2007 G6 Sedan: Pontiac Listened

[Ghrankenstein]

2007 G6 Sedan: Pontiac Listened

by Ghrankenstein


The Abridged Version

Juicy Brains: Improved power, handling, safety, and styling. Tremendous value. Good. EPS is gone on V-6 models. Attractive new accessories. Five-year/100,000 mile courtesy transportation, roadside assistance, and powertrain warranty.

Tattered Souls: Fuel economy ratings reduced. Profitable GT upgrade almost unnecessary. No heated leather on G6 Sedan. No power passenger seat. Would a 5-speed be too much to ask?

The Bloody Truth: A thoroughly improved vehicle over the 2006 model. The G6 Sedan got the changes it needed.


The Review

For the sake of clarity: When I refer to the G6 Sedan, I'm referring to the trim level, which is between the 1SV "Special Value" and the GT. I've tried to make this as clear as possible, but at some point somebody's going to get confused. If that happens to be you, don't worry. You might be a little dull, but I still think you're pretty cool.


When the 2005 Pontiac G6 debuted, I was pleased. The “first ever” G6 had many of the comfort-oriented (read “tall people”) features of the Chevrolet Malibu MAXX, in a modestly sporty mainstream package. The G6 placed first in the Strategic Vision Total Quality survey in its segment, and has since been a good seller and image-builder in place of the Grand Am.

For the 2006 model year, Pontiac expanded the lineup greatly, adding 240 hp GTP models, and the rakish coupe and convertible. The additional choices have certainly been successful in bolstering the Pontiac line, but the bread-and-butter remains the G6 sedan. We’ve already heard about the significant upgrades to the G6 GTP, which are important for the image of Pontiac and the G6, but the G6 Sedan has quietly received some serious improvements of its own.

The 2007 G6 Sedan, like the G6 1SV, comes standard with the 169 hp 2.4L Ecotec VVT. It’s not a bad car in the slightest, especially in the $17,495 1SV model, but those wanting fuel economy and amenities can load out a G6 Sedan 2.4 and still keep a reasonable price.

We’ve seen a significant increase in requests for uplevel 4-cylinder G6’s, but the majority of buyers still opt for the V-6. For 2007 that V-6 is improved, adding 23 hp and a fatter (still 220 peak lb-ft) torque curve through the magic of variable valve timing (VVT). The new 3.5L cam-in-block V-6 remains a highly compact powerplant, to the point that Pontiac has added an engine cover that, while reducing noise, makes it look much bigger and more impressive. Most of the components are new, but the improved figure of 224 hp, along with the broad torque curve, means that the 2007 G6 Sedan offers noticeably more punch than the 2006 model.

The 3.5L VVT V-6 comes in the G6 Sedan with the Sport Package ($20,405). The Sport Package has replaced the 2006 model’s “Driver’s Package.” It includes the 224 hp V-6, fog lamps, hydraulic steering, sport suspension, and the same attractive "high-vent" five-spoke alloy wheels that came standard on the 2006 G6 GT. This is a great looking package.

Leather seating is available, but it’s not heated. You have to either step up to the pricier GT or add aftermarket seat-heaters. Meanwhile, the rarely-ordered heated cloth seats are available, which I really don’t understand. Heated or not, I’d go with the leather, and its better adjustability, but the cloth seats are still attractive and have ample adjustment for just about everybody.

With the G6 Sedan, basic necessities such as cruise control are standard, but in 2007 Pontiac has added 4-wheel disc brakes and side-curtain airbags as standard equipment, though they’re still optional on the 1SV value leader. You might come across an early 2007 without the side airbags, but more recently ordered vehicles now have them standard. The safety coup-de-gras is that antilock brakes (ABS) and traction control are a low cost ($400) option on the G6 Sedan. Last year you had to get a GT to get ABS.

New Accessories

Pontiac has closely watched SEMA, and the clientele they’re looking to attract, and they’ve geared their accessories appropriately. On the G6, nothing is as appropriate as the GTO-style recessed grilles; available in chrome, primer, and numerous colors, with the possible exception of their matching lower grille-fascia inserts. They’re really slick. I’d want them.

On a GT Coupe, I’d also want the “hammerhead” rear spoiler, which is much swoopier and better integrated than the one shown on the G6 GXP concept. Hot. Yeah, there are also wheels and some other stuff. The one thing missing is a similar collection of body-colored headlight bezel inserts. On a G6 Coupe, I’d have to have the chrome headlamp bezels painted body-colored, like on the C6. Then I’d be cool and get girls.

The updated Pontiac website offers a nice 360-degree simulation of accessories choices pictured on their vehicles.

Handling and the G6 Landscape

I've spent a lot of quality time behind the wheel of the GTP 3.9L/AT coupe, and I enjoyed it for its abundant power, lusty big-bore music, and its efficiency in straightening corners. I wasn't particularly thrilled with other aspects of the GTP's handling, especially by its behavior at the limit.

For 2007, the G6 Sedan, with the Sport Package, enjoys better handling than its predecessor, and better than the 2006 GT and GTP. Let me explain.

The biggest improvement is in the switch from the fuel-saving electronic power steering (EPS) to a traditional hydraulic-pump assist. The hydraulic assist replaces EPS in the 2007 G6 Sedan/Sport Package and 2007 G6 GT.

EPS really isn’t all that bad, but its intrinsic lack of vital feedback, from the car, wheels, and road, limited the 2006 G6 V6 to being a “sporty” sedan rather than a sport sedan. The hydraulic assist on the 2007 G6 Sedan/Sport Package goes a long way toward giving the car a true personality.

The 2006 model showed eagerness and heart, but not much soul beyond the pleasant and the benign. The hydraulic steering assist makes the 2007 G6 Sedan feel noticeably wider, more solid, and more responsive. It's now an honest-to-goodness value sport sedan that fully involves and rewards the driver.

Versus the GTP

The G6 feels fairly heavy, brawny if you will, due to its huge steering wheel, but that weight is reassuring in the light of its long wheelbase and high moment of inertia. Hydraulic power steering makes the G6 feel wider, more stable, and more confident than its predecessor.

It lacks the deft fingertip-flickability of its Epsilon-bodied cousin, the Saab 9-3, but the setup now communicates the influence of the long wheelbase on the front wheels' intentions. It's still going to understeer at the limit, but those limits are appreciably high, and now they won't sneak up on you as in the overconfident GTP.

The G6 Sedan's qualitative agility advantage over the 2006 GTP lies in the lighter 17-inch aluminum wheels, and their ability to more effectively communicate the car's tendencies and limitations.

The 2007 G6 Sedan/Sport Package feels more spry than the ’06 GTP, whose 18” wheels felt almost too large, and dumb to the point of feeling “dubbed.” Those big wheels are more than happy to suddenly snap back to center when I relax my grip on the steering wheel. Muted feedback and tremendous straight-line stability are the qualities that conspire to make the GTP feel confident beyond its abilities.


2007 G6's with 17" wheels might not have the same quantitative limits, or quite the same visual impact, but their level of informed control is superior. Knowing what the car is doing, and what it can do, are much easier to ascertain in the 17" G6 models. On-center feel and steering linearity all show improvement with the 2007 G6 Sedan/Sport Package, especially in comparison to the 2006 GTP, whose lack of steering linearity can be a major concern. When the 18" wheels bite, they bite hard, even unexpectedly.


I hope I've made my case. For 21 grand, the G6 Sedan/Sport Package is now an involving and capable vehicle to experience, and it now offers more feedback and fewer vices than the GTP.

Versus the G6 GT

Handling is identical in the 3.5L 2007 G6 GT, but the GT’s higher price is harder to justify. The only clear advantage is Driver Shift Control. Romps in the ’06 GTP 3.9AT led me to appreciate DSC in the 4-speed automatic. I like the fact that, in the 4-speed, two-gear downshifts are usually unnecessary, and the electronically controlled gearbox does a very nice job of picking the right instant to downshift with minimal torque-converter surge. Subtleties in weight transfer are thus much easier to control in the GT than in the G6 Sedan/Sport Package.

Beyond DSC, the 2007 GT only allows you to pick more options and higher prices. I'm not sure it's all that necessary, especially since I don't particularly like the look of the GT's "five-leaf-clover" chrome tech wheels. I like the GT’s Sun and Sound package, with its 6-cd changer and Monsoon speakers, but I don’t really see the need to spend two grand more just for the opportunity to buy it. I’d rather take a single CD, 6 speakers, and a lower price tag on a better looking car, or just go full-out and get the GT/Sport Package, with its 3.9L V-6, 6-speed manual, and maybe swap out the 18" wheels for a set of the lesser G6's 17's.


The Armchair Executive

The 4T45E is reliable, and that speaks louder than an extra ratio in a $21,000 car. I’ve always liked it, to the point that I even bought one (in my 2002 Malibu). I’ve found that, with the V-6 engine, it works well and its electronic shift algorithm gives ample opportunity for driver control through the gas pedal.

In a fanciful dream world, where Garth Marenghi is the world’s greatest writer and we’re all vice-presidents in charge of product, we’d ask for more gears in an equally reliable transaxle. Saab outsources 5-speed automatics from Aisin-Warner in its 9-3 2.0T’s, and GM already puts Saab manuals in the torquey Cobalt SS/SC. Pontiac has done a great job of fixing the G6’s lack of sport, but sportier transaxles would be icing on the cake.

The only area in which its age, and its missing ratio, shows is fuel economy, and even then not by much. Last year’s G6 V6 sedan was rated at 32 mpg on the highway, and that was due to a taller final drive. I’m also not sure that it makes much of a difference beyond EPA estimates, but the lower mileage numbers on the window sticker will cost the G6 some sales.

I know that the G6 is driver-focused, but it shouldn't take a Nobel Academy scientist to discover a G6 with a power passenger seat. I doubt I'd ever sit in it, but still.

Wrapping Up

The lower fuel economy ratings are a shame. Hopefully the vastly improved driving dynamics will compensate. Even then, I’m not sure. As much as I advocate against “numbers engineering,” EPA mileage estimates are a hot button with car buyers these days.

Furthermore, the press tends to review only the top of the line models of any given vehicle. The public seeks more value, and the sub-GT G6 has it in spades, and I hope that this article helps to give it the credit it deserves. For the type of money that Pontiac is asking for its entry-level V-6’s, family-friendly sport sedans just don’t get much better, if at all.

Thanks for reading. Please read it again while I chop these onions into the giant cooking pot you’re sitting in. If the water starts to bubble, you needn't worry unless the water is still cool. Then I’ll put the lid on.

You gassy jerk.

Insane W. Ghrankenstein

[stevecmh]

i really like the G6 coupe. I want one so bad.. Its nice to see the 3.6L. I hope its sales keep raising.

[telo]

Good, well rounded, "Real" review. I like it. Worse fuel economy though? What was GM thinking? That's all buyers look for now adays (well top 3 things anyways). I'm off to the G6 website to check out the accessories.

[Aromanances]

The 3.5 vvt gets better and better. What is the need for the thirster 3.9. Also why not replace the 3800 with the 3.5. The 3800 has fallen way behind in the last 8/10 years.

[camaro chris]

my cousin has an new G6. he loves it. very nice car

[jfnz24]

Very thorough review...enjoyed reading it.

[91 s-10baja]

That was a fun read!

[peccles]

You are right the reduced fuel economy (10%) is a shame. That hyraulic steering must be a real dog to reduce it that much. GM should be able to make EPS with a good feel. BMW has gone to EPS for the 335i and the Lexus LS460 will have it.

[Hunter]

its great that Pontiac keeps updating this car every year

[tama z71]

Good review, man. Nothin better than a writer willing to insult his readers. Good stuff, indeed.

[DuSpinnst]

With the G5 do we really need a G6 Value Leader version of the 2.4?

Hell do we even need the 4 banger in the G6 at all?

I don't think we do. I think the G6 should be a V6 only car (like the Aura) especially because it has the G5 below it.

Leave the budget 4 banger for Chevy.

[Carver]

Originally Posted by DuSpinnst

With the G5 do we really need a G6 Value Leader version of the 2.4?

Hell do we even need the 4 banger in the G6 at all?

I don't think we do. I think the G6 should be a V6 only car (like the Aura) especially because it has the G5 below it.

Leave the budget 4 banger for Chevy.

But some folks insist on 4 doors, which the G5 doesn't have; or they insist on more space, which only the G6 can give them.

The Aura has a different image though, they did the right thing giving the base Aura a 6 (the upcoming hybrid is an acceptable exception).

[Hoosier Red]

Interior - fix the interior. Especially the center stack and console. Also, make sure the GT has a leather steering wheel. My goodness, my 1996 Chevy Blazer LS with cloth seats had a leather steering wheel.

[01cavalier]

I had a G6 GT for a weekend about a year and a half ago, it was a nice car. I would have appreciated the extra horsepower, for sure. The gas mileage for me was between 26 and 27 with mostly city and 2-lane highway driving in a hilly area. My only real complaint was the front seats, long drives hurt my back, hopefully they fixed that. Make a 5 or 6 speed manual available, and I'd really want to have one. I don't want to jump up to the 3.9 to get a manual.

[GotAWD]

Originally Posted by Ghrankenstein

I've tried to make this as clear as possible, but at some point somebody's going to get confused. If that happens to be you, don't worry. You might be a little dull, but I still think you're pretty cool.

i think its work that burnt me out today because i seem to be finding many a things funny. this statement being one of them.

all in all it was a good review. and its good to see that GM is listening to the consumer and improving on their products.