Very true, the shape of the car is a part of the problem. Maybe more aggressive GFX or something would do some good.

 

I won't call it ugly, except for the wheels.

I will say that it looks like a more boring version of a 1997 Grand Prix 2 door. Face it, we can't have the same look for 9 model years. The GTO looks very stale. Also, if you squint hard enough, you can see the rear end of a Nissian Sentra SE-R, and the side windows look like a Cavalier. It doesn't seem orginal to me at all.

I think they should have called this car the Monaro, because that is what it is. It isn't a GTO, the only American part in it is the V8. And the styling isn't in your face American, its more conserative European.

 

Why does American have to mean "in your face"? A single word synonym for "in your face" is "obnoxious".

Most of the historical GTO's (The Judge being a notable exception) were not "in your face".

You know, Pontiac deleted their cladding from newer models in an attempt to clean up the styling of their cars. I think they succeeded, and the GTO falls into the newer style.

It's not a car that draws lots of attention to itself, and it wasn't meant to be. It was really aimed at being a sort of 645i or CLK500 that was affordable to the common buyer.

If the GTO did have "in your face American styling", people would have criticized it for that (probably different people). I think GM can't win here. I doubt it really makes a difference to sales -- many of the complainers would not have bought one anyway, and they would have lost sales to those who like the GTO the way it is.

 

the 93-02 Firebirds/Trans Ams didn't have body cladding, and were very in your face, love me or hate me type of look. I'll agree that body cladding does suck and looks tacky, but you can design a very aggresive car without using it.

I think a lot of people are let down by the GTO because it didn't follow the same formula for styling that the old Trans Ams did. The old formula was make it look like nothing else on the road. Now we have the GTO that looks like everything else on the road.

 

The best part about all the GTO bashers is.... when Holden had Monaro, and there was no GTO.... a lot of these GTO bashers were crying and crying "Why do the other countries always get all the good stuff"?!?!?

 

So true, that is all you heard before the Monaro was imported and named GTO. Makes one wonder how the car would have been received by enthusists had it been named Pontiac Monaro.

This is the only Lumina the GTO/Monaro shares styling ques with

 

Ya, I'll always wonder that... or even just another name all together.

Personally, I still don't see anywhere that the car strays from what a GTO really is short of a few things.

1) Not assembled in USA (though lots of cars have gone that way, including Camaro and Firebird, Monte Carlo and Impala, etc etc...)

2) It is it's own model (ie. not an upgrade to Tempest... would be like "Z28" coming back on it's own without a Camaro)

3) I can sort of see the hood scoop arguement since it was a trademark part of all previous GTO's... this has been rectified now though.... and you can even delete them, so people who don't like them can still get that "clean" look...

 

If I can say this without creating a firestorm...I think the problem that some folks have with the GTO is that by and large, it looks like any other Pontiac mid-size sedan from the past few years. That can be considered good or bad depending upon your point of view.

For example....you see what is obviously a Pontiac something coming up/down the road. After a second or two (or a few seconds or whatever), you see that styling que that tells you that it is a GTO.

Contrast that to something like a Vette or a Firebird or a Camaro or the new Mustang. The very instant you see it - you know what it is.

Again - not trying to say that is either good or bad, just my appraisal of the perception of some (most?) normal folk.

 

I think that is a 100% totally acurate assesment of the situation.

 

The 4th Gen was an evolution of the third gen. The Storm was also styled after the 3rd Gen, so the Storm was styled to mimic a Camaro.

 

Very true. And this is no different now than back in '64 when the GTO looked like a Grand Prix, Catalina, Bonneville, etc. They all looked the same but nobody bitched about it then. Now all of sudden its different?
The normal run of the mill GTO was nothing spectacular. For some reason, people think the Judge was how all of them looked like

 

I agree with that too. 40 years ago, times were different. I think the modern perception of the early GTOs is that they were rip-roaring, unique, muscular cars - which they were in some respects. However, when you go to a car show, you typically see GTOs, Chevelle SSs, etc - and gawk over the style, class, muscular look. You don't see near as many regular Tempests (or Chevelles, but more of those), thus our perception of the GTO is that it was, as stated, a very unique vehicle.

Doesn't mean the perception is right - but perception in the eyes of the perceiver is reality to that person.

 

Even I have said this before, and I am DEFINATELY NOT a fan of retro...

BUT....

I think the GTO name was one of the few that could have been brought back as a retro styled car, and not caused any controversy over it... quite the opposite, it would have avoided a lot of the controversy it is receiving today.

The car was GONE for 30 YEARS... that is much different than bringing back a retro Camaro (or Mustang) IMHO...

But, it's water under the bridge... and I don't think what they did was "wrong", but I could have more readily accepted a retro-GTO than I would a retro-Camaro.

 

Hmmmm..... maybe I should trade the Mustang in for a new GTO.

 

Back in 1964 Pontiac's lineup didn't suck like it does today. The GTO looks similar to a Sunfire or Grand Am, two cars that I will go out on a limb and say that they suck. The public's general perception of these two cars is not a very good one. So, if the GTO looks similar to these cars, then the general perception amongst ignorant car people is that the GTO sucks(which of course it doesn't, its actually a very nice sports car)