Carls Buick Pontiac GMC

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Driving Impressions

The Pontiac G6 is fun to drive and quite pleasant for cruising around. We found the sedan, coupe and convertible models reasonably quiet around town. A few powertrain and road noises slipped in here and there, and there was some wind noise from the sharp-cornered mirror bodies.

The handling is responsive and fun. The suspension strikes a good balance between handling and ride quality. The ride is comfortable and smooth and the car tracks well. The electric power steering is nicely weighted in terms effort at the steering wheel rim, but a little vague in fast transitions.

The popular 3.5-liter V6 is quiet and smooth, with a 0-60 mph time that's just enough to keep you out of trouble, but not enough to make your heart beat faster. The 3.5-liter V6 produces 224 horsepower and 220 pound-feet of torque. GM has refined this overhead-valve engine and it's relatively smooth and quiet and gets decent fuel economy.

The more powerful GTP delivers more sprightly performance. The 3.6-liter engine that comes in the GTP is rated at 252 horsepower, 251 pound-feet of torque. This is an overhead-cam engine with variable-valve timing.

The EcoTec 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is from the same double overhead-cam engine family used in the Saab 9-3, Opel Vectra and Chevrolet Malibu. The 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is rated 169 horsepower, 162 pound-feet of torque.

The automatic transmission worked flawlessly. The four-speed automatic is matched well to the engine's power and torque bands. Most of the time, we simply put it in Drive and drove. However, the automatic features a neat, simple manual-control mechanism that allows the driver to shift manually. When the manual mode is selected, it will not automatically upshift for you at redline, it goes right up against the rev limiter, a strategy that enthusiasts prefer. An indicator light in the instrument panel helps remind you to shift.

We did a number of 90-0 mph ABS panic stops with the car on a deserted country road, and it stopped straight and true every time with no fade. The brakes have a nice, progressive power application through the pedal.

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