vt_hokie

I almost purchased a Pontiac G6, but opted to get a used car instead. I would like to see Pontiac ditch the old pushrod engine in favor of the newer 250 hp DOHC VVT 3.6 liter V-6 that they're giving the Saturn Aura. Naturally, it should be mated to either a 6 speed manual or a 6 speed "sport shift" automatic transmission! :) Why don't I just get an Aura then? Well, I don't want the big goofy smiley face grin that they gave the Aura's nose, or the awkward looking headlight assemblies that are twice as big as they should be. I think the G6 is a much nicer looking car. But both the 201 hp 3.5 liter and 240 hp 3.9 liter OHV engines are getting to be outclassed by the competition. Is there any chance of the G6 getting new engines and transmissions? As for what I bought instead of a new G6, I went out and replaced my 1997 Saturn SL2 with a used 2000 SL2! I wish GM would put dent resistant body panels on more of its cars, but sadly, instead they're even getting rid of them on Saturns. Door and fender dings suck, and they're inevitable sooner or later with a steel clad car. :(

I just bought a 2000 SL2, one of the last of the real Saturns! It still looks new, and with the polymer body panels, it'll probably still look new when the first Aura buyers start noticing the dings on their new cars!

GM is getting rid of them to save money, period. Since they're making Saturn nothing more than another redundant division of GM clones, and will produce future Saturns in old factories alongside their Chevy, Pontiac, etc counterparts, they didn't want to bother with the polymer panels. Basically, they're saying "screw you" to the customers who appreciated that feature, and forcing people to accept thin, easily dented sheetmetal that will result in a car looking like crap after a few years of use. If GM isn't going to do it, I wish some other automaker would come up with some sort of dent resistant body on its cars!

The ION looks horrible...much worse than the S Series did, so I don't think it's just a matter of the plastic panels. Personally, I think slightly larger panel gaps look a lot better than the inevitable dings in a metal body from parking lot abuse, and other hazards in the real world. I care more about how my car is going to hold up over the long term than how it looks sitting in the showroom! Take note the next time you see an early 90's Saturn coupe out on the road. It's still probably one of the best looking cars out there!

I'll take a dent free body for the life of the car over smaller panels gaps and inevitable dings and dents any day!

I actually love the looks of the production G6. That concept is kind of like a cartoonish, smoothed out version of the real thing! :) It looks cool too. I recently rented a 2006 G6, and I was pleasantly surprised. I had been thinking about buying a Mazda 3s, but given that the Pontiac's 3.5 liter V-6 was giving me better gas mileage than the 2.3 liter Mazda 3 would, well...what's the point in buying an economy car when a midsize V-6 gets the same or better mileage?! However, I wish GM offered a 5 or 6 speed automatic on the car. Also, I have nothing against pushrod engines if they can match the power and refinement of the newer designs, but these old GM engines are falling short compared to the offerings from Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and others. I mean, if a Nissan Altima's 3.5 liter can put out 250 hp and still deliver 28 mpg highway, then the 201 hp from the G6's 3.5 liter seems a little low. I'd consider the 240 hp G6 GTP, but I'd like to see it get slightly better gas mileage than it does. So, because of the 4 speed transmission and the old pushrod engine with its modest output, I'm not quite sold on the car. Also, I wish you could get stability control without having to move up to the GTP model. If GM ever puts a modern OHC engine in this car, mated to the upcoming 6 speed automatic transmission, then they'll definitely have a contender!

GM should keep the dent resistant body panels on Saturn. Of course, they won't do it because they want to make building their re-badged common platform cars cheaper, but it just plain sucks that they're giving up such a great feature, and people are just going to have to live with unsightly dings and dents in their $20,000 or $30,000 vehicle!

I think it's really a shame that the plastic body panels are going away. My 1997 SL2 has 220,000 miles on it and the doors and fenders look as good as new. Contrast that with my parents' 2005 Honda Accord, which already has a couple of dings in the body. If Saturn isn't going to do it, I wish some automaker would come up with something better than easily dented thin sheetmetal. Spending 20 or 30 grand on a new car and having to put up with unsightly body damage from normal parking lot abuse just plain sucks!

Amen! Definitely a huge improvement. But it really sucks that GM is getting rid of the dent resistant plastic body panels. Thanks to those panels, my 1997 Saturn SL2 with 220,000 miles is free of door or fender dings.