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With the Grand Prix,
Pontiac attempted to blend the virtues of a sporty coupe with those of a
family sedan, and failed spectacularly. Instead of mixing the two vehicles’
strong points, it incorporated their weakest ones into the vehicle, leaving it
with the poor visibility and rear seat space that results from the car’s
coupelike styling, and the stiff ride that results from the firm suspension
tuning. But the Grand Prix is still a rather large car, and still handles like
one. The only positive sporty quality that made it into this vehicle was the
reasonably powerful V6, and even that is only a standard-issue GM powertrain.
As noted, the Grand Prix
rides very stiffly. Bumps and other road imperfections are poorly filtered,
and the ride feels unsettled even at highway speeds on smooth pavement. Road
and engine noise are pronounced, but wind noise is reasonably well-muted. The
car's firm suspension tuning prevents excessive body roll in cornering, but
the slow and unresponsive steering keeps the car from feeling sporty, and it
feels rather bulky in cornering. The 3.8-liter V6 at least delivers quick
acceleration, the only good sporty aspect of the driving experience. Fuel
economy is good considering the car’s power.
Inside, the front seats
are adequately comfortable, but the poorly-contoured seat cushion feels lumpy,
and a bit too firm. And the rear seat is one of the worst in this group,
less-comfortable than most compact sedans'. The sporty roofline eats into the
headroom, and the seat had to be mounted quite low to compensate, which, along
with the short cushion and minimal leg and footroom, destroy any levels of
seat comfort. The high window line further diminishes rear passenger
visibility, especially for smaller occupants. The dash is coated in cheap,
hard plastic trim pieces that at least fit together well. The instruments are
angled towards the driver, and are generally simple to use. The gauges are
quite clear and notably large. Getting in and out of the front seats is fairly
easy, but the low roof and small footwell greatly complicate entry/exit to the
rear. The driver sits comfortably, but the sloping windowline inhibits
rearward visibility. The trunk is roomy.
The Grand Prix did
adequately well in crash testing. It earned five stars for the driver and four
for the front passenger in the NHTSA frontal crash test, but an three stars
for both the driver and rear passenger in the side crash test (tested without
the optional side airbags). It earned the highest-possible Best Pick rating in
the IIHS offset crash test, but its head restraints were rated Poor, and the
IIHS has not evaluated its side-impact protection.
The Grand Prix reviewed
here came in at $20,878, not particularly well-equipped. It includes GM’s
OnStar emergency notification system and antilock brakes with traction
control, but not much else to speak of (any other options would have pushed
the car’s price past this group’s limit).
Overall, the Grand Prix
is a large sedan priced among midsize ones. Yet in favor of sporty
pretensions, it eliminates all possible large sedan benefits, such as a soft
ride and a roomy interior, and still comes at a higher price than most
vehicles here. It has more engine power than most of the other cars in this
group, but that alone is not nearly enough to elevate it from the back of this
group.
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