Test drove a friends GTO today
11-07-2004, 04:11 PM
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Test drove a friends GTO today
<center><img src="http://www.pontiac.com/gto/images/bg_image20.jpg"></center><p>I wrote this up for my motorcycle board today. A local riding buddy came by to show off his new GTO today. His username on the motorcycle board is "Pixman" due to his photography background. Read and enjoy, I know I enjoyed driving that car!
Pixman came by today to show off his new '04 GTO. It's black on black and it sounds MEAN! It's an 6-speed manual.
First thing we did was check out the engine. Damn, that's a fine looking piece. It's way too easy to picture the engine as a single block of aluminum that's been drilled for pistons and oil lines. Of course, the car is stealth; you could easily dismiss it as just any Pontiac... if you were deaf. The exhaust sound coming from the car is dead sexy.
Checking out the interior, I have to concur with the mags; from the material choices made, this HAS to be the best interior in all of GMdom. From the dash to the console to the leather on the seats and armrest to the suede on the doors to the headliner, this is ALL good stuff. I drive an Audi A6 every day and I'd say it's one of the best interiors you can find... this GTO is really near my A6. The only place I would be able to find fault in the interior would be the lack of a dead pedal for your left foot. The cup holders aren't ideally placed, and I've no idea what it's like in there at night, but ergonomically, it's spot on and it looks GREAT!
We left my house, Pixman was driving, I was in the front passenger seat and my son, Seamus, was in the rear. I'm 6'4" and my son is just over 4'; we had plenty of room in this car. This is Pixman's first manual transmission car and he's only had it for 3400 miles, so he's still learning. Your first impression is of the exhaust note and MY GOD is it good. From the passenger seat you notice the ride; I expected the usual GM sportscar ride of thin sidewall tires and undersprung suspension but was instead pleasantly surprised by a ride that reminded me of my A6; firm, but in no way jarring. This is a car that you could deal with as a daily commuter and weekend strafer.
We headed down to Rt1 near Foxboro and opened it up a little bit. DAYUM! This thing has got motor. I notice when he gets it into 6th that it's just turning over 1500 rpm AT OVER 60 MPH!
Pull into a gas station and trade seats. It's my turn!! Once I've adjusted the seat, steering wheel, and mirrors, I give the throttle a little juice just to hear the engine. Intoxicating. I test the clutch to find the pickup and the car nearly moves out on it's own at idle! Barely moving, I put it in 2nd so I can pull out of the gas station and avoid the 1st to 4th mandated shift. The car pulls in 2nd gear as if I'm in 1st!
Pull out on Rt. 1 and give it a little gas. The clutch is nice and smooth, the shifter has some vibration to it (wouldn't you with all that motor?!). I love digging into the throttle and hearing that motor! I'm struck by the smooth drivetrain and composed chassis.
I move on down through traffic. An unnecessary downshift into 5th and I move around some slower traffic. I'm heading for Rt. 95 north. Finally make it to the highway and as I'm entering behind a Ford Explorer there is a motorcyclist (Honda Nighthawk 750) in the center lane. I time my entrance to move behind the motorcyclist into the left lane. I pass the motorcyclist and move out. Seemingly within yards I'm past the motorcyclist and I continue the acceleration. It's a sneaky smooth acceleration because when I look down I'm doing 110 mph; I swear to you I thought I was around 80 mph. Pixman tells me that I had touched 120 mph before I slowed to 110! Yes, my son was in the rear seat and he was wide eyed, smiling, and leaning to his left so he could see out the windshield.
I slowed to 90 mph and cruised down the highway. The car is completely composed. Wind noise is minimal. The CD player is on and the soundsystem had to be turned down because of the speed sensitive volume control. In my A6, I've pulled the Servotronic power steering relay and the steering is a bit heavy. In the GTO, the steering feels overly light to me, but I'm really not a good judge of that given my bias to near zero boost power steering feel.
We take the offramp in Norwood, MA, behind some traffic and the chassis feel taut, though completely understressed. At the decreasing radius onramp to 95S I keep the speed up a bit and let the car work through the corner. You can feel the lean, but no tire squeel and I can't feel which end wants to slide first. Pull onto the highway and it's an effortless exercise to pass through traffic and move to the left lane. This motor is PHENOMENAL!
It's a leisurely ride home. Over some tarsnake laden pockmarked roads the GTO just takes it in and none of the road junk is passed to the cabin. It's still a firm enough ride, but almost luxurious in the Germanic sense.
The slow ride home allows me to once again take in the interior. There's a bit of glare off the dash onto the raked windshield. The ergos are super comfy while being sporty and athletic. Whereas a lot of Japanese cars fit you into a small/slim cockpit, this Aussie is big and brawny, never feeling overweight.
One funny moment that all men understand: we pass by a family on the sidewalk, a mom, 2 kids, and a dad pushing a stroller with a toddler. As we pass, the father stares at the GTO, mouth agape as we pass. Now we all know the GTO is a bit anonymous in looks, but I was passing at the top of a hill so I was just a touch into the throttle. Yes, he heard the sound and then saw the car. You could mistake the GTO for any Pontiac... but as I said, only if you're deaf.
This is a car I can see myself in, I was completely impressed with it's demeanor and interior appointments. Pixman tells me that he's seen new '04s advertised for just under $25k and with an average 18 mpg you start to wonder what's not to like? I would be giving up the all wheel drive of the Audi quattro system, and the usability of the big trunk with fold down rear seats. It's a tradeoff for sure, but I'm telling you, it's an easy trade off and that's some high praise from an Audi guy.
Pixman came by today to show off his new '04 GTO. It's black on black and it sounds MEAN! It's an 6-speed manual.
First thing we did was check out the engine. Damn, that's a fine looking piece. It's way too easy to picture the engine as a single block of aluminum that's been drilled for pistons and oil lines. Of course, the car is stealth; you could easily dismiss it as just any Pontiac... if you were deaf. The exhaust sound coming from the car is dead sexy.
Checking out the interior, I have to concur with the mags; from the material choices made, this HAS to be the best interior in all of GMdom. From the dash to the console to the leather on the seats and armrest to the suede on the doors to the headliner, this is ALL good stuff. I drive an Audi A6 every day and I'd say it's one of the best interiors you can find... this GTO is really near my A6. The only place I would be able to find fault in the interior would be the lack of a dead pedal for your left foot. The cup holders aren't ideally placed, and I've no idea what it's like in there at night, but ergonomically, it's spot on and it looks GREAT!
We left my house, Pixman was driving, I was in the front passenger seat and my son, Seamus, was in the rear. I'm 6'4" and my son is just over 4'; we had plenty of room in this car. This is Pixman's first manual transmission car and he's only had it for 3400 miles, so he's still learning. Your first impression is of the exhaust note and MY GOD is it good. From the passenger seat you notice the ride; I expected the usual GM sportscar ride of thin sidewall tires and undersprung suspension but was instead pleasantly surprised by a ride that reminded me of my A6; firm, but in no way jarring. This is a car that you could deal with as a daily commuter and weekend strafer.
We headed down to Rt1 near Foxboro and opened it up a little bit. DAYUM! This thing has got motor. I notice when he gets it into 6th that it's just turning over 1500 rpm AT OVER 60 MPH!
Pull into a gas station and trade seats. It's my turn!! Once I've adjusted the seat, steering wheel, and mirrors, I give the throttle a little juice just to hear the engine. Intoxicating. I test the clutch to find the pickup and the car nearly moves out on it's own at idle! Barely moving, I put it in 2nd so I can pull out of the gas station and avoid the 1st to 4th mandated shift. The car pulls in 2nd gear as if I'm in 1st!
Pull out on Rt. 1 and give it a little gas. The clutch is nice and smooth, the shifter has some vibration to it (wouldn't you with all that motor?!). I love digging into the throttle and hearing that motor! I'm struck by the smooth drivetrain and composed chassis.
I move on down through traffic. An unnecessary downshift into 5th and I move around some slower traffic. I'm heading for Rt. 95 north. Finally make it to the highway and as I'm entering behind a Ford Explorer there is a motorcyclist (Honda Nighthawk 750) in the center lane. I time my entrance to move behind the motorcyclist into the left lane. I pass the motorcyclist and move out. Seemingly within yards I'm past the motorcyclist and I continue the acceleration. It's a sneaky smooth acceleration because when I look down I'm doing 110 mph; I swear to you I thought I was around 80 mph. Pixman tells me that I had touched 120 mph before I slowed to 110! Yes, my son was in the rear seat and he was wide eyed, smiling, and leaning to his left so he could see out the windshield.
I slowed to 90 mph and cruised down the highway. The car is completely composed. Wind noise is minimal. The CD player is on and the soundsystem had to be turned down because of the speed sensitive volume control. In my A6, I've pulled the Servotronic power steering relay and the steering is a bit heavy. In the GTO, the steering feels overly light to me, but I'm really not a good judge of that given my bias to near zero boost power steering feel.
We take the offramp in Norwood, MA, behind some traffic and the chassis feel taut, though completely understressed. At the decreasing radius onramp to 95S I keep the speed up a bit and let the car work through the corner. You can feel the lean, but no tire squeel and I can't feel which end wants to slide first. Pull onto the highway and it's an effortless exercise to pass through traffic and move to the left lane. This motor is PHENOMENAL!
It's a leisurely ride home. Over some tarsnake laden pockmarked roads the GTO just takes it in and none of the road junk is passed to the cabin. It's still a firm enough ride, but almost luxurious in the Germanic sense.
The slow ride home allows me to once again take in the interior. There's a bit of glare off the dash onto the raked windshield. The ergos are super comfy while being sporty and athletic. Whereas a lot of Japanese cars fit you into a small/slim cockpit, this Aussie is big and brawny, never feeling overweight.
One funny moment that all men understand: we pass by a family on the sidewalk, a mom, 2 kids, and a dad pushing a stroller with a toddler. As we pass, the father stares at the GTO, mouth agape as we pass. Now we all know the GTO is a bit anonymous in looks, but I was passing at the top of a hill so I was just a touch into the throttle. Yes, he heard the sound and then saw the car. You could mistake the GTO for any Pontiac... but as I said, only if you're deaf.
This is a car I can see myself in, I was completely impressed with it's demeanor and interior appointments. Pixman tells me that he's seen new '04s advertised for just under $25k and with an average 18 mpg you start to wonder what's not to like? I would be giving up the all wheel drive of the Audi quattro system, and the usability of the big trunk with fold down rear seats. It's a tradeoff for sure, but I'm telling you, it's an easy trade off and that's some high praise from an Audi guy.
11-07-2004, 05:30 PM
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Good write up, GM did a good job with it. Here's the latest from SEMA, GM's not going to do it
<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/48069/the-judge019.jpg"></center><p><b>Pic and article from AutoWeek! </b>
but this is "The Judge" a tuner car with 575 HP!!
This is the way the car should have looked from Pontiac! IIRC, the orginal was 1979. This is next car that teh kim-cheat should own!!
but this is "The Judge" a tuner car with 575 HP!!
This is the way the car should have looked from Pontiac! IIRC, the orginal was 1979. This is next car that teh kim-cheat should own!!
11-07-2004, 05:30 PM
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That's insane!
I was astounded that the GTOs are being advertised below $25k. That's Honda Accord/Toyota Camry territory. Think about that!
The one real big advantage for the GTO, imo, is the usuabla interior space. I can't see the Mustang having that kind of rear seat room.
If the Mustang has better steering feel, though, I can see it winning out on the GTO for that aspect alone. The steering feel was damn near numb in the GTO, with the caveat that I'm a German car driver with very low power assist in my A6.
The one real big advantage for the GTO, imo, is the usuabla interior space. I can't see the Mustang having that kind of rear seat room.
If the Mustang has better steering feel, though, I can see it winning out on the GTO for that aspect alone. The steering feel was damn near numb in the GTO, with the caveat that I'm a German car driver with very low power assist in my A6.
11-08-2004, 05:02 AM
#7
New Mustang is supposed to have a bit more room in back. Looks much nicer than GTO.
I mean more room than the prior Mustang. Don't know how it compares to the GTO.
Of course, if you can get a GTO for $24,000 then have a tuner bump it over 400HP, it won't matter how it looks!
Of course, if you can get a GTO for $24,000 then have a tuner bump it over 400HP, it won't matter how it looks!
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