2007 Pontiac G5 GT

2007 Pontiac G5 GT - Base G5s get a 148-hp, 2.2-liter Ecotec four-cylinder, and $19,040 G5 GTs step up to a 173-hp, 2.4-liter four, along with four-wheel disc brakes, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a stiffer suspension.

In GT form, the G5 has more horsepower than all six competitors in our last small-sedan roundup [“Sensible Shoes,” December 2006]. Performance from this GT, equipped with a quick-reacting four-speed automatic, was strong, getting it to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 15.9 at 86 mph. That’s quicker than all but the Mazda 3 s from the comparo, and those cars were all manuals.

The driver faces easy-to-read gauges and a clean-looking and well-organized center stack and interacts with a firm brake pedal that—combined with optional $1695 18-inch wheels and grippy 215/45 Pirelli P Zero Rossos—produces excellent 164-foot stops from 70 mph. Those tires also make possible a heroic 0.88 g, with less understeer than expected.

Careful with options, too, because our fully loaded GT topped out at $24,910 with such frivolities as the $540 rear wing—it blocked the view and jiggled to boot—from the Cobalt SS Supercharged. That tab is more than the tag on a 263-hp Mazdaspeed 3 or 200-hp VW GTI, two 10Best Cars that are quicker—and all-around better—than the Pontiac, by a wide margin.

And G5 sales—fewer than 2400 in its best month, about 10 percent of Cobalt sales—haven’t exactly lit up showrooms. What was wrong with the original plan?