[PontiacPIMP]

Yeah, they do.

I definitely like the rear of the G5 better than the Cobalt. I never thought the round taillights looked like they belong.

It's strange that on the Sedan of the Cobalt I don't like the taillights much, but on the Coupe they look good IMO.

So gimme a Cobalt front w/a G5 rear. LOL

It sure seems simple enough to do it on your own.

I think the G5 should've gotten dark taillights like the GTO. But, the Cobalt sedan lights like pretty good on it.

 

[boblutzfan]

Ok - now I am really pissed at GM/Pontiac. Since the watchful eyes of the many GM fans noticed that the picture on the G5 website had a picture of a four door G5 interior (as noticed by the four window switches) I decided to email Pontiac and inquire about this. This is the text that I sent Pontiac on 05/26/06:

"Why do you show four window switches in the new website for the 2007 Pontiac G5? Isn't the US Spec 2007 G5 a coupe? It seems as though the Pontiac Marketing group has dropped the ball again. The last time was with the photo shopped Pontiac G6 coupe. Please - I love GM and want to see them succeed - but goofs like this call into question your expertise."

This is the reply I got on 06/03/06:

Thank you for contacting Pontiac and for your interest in the Pontiac G5! General Motors would like to apologize for the delay in responding to your email inquiry. Your email is very important to us and we regret any inconvenience that this may have caused. We are only able to find one interior photo of the G5 on the website, and the controls are for a coupe. The photo may be a bit deceiving because of the heated seat, power mirrors and power door lock controls.

To obtain more information regarding the G5, please visit www.pontiac.com or contact your preferred dealership. While you are at the dealership, we recommend you take a test drive. There is nothing like a test drive to help make that ultimate purchase decision!

We hope that this information answers your questions. If you need additional information or have further questions, please let us know via email or by calling Pontiac at 1-800-762-2737, between 8:00 AM-11:00 PM Eastern Time, seven days per week. Again, thank you for contacting Pontiac!

Sincerely,

Justin Thrall
Customer Relationship Manager
Pontiac

After reading this email I went out to the G5 website and sure enough - the picture of the G5 interior with the four window switches is gone replaced by one of a coupe. Instead of just admitting the mistake and fixing it - Justin tries to make it seem like I don't know what I am talking about or looking at? Give me a freaking break!!! I know what the difference between seat heaters and window switches is.

I have now emailed him the picture that has the four window switches circled to better enlighten this arogant guy. I think all the GM fans that want to see GM get off their buts and change should email this guy and demand honesty from America's largest auto maker. If they can't even admit a small mistake like this - then how in the hell are they going to make the tough decision needed to fix their product line?

Could someone with some photo skills post the new picture and the old side by side so that the folks can see the difference?

Thanks.

 

[NoStopN]

Well, I checked the Pontiac site today. I was curious. The G5 is now a part of the overall website & not a pop-up window like it was before. They need to stop taking so many pictures in dark studios.

 

[boblutzfan]

The more I look at the G5 - the better it looks. Better than the cobalt in my opinion. I imagine that this will sell well - and GM needs it right now. I know, I Know - it is a shameless rebadge. But with gas prices like they are - GM needs all the high mileage vehicles they can get their hands on. This also gives Pontiac a entry level car to sell to the folks who come in to look at the sharp solstice and then realize that it isn't practical.

I hope this helps Pontiac without hurting the Cobalt sales too much.

 

[DuSpinnst]

The more information on the G5 that is released the more I find out it is a "niche rebadge"

It's a coupe only and it rebadges only 2 of the 6 coupe trims available on the Cobalt. I think it's the SS and the 3LT. This makes the Pontiac significantly less appealing to people looking for a "deal" (since these are the 2nd and 3rd highest trim levels on a Cobalt) and thus gives Pontiac a "bottom car" without encroaching too much on the Cobalt.

 

[Butz]

They should of gave it auto climate control and a navigation, that would of made it a bit worthwhile.

 

[Phillip]

They have much different sheet metal. There are very few differences on the exterior betweent the Cobalt and the G5. The interior is what should have been in the Cobalt on launch.

No to mention that their powertrains are brand-appropriate. Then again, there could be a GXP model in the future; I think a more performance-tuned chassis with the 2.0 DI turbo would make a good 'practical' cousin to the Solstice while its superior performance and slightly firmer nature would allow it to slot above the Cobalt SS. It could chase down, if not kill the Caliber SRT4, too...:

 

[gmhashope]

Anyone see the pic. of the G5 in MT's New Car Buyer Guide? It's the Pursuit sedan from Canada. The G5 GT looks pretty nice actually for a rebadge.

 

[DuSpinnst]

Anyone see the pic. of the G5 in MT's New Car Buyer Guide? It's the Pursuit sedan from Canada. The G5 GT looks pretty nice actually for a rebadge.

Yea MT messed that up. We don't get the sedan (THANK GOD).

 

[TahoeMikeZ71]

The "First Ever Pontiac G5" is on GMBuyPower.com now. I think the '07 Cobalt/G5's interior looks better with the new radio and steering wheel.

Here's the link of the "first ever G5" on GMBuypower.com

http://www.gmbuypower.com/vehicleHomePage.bp?null&year=2007&model=G5&modelId=108&make=Pontiac&makeId=002&sellingSource=16

 

[nadepalma]

This was on InsideLine today...thought I'd post:

Source: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=116312

Dealer Love: 2007 Pontiac G5 To Grace Showroom Floors
Date posted: 07-27-2006

Pontiac will appease U.S. Pontiac fans (and dealers) with the 2007 G5, the near-identical sibling of the Chevrolet Cobalt. (Photo courtesy of Pontiac)

DETROIT — Pontiac originally had no intention of offering its sibling version of the Chevrolet Cobalt — at least not in the United States.

But U.S. dealers apparently squawked that their Canadian counterparts were selling a Cobalt knockoff rebadged as the Pontiac Pursuit, and, voilà! A new Pontiac compact dubbed the G5 will grace the showroom floors of U.S. dealers this fall.

Spotting the differences between the G5 and its Chevy sibling is difficult, save for the telltale Pontiac twin grilles, as the two cars are virtually identical under the skin.

The base G5 coupe will come with a 148-horsepower 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine. The more robust DOHC 2.4-liter unit that powers the G5 GT will deliver 173 hp. Both engines can be fitted with either a Getrag 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed automatic.

The GT receives a boatload of equipment, including 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, sport-tuned suspension, 17-inch painted aluminum wheels, sport rocker moldings, chrome exhaust tip, foglamps, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls and a leather-wrapped shift knob.

The base G5, however, will be nicely furnished, with standard air-conditioning, power windows and locks, carpeted floor mats and a CD player.

Prices will be announced closer to the car's introduction.

What this means to you: Detroit can't seem to break itself of the badge-engineering habit. "Just this last time. Just this last time. I promise."

 

[nadepalma]

What this means to you: Detroit can't seem to break itself of the badge-engineering habit. "Just this last time. Just this last time. I promise."

As much as I hate to admit it, this was the best line of the article. It's really true though. As much as I want GM to succeed, they can't have simple rebadges like the mini-vans, the Cobalt/G5, Equinox/Torrent, moving foward unless they are substantial revisions (think Enclave/Acadia or G6/Malibu). They must look different and seem like they're from different companies.

Just my opinion of course.

 

[01sunfire01]

i really like the G5 that will be my next car after the sunfire i own quits on me. I'm hopeing they come out with a G5 GXP with the 2.0T in it thats the one i really like. i have test driven the G5 GT and the car was really nice it had everything in it you could think of. and the carbon dash trim looks real nice to.

 

[orioncanam]

blast from the past.......

Sun Sets On Sunfire In June; Pontiac Has No Sub Planned

Automotive News
January 24, 2005
By Rick Kranz

DETROIT - General Motors will kill the Pontiac Sunfire in June, which could leave Pontiac without an entry-level car for two years or longer.

Pontiac-GMC Marketing General Manager Jim Bunnell says there is no plan to replace the Sunfire. The automaker is looking at several options, including an import priced below the Vibe.

"There is nothing planned in the foreseeable future, in the next 18 to 24 months" to replace the Sunfire, Bunnell says. "It will be some time after that if we were to figure out something that would make sense for us."

He says GM is "just laying out options," including the possibility of an import. "We are going to look at the entire portfolio within GM," he says, "including our opportunities overseas."

Pontiac has declined to sell a U.S. sister car to the Chevrolet Cobalt, which is built on the Delta front-drive, small-car architecture. It does sell a Cobalt sibling, the Pursuit, in Canada. The Sunfire uses the same platform as the old Chevrolet Cavalier.

If GM adds a vehicle, Bunnell says, it would have to reflect the Pontiac brand in performance and content: "We are not interested in badge engineering."

Bunnell says there is debate within GM as to whether Pontiac needs a vehicle priced below the Vibe. GM likely will weigh Vibe sales for 2005 and part of 2006 before deciding.

Pontiac sold 58,894 Vibes in 2004, up 3.5 percent from 2003. That vehicle and a sister vehicle, the Toyota Matrix, are assembled by NUMMI, a GM-Toyota partnership in Fremont, Calif.

The base Vibe costs $17,690, including destination.
Pontiac sold 36,095 Sunfires in 2004, a 17.2 percent drop from 2003. The base 2005 Sunfire coupe costs $11,460 including transportation. A Sunfire sedan is not offered.



Peel Off Nameplate This Is A Chevrolet

 

[E. Haskell]

The G5 looks better than the Cobalt. The picture above kinda looks like an RSX.

 

[boblutzfan]

Is the G5 a blatant rebadge? Yes.

Will it help Pontiac sales while they figure out the future direction of the brand? Yes.

It fits in better than the terrible Pontiac minivan or Torrent rebadge and has a better interior than the Gran Prix (in terms of clean design).

I regret that GM succumb to the rebadge temptation - but for all the other good platform engineered projects out now and on the drawing board - I won't hold it against them.

 

[Elk]

I regret that GM succumb to the rebadge temptation - but for all the other good platform engineered projects out now and on the drawing board - I won't hold it against them.

I do. As it has been pointed out over and over GM said that Pontiac’s new compact wasn’t going to be a rebadge.

Nobody was expecting a completely new car, but GM had 2 years to come up with a new front end and some new headlights and they did nothing. It’s not like coming up with a new front end is a major engineering project.

 

[boblutzfan]

I do. As it has been pointed out over and over GM said that Pontiac’s new compact wasn’t going to be a rebadge.

Nobody was expecting a completely new car, but GM had 2 years to come up with a new front end and some new headlights and they did nothing. It’s not like coming up with a new front end is a major engineering project.

I agree - they had plenty of time. But they didn't have plenty of resources. GM's engineering teams are stretched thin getting the all new product to the street. Other tasks that needed the attention of the engineers were the GMT-900s, Zeta, Aura, Malibu and Lambda's. The Cobalt is nearly halfway through its life cycle and we all know that it will get significant attention for 2008 and will be the subject of a major overhall for the 2010 model year. Why spend tons of money on a car that is that far along in the development cycle. GM's small car platform is in flux right now, with the future ION being canned and the increased focus on premium small cars - I expect GM to do some major rethinking on the next version - which at that time I expect the G5 to be significantly different from the Cobalt and Astra.

 

[Elk]

Why spend tons of money on a car that is that far along in the development cycle.

Were not talking about tons of money, were talking about 1 million max. And GM wouldn’t have had to do the work them self’s they could have easily contracted it out to a company that builds aftermarket body kits.

 

[boblutzfan]

Were not talking about tons of money, were talking about 1 million max. And GM wouldn’t have had to do the work them self’s they could have easily contracted it out to a company that builds aftermarket body kits.

Actually it would have been more than $1M since they already had the G5 developed under the Canadian Pursuit badge. All they had to design was the G5 badge to replace the Pursuit name. This was essentially a free car for Pontiac - since it already existed north of the border.

I understand and agree with you that the G5 could have been so much more. I just think the current engineering resources (which are more than money - they involve man hours of work) are better used on the new platforms they have under development. A successful Lambda, Aura and 2008 Malibu launch are much more important long term. I'm sure the G5 will be involved in the next generation Delta development to be more unique.