7th Jun 2006, 16:18

Hello all.

I am the writer of the review. Thanks for the input. I look forward to more comments and questions. To answer the question about letting her drive; I can only say that she likes to ride in the car as well as drive it. When I drive my car I still open the door for her. The Talon has a keyhole on the passenger door and no power locks, so she reaches over and unlocks the door for me! What a gal!

8th Jun 2006, 11:04

Hello.

I just thought that I should make mention that the G6 is the Pontiac version of the Chevy Malibu (new body style), Saab 9-3 and the upcoming Saturn Aura. They are all Epsilon platform vehicles.

The Buick LaCrosse on the other hand is a variant of the GM "W" body: Pontiac Grand Prix, Chevy Impala, and (R.I.P.) Oldsmobile Intrigue. Thank you. G.

Great review otherwise!

8th Jun 2006, 15:56

Well said on the previous comment.

Also--the 2.4 engine in the G6 is not an old design. It's based on the 2.2 ecotec which debuted on the 2000 Saturn LS and eventually found its way into many small GM cars, including the Chevrolet HHR.

25th Jun 2006, 15:21

You should not anticipate what will go wrong with a car much later when you are writing a review. Who is to say what will happen.

My friend has a 1992 Saturn SL with 400,000 miles on it. Same engine, same stereo and speakers.

Do not underestimate GMs ability on stereos, they are the best in the market, always have been, always will be. There is a factory installed AMP in my Grand Prix GXP. That tells you something right there.

Great review otherwise.

11th Jul 2006, 20:23

As the very pleased owner of 2 GM cars (Pontiac Grand Am and GMC Envoy) and 1 Ford (Ranger truck), my wife and I are very impressed with the quality of both manufacturers. None of our Fords or GM's have ever given us a bit of trouble.

Recently my wife said she'd like to look at the new 2006 Mustangs. I wanted to look at the G-6's. Well, what blew us away was the OUTRAGEOUS prices of the G-6!! A G-6 equipped the same as the Mustang was $4,000 MORE!! On top of that, the Mustang had leather interior, whereas the G-6 was fabric. VALUE LEADER?? I think NOT!! We'll go with the Mustang and pocket the extra 4 grand.

17th Jul 2006, 15:34

Hello all!

I appreciate all of the comments and information that has been posted on this car. I was called out on the similarities of the G6 and the Buick LaCrosse – My apologies!

The 2.4L engine was available way back in 1995. It was a variant of the 2.2L engine (ecotec), which replaced the “Iron Duke” 2.5. The 2.2 liter engine was used in small trucks almost all divisions, sans Cadillac, in almost every four cylinder car. Century, Ciera, Grand Am, Sonoma, Skylark, just to name a few. The 2.4 was found in the Cavalier LS, some Pontiac Sunfire models, and other “sportier” models, but don’t get it confused with the DOHC Quad Four!

Somebody was a bit hurt when I complained about the stereo. I will still complain about it! It is a nice system, but it is designed to incorporate many automobile functions along with trip odometers. I think the person that left the comment has a Monsoon or Bose factory stereo installed on his/her GXP. The stereo is much more expensive in a top model car. I agree, GM can make a good stereo – my 1980 Cutlass still has an AM-FM radio that works, however, the Astro had a factory AM-FM with tape that broke about five times before I tossed a Pioneer CD player in. My 98 Regency had a factory Bose system with a tape player that I took out in favor of a CD player, but reinstalled when I traded it in. The radios where just that- radios. However when you combine the radio with automobile functions and valuable information you have created a problem. It is just natural that a CD player will not stay brand new forever. Eventually the laser will need to be realigned, or the load mechanism will get worn out. The simple fix is to head to a store that sells CD players and buy a new one for $70 and install it. Now the G6, and I’m sure more and more new cars, when the CD player or stereo quits you will be left with a big blank spot on your dashboard or a new stereo that will cost a lot more than $70!

I enjoyed the last comment about purchasing a Mustang over the G6. Every time we see a Mustang I usually make the comment about her buying one of those over the G6! I agree totally. Did your Mustang come with cruise control? I think if this “Value Leader” was a value, GM would could have skipped the fancy electronics, power seat, telescoping wheel, power mirrors, and de-chrome the shift knob and gauge trim, perhaps this would become a cheaper car. Unfortunately, the public has assured the auto industry that every car needs certain necessities before it can be considered. The Mustang is a cool car. I’d rather have a base ‘Stang versus a G6 coupe. I don’t think I could compare it fairly to a sedan though. If I had to choose between the two, I’d opt for the 2003 Toyota Solara with 34,000 miles!

We have added Sirius Satellite Radio to the car. Installation was easy. I mounted the antenna on the trunk, ran the wire below the rear passenger side seat, under the sills and up to the dash. The excess antenna wire was hidden under the front passenger carpet. I mounted the player over the passenger airbag information with the Velcro supplied. I kept the power supply cord tied together and simply plug it into the power supply. It worked instantly.

I’m still not enjoying the power lock situation. When we pull into a parking lot I have to make sure my arms are not near the stupid door. As soon as the car is put in park the doors unlock and the locks pop up. I’ve had my arm in the way a few times and it is a real shocker. The same happens when the car is put in gear. As soon as the car is put in reverse or drive the locks go down, sometimes pulling arm hair out! Who thought of this? A designer must have said “Hey lets take the locks out of the door panel next to the handle and put it in top of the door!” I think it is because it is cheaper to run a rod from the top of the door to the lock instead two rods from the handle and lock mechanism to the end of the door. I feel like a little kid sometimes when my girlfriend tells me to watch out for the doors. My mom used to tell us to put our hands up when she was closing the door on our Astro, for fear that one of use would suddenly put our hands near the big door while she was closing it. ---- I don’t have this trouble in my Talon!

Thanks for reading and keep on commenting!