Pontiac GTO 2005-2006-Top 10 Modern Muscle Cars

Red 2006 Pontiac GTO-Front View

Pontiac GTO 2005/2006
By Charles Krome

How can a 400-hp rear-wheel drive coupe, which goes from 0-60 in under 5 seconds is nothing less than great? However, as we all know, the car was a complete failure here for Pontiac / GM, and a number of different reasons. It all starts with the car's name, of course, had it been anything other than "GTO," things could have been much different.

2006 Pontiac GTO-Rear Left View

 

Instead, GM's attempt to cash in early in the growing enthusiasm for cars, to modern-day muscle has welcomed the resurgence of the Dodge Charger and the release of retro-style Ford Mustang fifth-gen-do not extend beyond half - hearted attempt to rebadging coupe GM hi-po Australia, the Holden Monaro. That is what angered me most about the situation. I could not believe GM would make an effort too weak to distinguish the GTO Monaro and then make such an effort to pretend they had not, the GTO was a new vehicle. What he did was worse than the target market for the "new" car was made up of exactly the kind of people most likely to notice this and be offended by it.

Black 2006 Pontiac GTO-Front Right View

 

And believe me, fanboys GTO were very offended, and not just because of badge engineering, per se, they were also upset about the aesthetics of the vehicle, regardless of where they came from. Not surprisingly, considering its origins, the new model did not track the traditional heritage of the past GTOs, and was not exactly an example of "American retro" style of people expected / wanted after seeing the new Mustang. The powers that GM tried to put a brave face on things and say they particularly wanted the new GTO to be a truly revolutionary modern design, but came out as a lie, because everyone knew that no matter what they wanted, they had say in the matter and were stuck with what came with Holden.

2006 Pontiac GTO-Front Right View

(To be fair, "stuck with" is a little harsh. I think it's a plain-looking car with a design that could have been an evolution of the sixth generation Pontiac Grand Prix, which I particularly liked. Except for the odd way the edge Cover fits, the project could perhaps be called restrained and sophisticated. Of course, these are two words rarely associated with the classic GTO, and I think, at least to some extent, that caused people to overreact and complain the car was milder than "really" was.)

2006 Pontiac GTO-Wheel Drive

Another "problem" was the LS1 V8 in 2004 GTOs. Engine 5.7-liter made 350 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque, but it was carrying around north of £ 3,700. at a time when the Mustang was carrying about 300 lbs. less. Tara also gave rise to the belief that the GTO was very large, in general, although its dimensions are 1.7 inches longer, 1.4 inches narrower and 0.9 cm shorter in height than the Ford. I also note that the Camaro is still (slightly) longer, wider and thicker than the GTO. The tale of the tape has the GTO 189.8 cm long, 72.5 cm wide and 54.9 inches tall, and sits on a wheelbase of 109.8 inches.

2005-2006 Pontiac GTO-Engine

Also too heavy for many customers was the GTO MSRP of $ 31,795. As with the style of the car, GM says the high price as a reflection of the fact that the new GTO was most definitely not a muscle car old-school, but it was a modern-day sports coupe that could compete against best in the world. But the press materials say the time the Mustang GT Premium is a rival of the GTO, and Ford's initial price was $ 24,845. Even if you give some credence to the idea of ​​the GTO as a world beater and compare it with a BMW 3 Series Coupe-other Pontiac Car explicitly claimed as competition for the GTO, it's still hard to swallow the idea that the 2004 325 was the cheapest car for $ 1,295.

It does not help that the GTO seemed to bring out the worst absolute dealers also routinely beat four awards and five digits in the car, hoping for a quick result.

2006 Pontiac GTO Interior View

The GTO received the highest, 6.0-liter LS2 V8, 2005, along with semi-functional hood scoops, but the die was cast. In 2006, the same dealer who had been over-charging for the car were to make use of discounts. This led to a small resurgence of interest in the GTO, a coupe $ 30,000 (or less) RWD with 400 hp/400 lb.-ft. of torque and a much more attractive package than a 3700 lb jellybean being marked up to $ 40,000 (or more). Still, he went out of production without ever coming close to achieving expected GM's 18,000 units per year.

Fortunately for GM, which had only a three-year contract with importing the Holden GTO anyway, and the general could save face by saying that the car did not cancel the contract that expired. And then try to redeem himself with the Pontiac G8-aka, the Holden Commodore.