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Pontiac Grand Am as coupe or sedan ripples in brawny stance
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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ATLANTA, Ga. -- Pausing for a stoplight, the signal turns to green so we kick down on the throttle, yet it comes back with a kick of its own and our cool little coupe leaps across a four-way intersection.
One, two, three shifts up the line, we hold each gear in the five-speed box until the tach needle reaches five-0 to maximize the power band, but then we're in trouble, the speedometer clicking off more speed on a suburban street than the law allows.
Brakes pull us back to the legal limit, and so it goes as we rein a feisty four-pack that's only the base engine for Pontiac's best-seller, the sporty Grand Am.
This compact-class car, rigged as either two-door coupe or four-door sedan on the new long platform that showed up in 1999, now appears in ten treatments -- five for the coupe and five more for the sedan -- with engine choices for four and six cylinders.
The GT serves up the hot number, with V6 power and ram-air induction, plus taut suspension tuning, 16-inch performance tires and a wing spoiler tacked to the tail.
Yet our boulevard kicks come from a less pricy Grand Am SE, the entry edition with four-in-line engine and a new manual five-speed by the performance transmission specialist from Germany, Getrag.
Produced in Italy, this sophisticated stick shifter operates in a firm but quiet manner. The two-piece gear case and clutch housing are fashioned by die-cast process, which pares the weight and mass but maximizes structural rigidity for precise and quiet shifts. Double-cone synchronizers show up in first and second gears for smooth shift movements, while carbon-fiber and bronze blocker rings for other gears minimize the effort required to move from one gear to the next.
If you don't like to shift, a nice four-speed automatic transaxle is available for any Grand Am, and Pontiac ties it to a traction controller that blocks wheel slippage.
The in-line four engine, a General Motors plant that sounded rough in an earlier incarnation before balanced shafts were added to damp vibrations, now carries twin cams on top with revised camshaft timing and the displacement expanded to 2.4 liters.
A new induction system with composite intake manifold strengthens the performance posture, lowers emissions and helps to maintain reasonable fuel economy figures.
Output runs to 150 hp, the best in class for standard equipment, and torque builds through a relatively flat curve so there's plenty of juice available in all gears for quick acceleration regardless of speed.
Of course, even more thrust shoots through the V6.
It's the 3400 series GM plant, an iron-block rig that's optional for Grand Am SE, mustering 170 hp with 195 lb-ft of torque to play at 4000 rpm.
New engine gaskets and revised seals for this plant make it more durable for 2000 editions. Also, it's quieter now, thanks to changes in the camshaft drive system. Other improvements, such as new fuel injectors and a reverse-flow EGR valve, allow the plant to meet strict emissions requirements of states like California and New York.
For Grand Am's hot GT, the V6 gains cold-air induction and low-restriction exhaust systems that enrich combustion through better air management. The result becomes five more spark points -- up to 175 hp, and torque to 205 lb-ft.
Regardless of engine choice, Grand Am in any trim looks muscular in a bold statement that implies speed and action.
The exterior design, tracing to the restructure in 1999 which brought the new platform with a longer wheelbase, flexes rippled bodyside bulges behind a face that snarls with cat-eye headlamps, twin-port nose and double-decker intake mouth flanked by corner foglamps.
At the tail, round corner lamps supplement standard brake lights by illuminating the area beside and behind the vehicle as a visual aid to a driver backing up.
Behind the skin, the Grand Am contains a rigid unit-body structure that has strong cross braces in place to check frame squeaks, plus a hydro-formed front cradle to isolate the engine, and front and rear crush zones to absorb impact energy from a collision. The extended wheelbase at 107 inches and a wide wheel track of 59 inches establishes a stable stance for a smooth ride quality.
To this platform the developers added dynamic control systems such as rack and pinion steering and the four-wheel independent suspension using MacPherson struts up front with lower control arms and a tri-link design in back with solid stabilizer bar to check body sway.
The chassis wiggle is negligible when you apply lateral force during turning maneuvers. Suspension components work well to dampen tire chatter on irregular pavement and the rack and pinion system reacts quickly and feels firm yet easy to move.
Big front discs on brakes use lightweight aluminum calipers that reduce the unsprung mass load on front wheels and enhance handling through a bumpy curve.
Also, anti-lock controls go to the brakes on all editions as a standard safety feature.
Length of the wheelbase on Grand Am ranks the car in the compact class, although the passenger compartment contains the space of a mid-size model.
Organization of the interior revolves around the driver's seat, with the dashboard center-section panel and all instruments canted toward the driver in cockpit fashion.
Instruments cluster in double binnacles set immediately in front of the steering wheel, with large analog gauges lit from an easy-to-read red glow.
Two bucket seats border a center console, and in back the bench for three has sculptured spaces for two.
Equipment defines the five trim levels.
The base SE edition contains conveniences often considered optional, like air conditioning, a steering column with tilting wheel, power door locks and a stereo sound kit.
Two more SE levels (SE1 and SE2) build in gear like power windows and cruise control, with the V6 engine and automatic shifter optional on SE1 and standard for SE2.
The GT series with the ram-air V6 adds six-way power control to the driver's seat, power mirrors and a six-speaker sound system, while the GT1 brings a leather-wrapped steering wheel and power glass sunroof.
Grand Am's price ladder climbs upward from $16,800 for the SE to around $23,000 for the GT1 dressed with optional leather upholstery and chrome wheels.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2000 PONTIAC GRAND AM Specs |
| Description: |
Compact coupe, sedan
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| Model Options: |
Compact coupe, sedan
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| Wheelbase: |
107.0 inches
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| Overall Length: |
186.3 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.4-L I4
OHV 3.4-L V6
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| Transmission: |
I4: Manual/5, Auto/4/TCS
V6: Auto/4/TCS
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| Drive: |
Front
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| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/ABS
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| Airbags: |
2 (front)
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| Gas Mileage: |
I4 M/5: 22/31 mpg
I4 A/4: 22/30 mpg
V6 A/4: 20/32 mpg
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| Price: |
$ 16,800 to $ 23,000 |
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