2005 Pontiac GTO: In the Autoblog Garage Day 3 and 4
Torque, torque and more torque. If you're not a fan of "the pull" the GTO is not the car for you. For those that love the feeling, the GTO should move to the top of your list. The standard traction control system does a good job of keeping the independent rear from swinging out behind you but does allow for some wheel-spin so you don't have to shut it off to hear a chirp or two.
The GTO is big and heavy, much like its past iteration, and is not the corner carver like lighter cars like the Subaru STi that Inside Line tested. The GTO is a different kind of beast. The suspension works hard to keep the body roll in check and could be beefed up with thicker sway bars.
The skip-shift is a little strange when it kicks in, but it is a way to keep the gas-guzzler
tax off the back of the manual-equipped goats. To override the system, keep the revs high in first gear so it doesn?t
push you to forth, or go for the quick aftermarket override. The shifter also is not the smoothest you?d use either,
we?d replace it with a short throw unit used in the SLP Camaro SS.
Steering has a good road feel. You know you?re going where you?re pointing. Driving the GTO was never overbearing around town unless you put the pedal about half way down; then it kicks you back in your seat. The GTO feels quicker than some of the 0-60 times posted in certain magazines. I?d have to believe the sub-five second quote by GM.
The 2005 GTO gets a ?proper? dual exhaust and a completely revised rear bumper to frame the
huge chrome outlets. The new hood scoops, which I would opt to have deleted, are functional for heat extraction.
There?s no Ram Air going on here, just more air to cool underhood. The scoops look better on darker GTOs where they
don?t detract from the front end.
Other changes on the outside reflect the extra 0.3-liters added to the engine size with a 6.0 on the deck lid and on the retro fender mounted GTO badges. The GTO is closest vehicle to the old-school musclecars that I have driven with only two door handles.
2005 Pontiac GTO: Day 1, Day 2
- Mustang versus WRX GM has to bring back the Camaro. Without it, magazines are throwing the new Mustang at whatever they can get their hands on. While these two couldn't be more different in their approaches on how to ma ...
- The best Nissan we can't have gets better So there I am watching an anime series called Initial-D (not the Americanized show that's all chopped up, the original Japanese show with correct subtitles) which is about the drifting culture in Japa ...
- Daydreaming – the 1989 Fiero Yes, they never made a 1989 Pontiac Fiero but GM was pretty darn close. At this link is a few good shots of the prototype for the next-gen Fiero and after looking at it long enough, it's obvious a lot ...
- Holiday shopping for the hopelessly obsessed I get the Griot's Garage catalog in the mail and aside from the car care stuff that they sell, they also have a lot of desk/office trinkets that I think are pretty cool. Cross-drilled rotors and calip ...
- True Mustang power rating Since I feel all left out on the Mustang love, I'll skip right to the do-it-yourself mod section. MustangExhaust.com took a 2005 'Stang, gave it a shot on the dyno and hung a Magnaflow cat-back system ...
- Ask Autoblog: What out of production car do you want back? As our week ends and we're thinking of what country roads to take our test Mustang on, the retro themed coupe has us asking: What out of production car would you like to see back on the road with a mo ...
- Future Camaro history rewritten? When the car you're talking about has such a rabid following and no future plans have been confirmed, rumors tend to run wild. And sometimes those rumors come from good sources and contain more truth ...
- Yeah it's Turbocharged… Check the Trunk! Well, not really the trunk, but STS Turbo Systems has brought to market a remote-mounted turbo that actually is placed where the muffler should be. Skeptical? So were the guys at PopularHot ...
- Business Week unloads on GM I've found it enlightening to read the analysis from Business Week on the automotive industry. They obviously focus more on the bottom line than the product line but it is still an interesting read. T ...
- 2007 Camaro: History of a Future Car From Here to There: Since the Camaro, and to some extent the Firebird, stopped production in 2002, fans have been salivating for any shred of news regarding a possible return of their beloved Camaro. ...
0 Responses to » 2005 Pontiac GTO: In the Autoblog Garage Day 3 and 4
Leave your response!