Vehicle: 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT1 with ABS, driver’s pkg and On-star pkg
Price as tested: CDN$32425

Performance: Underneath the hood of our GT1 Grand Prix is GM’s bulletproof OHV 3800 Series 2 V6. With 200 horses and 230 lb/ft of torque, power is never an issue. The throttle response has the usual GM responsive tip-in while the 4-speed automatic is eager to shift whenever the driver’s right foot demands. Unlike many pushrod units, 3800 is quiet and smooth. Despite that, pushrod motor still lacks the well-honed refinement of its competitors’ DOHC and SOHC units. If you would like more power in your Grand Prix, there is always a supercharged GTP version with 260 hp and 280 lb/ft of torque.

Handling: While current Grand Prix’s chassis already a much stiffer unit than the outgoing car, its dynamic capabilites still remain average. There are way too much body rolls when pushed, not to mentioned the understeer shows up long before the tires reached their limitations. Steering feels numb and completely lifeless at any speeds. You can basically forget about what is driving feel about inside the Grand Prix! With 200 ponies going through the front wheels, there is torque steer when launching from a complete stop. While the soft suspension gives you comfortable ride on smooth pavements, it doesn’t absorb expansion joints and washboard pavements particularly well. Combine with its large size and poorly sorted-out springs, you got a dynamic package that is neither fun-to-drive nor comfortable to ride in.

Brakes: For a car starts at 28k, GM should offer ABS as standard feature. ABS or not, Grand Prix has poor pedal feel. I almost needed 2 legs to jump on the brake pedal in order to make it stop. While the optional ABS saves the final moment before hitting the car in front, its initial bite and modulation have nothing to beg about!

Interior: On the upside, the instrumentation gauges are easy to read and analog. The radio and climate control have large dials for easy reach. It also got everything you expect from a family car costing 32k like power windows, locks, mirrors and a very cold air conditioner for such a hot weather. Unfortunately, the rest of the interior has a lot to be desired.
There are cheap plastic on top of hard plastic on top of brittle plastic everywhere on the dashboard, door panels and center console. Secondly, there are too many vents looking at you which definitely not pleasing to the eyes. Thirdly, the velour uses on the seats have a cheap and crappy feel to it.

On the back seat, the high door sills make the rear passengers have a cramped feel given the narrow angle windows.

While the trunk is large and have 60/40 split fold-down rear seats, the liftover is too high. The use of instrusive trunk hinges don’t help much neither.

Conclusion: This generation of Grand Prix is a huge improvement over its predecessors, in terms of cladding-free styling and chassis stiffness. However, it still has a lot to do before reaching for the bar set by the competitions. The family car’s standard simply set too high for Pontiac to reach at this point. I would put more faith into the Grand Am replacement G6 that will introduce this fall than the Grand Prix of hitting bull’s eyes in this competitive category.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2004 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX GT1
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Performance: 2.25/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 1/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 2.25/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 2/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 2/5
Value-for-money: 1/5

Overall rating: 2/5