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2006 New Car Model Guide, Model Guide, New Car Reviews, Pontiac Cars, Trucks, & SUVs

2006 PONTIAC NEW VEHICLE MODEL GUIDE

2006 Pontiac New Car Model GuidePontiac from General Motors favors sporty cars with slick styling and strong powertrains. For 2006, Pontiac's penchant for sporty cars culminates with the debut of Solstice, a pure sports car in open-top roadster format bringing seats for two but affordable price tags. A sporty-styled SUV enters the class of 2006 with Torrent, charted for front-wheel-drive (FWD) or all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction.

Pontiac G6
2006 Pontiac G6

Pontiac's mid-size cars, riding on a long FWD platform, conform to three styles drawn with taut lines across a wedge-shaped body. There's a sleek four-door sedan, a sporty two-door coupe and a slick new four-seat hardtop convertible. The convertible has a rigid all-weather roof that folds into the rear deck for fresh-air motoring.

The three configurations of G6 for 2006 appear in two different trims -- GTP and GT. GTP editions score a new 3.9-liter V6 rated at 240 hp and linked to a Hydra-Matic 4T65-E four-speed automatic with manual shift controls or an optional six-speed manual transmission for sedan and coupe. GT issues draw from a 3.5-liter V6 generating 201 hp through a four-speed automatic 4T45-E transaxle with manual shift mode. And the sedan version of G6 also has a base trim packing GM's 2.4-liter Ecotec four-in-line for 167 hp.

Pontiac Solstice
2006 Pontiac Solstice

A road-hugging two-seat roadster comes to Pontiac in 2006 with the roll-out of Solstice. It looks sleek and swift with the long nose, mid-ship cockpit and a stubby tail crowned by dual nacelle blisters trailing behind seatbacks. Built on GM's new rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Kappa platform, the roadster has 50/50 weight distribution with independent suspension and Bilstein monotube shocks plus 18-inch alloy wheels and all-season tires.

For power, Solstice employs GM's Ecotec 2.4-liter in-line four-cylinder engine pushed to 177 hp and coupled to a short-throw Aisin five-speed manual stick or GM's Hydra-Matic 5L40-E five-speed automatic.

The driver-oriented cockpit adds instruments inspired by easy-to-read motorcycle gauges with two sport bucket seats and a stereo with AM/FM/CD and six speakers. Options extend to three packages of premium equipment plus a deluxe Monsoon audio kit. The easy-to-fold soft top on Solstice stows behind seats and carries a glass backlight with defogger.

Pontiac GTO
2006 Pontiac GTO

The nameplate for Pontiac's muscle-car icon from the 1960s attaches to a modern interpretation with powertrain lifted from the Corvette sports car. Corvette's LS2 6.0-liter V8 knocks out 400 hp, and GTO totes 'Vette transmissions. Standard is a heavy-duty four-speed automatic, but a close-ratio manual by Tremec with six forward gears is optional. GTO stocks a limited slip differential linked to a traction control system (TCS) and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS.

The body, conformed with classic GTO characteristics of a long prow and curt tail, reveals curvilinear shapes with scant overhangs fore and aft. A 2+2 cockpit contains bolstered buckets in leather, a steering wheel flashing satin-finish chrome, plus metal pedals and a premium sound system. New GTO issues for 2006 reveal redesigned taillamps and an instru-ment cluster with orange background. New shades for body paint also apply, like Fusion Orange and Spice Red Metallic.

 

Pontiac Grand Prix
2006 Pontiac Grand Prix

Pontiac's mid-size sedan presents sleek styling on a four-door body and a cabin with flexible flip-and-fold seats plus a generous cargo compartment. For 2006 there are three Grand Prix trim designations and three different engines. Grand Prix the entry edition pulls from GM's 3.8-liter V6 racked to 200 hp. The GT goes further through supercharging to pump the action to 260 hp. And GXP marks the first Grand Prix since 1987 to offer a V8 and the first Pontiac to apply GM's Displacement on Demand (DOD) technology that cuts in half the cylinders used for combustion when boosted power is not needed. GXP's 6.0-liter LS2 V8 off Corvette delivers 303 hp.

Transmission for GXP is the Hydra-Matic 4T65-E automatic with four forward speeds and TAPshift (Touch Activated Power) paddles mounted on spokes of the steering wheel. OnStar telecommunications is standard now for all issues.

Pontiac Vibe
2006 Pontiac Vibe

This crossover wagon has agile road manners like a small four-door sports sedan plus the cargo capability of a SUV and miserly fuel efficiency like an economy car. Vibe's structure is tall, which accommodates seats that rise high like chairs and creates voluminous space for people and equipment. A track system in the floor of the cargo bay adapts with various accessory kits to mount sports equipment like a mountain bike or snowboard.

The price-leading FWD Vibe and Vibe AWD tote an economical 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that musters 130 hp. Vibe GT with FWD skews toward the sporty side with a high-performance 170 hp engine tied to a six-speed manual trans-mission. New optional gear for '06 ranges from a sport package with monotone body treatment and 16-inch cast aluminum wheels to a deluxe audio system with CD/MP3 deck and safety package with OnStar telecommunications and ABS brakes.

Pontiac Torrent
2006 Pontiac Torrent

A new SUV for Pontiac measures large in the compact class with a broad track and extended wheelbase. The big platform forges a big passenger compartment with a pair of comfortable bucket seats on the cockpit row and a bench seat on the second row that slides fore and aft by eight inches to vary legroom as well as space for the rear cargo bay. The bench's seatback, in sections split 60/40 percent, reclines to two positions and each side folds to make room for cargo.

Torrent romps on the road, due to a 3.4-liter V6 engine that produces 185 hp with an automatic five-speed transmission. There are two trims -- FWD and AWD -- with standard gear aboard like an anti-lock brake system (ABS) and sport suspension settings, plus power windows and door locks, air conditioning and a CD stereo set with six speakers.

Pontiac Montana SV6
2005 Pontiac Montana SV6

Pontiac's crossover sport van (CSV) adopts the Montana minivan moniker with a tag of SV6 to denote the standard V6 engine aboard. Wheelbase of the SV6 stretches long and the cabin has a capacity for seven riders plus cargo. Seats on second and third rows may be removed to make room for more gear, or the back bench, divided in half, folds forward at the seatback.

Base powertrain is a 3.5-liter V6 that reaches 200 hp with a four-speed automatic transaxle. GM's Versatrak AWD traction mechanism is optional, along with the StabiliTrak vehicle stability system. For FWD models, an optional engine arrives later in 2006 -- it's a new 3.9-liter V6 with variable valve timing (VVT) for 235 hp. Fresh options for 2006 range from second-row side-impact air bags to a security package with remote vehicle starter, theft-deterrent alarm and front-seat side-impact air bags.

[MORE INFORMATION FROM PONTIAC]