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We found the Pontiac G6 reasonably quiet. A few powertrain and road noises slipped in here and there, and there was some wind noise from the sharp-cornered mirror bodies. The ride is comfortable and smooth and the car tracks well. The electric power steering is nicely weighted in terms effort at the steering wheel rim, but a little vague in fast transitions.
The engine in our test car was the standard 3.5-liter V6. It's quiet and smooth, with a 0-60 mph time that's just enough to keep you out of trouble, but not enough to make your heart beat faster. The transmission worked flawlessly. It features a neat, simple manual-control mechanism built into the shifter and a gear indicator LED straight ahead in the instrument panel so you don't forget, important because this manual mode will not automatically upshift for you at redline. It goes right up against the rev limiter. Ratios were well matched to the engine's power and torque bands. Some torque steer was evident on full-throttle starts and low-speed kickdowns, which shouldn't be there on a modern platform like Epsilon.
The 3.5-liter V6 produces 200 horsepower and 220 pound-feet of torque. The 3.9-liter HO engine that comes in the GTP is rated at 240 horsepower, 245 pound-feet of torque. The new and improved 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is rated 175 horsepower, 170 pound-feet of torque. The GM EcoTec 2.4-liter is a double overhead-cam engine used in the Saab 9-3, Opel Vectra, and Chevrolet Malibu. The four-cylinder engine will be restricted to the base SE, and the big HO V6 will only come on the GTP.
The Pontiac G6 has been updated with improved engines, a 3.5-liter and later in the year a 3.9-liter, but they are still old engines. They are larger, updated versions of the 60-degree 2.8-liter V6 engine that was optional on the X-cars in 1980, 25 years ago. They are overhead-valve engines, low-tech to be sure, but they're relatively smooth and quiet and they get decent fuel economy, with an EPA City/Highway rating of 21/29 miles per gallon.
We did a number of 90-0 mph ABS panic stops with the car on a deserted country road, and it stopped straight and true every time with no fade. The brakes have a nice, progressive power application through the pedal.
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