Pontiac G5 Parts & Accessories

For better and worse, the new Pontiac G5 coupe is a rather obvious example of "badge engineering." This term describes the situation where a manufacturer takes an existing vehicle from a related carmaker and makes a few minor changes to things like the grille design, headlights, taillights, interior materials and trim and then badges the vehicle under its own name. This is nothing new, of course, and not necessarily a bad thing either, provided the shared platform is rock-solid and fully competent. Regrettably, that's not the case with the Pontiac G5, a twin of corporate cousin Chevy's compact Cobalt coupe. With its more stylish twin-port grille leading the way, the G5 is stuck with the same strengths and weaknesses. First, the good news: The Pontiac G5 is much more competitive than its predecessor, the Sunfire, achieving improvements and passing marks in performance, ride quality, interior materials and crash test scores. In fact, both the base and GT models provide entertaining get-up-and-go and a quiet ride. Pontiac has also priced the G5 competitively and is planning to offer an extensive array of dealer-installed options and accessories like 18-inch wheels and body trim pieces to personalize one to your own liking. The Pontiac G5 compact coupe is new for 2007. The base model comes with a decent amount of equipment, including air-conditioning, powered accessories, keyless entry and a CD/MP3 audio system. The uplevel G5 GT adds equipment like a larger engine, 17-inch alloy wheels, a sport-tuned suspension and cruise control.