CD Article: 2008 Pontiac G5 sedan

[CD_Editor]

Test Drive:


A "surprisingly pleasant car to drive", the exclusive-to-Canada Pontiac G5 compact sedan is "under-rated" says Editor-in-chief, Greg Wilson.  Criticisms include an uncomfortable back seat and unavailability of electronic stability control.

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[articsteve]

No doubt the G5 is a much better Sunfire, but that is about where things end.  It's just not competitive no matter what kind of deal one might get.

[Wolfe]

No doubt the G5 is a much better Sunfire, but that is about where things end.  It's just not competitive no matter what kind of deal one might get.

The Sunfire was a gawdawful excretion of a car. The G5 and Cobalt are pleasant cars but plain.

[Demosthenes X]

last time I checked the GM of Canada web-site, they were offering up to $2,250 off for cash buyers, and I expect you could strike a pretty good deal on this car right now.

If one could negotiate the Pursuit GT to under $20 000, I'd call it a hell of a deal.  My drive with a GT model left me with nearly as many thrills as a Civic Si, and with rebates and negotiation, at a very substantial discount.  I agree, the base and SE models are uninspiring (especially the suspension tuning), but I was very, very impressed with the GT. 

[drederick]

No doubt the G5 is a much better Sunfire, but that is about where things end.  It's just not competitive no matter what kind of deal one might get.

You can read, right? There wasn't much negative at all written, and it was a pretty positive review and does not really indicate anything close to the vehicle being 'not competetive'

If you look at the sales for the first 4 months of 2008 (thanks to SirAquaman) it would almost seem that the Corolla is the non-competetive one:

corolla          12164 <- brand new uber model from the Gods
cobalt          12443 <- 4th model year dinosaur
g5                9915 
mazda 3        14673
Civic            26517 <-- go Honda!

(I don't know whent he 09 Corolla went on sale so I am unsure how many of the 4 months in the total above are 08 cars..... but based on artic's beliefs even the 08 was more competetive than the G5/Cobalt LOL)

Corolla and Cobalt sales neck and neck? heck throw in the G5 sales (as they ARE the same car) and wow Corolla left in the dust.

By the way, I saw my first 09 Corolla Xrs today and thought it looked really nice! but is it mind blowing? no. It is another nice car amongst many nice cars.

[toolatecrew]

I've driven the Cobalt as a rental and these cars are not nearly as awful as the onl Sunfire etc. They are no frills basic transfport that can be optioned up with features. The issue is that the look and feel does not trancend the price point or class. The Corrola looks and feels like a more expensive Camary (to me) the Civic fells smoother and more wll put together than its price, The Mazda 3 is sporty and can be made to almost premium small car standars of equipment. The G5 just says inexpensive. You seem to bereminded that your priority was to save $ every time you drive it.

If that is going to be the mission of the car then it really has to be a big chunk of savings so that you can remind yourself (I saved 5K over a Civic) everytime you drive it. GM should also stop with the incentive crap. If this car is to be sold on price compared to the competion (and despite what anyone might market that's the only way they will do it I can't imagine letting 100 people do a back to back ride and drive in a Corolla, Civic and G5 and have the majority pick the G5)

[Thinking Out Loud]

I agree on the splitting sales issue with GM does themselves a disservice.

GM/Chevy trucks in combination would put the lone F150 model on a run.  Cobalt/G5 in combination makes it the success (under the skin engineering similarities) it IS compared to its competition.  GM's need to have multiple banners dilutes their own sales numbers.

I'm thinking - in this category where value is king - would a Chevy Cobalt buyer balk at having to buy a Pontiac G5?  Or is the loyalty REALLY to GM, so the sub-brand is more of a 'nearest dealer' relationship? 

Aren't these twins due for a mid-cycle facelift?       Couldn't but help. 

And what were the newish Focus sales numbers like - sirAquaman, care to share if you know? 

[Demosthenes X]

I wouldn't buy a Cobalt (SS excepted), but would buy a Pursuit GT.  It makes little sense, but I simply prefer the styling and interior of the Pontiac car...

[Mitlov]

And what were the newish Focus sales numbers like - sirAquaman, care to share if you know? 

In the States, the new Focus is selling something like 50% better than the previous-generation.  Don't know if the same is true in Canada.

[PJungnitsch]

In the States, the new Focus is selling something like 50% better than the previous-generation.  Don't know if the same is true in Canada.

About the same as before, a little bit less. 6742 vs 6821 as of end April.

[Greg B.]

In the States, the new Focus is selling something like 50% better than the previous-generation.  Don't know if the same is true in Canada.

Wow, that's hard to understand. Not a good-looking car by any means. Can't understand the appeal.

[Mitlov]

In the States, the new Focus is selling something like 50% better than the previous-generation.  Don't know if the same is true in Canada.

Wow, that's hard to understand. Not a good-looking car by any means. Can't understand the appeal.

In my opinion, the 2006+ Civic is the most bizarrely ugly vehicle since the Aztek.  And that's true inside and out.  Yet it's the best-selling vehicle in the United States right now, selling better than either the Camry or the F-150.  I don't think exterior bodywork is all that important to people who just want something to get them from point A to point B (enthusiast cars are a different matter).

The new Focus has a vastly-improved interior over the old generation (which I think probably matters more than exterior looks), and from what I understand, Sync is actually a big selling point as well.  From what I understand, it's also got more isolation from the road--not great for enthusiasts, but a big selling point for mass-market folks who just want better fuel economy than their Explorer.

Don't get me wrong--I'm not at all excited by the new Focus.  But I think for the mass-market consumer, it's a much more appealing package than the old Focus.

[Greg B.]

In my opinion, the 2006+ Civic is the most bizarrely ugly vehicle since the Aztek.  And that's true inside and out.  Yet it's the best-selling vehicle in the United States right now, selling better than either the Camry or the F-150.  I don't think exterior bodywork is all that important to people who just want something to get them from point A to point B (enthusiast cars are a different matter).

The new Focus has a vastly-improved interior over the old generation (which I think probably matters more than exterior looks), and from what I understand, Sync is actually a big selling point as well.  From what I understand, it's also got more isolation from the road--not great for enthusiasts, but a big selling point for mass-market folks who just want better fuel economy than their Explorer.

Don't get me wrong--I'm not at all excited by the new Focus.  But I think for the mass-market consumer, it's a much more appealing package than the old Focus.

I can't disagree with you in any way, from the ugliness of the Civic to the lack of importance many people put on design. I was in traffic next to a new Focus coupe on Friday and was struck by just how unattractive the thing was, which was what triggered my post. The coupe looks like a ricedtricked-out 2004 Civic coupe, tall and narrow, with tacked-on plasti-chrome bits that add nothing but clutter to the design. And for an old relic like me, Sync adds absolutely no appeal, but I can understand how it would be a selling point for those who cannot be apart from their combo cellphone/mp3 player/digicam. I just can't imagine been seen driving around in something that unattractive every day despite how much better the interior may be. I guess I also regret losing the previous design which, especially in 3 or 5 door hatch form, looked really good to me.

[Mitlov]

I guess I also regret losing the previous design which, especially in 3 or 5 door hatch form, looked really good to me.

Meh.  To me, the previous Focus, especially in 3-door or 5-door trim, looked cheap, dated, and like a pizza delivery car.  While I'm not a huge fan of the new Focus's exterior, I wouldn't say it's any worse, just different.  The old car just looked cheap; the new car looks overstyled but more substantial and expensive.  (This is all just my subjective opinion).

[toolatecrew]

In the States, the new Focus is selling something like 50% better than the previous-generation.  Don't know if the same is true in Canada.

Wow, that's hard to understand. Not a good-looking car by any means. Can't understand the appeal.

Maybe all the ford diehards are trading in their ford trucks and SUVs for a Focus? I'm only half joking. I think that small car sales are up across the board so its only natural that the Focus in today's market might sell more units than the Focus in the previous cheaper gas market

[Alex MacLean]

The G5 is really good at being what a compact car was 10 years ago, now it's not up to snuff.

It's got a nice smooth interior design, no nonsense features. What it does is appeal to the people who used to buy economy cars, rather than the current crop of buyers who demand more techno goodies in their cars. GM hasn't figured out that small cars are the new world order. Everyone wants a small car now, but they don't want to come out of their Cadillac and into the G5. There is a reason why the new 1 series is so coveted, it's tiny, but doesn't lack the goodies that owners of bigger cars are used to.

[Honda Owner]

The Cobalt and G-5 are indeed due for a mid-cycle update. However, instead, for 2007 we got, with much ballyhoo, the new Silverado and Tahoe. GM can't give these monsters away now and doesn't have the cash to freshen their small cars.

Talk about bad timing and putting all your eggs in one basket. When I was working for GM (before the dealer went bust) we couldn't believe that GM (and Chrysler and Ford, for that matter) were continuing to flog gas guzzlers when it was obvious that gas prices had nowhere to go but up.

[Greg B.]

The Cobalt and G-5 are indeed due for a mid-cycle update. However, instead, for 2007 we got, with much ballyhoo, the new Silverado and Tahoe. GM can't give these monsters away now and doesn't have the cash to freshen their small cars.

When you sell both real trucks and cars, you have to invest money in both from time to time. Honda sells a bunch of models built off one platform -- including their so-called "trucks". LOL

[Honda Owner]

Well Greg, I am sure that GM would trade it's bottom line for Honda's any day. Honda got into the "truck" market with minimal investment and made a crapload of money doing it. The unit profit on the Ridgelines was about as fat as anything in the business. Now it had taken the Ridgeline out the the Allison plant to build Civics, which it cannot build enough of. Want a Civic? Get ready to wait three months. Pretty smart, eh? Make your money, go back to your bread and butter which for Honda has always been small, efficient, durable and fun to drive cars. They have never strayed from that.

Most trucks were never used as trucks anyway. Their day is over, thank God.

GM (and Ford and Chrysler) focused on trucks because they made tons of money selling them to morons who, no matter how poorly they were bolted together, kept buying them out of brand loyalty and peer pressure. GM knew this, too. When the POS got the the point at 60,001 km and/or 36 months and one day and the crap started falling off the thing faster than you could bolt it on again, GM could expect to squeeze at least $4000 of retail parts and labour out of it or the same amount in an "extended warranty." When the owners got tired of getting their Silverado towed back to the dealer and missing work, GM could count on brand loyalty and peer pressure for said retarded owner to keep makin' payments and buy another one.

The end of cheap gas changed that in a hurry. Johnny Clockpuncher now has to face the fact that he cannot afford Labatt's Blue, Export A, hockey tickets, truck payments AND gasoline. You should see what these guys pay on trucks; I saw average Joes paying over $700 a month. Do the math: 3,000 km a month at $1.40 a litre @ 20 L /100 km = $840. It is simply not sustainable to use a 6 litre V-8 truck as a car anymore. This is why their sales are down 40%.

GM has one product to fall back on, the Cobalt, which in typical GM style, they haven't spent a nickel on since they introduced it. They now have to resort to 0% financing for SEVENTY TWO months to flog them.

It is all about making money. Never forget that. Building more models off the same platform allows you to make more money per unit and increase the quality of each unit.

[Greg B.]

Most trucks were never used as trucks anyway. Their day is over, thank God.

Especially for a "truck" based on an Accord unibody platform. Good thing it was never used as a truck or it would have bent.

GM (and Ford and Chrysler) focused on trucks because they made tons of money selling them to morons who, no matter how poorly they were bolted together, kept buying them out of brand loyalty and peer pressure. GM knew this, too. When the POS got the the point at 60,001 km and/or 36 months and one day and the crap started falling off the thing faster than you could bolt it on again, GM could expect to squeeze at least $4000 of retail parts and labour out of it or the same amount in an "extended warranty." When the owners got tired of getting their Silverado towed back to the dealer and missing work, GM could count on brand loyalty and peer pressure for said retarded owner to keep makin' payments and buy another one.

Oh please, get a friggin' clue if you're going to post here. I can post the same thing about Hondas rusting out after 2 years and the company refusing to stand behind the cars, but the Honda cult members coming back for more of the same and paying more than sticker price. But I would never say such a thing. 

One of the big reasons why pickups and SUVs held on as long as they did is that many people forget that North Americans have a tradition of large, body on frame, V-8 powered CARS. When those were no longer being produced, they went to the nearest alternative, a similarly designed truck platform, for the torque and driving dynamics. Not everone wants a tinny Japanese econobox with a buzzy 4-banger that you have to rev the hell out of to get it moving.

The end of cheap gas changed that in a hurry. Johnny Clockpuncher now has to face the fact that he cannot afford Labatt's Blue, Export A, hockey tickets, truck payments AND gasoline.

Condescend much? 

It is all about making money. Never forget that. Building more models off the same platform allows you to make more money per unit and increase the quality of each unit.

Until GM or Ford or Chrysler does it. Then it's called "badge engineering" and the fanboys like you sneer at it.