Pontiac G6 rental vehicle
I recently put 1500 miles on a G6 rental car. Flew into Newark, NJ and drove all over NY, NJ, PA, etc. I'm 5'7", 170 lbs. Ordinary build.
The 3500 engine had plenty of power. Mileage was quite good at 25.8 mpg during hard mountain and intense city driving. Mileage on the open road was 30.6 mpg. My rental did not have the tiptronic shifter like a Malibu Maxx. I really missed the thumb shifting in the mountains and in the city. I don't know if the tiptronic is offered in that vehicle or not. It needs to have it.
The rear end is somewhat light and has a tendency to drift out when making hairpin turns going down a switchback. Handling was pretty good although the Malibu Maxx's that I have rented handled better than the G6. The factory stereo was very nice. I think the rear shelf speakers had a lot to do with that. No reason to put in a better radio. The trunk was small and useful for only one or two small suitcases. I have a medium size drag-along canvas suitcase and it just barely fit into the trunk opening. The large bags that are typically seen at the airport will NOT fit into a G6.
The outside temperature was 70-85 F and the power seat and power pedal enabled me to hang my arm out the window, although not as easily as my old 92 Grand Am. Overall driving comfort was very good.
A few minor annoyances: The gauges are hard to see when it is light out. The led for the cruise control is blinding at night. Turning the auto headlights to manual makes the headlights go on ok but does not turn on the dash lights! What kind of idiot thought that up? Auto headlights won't go on during twilight - can't see the gauges at all. I had to cover up the sensor to see the gauges at that time of morning/evening. The headlights are useless for lighting up the road at night. The round shift knob should be long left to right instead of round. Its impossible to see the front or rear of the car from inside. The center armrest needs to be higher. It is made either for chimps or people with short torsos and very long arms. Makes me wonder what kind of people do the designers use for models? The front door opens way too wide. An open door cannot be easily reached from inside the car - except maybe by chimps and people with short torsos and very long arms. Most of those items can be fixed though.
Would I buy one? NO, because the trunk is unusable and the headlights are useless. It would be a good car for soccer moms to drive during the daytime. The Pontiac Grand Am was a better car than the G6.