Pontiac G6 convertible 2007

By René Gervais

Last year, we brought you the newest addition to the Pontiac family, the G6. Being relatively young, it’s not surprising that there’s nothing new under the sun, except a retractable roof which will allow the four occupants to enjoy those wonderful rays.

My first impression was a positive one; it has a modern, highly stylized look (hard to believe the kinship with the Chevrolet Malibu). From the rear, as we mentioned in our evaluation of the two-door coupe, the G6 resembles a vehicle dear to my heart, namely the Nissan 350Z. Others see a similarity between this Pontiac’s rear lights and those of the Toyota Solara.

The interior looks smart, especially with the chrome appliqués surrounding the dial edges. Just a touch more refinement would have made the materials exemplary. Anyway, enough about aesthetics, lest they mistake us for Chatelaine!

Handling report

I certainly have a few reservations concerning this beautiful Pontiac, but not in the power department; even with its 217 hp, 3.5 litres, V6 engine, in gear acceleration stands up very well. The thought of a bigger engine never crossed my mind, one major reason being the possibility of destabilizing the suspension by adding extra horsepower. Here I’m referring to the rear suspension which travels in a van worthy fashion. However, the G6 was not designed to rival the great sports cars. Another irritant has to do with body noise; I haven’t been able to tell if it originates from the retractable roof or God knows where, but highly disagreeable it is. Very unfortunate indeed because this casts a shadow on a very promising rating. Could it be limited to our test car? Let’s hope so! In addition, the elevated trunk hampers rear visibility. Speaking of the rear, the ramrod - straight seat should guarantee a foil mood for all in short order.

Luckily, I can fall back on positive elements like the braking power and the precision steering since I want to finish on a generally positive note.

So, for a comfortable vehicle with plenty of front room and a pleasing look, the G6 would be a good choice.