This strange beast performs best when flogged mercilessly
Written: Aug 04 '03 (Updated Oct 21 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Power, handling, HUD and TAPshift work well, front seats, interior versatility
Cons: On-center steering feel, rear seat, front wheels can only do so much
The Bottom Line: The Grand Prix offers a strange mix of attributes. A second test drive proved great fun, but I still perceive a limited market for the car.
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| mkaresh's Full Review: 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP 4 Dr Sedan |
In the late 1990s GM spent 70 percent of its product development dollars on trucks, as this was where the profits were. Partly as a result, its share of car sales has steadily declined. In recent months its senior executives have admitted that this cannot continue, and has vowed to now spend 70 percent of its product development dollars on cars. Vice chairman Bob Lutz, widely lauded as the industry’s #1 “car guy,” likely played a role in this shift.
Especially critical is the midsize sedan segment, which GM owned not so long ago. Leading GM’s efforts to regain share in this segment is the 2004 Grand Prix. According to Lutz and other GM executives, this redesigned sedan indicates how much better the new generation of GM cars will be. The brochure makes similar suggestions. The car’s tagline, prominently displayed on the cover, is “reborn.” The first page claims that the new Grand Prix takes “the concept of driver’s car to the next level” and had to “excel at everything.”
Epinions has recently begun providing cars with multiple listings that are not mutually exclusive. After much discussion with the category Leads and Advisors, I have decided to make the best of a messy situation by posting reviews of varying detail under the duplicate listings. This is my relatively detailed Grand Prix review. For my less detailed review, click here.
The best Grand Prix for enthusiasts is the new “Comp G.” Available on the GTP model, the Competition Group Package (Comp G) includes specific suspension tuning, TAPshift (GM’s first manumatic), a trip computer, a head-up display (HUD), sport-tuned stability control, Magnasteer II (the latest version of GM’s unique magnetically-assisted steering), V-rated rubber in the same 225,55R17 size as the regular GTP, ten-spoke lightweight alloys, red brake calipers, and a shorter final drive to get the GTP’s supercharged V6 into its powerband more quickly. This strikes me as a very comprehensive package for $1,395.
Notably, the brochure doesn’t quite say that the new car DOES excel at everything, only that it “would have to.” (A slippery little language is English.) Well, does it? Late last May took a fully loaded 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Comp G for a test drive to find out.
My initial review was not favorable. In response, a Pontiac fanatic wrote a scathing comment which can still be viewed at my review’s original address here under the 2003 Grand Prix listing. (Epinions typically takes its sweet time listing new cars, and I for one like to get my reviews out while a new car is still news.) This commenter suggested I visit his area of the net, clubgp.com. Yep, they love this car over there. After some constructive debate with the membership, I offered to give the car a second chance. This review expands upon my first based upon a second test drive. This time around I both drove the car harder and got in the right frame of mind by driving a 2003 Grand Prix GTP on the same roads immediately beforehand. (Same link as before. To read my reviews of related vehicles click on the associated hyperlinks.) It made more of a difference than I expected, though perhaps still not as much as the ClubGPers might have hoped.
Styling
My initial review of the car’s exterior styling still stands, so here it is:
Just about every article I’ve read on this car stresses how the new Grand Prix lacks the heavy cladding and gee whiz interior of the previous Grand Prix, sold from 1997 to 2003. Journalists have been criticizing the cladding on many Pontiacs for over a decade, yet many of the cars, especially the Grand Am, sold very well even if many people agreed with the journalists. Maybe GM’s research found that the number of people in favor was now in serious decline, and thus it was time to dump the cladding. And so it’s PR has stressed how the new Grand Prix lacks the cladding of the previous car.
What I don’t understand is why so many journalists have lazily parroted this PR. Has anyone actually looked at the previous Grand Prix? Guess what—no major cladding. The Grand Am had the cladding until 2003 (when the base models received the uncladded doors from the Oldsmobile Alero), and an instrument cluster that resembled a very healthy bosom, but the Grand Prix was already very tastefully styled in and out. Look back at the GM’s PR and the reviews at the time of the car’s launch in 1996, and you’ll find that they gushed about how that new Grand Prix did without the cladding of the previous car and other Pontiacs.
So all of the talk about how the new Grand Prix breaks with the old in its lack of cladding is a bunch of hooey. People perceive Pontiacs as overly cladded, so GM wants them to notice that the new Grand Prix lacks it. But this is no excuse for pretending that the previous Grand Prix sinned in this area. It did not. It’s even less of an excuse for journalists to repeat GM’s PR out of laziness, ignorance, or worse.
I’d have preferred a strategy like that used by Sprite when uncaffeinated colas where introduced with much fanfare. Sprite’s ads claimed “never had it, never will,” or something to that effect. They didn’t pretend that anything had changed to make their point.
Beyond the cladding issue, I’m not so crazy about the looks of the new Grand Prix. The previous car when shod with classy five-spoke alloys was among GM’s best looking sedans of the 1990s, with good proportions and unforced, pleasantly flowing lines. For once GM’s designers were not forced to overly compromise the theme to fit a fixed package.
The new Grand Prix to my eye is an MTV-style caricature of the old one. This is ironic, since the PR and reviews claim that the new car is more tasteful than the old. The front and rear, though a bit heavy, are not bad. Heck, I even like the front in some shades, even if it does resemble a Bonneville’s or an Impala’s a bit much. But I strongly dislike the pinched-in rear side window and the very high mounting of the protective bodyside molding on the doors. I imagine GM design was going for bizarre here, and I prefer the more tasteful rendition of a similar theme on the old car.
In the wheel department, I dislike the “lightweight” ten-spoke wheels that attend the Comp G package. They might reduced unsprung weight, but my eye much prefers a wheel with fewer spokes. For example, the five-spoke wheel that comes standard with the GTP sans Comp G pack. This wheel is available with the Comp G if you select the chrome wheel option. Generally I dislike chrome wheels, if only because they look cheap and cost more, but in this case they might be a worthwhile option. (The car I drove the second time around had the chrome wheels, as did nearly all of the other Comp Gs on the lot; it seems I’m not alone in my opinion of the ten-spoke wheels.)
Inside GM’s PR promised a higher-grade interior than seen in past GM midsize cars. It is better, but it’s still not good enough. Worthy of praise are switches with a somewhat higher quality feel (they could still feel better) and the flush mounting of the sound system and HVAC control panels. American cars have stuck with recessed panels for far too long because this avoids the need for precise fits. The problem is, recessed panels have a cheap, slipshod look to them. (For an example, check out the Oldsmobile Intrigue my wife drives.) For years imported cars have had flush-mounted panels, and finally GM joins them in a mass-market car.
On the downside, the interior still seems plasticky. The prevalent hard plastic surfaces look and feel solid, but they nevertheless contribute an artificial, antiseptic, even alien ambiance to the interior. Nothing seems designed for humans in this interior. The steering wheel rim has a large, oval cross-section that never felt right in my hand. The wheel is even thicker in the 10 and 2 positions to further enhance the driver’s grip in those locations, but since the wheel rim’s standard section was already too thick… Similarly, the grab handles on the doors are overly thick and their rectangular cross-section is not comfortable when grabbed. They are dimpled to suggest a non-slip surface, but the effect is entirely aesthetic.
The styling of the interior does not help. The steering wheel hub has a triangular shape that reminds me of E.T.’s head. (Only one “eye” though.) On the door panels, the trim inset in oddly angular (much like that in the Cadillac CTS) yet the door lever is set in a circular module. The center console tumbles rearward in a fluid wave, the dash vents are retro spheres, and the center stack is separated from the instrument cluster by a sharp, angled, intentionally uneven panel break. There’s a lot going on here stylistically, and the overall effect is as bizarre as any interior yet seen from Pontiac. Especially in charcoal (“dark pewter”) I felt I was seated in a vehicle created for a sci-fi flick. (Even in the tan interior the dash and console are charcoal.) Pontiac’s characteristically red instrument graphics and lighting contribute to this effect. Quite likely this hyper-futuristic character was intentional, but I never felt like I belonged inside this car. Maybe someone younger will. But I’m “only” 35, and not many people younger than me buy new cars in this segment.
Update on the interior from the second test drive: I drove the slop out of the GP the second time around, and the interior styling started to make sense. Not only does it avoid being at all generic, but compared to the 2003 GP it’s a great leap forward in the quality of the materials, switches, and execution of various details. Forgot the “bit better” of my initial review. It's much better. In response to my “sci-fi” comment, one of the ClubGPers retorted, “That’s why I bought the car.” I’m very much an automotive relativist: If a sci-fi interior is what you’ve been seeking, look no further—I’ve got your car.
I should also note that controls are much more clearly and logically laid out in the new car. Unlike in the new Maxima, I found it quick and easy to make various adjustments to the climate control and sound system.
One gee-whiz feature I forgot to mention the first time around: when the car is first started the gauge needles all briefly sweep their entire arc before settling to their proper positions. Those in my wife’s Intrigue did this once or twice when the battery was having issues, but in the GP I guess it’s kind of neat. At the very least it shows people inside GM cared enough about this car to think about such details.
Accommodations
The driving position is significantly higher than in the 2003, if still lower than that in most current family sedans. Given the ultra-sporty interior styling I felt that it should be lower. I cannot imagine driving this car with the power seat above its lowest position—eliminating the value of the height adjustment except for short people..
I suspect that the seat cannot go lower because that would require that it also go further rearward to maintain legroom, and there is no room for it to do so. I am not a tall person at 5-9, yet I drove with the seat almost all the way back. I find this puzzling. A nearly 200-inch sedan should provide ample legroom. In a number of much less lengthy imported sedans I cannot even touch the pedals when the seat is all the way back. Many drivers over six feet in height will want more legroom.
One benefit of the driving position is very good visibility forward. Your sightline is well above the top of the dash. In the front seat I did not feel at all buried in the car. After a second test drive I have upgraded my opinion of the seats. To begin with, they far superior to the flat, hard, minimally bolstered and padded seats found in the 2003. Compared to those seats, they feel downright plush. They also provide far better lateral support. The seats in an Acura TL-S might retain a slight edge, but I would not be surprised if those were the benchmark when developing the new GP’s front seats. The seats in the new 2004 Nissan Maxima lag a bit in comfort and a lot in lateral support. One very welcome feature found in other GM products (but strangely not the more expensive Cadillac CTS) is four-way lumbar support adjustment. Too often a prominent lumbar support is too high or too low. Not in the new Grand Prix.
In the rear seat things turn ugly. With the 1997-2003 Grand Prix, GM’s logic was that people who wanted a good rear seat would buy an Oldsmobile Intrigue. The Oldsmobile Intrigue is gone, but an inhospitable rear seat makes the journey to the new Grand Prix. This even though the GP is no longer available as a coupe.
Update: My back-to-back comparison of the old and new cars found that the rear seat actually got worse with the new one. There is less knee room than before and the backrest is reclined at an uncomfortably steep angle.
By my logic, cars with rear doors should have a good rear seat. Especially those as long as this one. The Grand Prix’s problem begins with the styling. That steeply sloped rear window forces the rear seat cushion to be mounted very low to provide even marginal headroom. The cushion’s low position makes for zero thigh support and limited legroom. My knees made extensive contact with the front seatbacks. The styling also severely constricts the view out for rear seat passengers, especially if these are children. (The Grand Am has a similar problem, but it is worse here.) All in all, this is among the worst rear seats I can recall among all of the sedans I've driven. That in the smaller Saturn ION was nearly as bad. GM doesn't seem to put much value on rear seat comfort.
What does GM expect sedans shoppers who want a comfortable rear seat to buy? A Buick Regal? Right. Maybe a Chevrolet Impala, but I believe that the rear seat in that car is also fairly low to the floor. (I have not driven it, though.) I suggest stepping up to the Cadillac CTS, which is a much better car in many respects. Legroom in the Cadillac is only adequate, but at least the seat is mounted well off the floor. For a great rear seat in a GM product it is necessary to step all the way up to a Cadillac DeVille. This in inexcusable, since Toyota’s pedestrian Camry has an excellent rear seat and many other competitors have very good ones.
With the new Grand Prix, GM has sought to reinvent the sedan for an age in which the SUV reigns supreme. The rear doors open to a 90-degree angle, to provide very good access to the rear seat. Said seat might not be good for humans, but a TV or CRT computer monitor will slide in easily. In GT2 and GTP trim, not only does the rear seat fold but the front passenger seat does as well, enabling a nine-foot object to be carried inside the car. (The new Mercedes E-class also offers a folding front seat. I suspect many sedans will in the future.)
Alternatively, the brochure displays the fold front seatback being used as a work area, I suppose by someone seated in the right rear seat. The plastic seatback has three indentations in it, and a rear-facing notebook computer is shown in the largest of these. The legalese states that a computer should not be used when the car is in motion. It doesn’t really matter—only a person with extremely long arms could use a computer in this position. Maybe a compact notebook will fit in the indentation turned the other way, so the driver could use it? Not while driving, of course.
Similarly, the sedan-as-SUV thing doesn’t work out so well in practice. Once folded all of those seatbacks do form a large flat surface. The first problem is getting them folded. Owing to the low rear seat cushion there is no need to tip this cushion forward as in some other sedans with folding rear seats. There is also no need to remove the rear seat headrests—they aren’t removable. However, these headrests hit the front seatbacks when the rear seats are folded. To get the rear seats to fold flat, the front seats must first be moved about half way forward. The salesman claimed this was the case with all sedans with folding rear seats. Strangely, I’ve never encountered it before in over a hundred test drives. It is a major inconvenience. In the new Mazda6, in contrast, the rear seats have been designed to fold flat very easily.
Once all seats are folded, the cargo volume is 57 cubic feet, equal to a (very small) SUV. It’s not shaped well for large objects, though. The trunk is long and wide but very limited vertically (many sedans have significantly deeper trunks), so tall objects will not fit lengthwise. (That’s where the wide-opening rear doors come in, I suppose.)
Storage compartments in the interior are strictly average.
On the Road
The brochure offers the Grand Prix GTP’s 260-horsepower supercharged V6, the only supercharged engine in the class, as evidence that it is more serious about performance than the competition. Nice try, but I don't think so. The 1997 Grand Prix was introduced with a 240-horsepower version of the same engine, and that hardly took the world by storm even though the competition packed far fewer ponies seven years ago. While the Grand Prix's most powerful engine option has gained 20 horsepower since 1997, the Honda Accord’s has gained 70 and the Nissan Altima’s has gained 95. Engines with 240 or more horses are becoming common in midsize sedans. Pontiac claims its engine is the most powerful in the class, but in the months since the brochure was written this has ceased to be the case. The recently launched 2004 Nissan Maxima has five more horsepower (up 75 since 1997). Since 240 horsepower didn't make much headway in 1997, I don't see 260 getting anyone excited now that the competition is just about as strong.
The Japanese might not have superchargers, but they do have fancy cylinder heads with four variably timed and lifted valves per cylinder. Pontiac is using a supercharger to bandage a very dated basic engine—one that makes less power than the smaller, normally aspirated engine in the Maxima. The GM engine’s groans and moans are also much less satisfying than the mechanical noises of the best DOHC engines.
The new Grand Prix is quick. The brochure posts the results of testing it against sixteen other midsize sedans. It has the quickest quarter-mile time at just over fifteen seconds, and wins just about every other test as well (losing only to the Altima in lateral grip on the skidpad). At least one of these numbers is clearly wrong, though: the Altima 3.5SE’s quarter mile time is given as 16.766. Even in automatic form it should be in the low 15s. In manual form Motor Trend reported a quarter mile time of 14.72 in the September 2001 issue. I personally prefer a manual, so as far as I’m concerned the Altima is quicker.
Beyond the times, brute force is not everything. Owing to the supercharger power output is less linear and harder to modulate than I’d like. After the boost kicked in I sometimes got more than I bargained for.
The electronic throttle and automatic transmission contribute to an overly difficult driving experience. When I first drove the Grand Prix the roads were slightly damp because of periodic light drizzle. It was very difficult to avoid loudly squealing a front tire pulling away from a light. The throttle is very aggressive—even half throttle produced plentiful wheelspin. For some reason, the traction control took a number of seconds to kick in, so it cannot be relied on to save you from embarrassment at stoplights. I generally backed off the throttle before the traction control kicked in. The traction control in my current cars cuts in much more readily. But generally it doesn't have to, because their throttles are more progressive.
The problem with the automatic is it contains only four widely spaced ratios, and it hurries to get in top gear. Although the transmission shifts smoothly in normal driving, it shifts too frequently and abruptly when the car is driven aggressively. Dip heavily into the throttle and it downshifts a gear or two, but let up for just a moment and it’s in top gear again. I found it impossible to communicate with this transmission through my right foot. Between this transmission behavior and the supercharger's effects, I found it difficult to drive the Grand Prix both smoothly and quickly on a winding road.
To keep the car in the best gear I found it necessary to make much use of the TAPshift paddles on the steering wheel. The good news is I found these easier to use than any other manumatic controls I have sampled. The bad news is I had to use them so often to keep the engine in its powerband and the ratios of the transmission generally felt either too short or too tall—I generally did not feel that revs were where I wanted them. A larger number of more tightly spaced gears would help. Top priority should be a ratio somewhere between first and second.
As might be expected with so much torque, moderate torque steer is present once the boost kicks in. I’ve felt much worse though. At least it doesn’t thoroughly upset the balance of the chassis as it doesn’t demand the bulk of the driver’s attention as it does in some Nissans.
The trip computer suggests that fuel economy could be disappointing. So far the car I drove had averaged less than thirteen miles per gallon. Even in steady cruising on the highway it barely broke into the twenties. The EPA highway number of 27 seems well beyond reach in the real world—although this is what my wife’s Intrigue tends to get on trips. That Comp G final drive might be partly to blame. Premium fuel is necessary for maximum performance from the supercharged engine, but not required.
Overall, I was disappointed with the powertrain. I found it very difficult to tailor power output to my immediate needs. As with the interior, I found it very hard to connect with this car’s engine.
GM has offered head-up displays (HUDs) for years, but this is the first car I've driven with one. I’ve always thought of HUDs as a gimmick, so I was surprised to like this feature a great deal. The numbers appear to be floating above the leading edge of the car’s hood even though they're being projected onto the windshield. As a result, your eyes do not have to refocus to read the display. The road and the HUD can be viewed simultaneously. Within minutes I intuitively relied on this display for information on vehicle speed and the current gear (helpful when using the TAPshift). The only problem I had with the HUD is it does not include a tachometer. While a tach is of limited use with an automatic, it would have been very helpful with the TAPshift. After using the HUD, refocusing to view the conventional tach is an annoyance. I cannot imagine a tach readout in the HUD would be hard to implement—is anyone at GM reading this?
The theme of disconnection continues in the handling department. While I appreciated the quickness of the steering, and even liked the high level of effort it demanded, this high level of effort somehow failed to translate into road feel. The steering is heavy, yet numb. That in my wife’s Intrigue provides much more detailed feedback and feels much more precise on center. When is GM going to figure out that Magnasteer is not the answer to anyone’s questions?
Aside from the steering and wheelspin issues the new Grand Prix’s handling is pretty good. The car sticks well on highway on-ramps and the chassis generally does what it is told without fuss—just steady mild understeer. The brochure’s test results give the Grand Prix by far the best slalom speed and nearly the best skidpad grip, backing up this impression. But good numbers aren't everything. (Actually, as far as I'm concerned they aren't much of anything.) The Grand Prix might weave through the cones quickly, but it doesn’t ask to be taken through the cones. I was constantly aware of the car’s size and weight—it feels even larger and heavier than it is. It’s a steady handler, but not a fun one.
Given the stiff suspension, the ride is better than I expected. It is slightly busy, but never harsh even on rough roads. Road and wind noise is much lower than in my wife’s Intrigue. The body also feels more solid, imparting a higher quality feel to the car. GM’s engineers did an excellent job on chassis noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH).
Update based on second test drive: This time around I visited a Pontiac dealer near my favorite test route, one that contains an industrial park full of imperfectly paved, curvy roads. This route is very hard on a car. In both the Maxima and Grand Prix I took these test drives just before the dealerships closed at nine, so the industrial park was empty. I had the opportunity to flog both cars mercilessly.
The Maxima did not fare too well, as the seats offered little in the way of lateral support and body motions were not well controlled. The 2003 Grand Prix was similarly in need of better suspension damping, and the sound of dozens of trim pieces rubbing against one another seriously detracted from the experience.
In comparison to either of those cars, the 2004 Comp G fared far better. Drive the new GP in a relaxed to moderate fashion, and the car feels much like I reported in my initial review. Drive the slop out of it, and suddenly it feels much, much better. Although the boost still kicked in a bit heavier than I wanted every once in a while, producing moderate torque steer and burning serious rubber in the process, generally the powertrain reacts very well to driver inputs when you’re really pushing it. Generally boost comes on very smoothly if quickly, belying the power of the engine.
I circled the industrial park with the transmission in D and using the TAPshift. Drive the car hard, and D actually does okay. I did not mind the lack of a fifth ratio as much this time around. I believe the transmission is supposed to learn from your driving pattern. If so, this one seemed to learn better than that in the first car I drove. At any rate, TAPshift remains the way to go if you plan to tackle some very curvy roads. It reacts instantly. Shifts in response to manual inputs are firm, but in keeping with the character of the car. I noted the plus sign that appears in the HUD as you near the redline this time around (a ClubGPer tipped me off). It helped, but I’d still prefer a tach in the HUD.
The real revelation is in the Comp G’s suspension. It controlled body motions over rough patches far better than the suspensions of the other two cars. I can only imagine what this car could do if fitted with GM’s magnetic ride control (so far found only in the Corvette and Seville). As it is, the Comp G handles in a very balanced fashion for a large, nose-heavy, powerful front driver. Understeer in minimal, even when taking the car very hard through sharp turns. In the same turns taken at a lower speed the Maxima plowed and its tires shrieked. Hit a bump in said turns in the Maxima and the body was all over the place while the front tires fought for traction. The Comp G absorbed said bumps and maintained its line. The rear dutifully tracked the front. Never was there the slightest hint it might come around, even if I nailed the brakes in a turn (something that used to be a huge no-no in GM’s front-drive cars). The stability control kicked in from time to time, but it did so unobtrusively.
It is important to be careful with the throttle in turns. Give the engine too much gas and you’ll create lots of black rubber dust. The traction control (which unlike the stability control can be turned off) is tuned to not immediately kick in. The Grand Prix’s front tires simultaneously manage engine torque and cornering loads far better than automotive engineers ever thought possible a decade ago, but ultimately the laws of physics cannot be avoided. On the other hand, at least the main negative outcome of too much gas in turns is only burned rubber. In a rear-driver in a similar situation you might find yourself sideways without the benefit of stability control.
The steering remains a sore spot for me. I again enjoyed its weighting and level of effort. And I again wished for more road feel, especially on center. In on-center feel the steering of the 2003 Grand Prix was actually superior. On the other hand, the greater smoothness of the steering in the 2004 does lend the car a much more upscale, higher quality character.
My evaluation of the ride is also unchanged for the most part. Especially when I was flogging the car the ride quality felt very good, even over rough patches and severe expansion joints. When driven more casually the ride did feel a bit busy over some roads, reinforcing my conclusion that the new Grand Prix comes across by far the best when it’s driven very, very hard.
Driving the 2003 and 2004 GPs back-to-back further reinforced my earlier sense that the new car has a much tighter structure. Just a bit of the trim-on-trim rubbing noises that bedevil the 2003 over rough pavement is present in the new car. It could well measure up to the Maxima in this regard, if not up to premium imports. Compared to the 2003, the 2004 from the driver’s seat looks and feels like a much higher quality, much more solid vehicle.
Pricing
For quick, up-to-date pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.
The rest of this section dates from when this review was written.
The GTP Comp G I drove the second time around was further optioned with the chrome wheels, a sunroof, heated leather, side curtain airbags, and Monsoon audio system—every option except XM satellite radio. The retail price was $31,035. Edmunds suggests that the typical price after dealer discount is about $29,056. Two months ago I wrote, “There do not appear to be any rebates on this car currently. I would expect them shortly.” Currently the basic rebate is up to $1,500, and additional rebates might also apply depending on what brand car you currently own, whether you recently graduated college, etc. Figure $27,500 after discount and rebate for a loaded Grand Prix, less if you don’t need so many options.
Among domestic brands the Chrysler 300M Special is probably most comparable. The 2003 Chrysler lists for $34,280 with sunroof and side airbags (stability control and HUD are not available). The typical dealer discount and a $3,000 rebate brings this to $28,900. The 300M is better looking, more luxurious, much more comfortable in the back seat, and easier to drive than the Pontiac, and includes xenon lamps not available on the GM product, but is not as quick and lacks many of its bells and whistles and stability control. The regular 300M is a better value than the Special. Initially I preferred the 300M. After a second test drive in the GP I’m not so sure. If only the rear seat in the Pontiac were not so dreadful…
Among Japanese cars the Nissan Maxima comes closest in terms of power and bizarre styling. Equipped like the Grand Prix I drove it lists for $31,640. The typical dealer discount (according to Edmunds; I’d expect a larger discount) brings this to $30,700. Update: Edmunds has knocked off another grand just two months later: now expect to pay $29,700. Once so close to $30,000 I’d probably look elsewhere, if only to Infiniti’s G35. The Maxima’s seats and suspension simply are not up to hard driving. A shame, since the new styling is upscale and distinctive, the engine is wonderful, a manual is available, and the rear seat is large.
I would suggest taking a look at the Cadillac CTS, but its price keeps going up and no rebate is currently offered, so similarly equipped it will cost at least $8,000 more than the Comp G (this assumes the individual options are available on the base CTS; they might not be; if not, the gap widens). Clearly a different market segment.
For 2004 Acura will introduce a redesigned TL. In the photos it looks sharp, and I expect better handling than in the 2003. Look for a review as soon as I can get my hands on one.
My current favorite midsize sedan is the Mazda6. Equipped as close as possible to the Grand Prix (no stability control) it lists for $26,465 (2003), and typically costs $24,900 after the dealer discount. To save more money go with the manual transmission. The Mazda offers sharper handling than any other midsize front-drive family sedan. On the downside, it feels less substantial than the Maxima or Grand Prix and has a significant power disadvantage.
Any of the above competitors has a much better rear seat than the Grand Prix. None is quite as quick as the Pontiac when equipped with an automatic, but all save the Chrysler still feel plenty quick. Among the front-drivers, the Mazda is the sharpest handler, but the Pontiac feels the most composed.
If the Pontiac’s unusual mix of strengths and weaknesses appeal to you, then the price is not bad. But I don’t see anyone buying it because of the price, at least not until GM’s typical $3,000 rebate gets thrown onto the car. The car I drove included a lot of content for $25,300. But quantity isn’t everything. Even at that price I’d personally go for the Mazda.
Final Words
If there’s anyone this car should appeal to it’s me. With three children I need a good-sized sedan with the flexibility to carry a lot of cargo. Yet I want a car that’s very fun to drive. A second test drive did find the Grand Prix great fun to drive when it is possible to drive it hard. In more casual driving I again found the Grand Prix insufficiently satisfying. Worse, my issues with the car’s utility remain. A sedan this large should have a much better back seat.
Ultimately, the Grand Prix offers a strange mix of attributes. It’s front-drive, but very powerful and tuned for performance driving. It’s large, but does not treat rear seat passengers well. In some ways it’s a very good car, but this cannot disguise the fact that it’s crying out for two major changes: power to the rear wheels and a much better rear seat. If for whatever reason you get turned on by having the front wheels go far beyond the call of duty, and do not care about rear seat comfort, then by all means add a star or even two to my rating and buy this car.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 31,035
Model and Options: Comp G all options except XM
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