All-New 2005
Pontiac Pursuit
By Gerry Malloy
The Pontiac Pursuit and its twin, the Chevrolet Cobalt, are light-years ahead of the cars they replace, now offering a real alternative to the established leaders in the compact class.
Overall rating: 7.5 / 10
Pros
- Tight, quiet structure
- Good ride quality
- Pleasant interior
- Competitive pricing
Cons
- Rear-seat comfort
- Four-speed automatic transmission
- Inconsistent tactile control quality
- Mediocre braking performance
Shooting for the Top
Pity the Pontiac Pursuit. Right out of the box, it is tossed in to fend with the heavyweights in the biggest, most-competitive passenger-car segment in Canada. A segment that includes the best-selling Honda Civic, Mazda3, and Toyota Corolla, as well as a horde of secondary contenders.
The Pursuit is a badge-engineered, Canadian-only variation on the Chevrolet Cobalt, mildly redesigned specifically to sell through Pontiac rather than Chevrolet dealers. So most of what you read in this report applies equally to the Cobalt as well.
While their assignment is a tough one, they are much better equipped for the role than their predecessors, the Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire. By almost any measure, those cars were the metaphoric knives at a gunfight, compared to their Asian competitors, selling more on price than merit. The all-new Pursuit, and by association the Cobalt, change that scenario, holding their own in the compact class melee, if not dealing any knockout blows. But like their predecessors, they remain more than competitively priced.
For 2005, the Pursuit is offered only as a four-door sedan, in base and SE trim, with prices starting at $15,925 and $20,795 respectively. My test car was the latter.
Vanilla - But Good Vanilla
Styling may not be the major factor prompting compact-car sales, but unattractive styling can certainly repel potential buyers. Not a worry with the Pursuit; the Aztec genes have been cleansed from the Pontiac gene pool. Its short-deck proportions are de rigueur in today's sedan stylebook, and its soft overall form carries just enough edge to make it contemporary.
While a split, Pontiac-look grille has been grafted on, it is flush and understated, not the flamboyant maw foisted on some late-model Sunfires. In fact, the whole car looks tastefully understated - welcome words to apply to a Pontiac.
The new Pursuit is 73 mm shorter in overall length (4580 mm) and 21 mm shorter in wheelbase (2623 mm) than its predecessor. It is still among the biggest cars in the class, however, and at 1268 kg, among the heaviest.
Its dimensions are dictated, in some respects, by its use of GM's corporate Delta platform, which it shares with the Opel Astra and Saturn Ion. Fortunately, that relationship with the Ion is not nearly as strong as a shared platform might suggest. The Cobalt and Pursuit, on the other hand, differ only cosmetically, as in the aforementioned grille, badges, and interior trim details. Both are built in GM's Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant, where they will be joined by the next-generation Ion replacement.
Interior Shows Beyond its Breeding
Inside, the Pursuit looks like … no GM small car ever! Gone is the mobile industrial space we have come to expect; replaced by an inviting cabin that is simple and straightforward, but tastefully contoured and delightfully finished in pleasing tones and textures, with tight fits and apparent material quality that belies its GM origins. That is not to say Audi needs to worry just yet, nor that the car has leapfrogged all its competitors, but it has certainly surpassed some.
Instruments are large and well-placed, and would be easy to read if it were not for the unfortunate red back-lighting grafted in to give the Pursuit a Pontiac identity. Controls are intuitive and generally well laid out, although it is a long reach to those on the right side of the centre stack. The stalk controls, in particular, reveal much improved tactile feel, but the same cannot be said for the HVAC controls, which have a Lada-like feel. Vents that can be fully closed off add a nice upscale touch, as do useful storage compartments and functional cup-holders.
Even the base model includes such standard features as tilt steering, intermittent wipers, a driver information centre/trip computer, CD player, power trunk release, and 60/40-split folding rear seat-back. The SE adds power windows, mirrors, and remote locking, cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering-wheel (with audio and cruise controls), fog-lamps, floor-mats, and a cargo net, as well as air-conditioning.
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