2004-2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP

Pros :
- Exotic coupe-like styling, with no cheesy plastic cladding.
- Large interior with high level of equipment.
- Powerful supercharged 3800 V6 one of the best out there.
- Improved build quality.
- Great handling and stability.

Cons :
- Only comes with an automatic.
- Funky front end design.
- Claustrophobic back seat.
- Supercharged engine needs more care than the non-boosted engine.
- NASCAR image isn't necessarily a good thing.

Interior :

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Press Coverage :
In profile, the cleaner look is also apparent, and the standard protective moldings are nicely integrated into the design. At the rear, large, corner-mounted taillight shapes integrate into the deck lid and bookend the flowering rear spoiler. Twin-styled dual exhaust outlets are standard on all models for a true performance car effect. Larger, 16-inch and 17-inch wheels and tires also add to Grand Prix’s sporty look. The overall car is the same size as the model it replaces.
For those truly serious driving enthusiasts (to whom about 10 percent of Grand Prixs are sold), the all-new Competition Group (or Comp G) option available on GTP provides maximum grip, the sharpest possible steering response and peak road holding with a firm, yet supple ride. This suspension also produces less body roll and better bounce control through road swells. With specific chassis tuning and high-performance 17-inch racing wheels and tires rated to 142 mph, the package delivers .83 lateral g’s – and is designed for best-in-class handling performance for a front-wheel drive car.
The Competition Group package also includes StabiliTrak Plus, a segment-exclusive feature. Stabilitrak Plus expands cornering stability during high performance maneuvers and adverse conditions. This four-channel vehicle stability system not only keeps the vehicle tracking the driver’s intended path, but also maximizes handling in corners.
With an improved 3800 Series 3 engine lineup, Grand Prix is unrivaled in base-level performance. The 3800 Supercharged V6 provides instant acceleration and no waiting for the power when it comes to passing. The GTP model up to 250 hp (at press time), with a best-in-class 280 lb-ft of torque. A more efficient fifth-generation Eaton supercharger boosts horsepower by 10 horses over the previous model. In fact, Grand Prix’s “base” horsepower begins where some competitors’ top models end.
Another racing-inspired feature that is sure to spice up the driving experience is the all-new Formula One-style TAPshift (Touch Activated Power), which is standard on GTP with the Comp G package. Drivers can engage a paddle on the steering wheel and switch from the ease of an automatic transmission to the fun-to-drive quality of a manual. The system has the fastest fingertip shifting response in the industry and better simulates a manual driving experience than any other car. A jet-inspired electronic throttle control system (ETC) completes the performance package with speed-based response, which keeps the car maneuverable at low speeds and in parking lots, but ready for quick action on the highway.
This car was designed to provide the highest quality ever offered on a Grand Prix. The car will be manufactured at GM’s Oshawa, Ontario, assembly plant, which most recently placed first overall among all assembly plants in North America in J.D. Power’s 2002 Initial Quality Study. A combination of significant improvements bolsters the vehicle’s quality, reliability and durability ratings for 2004. More durable components like a single-piece side frame body structure, a one-piece door ring and magnesium cross car beam reduce complexity and add to body stiffness.
Pontiac.com

More important, the Grand Prix offers higher horsepower and torque that is locomotive low. Push the gas pedal more than one-quarter of the way down from a stoplight, and the BFGoodrich Comp T/As will shriek loud enough to set off car alarms. Turn off the traction control and floor it, and the tires will sing the first 12 bars of La Traviata before they hook up.
Besides the tugboat torque, the 3800’s big selling point is its unflustered personality. It rasps and clatters when you turn the key, but once lit the engine settles down to a vibration-free burble from the tailpipes. The V-6 and the Hydra-Matic 4T65-E four-speed automatic communicate like the old friends they are. Shifts are nearly transparent, the torque holes between gears slurred even smoother by the engine’s new electronic throttle.
With Competition Group models, the transmission can be made to serve the TAPshift paddles on the three-spoke wheel, but only after the console gear selector has first been pulled back to “M.” The shifts don’t seem any quicker, nor do they make the car accelerate any faster. And with only four gears to play with, the entertainment value is fleeting. Worse, when the TAPshift won’t shift for some reason, such as mismatched speed and revs, it chimes loudly enough to be heard in the next car over. The transmission computer does a capable job on its own of keeping the engine boiling most of the time, but the TAPshift provides the extra control needed during back-road charging.
Otherwise, the Grand Prix’s interior is clean of undue trinkets. The sporty steering wheel, the classy woven headliner, the simple ball-in-socket vents, and the slick sliding levers and buttons are signs of detail sweating.
The center console is scored by an excessively deep, industrial grain. This is the car’s biggest fit-and-finish gaffe. Somebody with a say in GM’s design studios thinks hard, grainy plastic befits a $30,000 vehicle. We think it befits transistor radios and disposable cameras. One of us is wrong.
The restyling of the Grand Prix cleaned off most of Pontiac’s trademark exterior plastic. It also pinched the rear door glass into an even tighter ellipse to accentuate the coupe-with-four-doors look. The result is that pedestrians see nothing below your nose as you sit in the split-folding back seat. The rear bench is firm, about the next best thing to sitting on a Formula 1 tire. The lower cushion rises just inches off the carpet, so riders of average height will be interviewing their kneecaps. They will also be brushing their heads on the ceiling of the downward-tapering roof. Claustrophobic hitchhikers should beware the Grand Prix, but people toting skis and other long, slim items will appreciate both the folding rear seats and the folding front-passenger seat.
The 2004 Grand Prix features firmer shocks across the line, and the Competition Group’s only suspension upgrade is a bigger anti-roll bar in back. A somewhat choppy ride is the inevitable result. The Grand Prix’s struts read rough roads and report their findings directly to the cabin in the form of shivers and shakes through the seat. Likewise, the tires read out the road texture in places where it’s particularly abrasive, although on more freshly deposited asphalt the cabin is peacefully insulated from road and wind noise.
Bent into a corner, the Grand Prix carves a clean line with firm dampers screwed to a stiff body. With the Competition Group package comes Magnasteer II, which is a variable-boost power-steering system that factors both speed and lateral force. It matches the wheel’s weight to the mood, but the sensation has nothing to do with suspension loading or tire adhesion. That information is edited out by the rack’s numbing components.
No, the computer simply tells the steering to be heavy, so it is. And during back-road workouts the steering becomes too heavy, an electric resistance machine for toning the forearms. A driver adjustment would be welcome.
Understeer rules the Grand Prix’s high-speed life. The respectable handling of a moderate pace dissolves in a sea of front-end scrub when the speeds are pushed. At least the car’s electronic safety net is an excellent one.
Barman, a round of drinks for the engineers who have so artfully tuned StabiliTrak Sport. The system quietly and unobtrusively works individual calipers to keep the car on course with minimal power-killing throttle intervention. Without the twinkle of the dashboard indicator light, you might never know it’s saving your hide. In that respect, StabiliTrak Sport deftly outsmarts the jumpy, heavy-handed stability computers fitted to more pricey rides from Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus. See, the Grand Prix is indeed evolving.
Caranddriver.com

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History:
1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
3,791 cc / 240 hp / 280 lb-ft / 3559 lbs / 0-60 mph 6.8 sec.