11-07-2005, 12:06 PM
Length of test: ~400KMs, mostly highway driving.
Spec: Ecotec 2.2L 4-cyl, 4-speed automatic.
The first two gears in this thing are geared quite short for an auto. Combine that with the fact the Ecotec pulls willingly through 6 grand... it's nice for pickup from a dead stop. At cruise in 4th with the lockup engaged, it's turning 2200-2300RPMs at 100KM/H, and a little less than 2500 @ 110. Anything less than 3000 RPMs in this engine is pain. It does hold gears longer than the Focus ATX, which is nice because the Focus ATX is notoriously undecided in all matters relatling to gear-holding. 3rd? Sure! But what about 4th? OK! 3rd again, it looks bored. No problem!
It's darty. Think cocaine-infused alleycat piloting a soapbox derby racer, chasing a mouse on LSD. Yeah, it's THAT darty. It's also the first car I've had to drive with 2 hands all the way from North Bay to Toronto, in bad and good weather. It doesn't matter if you're doing 80 KM/H or 140 KM/H... it's quite unstable.
Think nitroglycerine. In a can. Held in a paintmixer. Doing a HALO drop over Nicaragua in 1975 or so.
The damping initially makes the car feel very promising. Bumps are nicely removed from the equation. Then you realize that the damping in no way guarantees performance. What a shame.
It has very nice brakes. No fade, no pulse, no un-evenness or pulling. This has to be the best feature of the whole damn car.
The seats are much more uncomfortable than anything I've ever sat in. The seat adjustment is great, you can tailor everything except the lumbar support. Which is fine, because lumbar support can't save you. Nothing can save you. Give away your soul before a ride in one of these and save your soul the pain at the very least.
The tires are ungrippy, if such a word exists. There's decent bodyroll, but I expected that. The steering accents this, as you're almost encouraged to keep turning the wheel due to the lack of force required to do so. See above lack of feel commenting.
I'm mentally drained from driving this cowpath warrior down from North Bay. Pontiac disappoints me. The only thing that kept me from getting a Z24 or Sunfire GT 2 years ago was the utter fact I couldn't fit in them. Lucky me. Now I can fit perfectly and despise everything else about the car.
The plastic is great. It's everywhere inside the car. I don't know whether to serve lunch to inmates at the Kingston Pen or just hose it down for the fun of it. Can we call it the Pontiac Xterra? I don't think Nissan would mind, they'd still win the offroading contests.
The engine note, I must mention, is quite endearing. It's endearing because it's buzzy enough to be heard if you listen, but not obtrusive enough to be annoying. You can hear the mechanical melody being played out under the hood, but you're not inspired to go and do great things with the Pursuit. That's a good thing, because the chassis and suspension would horribly disappoint you, and then you'd be suicidal. Pontiac doesn't want suicidal people, so don't worry... you're safe until you become adventurous. And then you're on your own.
Spec: Ecotec 2.2L 4-cyl, 4-speed automatic.
The first two gears in this thing are geared quite short for an auto. Combine that with the fact the Ecotec pulls willingly through 6 grand... it's nice for pickup from a dead stop. At cruise in 4th with the lockup engaged, it's turning 2200-2300RPMs at 100KM/H, and a little less than 2500 @ 110. Anything less than 3000 RPMs in this engine is pain. It does hold gears longer than the Focus ATX, which is nice because the Focus ATX is notoriously undecided in all matters relatling to gear-holding. 3rd? Sure! But what about 4th? OK! 3rd again, it looks bored. No problem!
It's darty. Think cocaine-infused alleycat piloting a soapbox derby racer, chasing a mouse on LSD. Yeah, it's THAT darty. It's also the first car I've had to drive with 2 hands all the way from North Bay to Toronto, in bad and good weather. It doesn't matter if you're doing 80 KM/H or 140 KM/H... it's quite unstable.
Think nitroglycerine. In a can. Held in a paintmixer. Doing a HALO drop over Nicaragua in 1975 or so.
The damping initially makes the car feel very promising. Bumps are nicely removed from the equation. Then you realize that the damping in no way guarantees performance. What a shame.
It has very nice brakes. No fade, no pulse, no un-evenness or pulling. This has to be the best feature of the whole damn car.
The seats are much more uncomfortable than anything I've ever sat in. The seat adjustment is great, you can tailor everything except the lumbar support. Which is fine, because lumbar support can't save you. Nothing can save you. Give away your soul before a ride in one of these and save your soul the pain at the very least.
The tires are ungrippy, if such a word exists. There's decent bodyroll, but I expected that. The steering accents this, as you're almost encouraged to keep turning the wheel due to the lack of force required to do so. See above lack of feel commenting.
I'm mentally drained from driving this cowpath warrior down from North Bay. Pontiac disappoints me. The only thing that kept me from getting a Z24 or Sunfire GT 2 years ago was the utter fact I couldn't fit in them. Lucky me. Now I can fit perfectly and despise everything else about the car.
The plastic is great. It's everywhere inside the car. I don't know whether to serve lunch to inmates at the Kingston Pen or just hose it down for the fun of it. Can we call it the Pontiac Xterra? I don't think Nissan would mind, they'd still win the offroading contests.
The engine note, I must mention, is quite endearing. It's endearing because it's buzzy enough to be heard if you listen, but not obtrusive enough to be annoying. You can hear the mechanical melody being played out under the hood, but you're not inspired to go and do great things with the Pursuit. That's a good thing, because the chassis and suspension would horribly disappoint you, and then you'd be suicidal. Pontiac doesn't want suicidal people, so don't worry... you're safe until you become adventurous. And then you're on your own.