2004-2006 Pontiac GTO: Road Test

Manual or automatic transmission, 350 or 400 hp, all GTOs have muscular acceleration, lending credence to Pontiac's claim of less than 5 sec 0-60 mph. The manual transmission suffers from imprecise shift action, long throws, and heavy clutch action. Test manual-transmission GTOs averaged 17.5-18.0 mpg in mostly highway driving. A test automatic-transmission model averaged 15.7 mpg in mixed city/highway driving. Pontiac recommends premium-grade fuel. Testers are divided about GTO's ride quality. Some fine ride control laudable for a sporty car, others criticize it for bounding over bumps and swells. The tradeoff is athletic handling, with minimal body lean, responsive steering, and strong brakes. This coupe's muscle-car acceleration is accompanied by a muscle-car exhaust note while accelerating, but it settles down while cruising. Tire noise is only prominent on very coarse pavement, and wind rush rises markedly above 70 mph. GTO's interior design is generally a step above other GM vehicles with a user-friendly controls and large, legible gauges. Materials quality also is better than in other GM products, but it still falls behind class-leader BMW. Driver and front passenger comfort is quite good. Seats are firm and well shaped with exceptional lateral support in turns. These seats, coupled with a standard tilt/telescope steering wheel make finding a comfortable driving position a snap. Even with its sporty stance and standard rear spoiler, visibility is also very good. Some drivers, though, complain of tight pedal placement in manual transmission test cars. The rear seat is surprisingly roomy for adults, but getting back there is a chore. The front seats power fore and aft via outboard buttons on the backrest, but do so very slowly. A lack of tipping front-seat backrests and no assist handles further complicates entry/exit. Trunk space is meager for a coupe this size because the fuel tank intrudes into the cargo area. The actual trunk is deep and wide, but only 18 inches front to rear. That's about enough for a weekend of soft luggage for two. Cabin storage is mediocre.

Value for the Money
A nicely appointed cabin with a usable back seat are pluses in this class, but it's the blend of American muscle and Euro-worthy road manners that make GTO a Recommended pick. Low demand has dealers discounting already reasonable base prices, but be sure to budget for potentially heavy fuel thirst.