All towards the goal of reducing the excessive noise those first Ions generated, a foam-backed plastic engine cover, additional door seals, a new cast alloy oil pan that stiffens, and therefore quiets, the engine's structure, and a laminated steel fire wall and cowl plenum have all been added to the new Deltas.
 |
| 2005 Pontiac Pursuit (photo : John Leblanc, straight-six.com) |
Succinctly, it all pays off. Driving the Pursuit is the best way to eradicate any prejudices about previous Pontiac compacts.
With counter-rotating balance shafts, twin overhead cams, and four valves per cylinder, the all aluminum four cylinder engine is surprisingly more refined than the 136 horsepower, 2.0-litre mill found in the Focus SE ($18,515). The four-speed automatic transmission shifted smoothly, though you really have to floor the accelerator to get it to kick down a gear or two, just like a Jetta.