Last week I was “given” the opportunity to drive a 2009 Pontiac G5 for a few days. The car had a few basic plusses, but coming from a BMW 3-Series, it definitely lacked a lot as well. We’ll go over all that in a bit, but first, a little background. A rebadged Chevy Cobalt and successor to the Pontiac Sunfire, this G5 is driven by a 2.2l inline-4 engine mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. The 2.2l Ecotec engine turns out 155 horsepower at its peak, and 150 lb¥ft of torque. The base price for the little coupe is $14,995.

The little Ecotec engine gets great fuel economy, with an EPA rating of 23 mpg. Since my work commute is mostly highway driving, I got a little bit better than that, averaging 24.5 in the ten days that I had the car. However, the acceleration was rather sluggish. Zero to sixty time is reported to be around 9 seconds, but it certainly didn’t feel like it. Even worse was the automatic transmission, which was somewhat unresponsive. Attempting to overtake on the highway felt like an eternity spent waiting for the transmission to decide it was time to drop down a gear. Handling wise, the G5 was so so. It’s certainly no auto-x car, with loads of body roll, a weak weight distribution of 60/40, and a ton of play in the steering wheel. The car would not be described as a “joy to drive”. At best it could be described as boring.

The car did have some amenities though. I liked the onboard computer, which displayed old standbys such as the external temperature, fuel range, time, and two trip computers, as well as handy information such as estimated tire pressure for each corner, the coolant temperature, and an estimated percentage of life left in the oil. The headlights had an automatic setting that I left on the whole time, turning the lights on when a sensor couldn’t detect enough sunlight, for both night driving and cloudy days, and leaving me not having to worry if I left the lights on. The stereo had a 1/8″ stereo auxilliary input, allowing me to plug my iPod into the sound system, which was nice. However, the sound system wasn’t the best, with bass that was too loud and muddy, and trebly highs, but no midrange, making most music sound imbalanced. The interior was nothing to right home about, a standard plastic and cloth affair to be expected on a cheap car. The bucket seats were noticeably uncomfortable. My other big complaint was how poor rear visibility was. The massive C-pillar made checking your blind spot a guessing game, and the large-ish rear wing was a big distraction in the rear view mirror.

Overall, I was not a fan of the G5. As I stated before, at best it was boring. At its worst it was a testament to the lame badge engineering that made up most of Pontiac’s offerings, providing a good example of why it was a good thing that the brand got shut down, and a detriment to the good name of G5. Would not recommend.

• MINI Clubman – It’s not unknown that I’m a big fan of the MINI Cooper. In fact, I love ‘em, since I was a kid. The classic, the new, even the little Moke has a place in my heart. And now that the Traveller is coming back as the MINI Clubman, I’m super stoked. All the awesomeness of the regular MINI with a longer wheelbase and hot new design. This thing is a sexy beast. I think I’ll just link to Gabe at Motoring File with his post of the official MINI press release.
• Fiat 500 – Much like the MINI, I just gotta love the tiny little classic Fiat 500, with it’s snub front end, and its snap-on vinyl flap roof. So natch I was excited when they announced a remake, MINI-style. Like the MINI, the 500 is centered around personalization, offering three different trim levels, 15 interior trims, 9 wheel options, 19 decals and 12 body colours. The current trim levels are available with tiny engines that turn out less than 100 horsepower, though they will soon introduce the Abarth version, with either a 135 Hp or a 155 Hp engine, that will compete with the MINI in the market. Good luck finding a 500 though; Fiat’s CEO has announced that within a month of launch, they’ve received 57,000 orders, the entire production run for 2007. They are looking for ways to increase production due to the huge demand.
• Infiniti G37/Nissan Skyline – Coming later this month, the newest upgrade to the Skyline dynasty is the G37. Equipped with a 330hp V6 engine, this sexy coupe is one of the finest vehicles coming out of Japan right now. Of course, what’s truly exciting about the Skyline family is coming Spring of next year, when the GT-R comes out. The GT-R is what made the Skyline so desired, with a legendary, almost limitless amount of potential horsepower. The next GT-R will be a purebred sports car, with an engine tuned by British motor legends Cosworth, and suspension by Lotus. Expect a twin turbo V6 putting out gobs of power. The vehicle is expected to retail for $65k.
• Dodge Challenger – Well let’s see. Two European cars, a Japanese car. Gotta throw some American muscle in there! The Dodge Challenger, one of the badass-est cars to come out of the ’70s (we’ll just ignore the ugly piece of shit second generation that came out from ’78 til ’83), is ready for a comeback. Coming out in 2008, this is a true American sports car, complete with a 6.1L Hemi V8 under the hood. It’s a true two-door hardtop (no b-pillar!), something that you never see in American cars these days. So far the challenger is a mysterious beauty, as Dodge has kept a lot of details under wraps. But with all the retro muscle car styling, it. Will. Be. Awesome!

Welp, that’s all I got for now. Good day to you.

Disclosure: DB of White Roof Radio fame is a good friend of mine, and once let me stay in his garage for a few months while I was a hobo in southern California.

The world-famous White Roof Radio is a podcast. A podcast with one primary focus. 50/50 Weight distribution Matte BRG paint The MINI Cooper. I know what you’re thinking. “How can they do a whole show about a single car?” But they do do it. In fact, they just posted their 150th show last week. The show is hosted by DB from SoCal, Todd from KC, and Gabe from Chicago. Robert from Toronto is an occasional contributer to the show, the Neil Young to their Crosby, Stills, and Nash.

The show got its start nearly two years ago, when DB was toying with the idea of doing a podcast. Podcasting at the time was a new frontier on the internet at the time. Todd was thinking of doing such a thing as well, and so after a few solo flights, the two collaborated. Gabe was brought in later to do the news, and completed the trifecta. The early shows were troubled by low quality audio, but that was soon rectified when the lads were able to get professional level recording equipment. They eventually settled on their current format, two shows a week with news on Sunday and a topical show on Monday. Robert occasionally contributes a “soundseeing tour” in the middle of the week, where he takes a guest along for their first ever ride in a MINI and records their thoughts about the experience.

The show isn’t just about MINIs though. Other topics often include talk about other cars (sometimes derrisively, sometimes approvingly), the latest Apple release (both Gabe and Todd are habitual Mac users and DB is a recent convert), the weather (to the annoyance of some listeners), and, once or twice a year, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. These tangents are some of the best parts of the show, lending a lot of humor and fun to what can occasionally be a dry subject.

The show started gaining sponsorship from various MINI parts retailers as it became more popular. Currently the show has nearly 500 regular subscribers to the RSS feed, coming from far off countries such as Greece, the UK, and Australia, and is distributed through North American Motoring, MySpace, and Digg as well as through the main site. The boys hit the big time just recently, when they announced the MINI International had invited them to Amsterdam to cover MINI United, a huge event that happens about every other year attracting over a thousand people. That’s kind of a big deal for a homebrew production to recieve validation from a major corporation. And it’s just plain pretty sweet.

• It’s very clean and nice. And it’s not as bad as the bubble phase the Taurus went through in the late nineties.
• The engine doesn’t knock loudly. The turn signal and brake lights work. The check engine light isn’t always on (or on at all). The 3.5l V6 gets much better mileage than the old and busted 4.6l V8 (though doesn’t have the same power. And the transmission doesn’t burble.
• Must dealerships put their badge on the back of my car? I spent twenty minutes trying to peel that thing off without taking off paint, so far no luck.
• Gear shifter on the steering column. That’s too old-ladyish for me.
• Speakers sound great. I just bought some 5x7s for the Cougar a month ago, I need to research if they’ll fit in the Taurus.
• It has a tape deck. Seriously, in this day and age, with MP3s and iPods and whatnot, Ford thinks it’s okay to put a tape deck in standard? Most places you have to pay extra to put in a tape deck I think. They’re just lucky I was able to get a clean sounding Belkin tape adapter for my iPod. And what the hell is the deal with the combined stereo controls/environmental controls? Can’t they just use the standard-size stereo unit that every frickin’ body else has used for years now? C’mon Ford.
• Huge-ass trunk. I’ve got my golf clubs in it comfortably, a couple dead hookers, and all my junk I hastily pulled out of the Cougar. Yes, I get a new car, and I still have to spend an hour tomorrow cleaning it out.
• I hate having to deal with dealers and car salesmen. Yes, I know you’re going to bone me, can’t we just keep the boning to a minimum without having to do the whole stupid “Well I’m going to talk to my manager now, I know he won’t like it, but I’ll fight him” thing. I know your full of shit, so let’s just skip that.
• The color is awesome. A deep blue that almost looks a bit purple-ish in the sun, with a metal flake. I dig it.
• That’s all I got.
• Pictures tomorrow.