Carls Buick Pontiac GMC

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Driving Impressions

As with most sporty cars, the ride in the Pontiac G5 GT is somewhat firm, but encounters with potholes and tar strips do not result in any serious discomfort. The ride is comfortable enough for day-to-day commuting even in the Midwest where the roads are rough.

The steering is somewhat heavy and the effort increases during turns. The steering is tight, however. What that means is when the car is pointed straight you can turn the steering wheel a tiny bit and it doesn't feel disconnected. The car begins to respond. The G5 GT feels secure and fairly responsive on gentle or sweeping turns. However, when the turns are tighter and the speed increases the GT feels nose-heavy and not sporty.

The 171-hp four-cylinder worked quite well even when paired with the four-speed automatic. Major competitors, like the Civic, now come with five-speed automatics, and their extra gear means a better chance at providing good acceleration at all times and better fuel economy as well. Nevertheless, the G5's four-speed downshifted quickly, and when maximum acceleration was demanded it did not shift into a higher gear until just past 5000 revolutions per minute. That means it was striving to get the most out of the engine.

For maximum power Pontiac recommends premium fuel but says that no harm will be done if you substitute 87 octane regular. (This is common in these days of electronic engine controls, where the engine computer can dial the ignition timing ahead to wring the most power out of premium, or back to run safely on regular.)

Fuel economy for the G5 GT automatic is an EPA-rated 22/31 mpg City/Highway; with the manual it's 22/32 mpg. The best fuel economy comes from the base G5 with a manual, at 24/33 City/Highway mpg.

The brakes feel great. The pedal was firm, but it was easy to slow the G5 either a little or a lot. Also, the front of the G5 didn't dip too much under hard braking. That gives it a balanced, secure feel.

The summer performance tires available for the G5 GT offer good grip on dry pavement. We found them unsuitable for winter use, however. (Maybe that's why they're called summer tires.) In packed snow (5F to 20F), we found extremely poor grip and traction even on flat terrain with the summer tires.

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