2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP from North America - Comments

Pontiac has come out with an all-new Grand Prix. The exterior of the car has taken on a whole new look some of which is good and some of which is not. The interior has also received a much-improved facelift, with includes some new added features that everyone is definitely going to enjoy. They have also done some modifications to the engine. It's a way to give those power hungry people out there just a little more excitement. Now the big question is are the new modifications worthwhile or have they gone to far?

The exterior of the car is my least favorite new modification. In my opinion, the designers of the new exterior have not done a very good job when it comes to the overall appearance. The makers of the car did put in some good qualities, but the front of the car is the worst change that they made. It looks like the previous Grand Prix in its general shape only they distorted it by squishing everything together and stretching it out vertically. Making the car look very cumbersome and bulky which does not accurately represent the car. Even though it is heavy, tipping the scales at 3583 pounds, it is one of the best performing cars in its class. The fact that the carmakers made it look bulky and slow is a horrible misrepresentation. The designers did add a few great options to the exterior. They decided to increase the size of their rims to 17 inches and that gave them better styling, which alowed the car to have a sportier look. The twin-style dual exhaust also helps to give the car more of a performance look. The sunroof is another available option that gives the car a nice playful look. Another neat feature is that the back doors can swing open 82 degrees, which makes it easy to get large items into the back seat, such as a TV. Even though this car has some drawbacks to its design, it has many great features that help to make up for it.

Another thing about this car is its all-new interior. Even though it is not a great improvement over the previous Grand Prix, I do like what they have done to the interior and love the features that have been added. Overall, the interior has a sleeker look than any of the previous models. This was accomplished by not using all the plastic cladding that was common on the older Grand Prixs. They have also angled the heating and air conditioning controls toward the driver. The car still has the convenient steering wheel controls that have been fairly standard in Grand Prixs for quite some time. The gauges are stacked, giving them more depth and a much more improved look. All the backlighting in the car still has the signature red Pontiac glow. Another cool feature is the HUD or heads up display. It projects vital information onto the windshield so drivers never have to take their eyes off the road. Another neat new feature that I like is the TAP shift, which allows a person to shift their automatic like a manual by pushing little paddles on the steering wheel if they choose to do so. Using the TAP shift will not help with acceleration, not that it needs any, but it can make the driving experience more invigorating especially when curving through those sharp turns at high speeds. This car is said to have the best fingertip shifting in the industry. It is said to simulate a manual better than any other car. The car also helps keep you on the road with the Bosch-sourced Stabilitrak Sport system. This system gives stability assistance whenever needed. The system is tuned so precisely that without the indicator light in the dash you might not even know it is there. Thus making the Grand Prix

different from many other cars such as the BMW and Mercedes, whose systems are more intrusive. One bad thing is that the back seat is much more uncomfortable than previous models. It is hard and sits very close to the floor, but that is mainly because the back seat can now completely fold down flat making it easier to haul large items. The front passengers seat can also fold flat just in case you need to tote some 2X4's home. This car has many of the great old features that it previously had with many awesome new features.

The final thing that I am going to talk about is the improved power plant or engine that Pontiac has decided to place into the car. It still has the same supercharged 3800 series engine. But instead of the old 3800 series II V6 with the Eaton M90 supercharger, it now has a 3800 series III V6 with an all new much more efficient fifth-generation Eaton supercharger, all of which has been tweaked slightly to pump out an extra 20 horses over the previous model pushing it to 260 horsepower. Although it still makes the same 280 pound-feet of torque, adding extra horsepower is, in my opinion, always an excellent idea and you just can't go wrong by doing that. The car can now run 0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds which is a slight improvement over previous models, but not much, although every little bit counts. The new Grand Prix can also run the quarter-mile in 15.0 seconds at a speed of 93.0 mph, still not a whole lot faster than previously, but it was fast before and it just keeps getting faster little by little. And for most of you who will never take this car to the track all of this basically means that when you are on the highway and you want to pass you can and it won't take long either. As for gas mileage it gets 18 miles per gallon in the city and 28 miles per gallon on the highway doing fairly well considering the power that the car has. The engineers at Pontiac have done a good job by squeezing the extra power out of the engine to make this great car even better.

In my opinion, this is a sporty car with a powerful supercharged engine, extremely good handling, and many other great features and equipment making it a joyful experience to drive. As long as the few exterior blemishes of the car are overlooked, such as the funky front end, and everything else that the car has to offer is taken into account it is an excellent buy. If this car is in your budget, and it just might be with a base price of just under 26,000 dollars, I would definitely recommend buying it. If not I would recommend buying a used model because those are also very great cars.

I agreed with much of this review. I am very pleased with the engine's performance and the ergonomic interior. I also am disappointed with the exterior changes.

I noticed a couple of changes from the 1998 to the 2004 GTP that were very obvious that weren't mentioned.

#1. I had practically no blind spots in the 98 and in the 04 I have to take several looks when changing lanes because of the high rear doors and the new distorted mirrors.

#2. The suspension is so tight that I can easily lose control on concrete slab highways (at legal speeds) as the car reacts to every crack and swell in the highway. It's actually giving me back/headaches from all the bouncing. Worse than my old Mustangs and Corvette. Very similar to the ride you get in an Illinois DOT snowplow.

Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed the TapShift and the extra 20 horses. I'm just disappointed with the instabili (Trak) ty. Thanks for providing the forum to express my opinions. Chris - Palatine, IL.

The '04 GTP Comp G is a fabulous automobile contrary to what you've read elsewhere. The car is powerful and propels itself to your destination quickly and smoothly. There is a ton of power and torque, and the supercharger does the job quickly and effectively. Don't forget, this iron maiden has proven itself for many years now. The transmission, a long time friend of the 3800 works extremely well. The TapShift, although gimmicky, changes gears smoothly and works well on back country roads. Only Porsche and Ferrari offer this feature.

The handling is superb. The suspension grabs the road and the car handles as if it was glued to the road. The steering/handling is precise, so precise that if you are not accustomed to it, you will find yourself turning the wheel prematurely into a curve.

The Comp T/As work great and the wide 17" tires are wonderful. The red calipers add a racy flair.

I like the dramatic looks with the raked roofline. It looks European, but maintains the American personality. The front end is bold however not too many cars will be looking at your front. All they will see is your rear end which is not that much different, in looks, than Audi or Mercedes.

The heads-up display works well, providing all the information one requires, including radio stations, outdoor temp., speed, direction and other useful functions. Adjustments for brightness are readily found on the console along with a stealth mode, to shut off the dash lights for midnight driving on the freeway.

The trunk space is fine and the ability to load 9.5' items is great. The rear doors open almost 90 degrees for easy ingress/egress.

Driving position is superb and the passenger seat is fine as well. The car could have used a power passenger seat however the power lumbar support on the drivers side is great fo bad backs. The only drawback is the rear seat. It lacks space and comfort, especially for tall adults. If you are hauling kids, it's adequate.

In summation, if you are seeking a performance sedan that is fast, handles extremely well, tons of driver's features (and toys), a large trunk and good looks while overlooking the back seat space, this car is a must!

I disagree that the styling is poor. I rented one of these (a 2004) with a non-supercharged 3.8 series III and cannot say enough positive things about the car. The car in general left a very nice impression on me. I am also very familiar with the GM 3.8 engine. They are arguably one of the closest things to "bullet-proof" that you can buy. If I were in the market for a new car, I think it would be a toss up for me between the new Chevy Malibu Maxx, or the Pontiac Grand Prix. I just refuse to pay what any of the manufacturers are asking for the new cars these days. The prices have gotten outrageous, to the point of being ludicrous, all across the board.

I disagree with the styling comments from the original author. The new Grand Prix looks simply amazing from any angle, especially from the front. The only problem I have with the Grand Prix styling is the rear visibility. The car has a larger-than-usual blind spot due to the upward sloping rear doors. Also the rear glass is at such an angle that it makes it difficult to see anything directly behind 10 feet of the car. I struck another vehicle (with only minor damage to my car) by slowly backing out of a parking spot. Having to rely solely on mirrors to manoeuvre not comfortable. From a power standpoint I have driven the car with the Eaton V supercharged engine... very exhilarating.

I Michael E. Scruggs would like to submit a request to the head general management. I bought my car last year 2004 in March. I have been having problems with my steering wheel. I have a 2004 grand pr-ix GT. When I first purchase this car I was so excited cause this was my first new car. I love grand pr-ix model and I traded my old grandprix for a new model. My old model drove better than my new car. I would like to know what I can do in this type of situation to solve this problem. Please let me know as soom as possible. My last 4 digit of social security number is 6609. I did take out an extended warrantly, but it does not cover my steering wheel. I was told by a car salesment that these car's are made to drive that way. Iam, not happy with this situation and would like to know what I can do about this problem. Please respond as soom as possible.

Thanks

Michael E. Scruggs.