Review: Pontiac's G6 Convertible Is A Styling Knockout

[Ming]

Pontiac's G6 Convertible Is A Styling Knockout
By Steven Cole Smith, The Sentinel
7/29/2006
www.TheDay.com

Pontiac premiered the G6 convertible at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2005 to considerable fanfare, much of it generated by me, as I thought the car was a knockout. Executives suggested the car would be available that summer. It wasn't, and rumors of problems surfaced: After all, it's a lot more difficult to build a retractable hardtop than a conventional cloth-top convertible, and those rumors suggested that General Motors might even cancel the project.

It didn't. Quietly, the G6 convertible eased into showrooms this year, so quietly that its under-the-radar introduction seemed suspicious, the way movie studios send lousy films to the theaters without offering a preview for critics. So when a Pontiac G6 convertible test car showed up, well, I was sort of expecting “Monster-in-Law.”

I was wrong. (Not about “Monster-in-Law.” What was Jane Fonda thinking?) The Pontiac G6 convertible remains a knockout in its styling, with the top up or down. But I cycled the top up and down multiple times, waiting for a failure, and it never happened. I drove the car (top up, obviously) in an absolutely blinding thunderstorm, and it did not leak a drop. There's no denying that the top mechanism is complex, but on this car, at least, it worked as advertised.

Which is like this: Press a button, and wait. The trunk opens front-to-back, like a clamshell; the top unlatches itself from the top of the windshield, folds into two pieces, stows itself in the trunk, and then the trunk lid lowers. If it sounds just like a Mercedes-Benz SLK, well, it is. Beware, though, that it doesn't lower or raise quickly, so you'll want to put the top up before you drive into the thunderstorm.

The central downside is that trunk space, even with the top up, is just adequate, but with the top stowed, it's reduced to less than 2 square feet of room. A trip to the store, where we unexpectedly bought a lot of stuff, required that we lower the top part way, stick all the stuff we bought in the rear seat, then raise the top. No big deal. If you're looking for serious cargo capacity, you probably don't need to be buying anybody's convertible. Worth noting is that although the trunk lid opens from the front when it's stowing the top, it opens conventionally from the rear when you want access to the trunk.

Otherwise, there was nothing to complain about. The G6's utterly conventional 3.5-liter, 201-horsepower V-6 has a lot more personality than you would expect, and is nicely matched to a four-speed automatic transmission. EPA-rated fuel mileage is 19 miles per gallon city, 27 mpg highway, and I averaged almost 24 mpg. The 18-inch tires and wheels looked good, and the suspension is a nice compromise between sportiness and comfort.

I like the G6's interior and front seats, and was frankly surprised at how much room there was in the rear seat, where two actual adults fit better than you would think. With the top up, it becomes a structural component, so I wasn't expecting any cowl shake when driving over bumps and railroad tracks, and there wasn't. Commendably, even with the top down, the level of body integrity was pretty confidence-inspiring.

Complete Article (reg. required): http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=825...0-ee7e0037a1ed

[DuSpinnst]

Other than center stack I think it's a nice vert. I really wish the Saab 9-3 vert had that top on it.

[Murrow]

I think it's a nice looking car, but the black mirrors HAVE to go!

[plane]

Wow.
Now if GM could only build cars that garner reviews like this.

[mjd1001]

I have said to many friends about this car, you have to see it in person. Especially in Silver or Black, the car looks just great.

My only complaint is the powertrain once again. A 4 speed auto and an engine with barely over 200hp just don't do it with a car who's weight is closing in on 400 lbs.

We are planning on buying another car in January. If this had the same 6 speed auto and 3.6 that is going to be available in the G6 coupe...then I'm 95% sure we would be buying one of these.

Alas, it doesn't look like that is going to be the case. But for someone else who doesn't really want any performance in their car and just wants it to look good, this is a great looking convertible.

[TahoeMikeZ71]

I'am starting to really like this and the G6 Coupe. Ever since I saw a black G6 Coupe on the Pontiac commercial and a red G6 vert driving around, they have grown on me. I really like the Vert and Coupe in black.

[FoMoCo Fan]

Sorry, in my book this car is all out of proportion, and the hardtop roof with it's odd shape doesn't help matters. The wheelbase is too long, the hood too short, the roof too narrow for the flanks, the beltine is all off. GM can pull off GREAT designs, like the Sky, and Tahoe, but this isn't one of them. It will sell, but I think it just looks like automotive taffy (stretched in all odd directions).

[jbartley]

Originally Posted by mjd1001

I have said to many friends about this car, you have to see it in person. Especially in Silver or Black, the car looks just great.

My only complaint is the powertrain once again. A 4 speed auto and an engine with barely over 200hp just don't do it with a car who's weight is closing in on 400 lbs.

We are planning on buying another car in January. If this had the same 6 speed auto and 3.6 that is going to be available in the G6 coupe...then I'm 95% sure we would be buying one of these.

Alas, it doesn't look like that is going to be the case. But for someone else who doesn't really want any performance in their car and just wants it to look good, this is a great looking convertible.

I think GM can get away with the 4-speed and wimpy engine for this model year, b/c it will be in HOT demand, and limited supply.

For the 08MY they better have the 6-spd and at least 240//250HP on tap or they'll have a harder time competing with the uglier sebring and european Eos

[goblue]

This car was a great idea with terrible execution.

1) no integrated belts - so the front seat belts block access to the back like a piece of yellow police tape

2) Back seat has no armrests, so your shoulder is pressed into the hard plastic.

3) The trunk issue could have been fixed. 2 cubic feet is just wrong. I'm not asking for SUV proportions, but it should be able to hold a wheeled carry on bag and a daybag.

I gladly would pay an extra 2K for these appointments - and its a shame, the first two are addressed in the 9-3, which sits on epsilon as well.

Great idea, but suffers from the same flaws as the G6 + new ones that GM knows how to address and chose not to.

[JM9777]

Styling knockout? No doubt. Just like the G6 sedan and coupe.

Everything else about it? Mostly underwhelming. The lack of cargo space with the top down is a big issue. The Volvo C70 convertible, which doesn't cost all that much more, lets you motor raise the top slightly to access the trunk when the top is down. That feature can't cost very much, but the lack of it is a big inconvenience.

Same mediocre G6 interior, same mediocre powertrains, same medicore handling.

It just seems like GM was so focused on making it the least expensive hardtop convertible that too many compromises were made (other people have mentioned - no integrated front seatbelts, no rear armrests). I bet people looking to drop over $30K on a hardtop convertible would pay an extra couple thousand to have some of these features.

[01cavalier]

They are beautiful cars, that is for sure. The sedan is nice, the coupe looks great and the convertible is beautiful, top up or down. I can deal with the powertrain being the 3.5 and a 4-speed, they work pretty well together anyways. I have a few friends that want one, their biggest gripe is trunk space, not what kind of engine or transmission it has.

[M7Mayberry]

I drove a G6 for a week as a rental. It is a nice car. The 3.5 had plenty of power. The only problem is the interior seems to be made from one, large, piece of plastic. The 9-3 and the Aura have beautiful interiors. When does the G6 get one?

[mjd1001]

Originally Posted by 01cavalier

They are beautiful cars, that is for sure. The sedan is nice, the coupe looks great and the convertible is beautiful, top up or down. I can deal with the powertrain being the 3.5 and a 4-speed, they work pretty well together anyways. I have a few friends that want one, their biggest gripe is trunk space, not what kind of engine or transmission it has.

The engine is smooth and the 4 speed isn't noticably bad. But just remember, the hard top adds something like 300-400 lbs to the weight of the coupe.

With that extra weight (approaching 4000 lbs), the powertrain is rather week. Mind you it's not like the car can't get out of it's way or is unsafe to merge into traffic....just its acceleration is closer to base level Chevy Cobalts than it is to other cars in it's price range.

[paul3230]

I just wish GM could nail the interior as well as they nail the exterior.

[56 Starchief]

i wonder when G6 version 2.0 comes out?

EDIT: Oh, did this guy just say the engine was "nicely matched" to the "Reagan" 4 speed auto?