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Driven: Car review 2009 Pontiac G6 4-cyl 6-speed; Good numbers
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The numbers you want to know are 23.5 miles per gallon in mixed driving…and 31.5 mpg with cruise control set at 75 mph.
The impressive why? Because it’s not that a car can achieve 31.5, or even 33 mpg, but that the car in question is a Pontiac G6 sedan, a true five-passenger family hauler and not a cramped subcompact. The 2.4-liter engine is even rated at 164 horsepower and 156 lb-ft of torque, which doesn’t make the G6 blazingly fast but with a modicum of planning, merging and passing with the G6/4-cylinder/6-speed needn’t produce moments of dread and terror.
The combo of engine and transmission is new for Pontiac this year and goes against traditional practice of pairing the engine with the lowest power, one that would benefit most from a multi-speed gearbox, with the base transmission. Not so the 2009 Pontiac G6. Although the base level G6—the only trim level available with the four-cylinder engine—has a four speed, opting for Sport Package 1 nets the six-speed gearbox and stability control, plus a rear spoiler.
Opting for that package raises the bottom line by $1,095, but the EPA says the four-speed returns only 30 mpg on the highway, and of course, doesn’t have the stability control system and also likely gives up enough acceleration to make merges and passing border on scary. It’s money well spent.
Base runner If there’s a problem it’s that the four-cylinder engine is available only on the base model. Opt for the fancier GT trim level and a 3.5-liter V-6 is standard equipment. The six is rated at 220 horsepower, but the GT sedan with that engine (and the—no options—four-speed automatic) is EPA rated at 18/29 mpg city/highway.
The upside is that the base Pontiac G6 sedan has a list price of $19,645, but the interior is rather plain and utilitarian, durable looking but boring, even with the “simulated walnut burl trim” included on our test vehicle.
It’s doubtful that the GT and further upscale (and more powerful) GXP have very much more impressive interior trim. The door panels and dash are covered nice soft-touch low-shine plastic—except for the center stack, perhaps the second-most touched part of the car (after the steering wheel). It’s hard enough to click when tapped with fingernails and the audio and HVAC control elements look too much like generic units plugged into the dash, which in fact they are.
Of course, it’s hard to imagine “grand touring” with a four-cylinder engine, though we may come to that yet. If so, this is the best General Motors four-cylinder engine yet, smooth all the way up to its 6800 rpm redline, so the G6 is prepared in at least that regard.
What to wear The Pontiac G6 looks sleek and sporty, with a wedge-shaped profile and what, if one were to fall back on clichés, would be called a wind cheating front end. The G6 suffers from General Motors Fender Syndrome, however, the symptoms of which are huge gaps between the tires and the fender openings. It’s like a three-piece suit with pant legs two inches too short. It’s just not quite right. That’s a shame, because even those who buy with fuel economy in mind should be able to do so with style.
Road manners of the 2009 Pontiac G6 were good, with squealing tires telling the driver to ease off long before it was truly necessary. Wind and road noise were minimal at highway speeds and the ride smooth over all sorts of pavement. It’s quietly competent in everyday operation.
On which road? Our test highway mileage, 31.5 mpg, was set on an Interstate highway downhills and uphills, and we turned around so we’d end up neither higher nor lower than we started. The effect of the uphills, however, was that it didn’t take very much extra power requirement to make the transmission shift down out of sixth gear, equaling more revs…and more revs mean more fuel consumption. Certainly on the flat and level, the G6 would have better fuel economy (and so it would for a driver willing to exchange time for miles per gallon).
Still, we consider an actual observed 31.5 mpg highway and 23.5 mpg all-around fuel mileage impressive, particularly so in a well-equipped $23,580 mid-sized sedan: Good numbers indeed.
| Airbags, front, front side and side curtain | Std. |
| ABS & Traction control | Std. |
| Power 4-way driver seat | Std. |
| Trip computer | Std. |
| Satellite radio (XM) | Std. |
| Sun and Sound package, incl. audio upgrade, sunroof, inside auto-dimming rearview miror | $1,395 |
| Sport Package 1, incl. stability control, 6-spd auto. trans, rear spoiler | $1,095 |
| Prefered Package, incl. remote start, keyless remote entry, leather wrapped steering wheel, shifter and brake handle, steering wheel audio controls, cruise control | $795 |
| Destination charge | $650 |
| TOTAL MSRP | $23,580 |
Illustration: 2009 Pontiac G6 sedan. Photo courtesy General Motors.
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