Jerry Flint slams the G6 'vert

[RJB]

"At the New York Auto Show, back in the rear of thePontiac exhibit area, there's a blue G6 Pontiac convertible. It's not on a stand, there are no lights or models prancing around it, and there was no press conference about the car. I've known about this convertible for four years. General Motors has been talking about it for years. But it didn't come out when the G6 sedan was introduced in fall 2004. It didn't come out in spring of 2005, or last fall, either, and here it is spring of 2006 and there have been no press previews and there was no celebration at the N.Y. Auto Show for the coming convertible.

My conclusion? They can't build it. The car has a metal folding roof. I figure that GM, which hasn't built a convertible with a back seat in North America since the old Camaro - I'm not counting the three two-seat roadsters, the Corvette and the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky - and just can't get the roof to work right. Maybe by Christmas?"

See the rest of the article here....more GM bashing in it.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/...192.A10331.html

[Drew Dowdell]

Oddly, Pontiac just sent me an e-mail today saying that the G6 Convertible was now available.

[thegriffon]

I'm finding it very difficult to say anything nice about Jerry Flint as a journalist beside "veteran". He has for a few years now been showing his age, and should have retired years ago. "Where's the press info on the Pontiac Solstice, can't you guys get this new platform right" "Jerry it debuted last year, it's been on sale for six months. Didn't you tell me your neighbour has one?"

[bowtie_dude]

Oddly, Pontiac just sent me an e-mail today saying that the G6 Convertible was now available.

Its too bad the G6 interior is so lousy. The convertible would be such a cool car and would outclass the competition if only the interior was merely par for the course.

[Flybrian]

The Suzuki bitching is legit, but the rest? Man. Retarded.

[balthazar]

I really liked the G6 interior I sat in, thought it looked (and felt ) great.

Flintstone is like the origial Beetle- about 10 years past its prime... except in JF's case it's more like 25.

[ToniCipriani]

Is Jerry York or Jerry Flint?

[Chicagoland]

Umm, Jerry York is on the GM Board, it is Jerry Flint who made the claim.

So, a moderator should correct the mistake on the heading!

[Intrepidation]

Uh guys...he corrected his statment on the 25th

Correction

Regarding our article, Flint on New York: The Dog Didn't Bark:

A Pontiac spokesman says that shipments of the Pontiac G6 convertible began March 31 and some have reached dealers. Earlier, another GM spokesperson said the convertible was in production but had not been shipped. And before that I understood that they weren't in production. I now believe they are in production and some have been shipped to dealers. Thank goodness. -Jerry Flint

Link: http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/...173.A10340.html

Edited April 29, 2006 by Dodgefan

[Flybrian]

Uh guys...he corrected his statment on the 25th

Link: http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/...173.A10340.html

But this is a guy who gets paid to proclaim his superior automotive knowledge. We knew the facts instantaneously and none of us get paid or profess to be auto journalists.

Its just poor journalism skills really.

[caddycruiser]

There's been a few on Ebay so far, with this being the latest:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/G6-CONVERTI...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2006-Pontia...1QQcmdZViewItem

Looks pretty good, and I'd have to rate them in this order now, in terms of best looking:

1) coupe

2) convertible

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4) sedan...sorry, but it has to be one of the worst proportioned but also boring designs in a while...just doesn't look right

[balthazar]

To each his own: I prefer the 4-dr over the coupe. The 2-dr looks too stylistically stretched to me, the 4-dr looks more tightly wrapped and solid. It also stands out to my eye as more distinctive and modern than -say- the altima.

[flacajun]

we just sold the first 3 we got at our dealership this week already

[mightymouse]

I drove the HT conv.... and really liked it. The interior is kick ass, and by the way,

is rated higher in initial quality than the Accord and Camry( J.D. Powers) . The

fit and finish on the I/P is first rate - sweet black and chrome w/ very tight gaps...

love it.

[ToniCipriani]

To each his own: I prefer the 4-dr over the coupe. The 2-dr looks too  stylistically stretched to me, the 4-dr looks more tightly wrapped and solid. It also stands out to my eye as more distinctive and modern than -say- the altima.

Ditto...

I would say the design is really a love it or hate it thing. There's quite a population out there to call the design a flop, and many of my import oriented friends thinks it looks good.

[Satty]

The spoiler on the vert has to be changed. Ugly. Same with the wood inside, it just doesn't work with all the chrome, and I like the chrome.

[Intrepidation]

The spoiler on the vert has to be changed.  Ugly.  Same with the wood inside, it just doesn't work with all the chrome, and I like the chrome.

I still do not get why wood exists in any Pontiac to begin with

[Satty]

Other than those quibbles I think the G6 is going to do exceptionally well in the market. The hardtop will probably win over a lot of buyers, especially Sebring buyers. My gut says it'll be outclassed by the next Solara vert, but for now its the best sedan based convertible on the market.

[frogger]

A lot depends on how good the new Sebring is, and whether Chrysler manages to keep it practical in a way Pontiac has not. We'll see in a few months.

Edited April 29, 2006 by frogger

[VenSeattle]

But this is a guy who gets paid to proclaim his superior automotive knowledge. We knew the facts instantaneously and none of us get paid or profess to be auto journalists.

Its just poor journalism skills really.

Yeah, It's pretty sad that he couldn't verify his facts before writing the article.

You'd think the fact that he was actually looking at a production G6 convertible on the floor at the Autoshow (and not a concept on a stand) would have tipped him off.

[loki]

There's been a few on Ebay so far, with this being the latest:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/G6-CONVERTI...1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2006-Pontia...1QQcmdZViewItem

Looks pretty good, and I'd have to rate them in this order now, in terms of best looking:

1) coupe

2) convertible

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

4) sedan...sorry, but it has to be one of the worst proportioned but also boring designs in a while...just doesn't look right

just looking at the pics on the first ebay link... the airintake box runs around the front of the engine to the other side?!?!?!!! wouldn't that pose a power decrease problem after the car warmed up in slowish traffic?

[caddycruiser]

just looking at the pics on the first ebay link... the airintake box runs around the front of the engine to the other side?!?!?!!!    wouldn't that pose a power decrease problem after the car warmed up in slowish traffic?

Yeah, I just noticed that too. A long and convoluted intake is a typical OEM factory thing, due to overly cautious noise and air intake standards, but that one does look a little more insane than usual.

Can you imagine the difference with just a little short pipe and then cone filter on the driver's side only? I imagine a lot of owner's have already done something similar...

Edited April 29, 2006 by caddycruiser

[Northstar]

Those back seats looks terribly upright and not very comfortable. The intake is rediculous, I agree. Maybe that's why the 3.9 only makes 227HP in this application.

It looks pretty good however.

[Cadavillac]

Yeah, I took some pictures of a G6 convertible yesterday. It looks really nice.

[ToniCipriani]

just looking at the pics on the first ebay link... the airintake box runs around the front of the engine to the other side?!?!?!!!    wouldn't that pose a power decrease problem after the car warmed up in slowish traffic?

Mine does that too. And the one in the eBay link is a GT (don't know why it has the 18s), so it's the 3.5L V6 @ 201HP.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I drove the HT conv.... and really liked it. The interior is kick ass, and by the way,

is rated higher in initial quality than the Accord and Camry( J.D. Powers) . The

fit and finish on the I/P is first rate - sweet black and chrome w/ very tight gaps...

love it.

Silly boy....

Don't you know that J.D. Powers DOESN'T COUNT anymore?!?!?! We in the press go by Consumer Reports now (Well at least until Detroit finds a way to beat them and some other KNOW NOTHING geek comes up with an alternative statistically unrelaible and FACT-less system of measuring the performance of how much BETTER our imports are than your domestics)

Anyway....

That's just Flint... OLD, STUPID, ARROGANT and slowly slipping into senility.

As for the G6. I'm sure it's 'TOO competitive' enough to scare some journalists, so I expect to read HORRIBLE articles on it soon... Well, unless some of them did with the coupe and figured that they had already handicapped the sedan launch so bad with bad PR, that a convertible launch won't save the sinking ship. (REMEMBER: Anti-GM journalist rule #1: TARGET the volume cars! Hence why the Cobalt, G6, and Lacrosse got such $h!TY reviews... That's a HUGE chunk of GM's volume there and by introducing them all at once, GM extended the media a HUGE opportunity to "bring home the bacon" for the imports by zonking GM of HUGE share because of three POORLY reviewed VOLUME entries at once. And, boy did they!)

[VenSeattle]

I'm starting to like the G6 GTP coupe w/ two-tone leather interior and 3.6l V6 w/6-sp automatic. That's going to be an attractive car inside and out (and yes, I said inside. The new chrome touches and two-tone interior make it look much better.)

I know it's of the convertible, but still... It doesn't look bad.

[Croc]

All that interior needs is that wood to go away...and for that aluminum trim kit to be applied.

[Shantanu]

It's selling like gangbusters according to the Edmund's forums. One dealer sold one in 15 minutes. Another charged a $8,000 premium over MSRP and sold it without problems.

Delayed or not, it seems like GM has delivered with a very hot product.

[ToniCipriani]

All that interior needs is that wood to go away...and for that aluminum trim kit to be applied.

Speaking of which, there is no aluminum kit. It's just silver plastic.

[Cadavillac]

Now if it'd only come with white leather and HUD it'd be -almost- as cool as the 94 Cutlass Supreme convertible i just gave my brother (