Hooah!

    Whether it's Al Pacino wheeling a Ferrari in Scent of a Woman or the entire 101^st Airborne on parade, that's the sound of exultation in power. And it's a sound we made often when driving Pontiac's new-for-1997 Grand Prix. Whether you choose the GT or the supercharged GTP, the Grand Prix is a thrill ride that goes a long way toward restoring one's faith in General Motors.

    That renewal starts on the outside. The '97 Grand Prix is the first use of a new platform that will also be available as a Buick and Oldsmobile. Unlike old GM, though, each of the three cars will bear a distinctive look. The Grand Prix is the hellion of the bunch, a racy, sexy looking car, and one of the few that may actually work better as a 4-door than a coupe. It has an aggressive stance (insert obligatory comment about "Wide Track Pontiac" here); crouched low to the ground, with a NASCAR-influenced low roofline and steeply-raked windshield, the Grand Prix appears coiled to move at any moment.

    There still aren't that many Grand Prixs (Grands Prix?) around, which may help explain why this car gets SO MANY looks. People don't just look. They stare. They gawk. They make like Linda Blair. That's also because, with its high beltline and low greenhouse, the Grand Prix doesn't look like anything else on the road. It's proportioned almost like a chopped '50s hot rod (about which, I assure you, I know only from my dad. Really.) The 1997 Grand Prix really is (in our humble opinion, which we greatly respect) a groundbreaking American design.
 

    "Swooshy. Very swooshy," murmurs the Splendid Co-Driver. "When I get closer to the car, I'm surprised at how high the panels and (beltline) are up on this car. Nice lines. The wheels are stylish and elegant; I like them."

    Those lines hide a use of space that would make a submarine designer proud. The cab-forward layout, again unusual for GM, lets a short-appearing rear deck cover a "highly capacious trunk, with a handy and helpful cargo net." It also yields good room in the back, at least for legs. That translates into increased comfort for front seaters, as the front seats have a great range of fore/aft motion. The SC-D sees "lots of headroom, and certainly with the front seats pulled up oodles of legroom. Reasonable amounts of legroom even with the front seat further back, and lots and lots of backside room for the passengers." With the low roof, headroom in the rear might be a bit of a challenge for larger individuals, but is still considerably more generous than other cars in this price class.

    Our Grand Prix had a child seat built into the middle of the rear seat back, the better to teach Junior about performance. Rear seat riders make do with an ashtray instead of cupholders.

    But face it, you don't want to sit in the back of this car. Not when there's a power seat -- real power seat -- a little farther forward.

    The all-new interior is considerably more mature than the previous Grand Prix. Unfortunately for Pontiac, some GM-generic switchgear invades what is otherwise a fairly stylish interior. These same climate control knobs, window buttons, and headlight switches appear in the Blazer and many other low-to-midline GM vehicles. They are light grey rather than black, and seem to have come from a model kit, and not Hasegawa, either. One need only look at the new Chevy Malibu to see that GM knows how to do better.

    The basic four instruments -- speed, RPM, fuel level and water temperature -- are red on black, with orange needles. While the orange on black in general is pretty legible, we had some trouble picking up the orange needle in the middle of all the red. It would almost be better if the needle were white. This is particularly true of the speedo, where the kilometers are orange, helping the needle disappear. (Perhaps its one of those insidious metric-system plots.) The SC-D notes that the single mile-per-hour gradations also clutter up the speedometer display. Overall, though, she applauds the ratio "between things that I think are important, like how fast you are going, and things that aren't especially needing to be terribly prominent all the time."

    A large display to the right of the instrument panel shows miles remaining, average mileage, and fuel used. There's also lights indicating when the traction control is active. And a light that says "Check Tire Pressure." Yes, the GT monitors the tires as you drive, just like the latest Penske Indy car.

    While the instrument cluster is well styled, it sits slightly high; with the low ceiling, you're looking through a rather narrow windshield opening, just like them NASCAR boys. There's lots of room for you; it just doesn't look that way.

    The padded steering wheel is grippy and well-shaped, if a bit large for a sporty car. Radio controls integrated into the spokes let you can maintain control while searching for that Slim Whitman number. The turn signal stalks are not long enough for the SC-D to reach without taking her hands from the wheel, but others of us had no problem at all.

    The mirrors are quite a reasonable size, bigger than a lot of sports cars and sedans, and quite useful.

    Under the trip computer are the radio and climate controls. Although most people use the radio more than the climate control, with radio controls on the steering, climate can be highest on the stack.

    The seats are narrow-wale corduroy. "Pedestrian," sniffed the SC-D. "Holds you in place while doing things like...this," I replied. "Oh," she said, as her gym bag skittered across the back seat.

    The parking brake is set and released by a ratcheted foot pedal, saving the weight of a separate handle. Oddly, the GP's radio continues to play even after you take out the key. It does shut off, however, when you open the door.

    For utility, there's an overhead compartment with a bumpy bottom for sunglasses or something like that. It's not too structural, however; tug on it and the whole headliner moves. Bright, seemingly well-aimed reading lamps. A very nice pop-out cupholder unit, with two of the claw-style expanding holders, that will accommodate the largest cups. Inside the center console are notches tailored to hold your CDs, cassettes, and a change dispenser.

    All four of the GP's doors have red lights inset so cars approaching from behind can see you. The sun visors on both sides have two closely-fitted pockets each to hold maps or other flat items. Call it two Golden Cupholders.

    What else do you get with your Grand Prix GT? Without checking an option box, you get fog lights, traction control, dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, and a very interesting ride, which we'll get to in a moment. Even power windows and mirrors are standard. But reflect on this: This true GT is under $20,000 before options, and even our loaded test car just nudged above 22K.
 

ON THE ROAD

    GM went to the family parts bin for the GPGT's 3.8 liter engine, but with great success. The 195-horsepower V-6 puts out 220 lb-ft of torque, and you feel every one. It tips in well, and pulls strongly.

    The 3.8 delivers its power to the tires via a 4-speed automatic featuring "some of the smoothest acceleration that I have seen in an automatic transmission car probably ever. If this thing shifted gears, I did not notice." It did. She didn't.

    The brakes make quite a strong impression. The pedal has very little travel; you're on the brake almost immediately, and then you're just squeezing the pedal harder. But I find them quite easy to modulate and a good system. We're not going to carp at GM as we usually do about brakes; it's nice to know they can do it this well. (Isn't "Carpat GM" Latin for "Seize the Rotor"?)

    The Grand Prix turns flat as week-old root beer, with the same sort of broad-shouldered feel we admire in the soon to be departed Ford Probe. There's lots and lots and lots of stick from the broad Goodyear Eagle RLs (225/60x16), the trade being more tire noise than you'd get from lesser rubber.

    Handling is solid, with a firm suspension, very heavily damped. The ride thus is a little bit bumpy. You have the paradox of this being a tight-handling car but with a long wheelbase, so the resulting handling is precise but not crisp; it doesn't turn in quickly, but sure does it well. Oddly, at moderate speed over poor road, the rear end feels supple, in contrast to the tight and taut nature of most of the handling. The rear complies very well with the pavement, and doesn't pass all the shocks on to you, the driver. Overall, there's a tad more compliance than with the tautest 2+2s, but you can take friends along for the ride in comfort. Try that in your Doorstop Ultra.

    Is it cruel to say that this car is everything the Monte Carlo should have been? Styling between the two is a matter of preference, but on driving dynamics, the Grand Prix has it nailed.

    For all that, it's easy to drive. "It leaves me with the impression of being a big car. I have the impression of width and nose out in front of me... The steering is very smooth, and requires only a very light touch at low speeds," said the SC-D. Credit GM's MagnaSteer system for the light touch, but also the lack of road feel at low speeds.

    She continues: "I quickly lost the feeling that it's a bigger car than I can handle. Overall, they've done a nice job of integrating the variety of things they're trying to achieve with this car. It certainly gives one the impression that it is powerful and reasonably comfortable. It's a reasonably big car that doesn't drive like a huge car. It's got some nice driving feel to it for a car of this size."

    Which brings us to a point. An oft-cited competitor for the GP is Ford's Taurus SHO, a car we liked very much. The Grand Prix, even in midline GT form, is a very good competitor for the SHO. But they're different in character. The Grand Prix is a performance car with -- four doors. The SHO is a comfortable sedan -- with strong sporting character. Which way you go depends largely on which way you want to profile.

    The EPA rates the GPGT at 19 and 30. In spirited driving, we got 20.3. Your mileage may vary -- your grin won't.

    Unfortunately, the Grand Prix has DRLs.

    We also enjoyed a brief period with the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP 2-door, which adds a supercharger to the GT's 3.8 liter engine. It also bears the King Gimmick, a heads-up display.

    Three interesting things off the top about the Grand Prix GTP. First, it's got enough power that you can spin the tires on dry pavement. I did it; it was fun. Second, that means it does not have traction control. Third, with all the bells and whistles on it, our tested GTP coupe didn't cost much more than the 4-door GT.

    And does it go. There's a bit of torque steer when the automatic in the Grand Prix shifts while you're hard on the accelerator, but WOW, what an accelerator. You just think fast, and you're there. We had a no-squeal 0-60 in just over a hundred feet. That's what 240 horses and 280 lb-ft of torque will do for you.

    A button on the side of the shifter puts the transmission into performance mode, letting you wind out that supercharged motor, and right away you can feel the difference.

    You can see it, too, in the speed figures hanging out there low in your vision, just above the front bumper. All you have to do is focus a little bit and you can read it. Kinda keen. The HUD shows speed while you're driving, it also shows the turn signal when it's on. It will briefly, when you change radio stations, show which radio station you've found. It is adjustable for brightness, although surprisingly it doesn't change automatically when you turn on the headlights.

    The GTP's interior is basically the same as the GT's. One exception: A spine in the ceiling with a small bin and a power outlet. Behind that are the reading lights; behind that the famous GM drop-down eyeglass holder, and behind that what's apparently a compartment for the garage door opener. The map lights in the GTP coupe flood the cockpit with light, which is not so good from the driver's point of view.

    Overall, we're pretty impressed with both Grands Prix, and astonished at the price. What a rush this vehicle is! "My guess is that this car would cost around 26,000 dollars... it's driving more like a car that's worth about 40. So it's providing me with a lot of driving pleasure," noted the SC-D.

    Is this the modern muscle car? Amazing straight line performance, but with good if unsophisticated handling, lots of stick, and comfortable accommodations for four.

    It's a good thing that the Grand Prix's radio controls on the steering wheel include a mute button. That way, you can turn Slim down long enough for a few hooah!s of your own.