One of the industry's best kept secrets

Introduction
You want a sports car, with the handling, power, and style that goes with it. Your significant other would rather get a larger family sedan with plenty of trunk space, decent fuel economy, a smooth family sedan ride, big car safety, and is easy to drive. You both want world-class quality that's going to last for many years, and wouldn't mind a good dose of luxury. Fortunately, GM makes such a car; that car is the Pontiac Grand Prix. The car which I tested was the base model "Fleet" version. For a base model car, it certainly comes very nicely equipped and is possibly one of the best kept secrets of the automobile industry, able to compete with similar cars that cost thousands of dollars more.

Engine
My tester came with a powerful 3.8L engine, capable of putting down a healthy 230 lb. ft. of asphault-ripping torque. It hauls off the line and passes with authority; it would be all to easy for one to get a speeding ticket; yet this car still manages to attain an average of 30 MPG on the highway. This is the base engine; the next one up is supercharged, and the next step beyond that is a V8, making this family sedan a performance car in its own respect, capable of going head to head against cars that cost thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of dollars more. This car easily handles all that power well, and the big 4 wheel disc brakes combined with the meaty tires can bring this car back to sub-sonic speed quickly and rapidly.

Style and design
Approaching the car, the long, swooping lines and tight fit and finish of the body panels makes one think of a Lexus ES300, but with better styling. Opening the solid door and then sitting down, I found the seat firm yet comfortable, and with help of the multitude of power adjustments, I quickly and easily found a very comfortable seating position. The center stack containing the computer at top, then the familiar Pontiac stereo, followed by the HVAC controls with a storage bin below those, is angled towards the driver. The shift lever fell at the driver's right hand as it should, with two well-placed cup holders. There's a huge storage bin in under the center arm rest, with a 12VDC accessory power outlet inside. There's also one on the outside. Then there's another smaller rectangular storage bin; just right for a cell phone or the case for your sun glasses.

Interior
The dash layout is very clean, with the speedometer appearing as though it is floating above the tach, fuel, and temperature gauges - which themselves appear to be floating. The speedometer gauge is uncluttered, with only one set of numbers. With the computer, you can select english or metric units, and the speedometer will behave as such. The carbon fiber finish hides things like the turn signal lights quite well, which appear as though out of nowhere. The steering wheel is also tastefully done, with brushed chrome inserts. The ignition is on the dash where it belongs. The computer lets you tailor the behaviour of this car to your tastes, including light delays, power door lock behaviour, and whether you want readings in miles or kilometers. It will even tell you when your oil needs to be changed. The HVAC controls were easy to use, with three dials offering a lot more "In between" settings than most cars for fine tuning the perfect clime. You can further fine tune your cabin environment with a multitude of "Eyeball" vents placed in strategic positions across the dash.

Sound
The AM/FM/CD stereo system is pretty good as far as stock base stereo systems go. It doesn't sound nearly as good as the high-powered Monsoon system, but it should serve the masses quite well. Audiophiles will want to upgrade, however. Speaking of sound, the sounds of the engine are eerily absent. So is road noise. When I started this car, I couldn't tell if the engine was actually running or not. Wind noise at highway speed is minimal. This is helped by the fact that, besides the aerodynamic on-star antenna on the roof, there is no radio antenna to be found...it's cleverly integrated in the back window.

Upscale touches
Both the hood and the trunk lid are assisted by gas-filled struts; which means there's no cheezy prop rod for the hood, and the trunk lid will stay up even on a windy day until you decide to close it. Very classy. The trunk cuts low to make it easy to get big items in and out of, and it's quite large and very deep. The painstaking attention to detail is clearly evident, with the only flaw being a cramped back seat. An adult can sit up back there, as long as they're under 6'2"; otherwise, leave the back seat for kids. Apparently, you can't have sports car styling without sacrificing something.

Driving impressions
Driving this car is a pleasure. The transmission works with this engine very well, and it loafs at very low RPM's at highway speeds. Setting the cruise control at the quasi-legal speed limit and you feel as though you're driving the car too slowly; lead footers and speed demons take note, your license probably won't last too long driving this car. It sops up bumps and potholes like a big GM car should; the passengers are well shielded from poorly maintained roads. However, the driver still gets sufficient feedback. As is typical of cars with raked, sporty styling, visability is reduced but still acceptable.

Cool options
Where this car gets real interesting is when you start adding on some options. Besides some obscenely powerful engine options, there is the Monsoon stereo system option which is about as good as a stereo will sound with a car in this class. There's the driver information center and trip computer, which gives you a compass, outside air temperature, average speed, elapsed timer, average and instantaneous fuel economy, range, engine oil life, tire pressure, transmission fluid sensor, engine hours...pretty much everything you can think of, and then some. The top-of-the-line model even features a very innovative HUD (Heads Up Display) that's capable of projecting 18 different functions onto the windshield. Yes, it's true that when you start adding on the options, the price does go up...but it's still an exceptional value considering what you do get, and even the base model offers all of the regular options you'd want (cruise, A/C, power windows/locks, remote keyless entry, power adjustable seats, etc.)

Conclusion
When considering this car, a seasoned car shopper needs to realize that this isn't the budget Pontiac of the 90's. Clearly, Pontiac is delivering value in a whole new field. This is a compromise car, giving a family person with responsibilities a true performance car experience as well as a healthy dose of luxury. Some people don't like compromise cars, but if you ask me, I like luxury and performance cars and need a family sedan, but my budget and single-car garage will only allow me to own one car at a time. If you're like me, then this is the car for you.