2002 Pontiac Grand Prix - Consumer Guide Automotive

Category	SE sdn Rating (See All Ratings)	Midsize Car Average Rating

Acceleration	4	5

Fuel Economy	6	5.3

Ride Quality	7	6.2

Steering/Handling/Braking	6	5.8

Quietness	6	5.4

Controls	5	6.3

Room/Comfort/Driver Seating (front)	6	5.7

Room/Comfort (rear)	4	4.3

Cargo Room	5	4.6

Value within Class	8	6

Total Score:	57	54.6

Ratings: Maximum 10 points per category

2002 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX BUYING RESOURCES

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2002 Pontiac Grand Prix Review

A 40th-Anniversary package and increased equipment levels mark changes to Pontiac's midsize line for 2002. Grand Prix offers a sedan in base SE trim and sedans and coupes in sportier GT form and in high-performance GTP versions. All have a V6 engine: the SE a 3.1 liter, GTs a 3.8, GTPs a supercharged 3.8. Automatic transmission, antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, and traction control are standard. General Motors' OnStar assistance system and head-up instrument display are standard on GTP, optional on GT. Offered on GT and GTP models, the 40th Anniversary Package includes a rear spoiler, hood ducts, chrome wheels, Dark Cherry paint, and unique red-and-grey interior trim. Also for 2002, the SE gains standard cruise control and dual-zone climate control, and GTs get a standard power driver's seat and CD player. Grand Prix shares its platform with the Buick Century and Regal, Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, and the Oldsmobile Intrigue.

Competition

Perennial Best Buys Honda Accord and Toyota Camry continue to shine with refinement, model diversity, and comfort. Both come in coupe and sedan forms, offer economic 4-cylinder or sporty V6 power, have room for four adults, and are reasonably priced.

Recommended models include the import-flavored Chevy Malibu, plain-Jane Ford Taurus, and the good-looking Pontiac Grand Prix. All come with V6 power, offer lots of standard equipment, and have pleasing road manners that will suit a variety of driving styles. The restyled and larger Nissan Altima is new to the Recommended list this year. We are impressed with interior room and road manners, but disappointed by the budget-level interior materials and assembly.

News

Essentially unchanged in year-to-year sales for calendar 2000, Grand Prix dropped 20.7 percent in the first nine months of 2001, which more than erases its 20.5-percent gain in calendar '99. Still, Pontiac's number-two seller could have fared much worse, as indeed some rivals have.

Grand Prix's next redesign has been rescheduled for model-year 2005, two years later than previously reported. The coupe body style may be dropped, but sedans will share a new "W-body" platform with the next-generation Buick Regal and Chevrolet Impala/Monte Carlo, also due for '05. All are said to be slightly wider outside and roomier inside than today's models.

2002 Pontiac Grand Prix Road Test >

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