Sunday, August 13, 2006

2007 Pontiac G6

When my car was in the body shop recently I had a 2006 Pontiac G6 as a rental for the week. An ex-manager once not unfairly described me as a German car bigot and many of the American vehicles I've ridden in have reminded me of the flimsy plastic remote-control cars I played with as a kid, so I was wary. The rental agent assured me that it was a very hip car.

Mine, in white, didn't look all that hip. It was neither stylishly innovative nor weird. The interior was dark grey and black. The front end didn't look like a vacuum (like the 1990s Grand Prix). It presents an average family sedan with some sporty aspirations. Visiblity is okay.

I had the 200hp V6 model which has two cylinders and 50hp on my own car. The engine (obligatory rental automatic, yuck) is responsive and pretty aggressive-- this is a fun car for going fast in a straight line. The transmission had an annoying habit of waffling between two gears when climbing hills on the freeway. I was less confident in the car's ability to go fast in a curvy line. While the suspension was stiffer than expected, it still did not feel as solid taking curves as I like. That may be partly a product of me being accustomed to driving a smaller car.

I could not find an autoscan button on the radio. The speakers, at least where the radio is concerned, are poor. Yes, I know I'm one of the last people in the US to listen to the radio at work. There is a computer that tracks things like average gas mileage, average speed, and expected range, and a nice touch of two power plugs on the console.

Conclusion: wouldn't trade my car for it, but not bad for a rental.

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