GRAND PRIX: Falling Behind the Eightball...

Let's face it: the family sedan car segment isn't known for being the most exciting one. Four doors. Child seats. Clean Wipes. Yuck. So, the question begs: how does a car company claiming it's "driving excitement" factor into this equation?

Although the family sedan segment is a very saturated market, the Grand Prix has long been a well-established player- never quite the best, but very competitive nonetheless. Its last major makeover was in 1997, and this generation has offered good feature content for a good price, and a generally sportier feel than its competitors' offerings. It's also widely available as rental and company cars- in fact, the latter is the case for my girlfriend, who owns a company 2002 Grand Prix SE. I have driven this car extensively around San Antonio, and even taken a couple of Texas road trips. Here's what I think.


EXTERIOR: 7
Back in 1999 (wow, I feel old), I wrote a review about the Grand Prix GTP. I had plenty of good things to say, using words like "aggressive", and even "American". Two problems this time: First, that was 1999, not 2002. Second, I was driving the GTP model, which had exterior enhancements. Well, this swoopy Grand Prix still looks sportier than, say, an Accord, but it also looks quite dated. Very rental car styling, or, dare I say... company car styling. Good thing there's a redesign coming in 2004. (The redesign looks very impressive, by the way... ¡muy macho! A preview link is posted below.) This is not to say that the Grand Prix is unattractive. Quite the contrary: this car shares its frame with the Chevy Impala, Buick Regal, and Buick Century, and if I had to make my pick between those cars, the Grand Prix would be my runaway favorite. Against the competition costing the same amount? Nope, and the competition is only getting stiffer: Mazda's new "6", Toyota's new Camry, and Nissan's new Altima, all look more distinctive, better put together, and cost the same price.


INTERIOR: 6
If you're not accustomed to my rating system, I can tell you that 6 out of 10 is not the most flattering rating in my book. Here's my explanation.

Room: Although the Grand Prix is a good seven inches longer than the Honda Accord, and five inches longer than the Nissan Altima, it still manages to have less overall passenger volume than both. A big difference is in the head room department: I'm 6'3", and though I never feel cramped in the Grand Prix, it's not like there's tons of stretching room, either. The Grand Prix also has over two inches less legroom in the rear compared to the Accord, yet the Pontiac has a longer wheelbase. Although the Pontiac has a couple extra feet of trunk space, it does not have a fold-down seat to make more room, whereas the Accord, Altima, and Dodge Intrepid do.

Comfort: The driver's seat is pretty comfortable, though it's a little thinly padded for long trips. Still, the seats offer great lateral and thigh support. Sitting in the back really isn't all that bad either, but the seats are too close to the floor and my knees are practically in my chest when I sit there. Still, there's room for three back there in a pinch.

Console: Okay, so it's user-friendly, has nice indicators like reminders to change the oil, and has everything within reach. But who the heck designed it? And who approved it? It's positively ugly and cheap-looking, and the ubiquitous red-orange lighting is fatiguing. Pontiac has always liked to tout this dash as "fighter jet" styling, but it just looks chintzy, and always has. There is also a major disparity in build quality of this car's interior and its Japanese/German counterparts: cheap plastic abounds here, with wide gap tolerances everywhere. Other cars are tight as a drum. Fortunately, the new Grand Prix will have a totally new dash for 2004 (see link below again), and it looks much, much better. Pontiac may be getting the hint, but I'm just beside myself that it's taken them so long.

Sound System (SE): It is possible to upgrade to the 8-speaker Bose system, but the standard 6-speaker AM/FM/CD system works decently enough. The bass is too boomy and lacks refinement, but definitely lends a full feeling to music. Treble is merely adequate, playing through door-mounted tweeters.

Dual Zone Climate Control: Even during the hot Texas summers, the dual-zone climate control works very well. The center stack has three air vents, so if someone is hot in the rear, front passengers will not have to sacrifice their vents to cool things down back there. It works quietly and efficiently.


ENGINE: 7
Pontiac offers you three basic choices for an engine: mild, medium, or spicy. Spicy is the super-charged 240 hp engine found in the GTP. Medium is the 200-horsepower 3800 Series II pushrod V6 found on the GT. Step down to the SE, and you get the mild 3.1-liter V6 that makes 175 horsepower @ 5200 rpms.

The SE's engine isn't too tame, which is good. It can get this car up and moving pretty quickly, though highway passing is a little less confidence-inspiring. Looking at the power curve for this engine, it's not too surprising why this is.

The automatic shifter does a commendable job. The gears are always sure with no hunting, though sometimes they can shift unexpectedly and rather gruffly.

I've now driven all three engine choices, and while the SE is adequate, I recommend the GT... it's got much more oomph while costing not-so-much more, and is actually more environmentally friendly than the SE. The GTP's a heck of a powerplant, but not that much of a must-have.


HANDLING: 8
I'd say handling is a strong point for this Pontiac. Problem is, the competition has also made cars that handle well, and have a much more rigid body structure than that found on the Grand Prix. That said, body roll in this car is minimal, and the brakes are very capable, with an excellent feel. The steering wheel provides a good amount of feedback- just enough so you can feel the road, but not let the road dictate where your car goes. I've also always liked the extra padding where your hands grip the wheel.

Although it does not grip the road as well as the tightly sprung GTP, the SE model still holds its own, and has more of a handling-biased suspension than one tailored for a cushy ride. Overall, handling is very predictable and hopefully a trait that GM will improve on with the next generation of this vehicle.


RIDE: 7
The Grand Prix is a great city driver, and an acceptable highway cruiser. On my road trips to Houston and other surrounding towns, I found that the ride is more firm than that found on other cars in this class, but isn't too fatiguing. Highway expansion joints and lane markers are dealt with pretty nicely, though you can hear them pretty well.

Road and tire noise intrudes the cabin more than I would like, though wind noise is nicely dampened. When reaching higher rpms (at around 80mph), the engine lets out a constant hum that is loud enough to raise the volume of the radio and conversation.


RELIABILITY: 7
The reliability rating for the Grand Prix has generally been average since it ironed out the early production kinks in 1997, according to Consumer Guide. My girlfriend's Grand Prix has only minor reliability problems, though bear in mind this car is only seven months old. The front passenger and rear driver side windows refuse to operate, and there is a strange noise eminating from the hood that's been checked out, but not diagnosed. Interior materials have held up pretty well to my girlfriend's Siberian husky, which is pretty admirable, especially if you know this dog! ;)


SAFETY: 7
Well, unfortunately, this Grand Prix may have seen its end, since it was involved in a pretty serious accident. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the car might be undrivable. As for crash ratings, the Grand Prix has fared only adequately: it gained "Acceptable" offset crash and frontal ratings, but has poor side impact ratings. It still comes with all the basic equipment, including dual front airbags, a traction control system, four wheel anti-lock brakes, and automatic headlamps for better visibility. Still, the Grand Prix has fallen behind the eightball, as other cars offer side-impact airbags and child safety seat anchors, whereas the Grand Prix does not. Hopefully the next generation will add some more safety equipment.


VALUE: 7
When the Grand Prix was newly redesigned in 1997, it was a great value. Now it's merely good. The reason has little to do with the car itself, but the competition that is offering more features, safety equipment, power, and refinement than seen on this aging design. The new model will probably change all that, but for now the Grand Prix has slipped behind the competition. Cars costing less, like the Hyundai Sonata (with its impressive warranty to boot), suddenly seem like a bargain when lined up nose to nose with the Grand Prix.


VERDICT: 2004 CAN'T COME FAST ENOUGH
(Getting on my soap box)... As a proud American, I'm frustrated. Look, this is a decent car, yes. But this is the best country, right? And American cars should follow suit... cars that other companies try to play catch-up with, not the other way around. My girlfriend is currently driving a 2002 Chevy Impala rental while her Grand Prix gets fixed, and after driving that car, I'm even less impressed with the kind of cars we're putting together. Review to come very soon.

In 2004, I'm expecting the new Grand Prix to be impressive, but I can't say I'm certain it will be the runaway favorite. It's also coming too late: this car could have used a redesign last year, not next. In short, had this review been written two years ago, I'd recommend the Grand Prix wholeheartedly. I would have said that the Grand Prix is one of the sportier family sedans, but today it's different, and the gap has since been narrowed, if not completely closed. This year, I'm saying you should wait for 2004 to come around, or buy something else.


AVERAGE SCORE: 7.0 out of 10
VARA'S PERSONAL RATING: 7 out of 10 (ditto!)


[ADDITIONAL LINKS:]
2004 Grand Prix preview:
http://www.edmunds.com/future/2004/pontiac/grandprix/4drsedan/photos.html