2007 Pontiac Grand Prix

2007 Pontiac Grand Prix

GM seems to have a lot of random brands, and no one seems to know what each brand is supposed to “specialize” in. If you look at Toyota, things are pretty simple; Toyota for the “normal” cars, Lexus for the “luxury” cars, and Scion for the “youth” cars. GM on the other hand have Chevy, which I’m no longer certain if it’s the normal car branch of GM or the cheap car branch; Cadillac, which is American luxury apparently; Saturn which used to be the cheap branch, but with the addition of rebadged Opels from Europe Saturns aren’t that cheap anymore; Buick… I really have no idea, maybe the less luxurious Cadillac; and GMC, which as far as I can tell are just all the Chevy trucks and SUVs sold with a different badge. Then we get to Pontiac. With the exception of the G8 and the old GTO, which are rebadged Holdens from Australia, Pontiacs are essentially Chevys with prettier bodies. There was a point in time when Pontiac was the sporting branch of GM, but honestly 90% of their line up is no sportier than a fat man eating chips.

The car I’m here to review today is quite ironically named. The Grand Prix name makes this car sound like it’s something quite special, and as if it would be more at home at Daytona, rather than a day trip, but that definitely isn’t the case…

Positives (sort of): Okay I’ll make this short, because there’s no other way to do it. Now, if you’re looking for a car so big that parking becomes a bit of an issue, this is a car to consider. The Grand Prix is incredibly cheap too, considering the size, and if you buy one you can tell your friends “Yes, I have an enormous car with an enormous trunk… which is quite practical for the family outing and I only paid about 20k.” These days, you’ll be lucky to get a well equipped Mini Cooper for 20k, but if you go with the Pontiac, you get what’s essentially a full sized sedan for the same money. However, in this instance it’s like being able to buy 20 pounds of oatmeal for $20; very filling and it can feed you for a long time, but most people would rather have a $20 steak instead.

Negatives: Since the Grand Prix is a sheer monstrosity on the outside, you really have to ask yourself why on earth the interior is so small. It’s far from being a squeeze festival but if you compare the interior space to the exterior dimensions of the car it’s astonishingly small. What’s worse is that the interior feels smaller than it really is. If you climb into a Camry, you get the feeling that you can swim inside the car, and that’s a good job considering the Camry is a smaller car!

Now if you’ve ever read a review I’ve written about a Toyota’s interior, you’ll see me use words like “quality,” “ergonomic,” and “well laid out,” but there’s no need for that vocabulary in the Grand Prix. The interior trim is simply appalling because it is made of plastics so cheap, that Barbie dolls suddenly think they have real breast. What makes it all worse is that Pontiac decided to make all the plastic bits a bit bumpy, which actually makes everything look even cheaper. Then there’s the layout of the dash itself, which is a mess. There’s air vents placed in a completely random fashion; there’s really small knobs and randomly placed buttons making it hard to make any mid-drive adjustments to the AC or radio; also, despite having a really large gauge cluster, the odometer readout is located on a separate display off to the right!

Well, enough about aesthetics and onto if the Grand Prix lives up to its sporting name… and oh dear… The one thing American cars usually have in the sporting department is power, and it’s no different with the Grand Prix. For the same money as a very basic Camry, 6, Altima, or Accord you get a large 3.8 liter V6 engine churning out 200 hp rather than a puny 2.3-2.5 liter I4. However, there’s a very good reason why GM can offer you a V6 for I4 money… this engine is plain crap. First off the fuel consumption is hilariously bad given the power rating… then, there’s the fact that Honda gets 190 hp out of the 2.4 liter engine in its Accord, which should make the folks at GM feel a bit embarrassed. Sure the Honda is down massively on Torque, but you have to remember, the Accord’s engine is smaller by 1.4 liters… and a 1.4 liter engine can make small European hatchbacks fly. What’s more is that the engine is really heavy and unsophisticated; add on the massive weight of the rest of the car and the Grand Prix will struggle to keep up with a Japanese mid-size sedan… of course if you get the GXP model with a big V8 the story will be a bit different, but so will the price.

I’m usually a proponent of handling rather than straight line speed, so perhaps the Grand Prix can claw back some points by proving to be more of an alpine handler rather than a dragster. Sadly, I’m going to have to say it can’t. I’ll be the first to admit that the Grand Prix is a better drive than a Camry… most things are… but compared to a 6, a sports car this isn’t. The reason for this is the fact that the Grand Prix has a big heavy engine over the front wheels and this really spoils the weight balance. In addition this enormous boat of a car is front wheel drive so the recipe for under steer is in the car’s design. I’m not going to talk about the steering and pedal feel because there isn’t any, so in all this isn’t an inspiring car to drive.

Conclusion: This review was a bit harsh because the Grand Prix isn’t a horrible car, but the problem is being okay doesn’t cut it anymore, especially when you can go and buy something better for around the same price. The only way the Grand Prix would make sense over an Accord or a 6 is if you like the idea that you can nearly jam a mattress in the trunk, or if for some reason you feel that a mid-size sedan just isn’t big enough and you only have around 20k to spend. However, if you want an utterly enormous sedan for cheap might I suggest the Ford Taurus instead?

Summary:

The Good: This car is properly big

The Bad: Size isn’t everything apparently…

Verdict: Well, if you want a large Pontiac… save up some money and get a G8!

Random stats:

Engine: 3.8 liter V6, 200 hp, 230 lb-ft torque

EPA Estimates: 18/26