NEWS
Congratulations
A
big congratulations goes out to Jeff Scheniman of Scarborough!
He is the lucky winner of the Fiesta Stainless Steel BBQ from
our private sale draw held on Saturday February 23, 2008. We
at Michael Boyer Pontiac Buick GMC (1988) Ltd. would like to
thank all of those who participated in this wonderful day.
Pictured from left Brandon Boyer, Sales Manager, Jeff Scheniman,
Winner, Santo Briguglio, Salesperson.
ANNOUNCING
- GM 160,000 KM WARRANTY
General
Motors now pairs exceptional quality with unprecedented coverage.
160,000
KM/5-YEAR*‡ POWERTRAIN LIMITED WARRANTY
In addition to our standard bumper-to-bumper limited warranty,
for the first time ever, all 2007 GM passenger cars and light-duty
trucks are covered by this exceptional warranty. There are no
deductibles for repairs and this warranty is fully transferable
at no charge.
160,000
KM /5-YEARS* OF COURTESY TRANSPORTATION
When warranty repairs are required, several transportation options
and/or reimbursement of certain transportation expenses are
available for your convenience at participating dealers.
160,000
KM /5-YEARS* OF ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
The Best Coverage in Canada also provides you with the added
assurance of 24/7 Roadside Assistance. This includes Fuel Delivery,
so you can reach the nearest service station, as well as Lock-Out,
Flat Tire, Jump-Start and certain Emergency Towing services.
Click
for more details .
For
2007 Owners
If
you've purchased a GMPP service contract on your vehicle you
will be receiving further correspondence from us. For additional
information call 1-800-GM-DRIVE.
Questions?
Call 1-800-GM-DRIVE or Contact
your Dealer.
THE
WAVE BREAKS FOR PONTIAC
by
Robinson (Durham Wheels)
Fuel
may have come down to saner levels from the summer, but we all
know that once the consumer heat dies down, Big Oil will find
a way to jack prices back up. Canadians have always been predisposed
to compact and subcompact cars, but now even the Americans are
starting to see the wisdom in watching what's going on at the
pump. The problem was, that until recently, a cheaper car meant
it was cheaply equipped with not much more than the essentials.
The Koreans changed that with the Kia Rio and the Hyundai Accent.
Very affordable, they also can be nicely kitted out with spunky
looks and a sporting demeanor to match. The Japanese with the
Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit have jumped in as well. Recognizing
this trend, GM has come up with a little Korean touch of their
own with the Pontiac Wave and the Chevrolet Aveo.GM now operates
the former Deawoo factory in Korea and is importing several
vehicles like the Chevy Optra and Aero and, as tested here,
the Pontiac Wave.
I recently was offered a 2007 Wave Wi during a Pontiac press
event in the Ottawa/Gatineau area. I jumped at it because I
have a weakness for small-bore, small-size sedans and hatchbacks
because, frankly, I think that's all one really needs. While
the Wave starts at $12,950, the trick in this segment is to
offer an up-scale version with a bunch of goodies like alloy
wheels, power sunroof and a full-tilt stereo that appeals to
urban commuters, "young" people and even guys like
me who enjoy wailing a car like this around. The Wi starts as
the SE model at $15,450 that comes with air conditioning, cruise
control, power locks and windows, front reclining seats and
a 60/40 split/fold back seat, "dead man's" pedal and
an AM/FM/CD four-speaker stereo with MP3 player jack. To make
your SE into a Wi Special Edition, $1,095 adds 15-inch alloy
wheels with P185/55 blackwall tires, a rear spoiler, special
badging, premium six-speaker audio system with steering wheel
mounted audio controls and an Apple iPod. For this front-driver
there is a standard five-speed manual transmission with an optional
($950) four-speed automatic. There is a $950 optional tilt and
slide power sunroof. My tester came with the automatic and roof
at the as-tested price (before shipping charge) of $18,580.
Power for the Wave is a 1.6-litre, 16- valve four-cylinder producing
103 hp and 107 lb/ft of torque with what Pontiac calls its Variable
Induction System. In a nutshell, it allows the engine to maximize
the charge across the rev range combined with an electronic
gas pedal that helps improve fuel consumption while reducing
emissions.
Fuel economy rating is 9.1L/100 km (31 mpg city) and 6.3L/100
km (45 mpg) highway. The Wave is equipped to meet Canadian safety
standards with standard second-generation front airbags and
optional side-impact airbags for increased torso and head protection.
Four-channel ABS is available, and in my opinion, well worth
the extra cost. Other standard safety features are what you
would expect including front seat belts with front-load limiters,
lower anchors for children's seats and height adjustable shoulder
belt anchors. In terms of cargo space the trunk behind the 60/40
split rear seats offers 350 litres (12.4 cu ft) of luggage capacity.
With the back seats folded flat, it is quite easy to stow ski
bags with all your boots and poles. In addition to standard
front headrests that tilt, the doors and seatbacks have pockets
as well as hooks on the headrest posts to hold grocery bags
or even backpacks. The doors, for such a small car, are big
and open wide revealing a cabin where the seats are wide and
the cloth is, if memory serves me, of a better quality than
the Wave I drove last year. The dashboard is plain but the instruments
are legible at a glance. I tried the back seat on for size and
there's lots of room for two adults, but three would be pushing
it. You have to fiddle with the driver's seat to find the best
position but the outside mirrors can be nicely sighted. Spin
the key and the 1.6-litre springs to life and you'll be amazed
as how easy it is to rev. I drove the automatic for this test,
but I'd be buying the manual. The Wave is right on the design
crest that sees vehicles becoming ever narrower and taller.
Pontiac did it's best to get the wheels out to all four corners
but the track only allows so much. To compensate, Pontiac fixed
the steering box to the cross member of the front suspension
for stability. The speed sensitive power steering allows for
quick turns at slow speeds, perfect for city driving. The "feel"
through the steering wheel tightens progressively as the speed
increases. Shorter wheelbases always mean quick reaction in
cornering and this is improved by a front stabilizer bar. With
the wider tires and the quick steering, the Wave Wi can be a
lot of fun especially in an interurban setting. On some lovely
roads in the Gatineau area of Quebec, the Wave Wi hummed right
along. There's a lot of sound deadening in the cabin because
I know this engine can be loud particularly when it comes to
induction noise. Another reason for the Wave Wi being so audibly
behaved on the highway is the attention paid to aerodynamics
like the way the headlights are fared back into the fender line
and hood. The body shape is the result of considerable wind
tunnel testing to make it more slippery through the air to lessen
drag and thus use less fuel. Little things like moulding the
radio antenna into the rear glass instead of poking up into
the wind results in a pretty good coefficient of drag of 0.326
or similar to a Porsche.
SOLSTICE
DOUBLES UP ON POWER
by
Robinson (Durham Wheels)
Shown
as a concept car at the Detroit Auto Show in 2002, the Pontiac
Solstice was the star of the show. It generated a huge amount
of interest right at the time when General Motors was starting
to fade under the attack of offshore automakers.
By superhuman effort, GM bucked the naysayers, bringing this
car to market in just two and a half years. They did it despite
noteven having a chassis and not being afraid to bring out a
simple roadster at a time when other makers had rejected the
idea as not being viable. Available last year as a 177 hp roadster
with delicious looks, Solstice has now got the attitude to match
for 2007 with the 260 hp Solstice GXP.
From the blunt, twin-nostril grille, the form is almost liquid
as it flows over the cowl past the door then arching up and
over the rear haunches before coming together to the bobbed
rear valance. There are no bumpers, spoilers and rub strips
to spoil the shape. The Solstice looks bigger than the Mazda
Miata, but it's almost identical in every dimension. Credit
the standard 18-inch wheels for creating this optical illusion.
You have to hand it to Pontiac for retaining the look of the
Solstice concept car right down to the arched headrest cowling.
This is one pretty shape and GM has chosen to do it justice.
The interior is minimalist but comprehensive. The instrument
panel sweeps across and then sharply down in the centre like
an inverted "L". Gauges and controls are simple to
understand and use. However, in full sunlight, the electronic
readout in the centre stack for the audio system gets blotted
out. The seats are snug but very supportive with an adequate
amount of travel. Those over six-feet, four-inches will have
to make some compromises especially with the top up. The top
itself is manual and is simple enough to work. You use a button
inside the glovebox or on the remote to pop the rear panel that
opens clamshell-like. The top is on a scissor frame and swings
up into place and can be attached with one clamp to the windshield.
Lastly pop two pins on the buttresses of the top and you're
in business. Previously there was just the one engine for this
rear-drive roadster, the Ecotec 2.4- litre, twincam inline four-cylinder
found in the Pontiac Pursuit economy car. Producing 177 hp and
166 lb/ft of torque, it is a punchy unit with very usable torque.
The big difference for 2007 between the standard Solstice and
the GXP is a turbocharged version of the 2.0-litre Ecotec four-cylinder
with almost double the power of the standard car at 260 hp and
260 lb/ft of torque.
It
is GM's highest specific output engine ever at 130 hp (97 kW)
per litre or 2.1 hp per cubic inch of displacement. The result
is acceleration from 0-100km/h in approximately 5.7 seconds.
Standard transmission is a five-speed manual or an optional
five-speed automatic. With big, 18-inch tires, the grip in the
standard Solstice was already beyond good, but with the 260
hp turbo and special Goodyear F1 tires, you can really dig in.
Where this combination proves its worth, is not off the line
although it really scoots, but in high-speed, sweeping corners.
You can take bends going uphill to the left or right without
lifting. The traction of the tires and the limited slip that
was fitted to my tester allow all the power to go to the road
and not scrub off as normal limits of adhesion are reached.
In GM testing, the nearly identical Saturn Sky Red Line hit
0.90g on the skid pad which is right up there with Porsche and
Corvette Z06. Of course much of this increase in the GXP Solstice
handling over the base model is due to the performance equipment
like Stabilitrak and the Bilstein suspension. But most of all,
the marriage of the turbo and the handling inspire confidence,
an intangible that makes good cars into great cars. I drove
both the GXP with the automatic and the Saturn Sky Red Line
and I preferred the manual. Both cars are identical in terms
of power, chassis and suspension but I found the manual allowed
a lot more of the power band to be used if only because I always
find high power-to-weight vehicles are more flexible to use
with a stick shift. My advice is to get the manual. If you don't
know how to use one, learn, because this car begs to be enjoyed
for spirited motoring.
PONTIAC
OFFERS FUN WITH THE TOP DOWN
by Robinson (Durham Wheels)
The
slick lines of the 2006 Pontiac G6 GTP Convertible stem from
the G6 sedan and coupe.
Inset, the hardtop/convertible roof of theG6 is one of the first
offered on an affordable car.
One
of the symbols of the North American good life used to be the
family convertible. The home in the suburbs, a membership at
the club, and a big V8 Big Three convertible was proof that
you had 'made it' in the latter half of the past century. And
while the family convertible also died due to the so-called
"Oil Crisis" in the 1970s and a realization that huge
land yachts were, like smoking, a bad thing, good style always
come back. When Pontiac debuted the svelte G6 midsize coupe
and sedan, I was a bit surprised to hear a hardtop convertible
was in the works. I think of hardtop convertibles as being in
the high luxury class, but here was Pontiac bringing it into
the reach of the average family.
The G6 already comes with what Pontiac calls the Panoramic Roof,
which is four, huge panels of glass that roll open to give a
view of the outside as big as a cargo door on a jetliner. But,
you know, there's something about a convertible four-seater
that's fun. I mean two couples out for dinner at a lakeside
roadhouse, who wouldn't enjoy that? Ergo, say hello to the 2006
Pontiac G6 Convertible. While the G6 is offered in three trim
levels and three different engines, the G6 Convertible is available
as the GT or top-level GTP, as tested here. The GT comes with
a 3.5-litre V6 making 201 hp and 223 lb/ft of torque, while
the GTP gets GM's latest V6, a 3.9-litre unit with variable
valve timing for 240 hp and 241 lb/ft of torque. Both are equipped
with a four-speed electronic automatic transmission driving
the front wheels. The GTP automatic also has a manual, sequential
shift mode and a six-speed manual is also offered on the GTP
as an option.
Fuel consumption for the GTP as tested here is 13.3L/100 km
(22 mpg) and 8.6L/100 km (33 mpg) highway. Traction control
is standard on the GT and GTP but the latter also benefits from
GM's StabiliTrak. It is a version of pitch and yaw control that
uses sensors to detect when the vehicle is starting to go out
of control and uses braking and engine retardation to put it
back on an even keel. The hardtop convertible is a nifty thing
because, in a climate like ours, it gives you the best of both
worlds. All you have to go is press the up/down button located
between the two courtesy lamps near the rearview mirror and,
30 some seconds later, you can let the sun shine in or keep
the rain out.
A friend of mine who is buying a G6 owns a mint Austin Healey
so the top on the G6 is like a dream come true, and as he points
out, four can share the fun. And that is one of the G6 Convertible's
strong points. Even with the front seats occupied, there is
still enough leg and knee room for those in the back seat. The
GTP, as noted earlier, comes with P225/50R18 tires on chrome-look
alloy wheels with a set of summer only (read high performance)
tires optionally available. That's a lot of tire patch on the
road so I noticed the GTP drops the magnetic/ electric power
steering it uses on the Corvette for a hydraulic, rack and pinion
power steering system. Nevertheless, the steering on the GTP
Convertible as tested was quite light to the touch but also
positive to driver inputs. There was a hint of torque steer
to the left at launch but it had to be provoked by giving the
big 3.9- litre full throttle on a wet surface. The high belt
line (the height of the door sill) that slopes up to the rear,
puts the driver down and snug in the cockpit for a very sporty
feeling. The down side is the high rear deck makes it difficult
to judge where the rear bumper is vis-a-vis the car behind you.
This is the trend in today's cars as the trunks get taller to
hold more "stuff", but it does tend to make people
use and rely on their mirrors more often which is always a very
good thing. Next year, the Convertible will only be offered
in GT trim, so if the poke of the GTP is more your style, I'd
say go out and order one now before they're all gone.
PONTIAC
OFFERS A WAVE OF POSSIBILITIES
by Robinson/Beintema (Durham Wheels)
