The Pontiac designers were handed a much longer wheelbase, at 112.3 inches some five inches longer than the old Grand Am's, and they have made the most of it in terms of interior roominess. A 6-foot, 4-inch passenger can sit behind a 6-foot, 4-inch driver with plenty of room in models with no sunroof or the conventional sunroof. Those with tall friends or family may want to consider the new Panoramic sunroof is powered by a motor that takes up a big chunk of headroom at the trailing edge of the headliner.
The all-new 2005 Pontiac G6 is built in Michigan on GM's international Epsilon platform, from parts and ideas that used on the Saab 9-3, Opel Vectra, Chevrolet Malibu sedan and Malibu Maxx wagonette, all introduced over the past two years.
GM's Epsilon architecture is behind the long-wheelbase G6's ride and handling finesse, with a structural stiffness that helps the G6 achieve a 27.3 Hz bending frequency, a big number that ranks with most luxury cars. Pontiac says the car is designed with three major "torque rings" that add stiffness and strength without taking up too much space or adding weight. In addition to the torque rings, the G6 structure also uses high-strength steel for about 60 percent of underbody components and central tunnel. Rather than just a single layer of sheet steel, the tunnel has an extra piece of steel welded between it and the floor pan. The stiff body uses fully isolated front and rear subframes to carry the heavy stuff, and the front one is hydroformed for strength and light weight. Next Page