Car of the Week: Pontiac GTO (2004-2006)

Like Chief Keef said, sorry for the wait. In the month since i’ve last posted, i went on vacation and as of today i’m attending college at my local Penn State branch. For a school based in a rural area, the cars these kids drive to school is just amazing. The 2004 GTO that inspired this post, a Nissan GTR, Challenger Hellcat, a 6 speed 740 volvo turbo wagon… I’m in love. But back to the GTO.

The rebirth of the GTO after 30 years was long overdue, as Pontiac was beginning to fail as a marque. The Firebird was gone, their normal offerings were bland and boring if not given the GTP moniker lending its trademark boost in power. Like all GM, if a brand has something going for it they all will eventually have it in one way or another, which resulted in Holden’s Monaro (a coupe Commodore) being brought state-side. After the GTO disappeared again in 2006, the only cars that kept my attention growing up were the G6 GXP and the amazing G8 GXP, which my neighbor owns.

The GTO’s interior isn’t far removed from that in my 2000 Camaro and less so from my friend’s 1997 Firebird. Typical Pontiac styling but with an interesting center console layout for the radio, something as unique for boring 2000’s America as the FC RX7’s or Mitsubishi 3000gt layouts were in their time. The seats are very comfortable with nice side bolstering for my 6’0 200lb frame. Hard plastic is prevalent, but for car in the mid 30k range from GM i’ve come to expect that.

This is not a car to park and admire for days, like our local population of slammed Jetta’s. In 2004 the GTO had the 5.7l LS1 from the Corvette, mated to either a 6 speed manual or 4 speed auto (awful in my experience). Changes from the original Monero included additional body bracing to meet US crash standards, Pontiac stitching and badging, and a revised exhaust system which was benchmarked against the original 1964 GTO. The effort was made to make the new GTO invoke the same sound as the original while still meeting the noise threshold required by some states. The 2004 GTO exhaust was a true dual system that followed the original Monaro exhaust routing, thus both tailpipes exited on the driver side of the vehicle. General Motors claimed performance of 5.3 seconds to 60 and a 13.8 second quarter mile time, which was closely verified by several magazine tests.

The major change for 2005 was the replacement of the LS1 engine with the LS2 engine. This 6.0l (364.1 cu in) engine increased power and torque in the GTO to 400 hp with 400 lb·ft torque. With this improved powerplant, GM claimed the car capable of 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and a 13.0 second quarter mile at 105 mph (automatic transmission). Car and Driver magazine tested the car at 0–60 mph in 4.8 seconds and the ¼ mile in 13.3 seconds at 107 mph for the quarter mile with manual transmission. changes included larger front rotors and caliper hardware from the Corvette, and the drivetrain was strengthened with the addition of a driveshaft with larger “giubos” and a larger differential flange, as well as revised half-shafts. Dashboard gauge graphics were revised. The optional dealer-installed Sport Appearance Package became available and differed visually by having a different lower rear fascia, aftermarket mufflers with quad chrome exhaust tips, revised spoiler and front lower fascia extension, recessed grilles, and revised rocker panels.

The GTO was to be retired in 2006 following “an inability to meet new airbag standards”. Keefe, Don (February 2006). “Pontiac GTO To Cease Production After 2006 Model Year”. High Performance Pontiac. Changes for 2006 included revised blacked-out tail lamps, illuminated steering wheel radio controls, faster moving power seat motors, and an interior power door lock switch. The climate control button for the A/C also had the word “Defog” added to it. The final production numbers of the 2006 Pontiac GTO are 13,948 cars, an increase from 11,069 from 2005.