|
Be prepared when you see the new Pontiac G5 for the first time. Or actually not as you experience a sense of deja vu. Why? Pontiac's entry level sedan looks like the Chevrolet Cobalt.
It simply is a continuation of the GM concept of "Badge Engineering" but what others may call "cookie cutter design." Not that it's a bad cookie. The car has a 2.4 liter four cylinder engine that generates 173 horsepower. With an EPA rating is 32 miles per gallon on the highway, it provides decent mileage in the segment. The car prices out at $21,000 which includes such nice features as anti-lock brakes standard, audio system that includes a CD player, XM Satellite radio, and Pioneer speakers. Other standard features include battery run down protection, a split folding rear seat and a tilt steering wheel with radio controls. Side curtain airbags are available as an option for an extra $395 as well as remote start for $190 more. However, car analysts like Paul and Anita Lienert of Lienert & Lienert, a Detroit-based automotive information services company, were not that impressed. Paul complained about the interior, "Put the G5 next to a Volkswagen Rabbit or even a Kia Rio, and the Pontiac looks like a much cheaper, more primitive car in terms of the quality of its interior plastics and other materials. It certainly doesn't look like the cabin you'd expect to find on a $21,000 car." Anita attacked the price, "Since when does a $21,000 compact qualify as a 'cheap car'? Have you looked at the prices of the competition lately in the Sunday classified ads? You can walk out the door of a Ford, Dodge, Toyota or Honda dealer with a similar product for way less than $15,000." Our take? Not a very friendly send off. I guess it's all in the eyes of the beholder.
|
|