Rental Review: Pontiac G5

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

I was unprepared for this one. I picked up a G5 at John Wayne during my recent trip to Cali, and woof! Between the peeling exterior vinyl blackout trim and the paint that looked like it had been to Vegas and back through a Saudi sand storm, this car had less than 1400 miles on it and it was beat. It was hard for me to believe that this car was built on the same line as its sister, the Chevy Cobalt. The interior was dull and uninspiring, even drab. The engine ran rough for a minute or two after every startup (it did level out), and the suspension and steering were far from the sporty image that Pontiac is supposed to convey. I have to say it—if the rental desk offers you a G5, ask for an upgrade. Or at least ask for a real Cobalt.

Pontiac G5

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Posted at 1:15 am in G5, Katherine, Pontiac, Rental

Comments

David Lejour
Feb 21, 2009 at 3:30 pm

Totally. quality in domestics have been pretty bad lately. if i had a dime for every time an overhead console fell on my head…. I think we should go back to the way things used to be. Bench seats, wood trim, and plush interiors.(Digital gauges anyone?)

Sabby
Feb 20, 2009 at 5:38 am

hello mrs officer

O'brien
Feb 19, 2009 at 10:24 pm

Peace of shit car

Brett
Feb 19, 2009 at 12:34 pm

GM’s quality has been suffering the past few years.

Matt Litke
Feb 19, 2009 at 8:48 am

I live right by the plant that makes the G5 and Cobalts (Lordstown) and from the stories I hear that come out of there, I’m not the least bit surprised. Years ago when I did get the chance to tour the assembly lines, I was shocked at how quickly and sloppy they threw stuff together, even though that was with the Cavalier and Sunfire, but I see nothing has changed.

i_luv_dusty
Feb 19, 2009 at 5:42 am

General Motors:
.
Because someone has to make the world’s rental car fleets.