Bayer Motor Company
218 E. Grand Comanche, TX 76442Sales: 1-800-843-5230
- Pre-Owned Sales: 1-800-968-1877
Vehicle Reviews
2009 Pontiac G5
Sleek, practical coupe gets 35 mpg. edited by New Car Test Drive
Driving Impressions
As with most sporty cars, the ride in the Pontiac G5 GT is somewhat firm, but encounters with potholes and tar strips do not result in any serious discomfort. The ride is comfortable enough for day-to-day commuting even in the Midwest where the roads are rough.
The GT steering is somewhat heavy and the effort increases during turns. The steering is tight, however. What that means is when the car is pointed straight you can turn the steering wheel a tiny bit and it doesn't feel disconnected. The car begins to respond. The G5 GT feels secure and fairly responsive on gentle or sweeping turns. However, when the turns are tighter and the speed increases the GT feels nose-heavy and not sporty.
The brakes feel great. The pedal was firm, but it was easy to slow the car either a little or a lot. Also, the front of the car didn't dip too much under hard braking, and we found it had a balanced, secure feel.
The summer performance tires that come standard on the G5 GT offer good grip on dry pavement. We found them unsuitable for winter use, however. (Maybe that's why they're called summer tires.) In packed snow (5F to 20F), we found extremely poor grip and traction even on flat terrain. Which is what we expected. We recommend all-season tires for drivers who must face wintry weather but don't want to maintain two sets of tires.
We found the G5 four-speed transmission downshifted quickly when we slammed the throttle down, and it held the gear until just past 5000 rpm. That means it was striving to get the most out of the engine.
Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 25/35 mpg for the Pontiac G5 with five-speed manual gearbox, 24/33 mpg with the four-speed automatic. The G5 runs Regular gasoline. A special Pontiac G5 XFE model gets an EPA-rated 25/37 mpg. The GT gets an EPA-rated 25/35 mpg with manual, 23/32 mpg with automatic. We'd guess the difference for the GT is related to its performance tires.
