2004-2006 Pontiac GTO
When Pontiac announced its plans to release a brand new GTO to the motoring public after a nearly 30-year hiatus, excitement ran high. Pontiac had used the long-neglected GTO nameplate to kick off the whole muscle car craze back in the early 1960s, and the revival of the GTO represented not only a potentially exciting new car, but a chance to cleanse the palatte from the sour taste left by the last GTO, the tape-and-sticker Ventura-based 1974 GTO.
When the new GTO debuted, however, it was to sighs of disappointment. The anticlimax had nothing to do with the performance. With a 350-horsepower LS1 small-block V-8, replaced the following year with the 400-horsepower LS2, acceleration was certainly potent. Car & Driver clocked the 2005 GTO at less than 5 seconds from 0-60 and the 13-second range in the quarter-mile.
But, to some, the GTO lacked the visual chutzpah of its predecessors--and in an age of overtly demonstrative cars, that seemed a fatal flaw. The GTO's feeble sales compared to the brisk movement of the new, retro-styled Mustang just drove home the point. After only three years of production, the GTO was quietly canceled.
I didn't really see the problem. I briefly drove a GTO and loved it. The GTO's Australian Holden-based chassis gives the GTO solidity and excellent grip, though it is certainly no lightweight. And the LS2 was strong enough to flatten me against the seat, two-dimensional Wile E. Coyote style, while making aggressive noises and propelling the GTO quickly to wildly inappropriate speeds through the streets of West Seattle.
And if the GTO looks something like a Grand Am on weight gainer, so what? The reimagined Ford Mustang is a lot of fun, but must all modern muscle cars be all about nostalgia? Big-time power in an anonymous wrapper is a classic theme--just think of the GTO as a sawed-off shutgun under a trenchcoat. At the very least, it's the polar opposite of the 1974 GTO, which was all show and no go. Which would you prefer?
The video below is pretty entertaining--at the very least, it's nice to hear the LS2 performing in anger. Although ... a GTO being chased by a Bonneville and a Vibe? What?
--Chris H.
songchai on February 09, 2008 at 07:18 AM
How exciting this new GTO, when it came to Asia like Thailand, price surely double on it.
Mark on February 09, 2008 at 08:32 AM
Who wants a muscle car that looks like a genric FWD Pontiac? It doesn't have to look nostalgic, it just needs to look like something other than another boring GM vehicle.
Chris Hafner on February 09, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Mark: "Who wants a muscle car that looks like a genric FWD Pontiac? It doesn't have to look nostalgic, it just needs to look like something other than another boring GM vehicle."
I get what you're saying, but how different did the original GTO look from garden-variety Le Mans Tempest? How different from the bare bones Chevy II did the SS327 look? How different did the Hemi Charger look from the lowly 318?
The original point of muscle cars was to cram lots of horsepower into a normal car. The primping and preening came later.
Anyway, while the new GTO isn't ostentatious, I think it's still a good-looking car. It's clean, purposeful, and looks muscular. It doesn't go out of its way to scream to the world that it's a muscle car, and I'm fine with that.
Peter the Not-so-Great on February 09, 2008 at 07:26 PM
It's a shame the Monaro-based GTO didn't sell better, since it filled a big performance gap in GM's lineup after the Camaro/Firebird got the axe. OTOH, it might have gone out of production anyway; Holden was plannng to redesign the Monaro, and federalizing the new design may have been too difficult. (Although I suppose they could have crated up the old tooling and shipped it all across the Pacific, if GM thought it would be worth it.)
Perhaps GM would have had better luck selling the Monaro in the US if it was badged as a Chevrolet Chevelle, instead of a Pontiac GTO. IMHO, the "big-time power in an anonymous wrapper" tag fitted the Chevelle better than the original Goat.
edubya on February 10, 2008 at 03:01 PM
An anonymous wrapper is fine if the wrapper is relatively nice looking. Think a debadged M3 sedan. Grand Ams are outdated at best and almost silly looking at worst.
The problem, IMHO, is that Pontiac has doggedly stuck to its trying-too-hard-to-look-tough design theme for years, and the public just isn't buying it. Even if you are a fan of the look, you've gotta admit it's getting kind of old.
edubya on February 10, 2008 at 03:01 PM
An anonymous wrapper is fine if the wrapper is relatively nice looking. Think a debadged M3 sedan. Grand Ams are outdated at best and almost silly looking at worst.
The problem, IMHO, is that Pontiac has doggedly stuck to its trying-too-hard-to-look-tough design theme for years, and the public just isn't buying it. Even if you are a fan of the look, you've gotta admit it's getting kind of old.
Frank Black on February 10, 2008 at 04:47 PM
Yeah, it was an excellent car that was shortchanged by its sheet metal. I'm not sure what direction would have been appropriate. . .Mustang has certainly done well with its retro look, but I wonder if the GTO would have really been amenable to that sort of thing. The original wasn't, as someone above mentioned, that exceptional of a car, certainly not as distinctive as the Mustang was. They needed at least a few styling cues that made people think "classic GTO", but there aren't any. Looks like a vanilla Honda.
Chris Hafner on February 11, 2008 at 10:39 AM
Peter the Not-so-Great: "Perhaps GM would have had better luck selling the Monaro in the US if it was badged as a Chevrolet Chevelle, instead of a Pontiac GTO."
You know, there might be something to this. I still think the original GTO - and many of the original muscle cars - were just normal-looking cars at the time with big engines. But for whatever reason, I could very easily see the new GTO as a Chevelle SS instead. It just *looks* more like a Chevelle for some reason.
kim on February 12, 2008 at 01:02 AM
My Elizabeth has a GT G8.
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Joseph Somsel on February 28, 2008 at 09:01 PM
I'm the proud owner of a 2004 GTO. I didn't buy it for flash or nostagia - I bought it as a cheap Aston-Martin grand tourer. For the payments of a Honda Accord (love 0% financing!) I got a big aluminum V-8, a remarkably comfortable and classy interior, great suspension, and a rousing exhaust note.
Plus, it does "stupid car tricks" so well! Power oversteer, burning rubber, "drifting, "scratching off." - what more could a closet extrovert, middle-aged adolescent want?
The weak point in the design are the transmissions. It is basically a Corvette drivetrain grafted into a Australian body. The manual 6-speed has better gas milage but the 1-4 gear change lockout cries out for jumpering and is generally a rock crusher. Since I have ocassional freeway clog-ups to deal with, I saved my right wrist and left knee by getting the 4 speed auto.
Unfortunately, the auto needs a couple of extra gears to be competitive with today's designs like the Merc's 7 speed and even GM's new 6 speed. The four speed is geared perfectly for freeway cruising though - 60 to 100 is one smooth move.
The brakes are a bit small too - bigger front rotors would have been appreciated.
When it came out, Motor Trend did an article rhetorically asked, which would you rather have, two GTOs or a V-8 Mercedes couple for the same money? The authors didn't see the value of spending twice as much for a slower car with a smaller interior. While I appreciate quality construction, I don't appreciate it at twice the price.
All in all, it's a keeper for me.
Joseph Somsel on February 28, 2008 at 09:07 PM
One more thing - my neighbor, the motorcycle cop for the California Highway Patrol, complements me on the exhaust note every time he sees me. He hears me drive off to work most mornings and says he loves the sound of my GTO. I'm flattered.
Now, if that helps me beat a speeding ticket.....
on February 29, 2008 at 04:13 AM
Making this a Chevelle couldn't happen because GM would have to make it front wheel drive.Giving you the sound ,but robbing you of the thrill......can you say Monty Carlo??????!
Greg on May 28, 2008 at 06:12 PM
Anyone heard of the 04 GTO horn chirping randomly or the steering wheel volume button not working correctly, as in turning down the volume when you are trying to turn it up or even muting the radio?
tyler on June 02, 2008 at 12:01 PM
i love the poniac GTO butt... we all no that that is a picture from the owners manual!
bobby b on July 01, 2008 at 10:07 PM
Yep, my 04 GTO, on some hot days when the sun hits the steering wheel just right, will suddenly, mysteriously, give a short horn bleat. Happens probably four times every year. Poorly glued contact pad, I'm told.
So that's pretty much ruined for me all the kick-butt hard-charging rear-tire-shredding squealing smoking accelerations all the way through third, or the throaty-screaming roar you get drifting corners at fifty or sixty, or the super-comfortable yet supportive seats, or the incredibly well-put-together interior that makes my past American cars seem like plastic toys, or the tight, precise steering whether blasting the downtown freeway or throwing it around on the twisties . . .
That horn honk, plus the lack of an ashtray, will eventually force me to give this sucker up - a guy has to have standards, after all. But until then, just remember: When I'm driving, I can't see the exterior, not even hardly.
John on September 01, 2008 at 08:40 PM
What I see and hear is that people are more interested in what others think of the car than why they buy it! The GTO is modest looking, yet in person it has presence. The tire shredding power is what musclecars were about, and if you put an LS6 Chevelle beside a 350 Chevelle most people wouldn't know the difference. Same with GTO and Lemans (basically, exterior change was hood scoops and badges), GS and Skylark, 442 and Cutlass, etc.
Used GTO's are dirt cheap, but damn are they fun to drive! I've been doing my test driving and am on the hunt for the right color....for about 1/2 of what a new Camaro will sell for I'll be right there. Let people stare at the Camaro, I'll be out there enjoying myself which is what cars like the GTO are for...and take it from somebody who owns some stripe and spoiler big block musclecars, sometimes the attention just gets annoying.
John on September 01, 2008 at 08:41 PM
What I see and hear is that people are more interested in what others think of the car than why they buy it! The GTO is modest looking, yet in person it has presence. The tire shredding power is what musclecars were about, and if you put an LS6 Chevelle beside a 350 Chevelle most people wouldn't know the difference. Same with GTO and Lemans (basically, exterior change was hood scoops and badges), GS and Skylark, 442 and Cutlass, etc.
Used GTO's are dirt cheap, but damn are they fun to drive! I've been doing my test driving and am on the hunt for the right color....for about 1/2 of what a new Camaro will sell for I'll be right there. Let people stare at the Camaro, I'll be out there enjoying myself which is what cars like the GTO are for...and take it from somebody who owns some stripe and spoiler big block musclecars, sometimes the attention just gets annoying.
Joseph Somsel on September 13, 2008 at 01:55 PM
I've had that problem with the steering wheel radio controls too. It goes away - wonder if a contact cleaner is safe for the plastics?
Needed new front brake pads at 50k but other than that, very few repairs, knock on wood.
Bill on October 01, 2008 at 03:15 PM
I just bought an 06. Awesome. I don't need a lot of attention.
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Dan in Seattle on November 26, 2008 at 08:46 PM
I have a 2006 GTO with automatic, have made some minor intake and exhaust mods with a perforance tune (all to keep it emission compliant), now 360 rear wheel hp. Ran the car this summer at the strip, 0-60 in 4.58, 13.11 thru the quarter, with significant wheel spin at launch. I had 79 Z28 right after high school, and could only dream of such performance. Best I got the Z back then was in the mid-14's. I also remember those comments back then about my Camaro - how it wasn't a true Camaro. Those came from the guys who remembered the 60's Camaro. Each generation believes in something different. The link is performance, the true, gut-level performance. You can overcome issues with a car's looks if you have that performance. I did with my 06.
Chris on March 01, 2009 at 05:00 PM
I am the owner of a torried red, A4, 06 GTO. I drive in the Northeat during Spring, Summer, and Fall. I love the throaty sounds that come out of the exhaust. Acceleration and performance are great. Looks to me like a Grand Am on steroid- which could be alot worse. There are very few of these cars in this area. I bought my with 3k at a dealer auction and it is still like new. The car offers a solid ride and has a nice interior. Thumbs up.
Mark on June 02, 2009 at 06:14 PM
I had a 2005 Pontiac GTO and loved it. At the time I bought it, I had narrowed my choices to a new Mustang GT and the GTO. Although the Mustang's retro styling was great, the GTO was more powerful and had a much nicer interior. I think if GM had spent a little more time to make it look like the GTOs of the late 1960s/early 1970s, kind of like what Dodge has done with the Challenger, the GTO would still be in production today.
Brad on July 27, 2009 at 06:52 PM
I personally am craving a GTO. The fact that this speed demon Ls2 and Ls1 package comes in an interesting candy just makes these GTO's sleepers. I want some RICER to rev up to 400 hp and get left in rear wheel smoke. Perfect car for me. I just need to save up to get one now :(...
jonpaul senna on August 14, 2009 at 12:27 PM
that fag bob lutz just rushed the gto into production like shooting an arrow into the air hoping for a hit but the scumbag whos really in his eighties(80 plus years old) drove gm into bankruptcy