Two years ago I drove a Pontiac Grand Am SE for a week. At the time, the car's thrashy engine, gaudy styling, uncomfortable seats and tacky interior sorely disappointed me. Since that drive I have steered prospective drivers from the Grand Am, thinking that better models were to be had at Ford, Nissan and Toyota dealers.
The 1999 model year changes things a bit. This year, the Grand Am gets a long overdue makeover that improves its power delivery, handling, styling and refinement. While not the best in any of these departments, the Grand Am is improved enough that I have taken it off of "Whitmore's Least Wanted List."
We drove an SE2 sedan for our evaluation of the redesign, which came from the factory with a 3.4-liter V6 engine and automatic transmission as standard equipment. Performance figures indicate that the engine pumps out 170 ponies @ 4800 rpm and 195 foot-pounds of torque @ 4000 rpm. This means that the V6-equipped Grand Am can scoot to 60 mph in about eight seconds. Unfortunately, drivers of the Grand Am are not able to row their own gears for faster acceleration times because Pontiac has decided to equip all V6 models with a four-speed automatic transmission. The change from the 3.1-liter V6 that was standard on last year's model to this year's 3.4-liter V6 has resulted in a car that is quicker off the line and stronger through the middle. The 3.4-liter engine also feels smoother and sounds more refined than the one it replaces. Better still, this performance and power comes with a negligible gas penalty, which means that your pocketbook won't take a hit at the gas pump for the improved performance.
For 1999, handling has been improved as well. The new Grand Am has a 32-percent stiffer body structure than the old model and is equipped with a new, four-wheel independent suspension. The result is a car that has less vibration and better road feel in all driving environments. The steering in our test car felt more connected than we were used to in the previous Grand Am; we give credit to Pontiac for mounting the steering rack on a full-frame suspension cradle to damp much of the steering kickback and vibration that afflicted the 1998 model. Changes to the car's chassis may have resulted in the biggest handling gains of all. Pontiac has lengthened the wheelbase of the '99 Grand Am, while shortening the car's overall length. They have also pushed the Grand Am's tires to the corners of the body, increasing the tread width by 3.3 inches. These chassis modifications greatly improve the Grand Am's overall ride. The longer wheelbase provides a smoother ride over uneven ground, and the wider track gives the Grand Am more stability when cornering aggressively.
Driving the '99 Grand Am is definitely more fun than we expected. The car was composed and controlled on our test loop, something that can't be said about its predecessor. The Grand Am tracked well through turns with minimal roll, despite exhibiting heavy understeer. The four-wheel antilock brakes brought the Grand Am to a quick stop in a panic situation, but heated up fast under heavy use, perfuming the cabin with the pungent smell of brake liner. The 3.4-liter engine made it easier to come through a turn with power, but we never quit wishing for a manual transmission because the automatic unit shifted hard and often while tackling the turns of our test course.
The interior of the Grand Am is where non-driving enthusiasts may see the biggest gains in this car's redesign. The Grand Am's instrument panel is now a binnacled, hooded affair, with deep recesses for the speedometer and tachometer. The secondary controls are canted toward the driver, making it easier to change radio stations or adjust the cabin temperature while driving. Pontiac seems to have broken out of the mold of using cheap plastics for their dashboard materials; the ones in our test car were soft and low-gloss, giving the Grand Am a more sophisticated look. Some on our staff think that the new Grand Am interior is a little too much like the Batmobile to wear well through the turn of the century, but we all think that it is a big improvement over what Grand Am owners had to cope with before.
Speaking of improvements, the one that this writer most appreciates is the change in the Grand Am's driving position and seat comfort. In piloting the 1996 model, I felt like the seats were positioned too low and I was peeking up and over the side sills to see what was happening in traffic around me. Furthermore, the seats themselves were mushy, unsupportive and downright painful. All that is changed now, and although the '99 Grand Am's seats won't be confused with those found in a Volvo, they shouldn't precipitate any unscheduled trips to the chiropractor.
The Grand Am has what Pontiac refers to as expressive styling. This makes sense, since the car is designed for young, fashion conscious buyers. Unfortunately, we think that the stylistic expression of the new Grand Am falls short of the appearance of its more conservative cousin, the Oldsmobile Alero. The side-cladding on the Grand Am just makes the car look low rent, and is something that we were surprised to see after the success of the cleanly styled Grand Prix. Attention Pontiac: build the car without the ribbing, and you may be on to something. We're serious, because the Grand Am shares the same sleek shape that we find so attractive on the larger Grand Prix.
The Grand Am SE has a base price under $20,000. The well-equipped model we drove cost just $1,000 more. Nice features such as antilock brakes, traction control, air conditioning, power windows and door locks, rear window defogger and variable intermittent windshield wipers inhabit the standard equipment list of the Grand Am SE. The few options available on the car can turn it quickly into a mini Grand Prix, with 16-inch wheels, leather interior and an upper level stereo with CD player. That's not so bad, especially if you like an equipment-laden car chock full of Pontiac's ideas on the subject of expressive styling. If you like the car, but aren't certain of the package, check out the Oldsmobile Alero. Its subdued flanks are more soothing to our eyes; maybe they will be to yours.
The 1999 model year changes things a bit. This year, the Grand Am gets a long overdue makeover that improves its power delivery, handling, styling and refinement. While not the best in any of these departments, the Grand Am is improved enough that I have taken it off of "Whitmore's Least Wanted List."
We drove an SE2 sedan for our evaluation of the redesign, which came from the factory with a 3.4-liter V6 engine and automatic transmission as standard equipment. Performance figures indicate that the engine pumps out 170 ponies @ 4800 rpm and 195 foot-pounds of torque @ 4000 rpm. This means that the V6-equipped Grand Am can scoot to 60 mph in about eight seconds. Unfortunately, drivers of the Grand Am are not able to row their own gears for faster acceleration times because Pontiac has decided to equip all V6 models with a four-speed automatic transmission. The change from the 3.1-liter V6 that was standard on last year's model to this year's 3.4-liter V6 has resulted in a car that is quicker off the line and stronger through the middle. The 3.4-liter engine also feels smoother and sounds more refined than the one it replaces. Better still, this performance and power comes with a negligible gas penalty, which means that your pocketbook won't take a hit at the gas pump for the improved performance.
For 1999, handling has been improved as well. The new Grand Am has a 32-percent stiffer body structure than the old model and is equipped with a new, four-wheel independent suspension. The result is a car that has less vibration and better road feel in all driving environments. The steering in our test car felt more connected than we were used to in the previous Grand Am; we give credit to Pontiac for mounting the steering rack on a full-frame suspension cradle to damp much of the steering kickback and vibration that afflicted the 1998 model. Changes to the car's chassis may have resulted in the biggest handling gains of all. Pontiac has lengthened the wheelbase of the '99 Grand Am, while shortening the car's overall length. They have also pushed the Grand Am's tires to the corners of the body, increasing the tread width by 3.3 inches. These chassis modifications greatly improve the Grand Am's overall ride. The longer wheelbase provides a smoother ride over uneven ground, and the wider track gives the Grand Am more stability when cornering aggressively.
Driving the '99 Grand Am is definitely more fun than we expected. The car was composed and controlled on our test loop, something that can't be said about its predecessor. The Grand Am tracked well through turns with minimal roll, despite exhibiting heavy understeer. The four-wheel antilock brakes brought the Grand Am to a quick stop in a panic situation, but heated up fast under heavy use, perfuming the cabin with the pungent smell of brake liner. The 3.4-liter engine made it easier to come through a turn with power, but we never quit wishing for a manual transmission because the automatic unit shifted hard and often while tackling the turns of our test course.
The interior of the Grand Am is where non-driving enthusiasts may see the biggest gains in this car's redesign. The Grand Am's instrument panel is now a binnacled, hooded affair, with deep recesses for the speedometer and tachometer. The secondary controls are canted toward the driver, making it easier to change radio stations or adjust the cabin temperature while driving. Pontiac seems to have broken out of the mold of using cheap plastics for their dashboard materials; the ones in our test car were soft and low-gloss, giving the Grand Am a more sophisticated look. Some on our staff think that the new Grand Am interior is a little too much like the Batmobile to wear well through the turn of the century, but we all think that it is a big improvement over what Grand Am owners had to cope with before.
Speaking of improvements, the one that this writer most appreciates is the change in the Grand Am's driving position and seat comfort. In piloting the 1996 model, I felt like the seats were positioned too low and I was peeking up and over the side sills to see what was happening in traffic around me. Furthermore, the seats themselves were mushy, unsupportive and downright painful. All that is changed now, and although the '99 Grand Am's seats won't be confused with those found in a Volvo, they shouldn't precipitate any unscheduled trips to the chiropractor.
The Grand Am has what Pontiac refers to as expressive styling. This makes sense, since the car is designed for young, fashion conscious buyers. Unfortunately, we think that the stylistic expression of the new Grand Am falls short of the appearance of its more conservative cousin, the Oldsmobile Alero. The side-cladding on the Grand Am just makes the car look low rent, and is something that we were surprised to see after the success of the cleanly styled Grand Prix. Attention Pontiac: build the car without the ribbing, and you may be on to something. We're serious, because the Grand Am shares the same sleek shape that we find so attractive on the larger Grand Prix.
The Grand Am SE has a base price under $20,000. The well-equipped model we drove cost just $1,000 more. Nice features such as antilock brakes, traction control, air conditioning, power windows and door locks, rear window defogger and variable intermittent windshield wipers inhabit the standard equipment list of the Grand Am SE. The few options available on the car can turn it quickly into a mini Grand Prix, with 16-inch wheels, leather interior and an upper level stereo with CD player. That's not so bad, especially if you like an equipment-laden car chock full of Pontiac's ideas on the subject of expressive styling. If you like the car, but aren't certain of the package, check out the Oldsmobile Alero. Its subdued flanks are more soothing to our eyes; maybe they will be to yours.
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