Pontiac G6

dan165

C6 is not XLR code? Nothing to do with it.

C6 just means 6th generation Corvette. The last Corvettes were C4 and C5 long before the XLR was on the table.

ateixeira

It's the other way around, XLR got some C6 hardware. Even though it came out first. A little confusing, perhaps.

-juice

logic1

The buff rag reviews I've seen of the XLR refer to it as built on the C6 platform.

I've always understood C6, C5, etc. as the platform, not the car. For instance, the Z06, Coupe, and convertible are all C5s.

theo2709

The platform is the Y-body.

dan165

C6 is the corvette generation, I don't think it means much more than that. XLR is on the C6 platform.

logic1

Very well.

It still does not explain the confusion between G6 and C6.

If you are certain of waht C6 means, than how do you confuse that with G6?

yurakm

Because letters G and C look similar? And digit 6 too, thought to a lest extent.

e2helper

Then we would see some posts actually about the vehicle (LOL)

herzdawg007

ok, this has probably already been answered a bunch of times but..

Is the G6 sedan RWD?

I know that the GXP coming in late 2005 will be AWD but somehow i can't remember if the sedan is RWD or not. thanx alot guys!!

e2helper

BTW I was told that G6 is now being shipped to dealers just recently. Hope to get to "meet the owners" soon

I am going to be leasing one

bporter1

Sorry to let you down, but the G6 is FWD, not RWD. It is built off of the Epsilon platform that spawned the 04 Chevy Malibu, and the new Saab 9-3. The platform has gotten pretty good revies from the auto press, for its ride and handling characteristics.

pompilius

>>>I agree with you about the 200hp numbers. I drive a Regal GSE and 240hp is a bit too much for the front wheels to handle if I mash the throttle. The car ends up almost feeling like it is going sideways, too much torque steer. I know that can be handled properly like what Acura has done, but once you get over a certain number I would take rear drive. <<<

Funny, I never experienced almost any torque steer with my '98 GTP. The GTP is known for a good job the designed did to almost eliminate the torque steer despite the very powerful engine and FWD.

dan165

Like yurakm said, I see a G and a C in small letters on the side bar of a web page and it's easy to mis-read them. You think you will be reading about the G6 and instead it's a corvette article. Not a bad thing always though, the Corvette is a dream car of mine.

rctennis3811

Nissan just released the specs for the Altima SE-R and they look pretty promising. 260HP in a midsizer - too much for FWD? I think so...

bporter1

Maybe saying that my car almost feels like it is going sideways if I mash the throttle is exagerated to say the least, but I can definately feel the steering wheel being pulled to one side.

dan165

I saw one yesterday. It was a very striking orange like colour. Beautiful car though, I didn't realize they were for sale already.

logic1

If the Chinese can distinguish between thousands of characters, you would think we would not have any trouble distinguishing two letters in a 26 letter alphabet.

logic1

I've seen some around as well: One red and one silver.

I do not think the dealers can sell them yet. Must be soon with them hitting the lots though.

ateixeira

When FWD HP gets that high, some type of limited-slip differential is a good idea.

Better yet, AWD.

-juice

sputterguy

I've got a 98 GTP and if you aren't expecting it the torque steer can be quite disconcerting. Personally I dig it. Makes it feel more powerfull or something. To me anyway. I do love that car but its' got a headlight problem which I thought I had fixed for $800 last year but after 6 months or so it was back. I'd been checking out the GTO, so when the lights when out again that was it. Took me awhile to decide on what color and between an automatic or 6-speed. When they came out with a leasing option, that made it easier. So now I have a silver 6-speed GTO. Man what a car. It obviously is faster and handles better than my GTP. I hate to say it but the quality of the GTP is quite inferior to the GTO. But wait, you guys waiting for the 2005 Grand Prix are lucky. They are now putting the Northstar V8 in oh, I'm guessing the GXP model. I saw one just this week when I went in for my first oil change. At least that's what the service guy said. It was an '05 though so the 05's are here. I'm telling you, go down and get one yourself and I'll see you on the road.

jpstax1

My wife's '00 Regal GSE had the same problem. It pulled to the right during acceleration. I noticed it right away when I mashed the gas pedal at a traffic light. I took it back to dealer and their tranny tech made some adjustments to the FWD steering system. The tranny tech told me that the factory people don't always get the 4T65EH and FWD system balanced right, and customers end up bring their car back for adjustments. He claimed not all FWD cars made have the problem. I think that's just one of the problems you can have with an assembly line made car. Anyway, the torque steering problem was solved. The total adjustment time was about an hour.

pompilius

I guess, YMMV, but I never felt much torque steer with my GTP, and I mashed it.

theo2709

It's not the Northstar. It's the LS4, which is basically a 5.3L version of the 6.0L LS2 in the Corvette.

dick60

Thank you for your response to my message on the GT1 gas mileage. I checked the current web sites for Oldsmobile and Pontiac and found the following. The torque rating on the Alero is 200 compared to the GT of 205. The horsepower is 200 for the Alero and 205 for the GT. So I doubt if the slight difference in engine tuning could make the difference in gas mileage between the standard axle ratio of the Alero compared to the 3.29 ratio of the GT. The most surprising item I found on the Pontiac site was the claiming of identical gas mileage for the GT vs the SE with the V6 ( 20/29 ).

So, why the G6 gas mileage varies so significantly on the standard vs the GT makes no sense to me if Pontiac claims the 2004 models achieve identical gas mileage with both axle ratios.

Anyhow, I am so looking forward to seeing and driving the 2005 G6.

benjaminh

I think the G6 is one of the nicest looking cars that GM has made recently. Really sweet. But, I'm one of those quirky people--a dying breed really--that prefers a manual transmission, particularly on a sporty car like this one. Are they offering one on the lower end models?

dan165

Manual is coming on the 3.9L and I have read that possibly on the 2.4L Ecotec.

alpha01

Wait, which Alero makes 200 hp? The 3.4L in the Alero produces between 170 and 180hp, last I recall. Did I miss something?

~alpha

dan165

I was reading on another web site some G6s are now arriving at dealers. Anyone seen one yet?

shado4

Yes...local dealer had 3 that I could see. All base 6 cylinder models (1 black, 1 silver, and 1 in what looks like Granite Metallic...very nice color).

I was able to sit in the black G6, but didn't drive it. Some thoughts...the seating position seemed rather low to me. I'm only 5'8", and it felt like I needed to crane my neck to see over the steering wheel. Not sure if the base model comes with a driver's seat height adjustment, but it should. The interior was all black with cloth seats and the standard (not panoramic) moonroof. Loved the chromed trimmed gauges and silver trim pieces, which added some nice contrast to all the dark plastic inside. Back door is very wide and opens to a rear seating area with tons of leg room. Very nice. The trunk uses gas struts instead of space hogging metal hinges. The depth of the trunk seemed a little shallow...wish they could have squeezed in some more room.

This is a VERY sharp looking car. Quite handsome. The long wheelbase and short overhangs give the G6 a nice profile. The cars I saw all had what looked like upgraded alloy wheels which were quite stunning.

Didn't see any window stickers...of course, two of the cars had all of their side windows rolled down, hiding the pricing. Dealer said they had received 6 total, 3 already sold and the remaining 3 would probably be gone by end of day. (In other words...buy now or you won't be able to get one ;-) ). When I was there, at least 2 couples were in the process of negotiating for one of the remaining G6s.

I'll probably wait until the GTP comes out. By the way, they did have new G6 brochures. Inside was a picture of the sedan, coupe, and the hardtop convertible with its top down. I swear the back end of the G6 coupe looks awfully like a Toyota Solara! The convertible looks nice, but I bet it will be pricey.

That's about it!

e2helper

Great Review!!

The base model does not have a height adjustment standard. There are 2 different versions optional seats.

One has a power height adjustment the other is a full 6-way power seat.

ateixeira

How was ease of entry into the back seat?

I'm wondering if the fast back styling hurts egress/ingress like the Intrepid. People have to duck to get in those.

-juice

benjaminh

I love the styling, but how was the headroom in the back seat?

Thanks

shado4

How was ease of entry into the back seat?

I'm wondering if the fast back styling hurts egress/ingress like the Intrepid. People have to duck to get in those.

Good question. Even though I opened the door to the rear seat I never got in the back. You could tell there was a lot of leg room by seeing the amount of space between the back of the driver's seat and the beginning of the rear seat cushion. Headroom, however, is something I couldn't tell you about.

An interesting point about the side window openings...while not as narrow as those on a new Chrysler 300C, it did seem to me that there was a lot more "door" and less "window" than what I am used to. Is that what you call a high cowl? Maybe that is what contributed to my feeling of sitting low in the car.

307web

That doesn't mean there is plenty of legroom. Often they have short rear seat cushions that give the optical effect of lots of legroom when you see the airspace between the seats. When you actually sit in the seat, you could find your thighs/knees hanging over the short cushions and almost touching the front seatbacks.

e2helper

I am driving a G6 right now and there is lots of leg room in rear seat. Much better than the current Grand Am (but not close to what you get in Malibu Maxx). Headroom is adequate in the sedan but not as good as current Grand Am Sedan (and again not even close to Malibu Maxx)

dick60

Sorry asi. I should have said hp was 170 for the Alero and 175 for the GT.

Sorry for my goof-up.

benjaminh

Tell us more about your impressions of the G6. What's it like to drive?

jward1

Hi all, I am conducting a miles per gallon study for my master statistics class. Would anyone be so kind as to forward your estimated miles per gallon for the G6. Thank you in advance for your help.

dan165

Thanks for the posts, great news on the car.

How did the materials on the inside feel? Was it all fairly decent quality?

Gas shocks on the trunk are also great news. I wish all cars had this feature!

ateixeira

G6 has the long wheelbase from the Maxx, too bad rear leg room can't match it.

-juice

jimxo

Why did I not send in my video to prove my need for a free car.

mlm4

I guess the show gave away 276 of them to the audience. All donated by Pontiac, plus they will pay the taxes.

e2helper

The reason the rear seat room for G6 doesn't match Malibu Maxx (even though same wheelbase) is because the Maxx have rear seats that slide back and forth 7 inches to allow you to decide on rear seat leg room vs. cargo capacity (heck those Maxx rear seats even recline!!). The rear seat leg room I commented on for Maxx is noted as being with the seat all the way back. In either case both of these vehicles have a lot of rear seat leg room!!

e2helper

I am a GM employee, BTW.

G6 GT has a Driver Shift Control feature. Still not a manual transmission but nice to have available when you want want a little more control because it makes the vehicle even more peppy.

The acceleration of the vehicle is very good and I happen to like the light effort the electric assist power steering gives you at low speed especially when in parking lot.

For those that are familar with the current Grand Am there are a ton of new features in the vehicle. I especially like the remote starter, Driver Information Center and heated seats. I don't use the adjustable pedals feature but I can see where it would really help out someone with short legs by moving the pedals closer to them so they don't have to sit so close to the steering wheel. Plus the wheel has a tilt/telescope feature.

Hope that is of some help.

dan165

Great promo, Pontiac was smart doing that. It's a great way to get the new name out to the masses.

ghjen13

The show was nuts! Nobody had any idea what was in store until the cameras started rolling. The vehicle is beautiful and I can't wait to get my hands on it. They have to be made so we won't be getting them anytime soon (estimate is 3-4 months). However, when it does come in I will post a review.

ateixeira

Congrats, that's amazing.

How were you chosen? Just luck?

-juice

ghjen13

Just luck. I live in the area and responded to a last minute reservation request at Oprah.com that was looking for people to attend the show 9/6-9/9. They called a couple of days later to ask if I could come the 9th, and that was it. Again, we had NO EARTHLY IDEA!!

ateixeira

I bet you sure are glad you went!

Can you imagine the folks that no-showed? They must be killing themselves.

Apparently the donor is responsible for the gift tax, so your car is free with no strings!

-juice

vanman1

You are the first owner in the forum!

Wow, what luck. Was it all Chicago area residents in the audience? I can't imagine how they hid all those cars.