The Pontiac G5 arrived in the U.S. with little fanfare in 2006 as a 2007 model to serve duty as Pontiac's entry-level vehicle. The compact is identical to the Chevrolet Cobalt save for the front end and badges. Sold in Canada in Mexico as a sedan and a coupe, only the sportier two-door G5 is available here.
The smallest Pontiac rolls into 2009 with several changes, most notably under the hood. An updated 2.2L inline-four that gets a power boost to 155 hp and 155 lb-ft is now the only engine option for the G5 -- the 171-hp 2.4L inline-four that used to power the G5 GT goes away. When combined with the standard five-speed manual transmission -- which receives a new 3.63 final drive ratio -- and newly added 15-in. wheels with low-rolling-resistance tires, the revised engine allows the base G5 to achieve an improvement in fuel economy to a fairly impressive 25 mpg city/37 mpg highway.
With the base G5 and the GT now sharing the same engine, the two trims are now separated only by their equipment levels (most features that are optional on the base model are standard on the GT), suspension, and brakes. The G5 GT has a stiffer suspension with monotube shocks and thicker anti-roll bars (22 mm front and rear versus 19 mm front and 16 mm rear), four-wheel disc brakes (the base G5 has disc brakes up front and drum brakes at the rear), and 17-in. wheels with performance tires.
Pontiac also fits the 2009 G5 with Bluetooth, an iPod-compatible USB port in the radio, dual-stage front airbags, a pair of new exterior colors (Quicksilver Metallic and Silver Green Metallic replace Nitrous Blue Metallic and Titanium Metallic) and a new red and black leather interior color combination for the G5 GT. Several revisions have been made to equipment packages as well. The existing Sun and Sound package receives a new MP3-capable Pioneer seven-speaker stereo and there are two new option packages for the base G5. The MYLINK package adds 16 in. wheels, four-wheel ABS, cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, steering wheel radio controls, and Bluetooth capability, while the Appearance package adds body color side moldings, a truck cargo net, chrome exhaust tip, and fog lamps.
It's worth noting that the base model's optional 16-in. wheels and the GT's standard 17-in. wheels slightly reduce fuel economy to 25 mpg city/35 mpg highway. Opting for the aging four-speed automatic reduces it further to 24 mpg city/33 mpg highway for the base model and 23 mpg city/32 mpg highway.
The G5 comes standard with side-impact curtain airbags as well as dual front-impact airbags. It's also equipped with seatbelt pretensioners, a three-point seatbelt for the center rear passenger, and GM's OnStar communications system.
Bottom line, there's not a lot to get excited over about the G5, but it's a decent option for those that like the equipment level and price of the Cobalt but don't want a Chevy.
[source:MotorTrend]
