Auto News & New car review

The Pontiac G5 is a good-looking front-wheel-drive coupe that delivers satisfying straight-line performance and reasonable fuel economy.
The G5 comes in a standard version and as a sportier GT. The GT has a firmer suspension, 17-inch tires, and a 171-horsepower, 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine. The standard version comes with a 148-hp, 2.2 liter four-cylinder. Either way a five-speed manual transmission is standard, a four-speed automatic is optional. Read the rest of this entry »

Since 1962, the Pontiac Grand Prix has been a family-size car with custom-car styling and a performance-car attitude. The first two generations of Grand Prix were big cars, too, even by 1960s standards. For 1969, the Grand Prix shrank to mid-size, but its theme of dramatic style continues to today. Pontiac released the best Grand Prix yet as a 2004 model, made it even better in 2006 with the addition of V8 power, and has kept a good thing going for 2007.

The Grand Prix is fun to drive in the twisties yet it’s practical: You can stuff a nine-foot kayak into it and still close the trunk.

For 2007, detail improvements include a standard power driver seat and more standard features for the topline GXP model. Those features include leather/suede upholstery, heated front seats, and a front passenger seat that folds flat. Read the rest of this entry »

A self-effacing and impeccably dressed Bob Lutz took shots at the old Pontiac during the live reveal of the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe. Busting on the arrowhead’s former taste for cladding and Iron Dukes in the “excitement” product line, Lutz confidently strode alongside a silver 2009 Solstice GXP Coupe as it rolled out amidst fanfare provided by the Young Lords. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2009 Pontiac Vibe will be completely redesigned and re-engineered when it goes on sale in early 2008.

Since its original introduction as a 2003 model, the Pontiac Vibe has shared its basic design with the Toyota Matrix. Toyota has redesigned the Matrix for 2009 and Pontiac is doing the same with the Vibe.

Offered only as a compact four-door hatchback (though Pontiac calls it a crossover utility vehicle), the 2009 Vibe will come with front- or all-wheel drive.

The lineup will include the base model, the All-Wheel Drive model and the GT. The base model comes with what Pontiac calls a semi-independent torsion beam rear suspension with a trailing link, coil springs and a stabilizer bar. GT and All-Wheel Drive models have a multilink independent double wishbone rear suspension. The GT can be distinguished by its larger fog lamps, larger lower front fascia air intake, rocker panel moldings, roof spoiler and bright exhaust tip. The GT also gets leather upholstery and 18-inch wheels; the other models come with 17-inch wheels. Read the rest of this entry »

Pontiac’s new G8 performance sedan was one of the most significant debuts at the Chicago Auto Show, and any enthusiast going to the show should check it out. If you can’t make it, no problem; this photo blog of the car’s interior will bring it to you.
The G8 GT show car features a pale yellow dashboard covered in leather. The dash’s symmetry is really nice, but the color and material combination is for the auto show circuit only.
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Spring: the season of love, flowers and convertibles. As warmer weather approaches, car dealers put away the 4?4 SUV’s and pull the drop-tops from the back of the lots in the hopes of snagging passersby wanting a vehicle to celebrate the (global?) warming weather. Pontiac tempts buyers with the G6 GT Hardtop Convertible while Chrysler lures in the public with the newly-introduced Sebring Limited Hardtop Convertible. As the only American-branded four-passenger hardtop convertibles, which one truly deserves your hard-earned income? Or should both be tossed into the bonfire of the vanities?
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