Hey! It drove pretty nice. I was so turned off by the numb driving experience of the GT, that I wasn't expecting very much....but I was pleasantly surprised.

The steering box on the GTP is soooo much better than the GT. And the 3.9L is smooth and torquey. The six speed is fun also.

Ok, gotta get to work, I'll type more later.

 

you gotta give us the official Z284ever road test review on this one. a few friends of mine are just about in the market for new cars and are asking me for advice. i want to recomend the G6 GTP to one of them cause i think she'll really like with the 6spd. so whats the official verdict?????????

i'd love to hear from you and Jason E about this one

 

Well, to add my .02...

I love the car. Period. Pontiac salesman status regardless, I really, really like this car a lot. If Pontiac hadn't rid itself of its "Fuel for the Soul" campaign (the best tagline GM has had for any division since "The Heartbeat of America"), I could see this car, the GXP and the GTO carrying that banner proudly. Not to steal Charlie's thunder, but here is what I noticed when I first drove one...

The first thing you notice is the exhaust note when you start the car. Its not typical, sewing-machine GM 60 degree V6 sounding. Its low. Its a little deep. Its refined. Blip the throttle...its "Honda seamless" (god, I hate that term!!!). Push in the clutch, throw it in first, let the clutch out, and the first thing you notice is that this car is the easiest stick since an LT1 6 speed (anyone here who's driven an LS1 and LT1 back to back knows immediately what I'm referring to). No bogging, no shuddering. Just give the gas a light tap, and off you go. Shift around 3,500 or so, and you're moving quite nicely. Nail it in 2nd, and you'll notice around 2,800 RPMs is when the VVT first shows up. Its not turbo-lag or Toyota VVTLi hurtling, but if you pay distinct attention, you can feel a little more shove in your backside. Consult the literature, and you'll see that's when this little OHV marvel has its 241 lb/ft of peak torque No waiting until 4k like with most other GM engines (and 4,500+ in a lot of imports).

Enough of that crap. Mat it. Drop it in first, get rolling, nail it to 6,000 (hey, this is a new car...avoid redline ), throw it in second. Not only do you get a helluva bark from the front tires, you're hauling. 0-60 just went by in 6.6 seconds. Now the 2-3 shift is coming up. DAMN, that hurt (hit the linkage stop separating 1 from 3...OOPS!!). Ok, try that again. NOW you got it. The shifter is a bit notchy and imprecise, but spend 5-10 minutes with it, and you'll become a natural. I did the same thing the first time I shifted my Z28 hard (thankfully, I let off the gas enough between shifts both times to avoid hitting the limiter). Now in 3rd, you notice you're still hauling, and its seamless. Its quiet. Its quick as hell. And you're left wondering "why the hell didn't GM have a car like this a long time ago?"

Throw it in a turn. Its still a FWD car. Don't expect perfection (I made the unfortunate mistake of bringing this car AND a GXP through the same corners back-to-back...the GXP was first, and hands down better), but you marvel at the direct steering. The lack of lean. No howling response from the front tires (this on an all-season Eagle LS2 equipped car...there are 3 season "performance" tires available as a $150 option). It feels a little nose heavy, but hey...it is. You do however get a feeling of confidence from it. It doesn't understeer excessively. It doesn't have any bad manners. It sticks well.

Get done with your drive, and then sit in it for a minute. IMO, the interior detailing is excellent. Not perfect, but definitely high quality. The seats are comfy and have nice leather or cloth. The Monsoon stereo, while lacking in clarity, pounds with bass. The gague cluster is classy, with the chrome circles matching nicely those around the vents and the HVAC and radio *****. If its got the wood trim option, you'll swear its real.

In summary, I love cars with soul. This car has it, and is the only G6 that does IMO. The GT is great for people like my girlfriend, commuters who want style and comfort, and wannabes. The GTP is for those who can appreciate the difference between a car like that, and a driver's car.

I see no tangible benefit in performance in a G6 GT over my own Grand Prix. As a matter of fact, my car has better steering and doesn't seem to lean as much, despite being larger. The 3800 has more low-end torque, and is smoother than the 3500 in a G6 GT. A G6 GTP though? I can see a lot of reasons for me to move into that car. More power. Manual tranny. Superior handling. A G6 GT feels like an appliance. A sporty appliance, but still an appliance. A GTP though? Now we're talking...the car has soul.

I have to admit though, I would not buy a GTP. Why? There is one car, and one car alone I would sell a body part to be able to afford (and even that may not be enough for me at the moment)...and that is a Grand Prix GXP. I plan to start another thread about this shortly, but I convinced a close friend of my uncle's (and a 2 time buyer from me) to stop by this past weekend to check out a GXP. This man owns an early '80s El Camino that runs 11s, and has a Vortec ProCharged 5.3 '04 Silverado reg cab as a daily driver. He knows cars. One phrase came out of his mouth when he was done with his GXP test drive on Saturday...

"I'm seeing red..."

That's the same damn thing I said after my first drive, too Thank you Pontiac for giving me 2 glorious reasons to want to make my poor *** even poorer

 

Oh, and Charlie...

Not to say I told you so, but, uhm...

(I'll sell you one for invoice if you're willing to make the drive. The only condition is that you bring the SVT and trade it in, so I can keep it for a demo )

 

thanks for all the info Jason. i think i might have to make a fone call and get my friend to bring her "wifey" (he thinks cars are just A-B transportation, and it's her name for him) with us to the Ponmtiac dealer one night this week. her Cavalier won't last much longer.

 

Ummm...not to steal this thread or anything, but I've only driven a 99 LS1 6-speed. What's the difference of the feel you're talking about???

 

One piece of advice regarding buying a G6. Test EVERY powertrain she can afford. I4/AT. 3500/AT. 3500/AT with manu-shift (G6 GT). 3900/M6. 3900/AT. Each has a different attitude. The I4 seems more than competent...smooth, quiet and sufficiently powerful, until you drive the 3500 right thereafter. Not much quieter, but a helluva lot stronger off the line. Throw in the manu-shift with the GT, and it makes the appliance a little less so. 3900? I think I was clear on that one I will say, hooked to an AT the 3900 is still a ton of fun...but nothing beats the stick.

Good luck to you...and don't pay over $300 over invoice for any of them BTW, current Northeast incentives = $1,500 on all except 3500 equipped cars...those are $2,000. $500 of this was just added today.

Speaking of value pricing...ARGH. This is starting to **** me off. I'm all for selling more cars. But think about it...the '06s just hit the lot about 90 days ago. And we already have up to $2,000 off on a vehicle that just had the average MSRP lowered by $1k?????

So we're getting effectively $3,000 off a new G6 that isn't remotely left over yet?? Somebody needs to let the sales hit happen, and ween the patient off the crack pipe here...

 

An LT1? Let out the clutch, move forward...more or less. An LS1 takes more finesse...more modulation. I've NEVER stalled my Z28. Ever. And when I got it, I could barely drive a stick. I stall my dad's Formula moving it in the driveway. Its totally different in feel. An LT1 clutch pedal kicks back at you. An LS1 sorta hangs there, and says "yeah, I'll let out. Someday..."

Its night and day...its interesting to see the same tranny in 2 very similar cars feel so different.

 

I think I will either be getting a G6 GTP Coupe or Grand Prix GXP in the next 6 months. I want the G6 more because it is a two door and smaller....but it all depends on the rebate.

 

Hmmm...The hydraulics were upgraded for the 01 and 02 F-bodies. I'm still waiting for my clutch to wear out before I get the new equipment. 73k miles and counting. I need to do some more burnouts!! Early LS1's had a restriction in the hydraulics to ease tension on the tranny, but resulted in just tearing up the clutch faster.

This is my first manual car, well if I don't count the rental Fiat Punta...hehe. Clutch feel is a little vauge now though.

I'll have to try an LT1 M6 when a I get the chance...

 

Here is my take on the 3900/M6 combo in the G6.
The engine is smooth enough and does give off a good exhaust note as the revs climb. It is similar, but not quite as nice sounding as the Nissan VQ motors. The transmission has well defined gates with decently short throws, and a feather light clutch. I gotta disagree with Jason about the transmission being as easy as an LT1. Driving the two cars back to back, both launching and shifting smoothly was easier in the Camaro. Also I feel that 1st gear is a bit too tall, and because of it, the 1-2 spacing is less than ideal. Once you're in second though, the trans is near perfect. My one compaint about the powetrain is with the numb throttle pedal. I believe the GTP has an electronic throttle, and I find the throttle hard to modulate.

One more minor issue: Why do you have to be in Reverse to take the key out in the G6? My neighbor freaked out as he was driving behind my car while I unlocked it remotely. The exterior lights went on along with the reverse lights. He though I was backing up, and swerved out of the way even though I wasn't even in the car.

 

Well, in regards to the 3.9L powertrain in the GTP, I haven't driven one. . . But given the peppiness of the 3.5L in the malibu, and the extra hp & tq from the 3.9L and lower final drive ratio, I have a feeling that the automatic will run to 60mph in nearly 6.6 seconds.

I'm very curious what the 110lbs lighter (than a GTP sedan) Malibu SS will run it in. I'm banking on 0-60 in ~6.5 and the 1/4 in 14.8-14.9.

Mike

 

You know, if I wasn't locked into a used Mazda 3 next year (given that finances don't improve ) a 6-speed GTP coupe is the first on the list. That be a nice ride from Chicago to W.VA.

..or a 5.3 Trailblaver to tow with....
..or a CTS-V to show off...

..too many new choices from the General...too few used for what I'm looking at.

 

You certainly did tell me so, my man.

It was fun. It's nice to get into a sporty GM coupe and see a manual shifter...what the heck....just sticking out of the console!

Like I said, the hydraulic steering box makes such a difference. IMO, GM should just take all the electric boxes and sh!tcan 'em all. Clutch is light. Shifter feels alittle stiff and notchy though, I'm sure it would loosen up with time.

The 3.9 was smoother than I was expecting. Lots of torque, kinda like a 3rd gen 5 liter. Overall a very nice package - to me - lots more fun than the Impala SS.

But the question in my mind was...how would it compare to my SVT Contour?

Tough one, maybe I need to go drive a GTP again. But if I really wanted to be honest, I'd say that the GTP is in the same league, but the SVT has alittle more polish in it's powertrain, and the SVT's chassis seems more eager and lighter on it's toes.

But that's not to take away from the G6 GTP, it's very sporty and I enjoyed driving it a whole bunch..

 

Oh, and as I was rowing the six speed's shifter, feeling the 3.9's acceleration and hearing it's exhaust burble on that G6 coupe.............


......I couldn't help but imagine how close this experience might be to driving a base 5th gen Camaro.