youngTL

So this weekend, in my search for a new car a year down the road (the TL is the most likely candidate, but I'll have to stretch financially for it), I've looked a few different new cars. I decided to go check out the Pontiac G6 GT and the Toyota Solara SLE V6. Here are my impressions:

Interiors:

Pontiac G6

The G6 was seemed really awkward when I sat in it, and the seats felt too upright (like I was sitting in a minivan rather than a sporty car). The salesman showed me a leather model with all possible options except the panoramic sunroof (overpriced option IMO). The first thing I noticed was the swath of grey plastic all over the place. I thought this was supposed to be the top trim! This particular model was $35670 CDN. Needless to say, I was rather disappointed. There are too many hard touch surfaces. I felt like I was playing with my new Fisher-Price toy rather than a real car. Even a Civic or Corolla feels less plasticky. Another thing that annoyed me was the key hole was on the dash instead of on the steering column, but that's a slight annoyance. The controls on the steering wheel felt cheap too, but at least the wheel tilted and telescoped so I could actually get a decent driving position. Oh, and the steering wheel feels awkward. It has two FATASS parts at 10 and 2 positions, so big in fact that my hands would not fit around them! The sunroof was quick, which is good. The power windows were a bit slow, and the seat heater controls were awkwardly on the side of the seats. On the good side, the wiper and turn signal stalks were high quality. The back seat had a surprising amount of room, and the cushons were good. The leather felt a little stiff and glossy though, like I'd expect to find in an Acura EL (aka luxury civic for you americans). The sound system was decent, but for the price I would expect more. The chrome guages had a high quality look to them though, but the red lighting sucks. Overall the interior was rather awful, especially considering the car costs as much as a TSX in that particular trim!!!

Toyota Solara

The first thing I thought when I got into this car, the SLE model, was "this thing is nice!". The price as it was came to $37400. Not too bad, only a couple grand more than the G6. The interior was WORLDS ahead! The perforated leather seats had bottoms that looked and felt almost exactly like a third gen TL, and the seats were VERY supportive (unlike a Camry sedan). The seats were just beautiful looking too with convieniently placed heater controls just past the shift gate. And then there were the back seats. For a coupe, it's easy to enter and exit, and the seats have a shocking amount of room! In fact I sat in a Camry sedan at the lot and noticed that the seats had about the SAME amount of legroom! There is only room for 2 passengers back there though, because the middle position is REALLY high, on a hump. But the back seats were insanely comfy. The steering wheel was perfectly sized and felt very nice too, with high quality controls everywhere. The headliner was made of a nice woven material, much like the TL. I wasn't crazy about the door inserts though. They had a slightly cheap feel to them, and there wasn't as much soft touch areas as I would expect. But the driving position was easy to get to. This is one elegant and comfortable car.

Driving Impressions:

G6 GT

After taking me forever to get a good driving position, I took off down a road leading out of the city. Off the line acceleration is very strong. After that though, the power levels out and drops off sharply near the end. The redline wasn't very clearly marked, but it looked like 6200RPM. The manual-mode 4-speed automatic should have been a 5-speed auto in my opinion. And worst of all neither this car nor the Solara offered a manual trasmission . That said, the auto was smooth and responsive. This car hates going up to the high revs though. The sound is TERRIBLE at anything over 5000RPM. And the steering is somewhat numb with a large dead-center area. I felt out of place in the car. The rear visability is awful, and it seems like the rearview mirror shrinks things. On the plus side, the highway ride was good and comfortable. However when I took the car onto a tight onramp, the car scared me. I was going up it at the same speed that I do in my 1996 2.5TL, and the car's center of gravity was way too high. The body rolled too much for my liking and the tires lost grip for a second. Maybe it was the stock tires fault that I felt this car didn't hadle up to par. Whatever it was, I didn't LIKE the feeling, nor did I FEEL good about the corner. The car made me lose confidence when driving. Not a good thing. Also, that manual-mode shifter felt odd when I tapped it up or down. The acceleration overall didn't feel any faster than my 2.5TL with 176hp. Must be due to the G6's porky weight.

Solara

This car was nice to drive. The V6 had guts all the way to the redline, and was MUCH smoother than the G6. It didn't quite have the rev-happiness of a Honda engine, but it was very good overall. It had nice, constant power, probably partiall due to the VVT-i. The seat, with its large bolsters, kept me firmly in place when I took it to the same onramp as the G6. There was some body roll and mushy handling, which I didn't expect, but the lower center of gravity kept me MUCH more confident that I could throw the heavy coupe around. The steering was somewhat numb and overboosted also, but it didn't have a dead center. But the Solara had a very compliant highway ride. It was significantly quieter than the G6, and it had a much more Lexuslike suspension feel. The 5 speed automatic made it easier to stay in the rev range, and the manual-shift mode was easier to use and less vague feeling than the G6's. Unfortunately for the Solara, I can't forgive the car's girly exterior styling...and the lack of a manual crosses it off my list. The acceleration though felt more powerful than the G6, despite the lesser torque number. Off the line it felt smoother if less powerful, but I think it was faster. The car did feel kinda porky though.

SpeedyV6

Try an Accord V6 Coupe or a Legacy GT. You might like those better than the Solara.

youngTL

I haven't tried the Legacy GT yet. I'll put it on my test drive list. I already drove the Accord Coupe EX-V6 6MT, and I loved it, but there were things I didn't like.

Positives:

-GREAT seats
-VERY quick
-Good gearbox
-Higher quality feel than most cars in its class
-Nice guages and controls

Negatives:

-Feels too wide and bulky
-Subpar handling
-Disappointing "premium" sound system
-cheap armrests and stuff in the back seat, and up front too (felt cheaper than the sedan's, which was more acuralike)
-No nav available

For those reasons I'd be more likely to choose the more upscale feeling TSX for the similar price, that is if the TL can't sway me! I'll go test drive the Legacy GT when I get a chance though.

dom

$35,670

But in reality you could probly get the G6 for closer to 30K.

The Leg GT is closer to 40K once optioned out.

And keep in mind that the TSX will most likley be getting a pwr bump for 06.

mattg

i'm getting my legacy gt limited (loaded) for ~ 25k US

jts1207

Nav is available on Accord coupes

youngTL

Not in

youngTL

Yeah, I'm looking to buy in 14 months, so August 2006. The TSX is on my short list. I've driven the 6spd and absolutely loved it. I have yet to drive the 6MT TL. The TL would be a stretch for my budget, and I'm not sure I could give up the superb balanced feel that the TSX has. Contrary to what some people think, the TSX is NOT underpowered at all. It felt fine to me.
And you're right about the GM rebates pulling the G6 price down. But even at 30K, the 4cyl Accord seems like a better choice, given how much teh G6 sucks. Man, GM and their options adding so much to the cost of the car

F23A4

...gotta keep reminding myself that you guys are in Canada. (i.e.: $30k Accord 4cyl)

for the

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

Most GM cars drive like that. Most share the same features & parts which is why. I had an old 94 Pontiac sunbird, & every new GM car I have driven drives & feels the exact same way.
No wonder they are in junk status.

gdubb

Are you going to keep the CL?

youngTL

Even more than the drive, the thing that turned me off the most was the plastic fantastic for an interior...