2005 Pontiac G6 Review: Road Test

The engine in our test car was the standard 3.5-liter V6. It's quiet and smooth, with a 0-60 mph time that's just enough to keep you out of trouble, but not enough to make your heart beat faster. The transmission worked flawlessly. It features a neat, simple manual-control mechanism built into the shifter and a gear indicator LED straight ahead in the instrument panel so you don't forget, important because this manual mode will not automatically upshift for you at redline. It goes right up against the rev limiter. Ratios were well matched to the engine's power and torque bands. Some torque steer was evident on full-throttle starts and low-speed kickdowns, which shouldn't be there on a modern platform like Epsilon.

The 3.5-liter V6 produces 200 horsepower and 220 pound-feet of torque. The 3.9-liter HO engine that comes in the GTP is rated at 240 horsepower, 245 pound-feet of torque. The new and improved 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is rated 175 horsepower, 170 pound-feet of torque. The GM EcoTec 2.4-liter is a double overhead-cam engine used in the Saab 9-3, Opel Vectra, and Chevrolet Malibu. The four-cylinder engine will be restricted to the base SE, and the big HO V6 will only come on the GTP.