2004 Pontiac GTO Walkaround Review at Automotive.com
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2004 Pontiac GTO Review: Exterior

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2004 Pontiac GTO Review

A legend returns?
Walkaround
Pontiac's stylists confronted a difficult task in designing the new GTO: Rather than starting with a blank computer screen, they began with an existing assembly of sheet metal mostly imported from Australia. They deserve a round of applause, then, for crafting a look that is clearly Pontiac, and especially for doing so without slathering great expanses of plastic cladding along the sides or hanging garish lower trim pieces fore and aft. In the case of the new GTO, understatement has been a good thing.

The front end suggests a slimmer, toned down Grand Prix or even Bonneville, with the split grille bookended by high tech headlights behind clear aero lenses sweeping subtly upward as they wrap around the front fenders. A large air intake fills most of the lower fascia, which also houses fog lights recessed in the curvature of the bumper. Widely spaced wheels give the car a sturdy, planted look. Alas, no scoop disturbs the hood's graceful lines, though Pontiac is studying the possibility of adding hood scoops for 2005 to appease traditional GTO enthusiasts.

In silhouette, the GTO shows evidence of substantial wind tunnel time. From the sleek, aero nose, the outline flows smoothly from the gradual arc of the front fender over the steeply raked windshield and properly proportioned glass house to the somewhat stubby boot, giving the car a mild wedge-like shape. In an apparent bow to the car's muscle car-cum-sporty heritage, a less than graceful spoiler is draped over the trailing edge of the trunk lid. Mild blisters stretch the top of the fenders out over the tires, which leave no wasted space in their circular wheel wells.

The hind end is vaguely reminiscent of a previous-generation Chevy Monte Carlo, the very rounded, Lumina-esque iteration. Save for the taillights, that is, which are accented by a brace of round, white lenses stacked vertically along the outer edges of the trunk lid. The twin tips of the authentic dual exhaust peek out from beneath the left end of the rear bumper. And again, wide tires placed at the outer edges of the car's body give the GTO a look of confidence, of stability. Next Page



2004 Pontiac GTO
  
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