Review: 2009 Pontiac G3

[AndrewGS]

I already know what you're thinking. I mean, it's the worst of GM's rebadging offenders and one of GM's least liked cars. It's an orphan to the proud, storied, dying brand that once proclaimed "We Build Excitement", yet it couldn't be less exciting.

But you know what? I looked at it from a value standpoint and I was impressed.

I was at my PBG-Hummer dealer having a new stereo head unit installed on my sister's 2007 G6 and decided to pass the time examining one of the least liked cars in America, the lowly Pontiac G3. The car I chose was the only manual out of the seven on the lot, a car with zero options and an MSRP of $14,995.

As I grabbed the key I was reminded that this is a simple automobile. No keyless entry, no remote start, no cool switchblade key, just a piece of nickel-plated brass with a plastic head. After unlocking the car with the key, getting in and reaching over to unlock the passenger's door to let my brother-in-law in, we noticed that the car had plenty of room up front for both of us, and we're both big guys. He owns a 2006 Ford Focus sedan and we felt the G3 matched the Focus in comfort and had almost as much room. We settled in and adjusted the seats, mirrors, steering column and stereo, noting that everything was within reach and clearly marked. The driver's seat is eight-way adjustable if you include the lumbar support. The plastics used inside vary in texture and all seemed good enough for this class of car except some of the plastic around the center stack that seemed to scratch very easily. It would be nice to have thicker, softer-touch plastics, but that would mean more weight and a higher price.

As I set off, I noticed that the gear shift was accurate, but felt a bit rubbery and had longish throws. The clutch was nicely weighted for an economy car though, and I found it easy to get used to. Driving around the suburban streets I felt the steering was nicely weighted and accurate, but lacked feel. The brakes were affective and nicely weighted, but like the steering, didn't give you any feedback. The 106HP 1.6L ECOTEC and it's 105FT-LB of torque proved to be enough power to pull the little G3 around the suburbs as well as pulling out onto a busy highway and merging onto the freeway. It never felt underpowered or poorly geared. Once on the freeway and running at 65MPH it felt steady and comfortable. The suspension felt nicely sprung and damped, never feeling bouncy or bottoming out. On regular streets it handles fine, but more sway bar would be nice for higher-speed cornering when you're trying to beat the lights and save fuel. The only abnormal noise was a little buzz from the rear, but this car still wore all of it's plastic shipping protection and could have contributed to it. Still, it made fewer noises than the 2009 Vibe I had for a couple of days last December.

After the thirty-minute drive we felt that the seats were comfortable and supportive, more so, I think, than my brother-in-law's Focus' seats. The armrests were useless, however, as we were too tall. The manual window cranks are out of the way of your legs, but easy to reach and use. The manual door lock knobs are located on the top edge of the door panels and are easy to reach. I was able to comfortably enter and sit in the rear seat with the front seat in my normal driving position. The adjustable rear headrests also did their job for me in their highest position. The rear seat folds and tumbles to create more cargo room when you need it, but with the rear seats in place you should be able to get your daily cargo in and out easily. A removable cargo cover that folds up out of the way with the hatch is standard.

We both thought the exterior styling was decent for an economy car with just enough chrome and nice use of color-coding, but the 'Insert Desired Division Here' grille and wheel covers with gray plastic fake lug nuts screamed cheap. The Pontiac also comes with a rear spoiler to help identify the division's sporty pretensions.

Standard features include remote-adjustable exterior rear view mirrors (you don't have to reach outside), a day/night interior rear view mirror, dual visor vanity mirrors, rear window defroster and wiper/washer, variable-intermittent wipers, tachometer, tilt steering column, floor mats, passenger assist handles, sunglasses holder, OnStar, dual front and side airbags, fog lamps, remote fuel door release, clock, AM/FM/CD stereo with six speakers, air conditioning and a real horn instead of the usual cheap, Asian "meep" unit. It does, however, lack ABS, ESP and curtain airbags. The standard warranty is 3YR/36,000MI Bumper-To-Bumper, 5YR/100,000MI Powertrain and 6YR/100,000MI Corrosion. It also comes with 5YR/100,000MI Roadside Assistance and one year of OnStar.

I talked price with my salesman, who snickered when I told him the VIN of the car I needed the keys to, and he informed me that $2,000 in Bonus Cash is available. This means I could easily buy this car for $12,500. Add in a $4,500 CARS rebate and it's $8,000. For that kind of money, my brother-in-law and I both felt that it was a good little car. I wouldn't buy one with any options though, because as the price creeps up, better cars come into play, like the Honda Fit.

It's not a Pontiac, but in the same sense that the Vibe isn't a Pontiac either. I would buy one for it's value, but the Chevrolet Aveo offers similar value without further diluting Pontiac's image. The only advantage the G3 has over the Aveo 1LT are it's standard Fog Lamps and Rear Spoiler, but it's also available though the Pontiac/Buick/GMC channel of dealers and that may be of benefit to some. Just don't get offended when the salesman smirks or snickers when you tell them which car you want to look at.

At the very least, with the manual, it's capable of lightin' up the tires like a Pontiac should be.

[Buick61]

$15,000 MSRP!!! Good Gravy. I was at a Saturn Pontiac Buick Chevrolet GMC dealer last weekend, and they had a G3 for $18,000!

Did I read that right? You went on a thirty minute test drive? Did you tell them in advance you'd be gone that long? How many miles did you rack up on that car? Did they know you had no interest in purchase?

I'd feel real guilty about putting miles on and using the gas in a car I really wasn't considering. Especially one still in its shipping clothes.

[AndrewGS]

Originally Posted by Buick61

$15,000 MSRP!!! Good Gravy. I was at a Saturn Pontiac Buick Chevrolet GMC dealer last weekend, and they had a G3 for $18,000!

Yep. At MRSP it's a no-go, but at $12,500 it's a value. You can load one up to $19,780 before accessories, and that's nuts for this car. That's why I say it's only a deal if you get it bare.

Did I read that right? You went on a thirty minute test drive? Did you tell them in advance you'd be gone that long? How many miles did you rack up on that car? Did they know you had no interest in purchase?

I'd feel real guilty about putting miles on and using the gas in a car I really wasn't considering. Especially one still in its shipping clothes.

Yep. I've been a good customer and send them sales, so they let me test drive pretty much whatever I want. I don't take advantage though, I've only gone on four non-sales test drives this year, including the G3. The others were me showing my father the G8 GXP and showing my sister and her husband the Sierra and Yukon, which might actually lead to a sale one day. I only took the G3 out for so long to really give it a proper test since they've only sold two of them since they've been on sale.

They know that if I'm impressed that I'll give the product a fair assessment and recommend them to others.

That said, I wanted to hate it and both my salesman and I had a bit of a laugh at the car, but I truly think it's a good value. If you've noticed lately, I'm not forgiving GM for their stupidity any longer, so their products have to earn my respect again.

[eurohazard]

Thanks for the nice review! I think it's a decent car for what it is. But hey, I'm not in the market for a little econo box either.

[longislander]

My nephew picked one up during the "72 Hour Sale", taking advantage of 72 month financing at 0% and a substantial discount off MSRP so with Auto Trans, ABS, Power Windows/Locks, Cruise Control and XM Radio, drove away in a very well-equipped and rather handsome looking Urban Grey G3 for $201 a month, including sales tax. That was a great deal and the car is surprisingly nicely finished inside and out, and rides very comfortably for such a small car.

[johnstarnes]

Why do so few people buy it then?

[ne_one]

Originally Posted by johnstarnes

Why do so few people buy it then?

It's a pretty tough market segment and the brand is extinct.

I'm not clear why either model gets slagged so badly - particularly for the interior. However, as the consensus is that a replacement needs to be significantly better we can hopefully look forward to new generation.

[bradyholt]

$15,000 just isn't close to a good deal for a car with no options. It's not a bad car, but it's a poor value for the money.

[longislander]

Originally Posted by bradyholt

$15,000 just isn't close to a good deal for a car with no options. It's not a bad car, but it's a poor value for the money.

Didn't you read about the cash-back incentives, or the 0% financing ? That brings the price down dramatically from $15,000, which makes it a GOOD value for the money.

[AndrewGS]

Originally Posted by johnstarnes

Why do so few people buy it then?

Most people don't know it exists. Those that do probably get scared off my the MSRP which is only $455 less than the Honda Fit which comes with full power accessories, curtain airbags, active head restraints, ABS and a fuel economy display. The difference is that you'll be paying MSRP for the Fit.

Originally Posted by bradyholt

$15,000 just isn't close to a good deal for a car with no options. It's not a bad car, but it's a poor value for the money.

At $15,000 I'd agree, but when you can buy the car for $12,500 it's a different story. GM are pricing their vehicles too high and they require these incentives and discounts to become viable. If they'd just price the cars accordingly instead of relying on rebates and promotions they might actually sell more cars.

[Buick61]

Originally Posted by johnstarnes

Why do so few people buy it then?

Poor MPG
mediocre crash test ratings
abysmal resale value
no stability control
lackluster reviews
low JD Power scores for initial quality, predicted reliability, and performance and design
Ranked 31 out of 33 for small cars by US News & World
and I'm pretty sure Consumer Reports gave it the kiss of death.

[jAustin]

You might as well go buy a used car... anyone can do what I did and buy any mid-90s FWD V6 GM sedan loaded, in good condition, with 100k miles or less for under $2000... I would easily take my $1000 Ciera over a new Aveo/G3 if it didn't have air conditioning.

[longislander]

Originally Posted by jAustin

You might as well go buy a used car... anyone can do what I did and buy any mid-90s FWD V6 GM sedan loaded, in good condition, with 100k miles or less for under $2000... I would easily take my $1000 Ciera over a new Aveo/G3 if it didn't have air conditioning.

And you undoubtedly came to this conclusion after an exhaustive test drive.

[AndrewGS]

Originally Posted by Buick61

Poor MPG
mediocre crash test ratings
abysmal resale value
no stability control
lackluster reviews
low JD Power scores for initial quality, predicted reliability, and performance and design
Ranked 31 out of 33 for small cars by US News & World
and I'm pretty sure Consumer Reports gave it the kiss of death.

The only competitor that gets better fuel economy, at least on paper, is the Yaris, and I'd gladly give up a few MPG not to drive one of those. As for the rest, they're all valid points. But, for $12,500, I still think it's a deal.

Originally Posted by jAustin

You might as well go buy a used car... anyone can do what I did and buy any mid-90s FWD V6 GM sedan loaded, in good condition, with 100k miles or less for under $2000... I would easily take my $1000 Ciera over a new Aveo/G3 if it didn't have air conditioning.

Then you don't have the assurance of a warranty. I, too, own a mid-'90s GM car and I now need to spend more than what I paid for the car on rebuilding the suspension and brakes. This is after spending half as much as I paid for the car having the transmission rebuilt four years ago. I've also already run into an instance where there are no replacements for certain parts.

Newer used cars with either remaining factory or aftermarket warranties would be an option as there are lots of 3-5 year-old cars on the market for $12,500 or less, but if you want a simple car that no one else has owned or possibly wrecked, the basic G3 with discounts is an option.

I also found out that the Aveo only has $1,000 Bonus Cash, so the G3 is a better deal than the Aveo at the moment.

[andretti]

So with Pontiac gone, should the G3 become a Buick or a GMC?