Grand Prix helps take Pontiac brand out with a bang

TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

A good Pontiac Grand Prix from 2004 (above) through 2008 can be easy on the maintenance bills, but the car was far from immune to significant mechanical problems, including water leaks and faulty steering.

Mark Toljagic

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel steered a Pontiac Star Chief convertible across America in a series of episodes for TV's I Love Lucy in 1955. It was a marketing coup for Pontiac, which until then wasn't known for building memorable cars.

That changed when "Bunkie" Knudsen became Pontiac general manager in 1956 and introduced a performance theme for the brand. One of his first acts was to hire gearhead John DeLorean.

Pontiac's re-imaging began with the 1957 Bonneville, which featured a fuel-injected V8 that made 310 hp and 400 lb.-ft of torque.

Move ahead a half-century and history essentially repeated itself with the shoehorning of a V8 engine into the Grand Prix – the most powerful motor ever to grace a North American front-wheel-drive sedan.

For a swan song by a faded brand, it was pretty cool.

CONFIGURATION

Pontiac's mid-size sedan received a thorough makeover for 2004 (the two-door retired the previous year). The W-platform wheelbase remained unchanged, but the swoopy new body grew a little longer.

Inside, rear legroom increased ever so slightly, while rear headroom actually shrank. Shoppers noticed that the cabin was quite cramped.

"My head, my shoulders and knees all are touching everywhere," posted the owner of a '07 model. "It's also impossible to have three adults in the back seat."

One tall driver reportedly whacked his head on the sunroof, breaking the mechanism. Not only did he have a headache, but to add insult to injury, he was presented with a nasty repair bill.

The cockpit was a hodgepodge of "exciting" Pontiac shapes and colours, all aglow in the trademark fighter-red lighting. Critics lambasted the automaker for its overwrought plastics.

The split-folding rear seat allowed the spacious trunk to take longer loads as needed. Even the front passenger seat folded down to accommodate really long cargo.

The base model GT1 and fancier GT2 made use of GM's venerable Series III 3800 V6 engine, putting out 200 hp and 230 lb.-ft. of torque. The GTP models got an Eaton Gen 5 supercharger that boosted the V6's output to 260 hp, up 20 from the previous year.

GM's four-speed automatic remained the sole transmission, although the GTP Comp G package featured Pontiac's TAPshift, allowing manumatic control via steering-wheel paddles.

All models had standard four-wheel disc brakes; anti-lock and traction controls were optional on the base model.

For 2005, Pontiac sweetened the performance mix with the GXP, which adopted the LS4 5.3 L V8, making 303 hp and 323 lb-ft of torque directed through the front tires. It featured a shortened crankshaft and other modifications to allow it to fit, as well as active fuel management technology that shut down cylinders during steady-state cruising to save fuel.

The 260-hp supercharged engine was dropped after 2007. All Grand Prix production ended after the 2008 model year as part of GM's planned retirement of the Pontiac brand by 2010.

ON THE ROAD

Compared to sporty imports such as the Nissan Maxima and Volkswagen Passat, the Grand Prix felt unrefined in terms of its chassis dynamics. The ride can be harsh on frost-heaved roads, depending on the tire-wheel combo.

Although the V8-powered GXP provided gobs of thrust, torque steer was an issue with the aging front-drive chassis. Engineers mitigated the problem by specifying fatter rubber (255/45R18) on the front wheels than the rear (225/50R18).

The base 200-hp car could accelerate to 96 km/h in 8.1 seconds; the supercharged GTP could do it in 6.6 seconds. The badass V8 trimmed a full second off the latter time.

"This is a great highway vehicle. Quiet and quick when it's needed," posted the owner of an '05 GT.

Owners liked the car's smooth power delivery and ability to consume great distances in comfort. They also singled out fuel economy as a positive, since both the V6 and V8 tended to sip rather than guzzle.

WHAT OWNERS REPORTED

The Oshawa-built Grand Prix has earned a lot of repeat business and for good reason: GM's durable 3800 V6 and Hydra-Matic 4T65-E automatic transmission were a proven team.

That's not to say the 2004-08 Grand Prix is immune to mechanical snafus, because some owners did report significant ones.

A clunk in the steering that can be felt and heard during slow turns was traced to the steering intermediate shaft, which should be replaced. Water may leak from the A-pillar due to a seam that was not properly sealed, or from the fresh-air intake grille.

"Water comes through the front dome light, luckily right into the cup holder," one owner observed.

Beyond these documented problems, drivers reported faulty transmissions, air conditioners, wheel bearings, purge valves and numerous front-end suspension parts.

If you find a good one, the Grand Prix can reward you with low maintenance bills – which will cause you to wonder why Pontiac was fingered to take the fall.

We'd like to know about your ownership experience with these models: Audi A4, Ford Five Hundred.

Email toljagic@ca.inter.net.

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