Someone in a parking lot backed into my wife’s car. It was a perfect in line collision with the front end. No one was hurt but the damages will probably total $2,000. The rental car is a Pontiac G6. This is a car that is apppoximately the same size as a Honda Accord. I have not driven a Pontiac since 2002 when we rented a car for a drive from NYC to Virginia and back. Oh yes, I get to drive the Pontiac while my lovely wife will be using my Toyota Camry.
I have not owned an American brand car since 1990. The last was a 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass. If the G6 is an example of the new style and design all I can ask is; what have they done to the General Motors cars? The first thing I noticed is the sloping angle of the front door where it meets the windshield. The angle is very irritating. Follow that up with the short side windows and I found myself feeling enclosed in a small box with limited visibility.
My favorite resource for car ratings is Consumer Reports (CR) because they take no advertising. Since all the other automotive magazines do take advertising from the manufacturers they are not a totally reliable resource for reviews. Some would say those magazines are completely unreliable.
The only American vehicle that CR considers a top pick is the Chevrolet Avalanche. That is a four door pick up truck. The CR Automaker report card rated Ford in 12th place Suzuki in 13th, General Motors in 14th, and Chrysler in 15th place. There was a total of 15 manufacturers.
I am not surprised. I am disappointed that three of the largest auto manufacturers in the world are at or near the bottom of the pack.
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