2002 Pontiac Grand Am SE review from North America

The Grand AM SE is a great and sporty looking car. The interior is fairly roomy, and organized well.

If you have a manual transmission, I noticed that the cup holders are not as easily accessed because of the drivers arm and shifting purposes.

The new Ecotec 2.2 L 4 Cyl engine is quite powerful and I'd say beats the previous engine in later models. It puts out 140 horsepower at 5600 RPM. With a manual transmission, you can get 0-60 in just about 8.4 seconds, which makes the 1/4 mile time come in at 17.0 seconds. It's top speed is 111 mph, (stock) but you can tweek a little bit to get about 140 mph.

It's braking power is quite nice 60-0 (mph) in under 130 feet.

The stereo system is awesome in this car compared to other makes. Pontiac usually equips their cars with decent sound systems. CD player comes standard on all models of the Grand AM.

Power locks come standard on the SE, but Power windows aren't even available! This is my only complaint as I am a very lazy person. I've never had a car without powered windows and I was very suprised to find out that this awesome car not only didn't have it standard, but didn't have it available either! If you are looking for a power package, you have to go with the SE1, where you can get a power moonroof too!

If your looking for power, you probably should look more toward the 3.4L because the SE doesn't have a lot. Passing is sometimes difficult, with a manual you must drop a gear and maybe even two. I've found myself downshift to 3rd to get enough power to pass. It seems kind of weird to do that, but I wasn't even red-lining it.

One thing I don't like is where you have to put it in reverse to park and get your key out. Every time you start your car your reverse lights are on. Also when you park. I understand this is a safety and security feature, but sometimes quite annoying.

Overall this is a great and fun car. I recommend a little larger engine and I like GTs myself, but the SE is a great car if your looking for a nice ride without evey extra add-on you can get, along with the extra power provided by the GT and "upper-modles".