2009 Pontiac G6 Review

2009 Pontiac G6 - Out with a bang.

By: John Stein

Certainly, the G6 lineup has much to offer. For 2009, Pontiac upped the ante a bit. I recently had the pleasure of spending a week behind the wheel of the 2009 Pontiac G6 coupe.

The G6 coupe is sporty and athletic-looking. I like its dual honeycomb grille that oozes Pontiac. I also like the car's swoopy lines and subtle hard edges.

My 2009 Pontiac new G6 coupe tester looked luscious thanks to its performance red metallic paint job and optional five-spoke 17-inch chrome tech wheels. I couldn't wait to get in and take it for a spin.

Once I slipped inside, though, I quickly realized this car was not made for 6-footers like me. I barely had enough head room, and with my seat in the rear most position there was absolutely no leg room for my rear seat passenger.

I did like my new G6 coupe's optional leather upholstery, which came as part of the premium package ($1,195) that also included heated front seats and a six-way power driver's seat. What I especially liked about the leather upholstery was its ebony and titanium two-tone design and perforated material. This added to the sporty and somewhat luxurious appeal.

I also like the way the leather-wrapped steering wheel (part of the preferred package 1) felt in my hands. The instruments and controls are laid out nicely and the controls are intuitive. Overall, I liked the look of my tester's cabin.

The entry-level G6 coupe is powered by a 164-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. There is no manual gearbox available for this model.

My tester had the new and more fuel-efficient combination of the 2.4-liter engine teamed to a six-speed automatic. This combo delivers better highway mileage and is rated at 22 mpg city and 33 mpg highway. My tester also had steering wheel-mounted shift controls to operate the automatic like a manual.

While the 2.4-liter four-cylinder performed quietly and smoothly, it was rather uninspiring. Acceleration and performance of my tester's four-banger did not match the athletic exterior and interior styling of this car. I would have appreciated a bit more punch.

If you step up to the new G6 GT coupe, you get a 219-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 engine, but are stuck with the four-speed automatic. I don't understand why you can get the six-speed automatic in the base model and high-performance GXP, but you can't get the six-speed in the mid-level G6 GT coupe.

However, the G6 GT coupe's V-6 engine is flex-fuel compliant. All G6 models send their power to the front wheels and all include dual shift modes for the automatic transmission. In case you're wondering, the G6 GXP coupe's 3.6-liter V-6 engine pounds out 252 horsepower.

Speaking of power, every new G6 coupe comes standard with a high-performance eight-speaker Monsoon audio system with high-mounted tweeters and a subwoofer.

Stabilitrak stability control, GM's dynamic control system, is also standard in the new G6 coupe. I recommend you take the new G6 coupe for a drive. You're likely to find it's a nice car. Plus it has a starting price of about $22,000.

John Stein

John Stein grew up in an extended family that valued the art of going fast. Spending plenty of weekends at U.S. 30 Drag Strip and Sante Fe Speedway, he fondly remembers the screaming machines and the flying mud that made those long-gone racing havens such special memories. With plenty of late nights spent ‘tinkering’ with cars throughout high school, he never anticipated his interest cars and his love for writing might find a common ground. After graduating from Eastern Illinois University in 1988, John started writing for the weekly Southtown Economist. So, when the Economist went to a daily in 1994, and needed an auto editor, John took the proverbial steering wheel. Featured weekly in the Sun-Times and its 17 suburban publications, as well as ELITE Magazine, John balances being the Automotive Editor for Sun-Time Media with being a husband and dad in Plainfield, Illinois.

2009 Pontiac G6 Review

2009 Pontiac G6 - Out with a bang.

John Stein

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