2006 Pontiac GTO Preview

Tail-Out Lunacy

The GTO is loud, fast, heavy, thirsty and with the right paint job even looks a bit menacing.

Driving a GTO is about hauling one thing — and it isn't a golf bag or drywall.

With its traction control switched off, the GTO's 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque create ludicrous peel-outs in the vein of the vintage muscle cars, to which this beast pays homage.

Bursts of acceleration and tail-out lunacy are accompanied by one of the sweetest exhaust sounds around. Pontiac took pains in refining the exhaust system to produce a burble reminiscent of burly old carburetor-fed motors.

Eclipsed by cooler-looking modern muscle-car competitors, like the Ford Mustang and Dodge Charger, the GTO is a slow seller, thanks in part to bland styling and a tiny trunk. When the current GTO first launched in 2004, automotive journalists and enthusiasts praised its performance, but derided the forgettable styling.

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The GTO resurrects a legendary name that debuted in 1964 when Pontiac tacked those three letters onto a performance package for its otherwise mundane Tempest/Le Mans models. Forty years later, many car enthusiasts still bow at the altar of "The Goat," as the GTO is sometimes called. Many consider the original GTO to be the first muscle car — the vehicle that launched the trend of low-cost, high-performance Detroit iron back in the mid-'60s.

General Motors looked to its Australian division, Holden, for a suitable candidate to wear the GTO badge. Holden's Monaro coupe was chosen for its great V8, refined rear-wheel drive platform and relative ease of conversion to U.S. market regulations. The Monaro platform also underpinned Cadillac's mediocre Catera sedan between 1997 and 2002. 

The GTO's original 350-horsepower LS1 V8 was replaced in 2005 with the stronger six-liter LS2 V8. And unlike vintage muscle cars that tripped over themselves when the road curved or it came time to stop, the GTO's ride, handling and braking match its growling power plant. The standard four-speed automatic or optional Tremec six-speed manual transmissions keep the V8 on a boil and the 17-inch alloy wheels spinning.

Inside, the instrument gauges and the stitching on the steering wheel, shift knob, seats and door panels, are color keyed to match the exterior paint. Red or blue leather interiors are available for the brave.

The simple and straightforward dash is nice, and the front and rear seats are superb. Technically a 2+2, the GTO has no trouble carrying four adults in comfort. Luggage space can be a problem, because the gas tank was repositioned to meet U.S. safety requirements, leaving a ridiculous seven cubic-feet of trunk space.

Standard four-wheel disc brakes with ABS bring things to a firm halt without the white-knuckle drama classic muscle cars often caused. On the open highway, the GTO effortlessly eats miles. Unfortunately, at 3,700 pounds the GTO is a very thirsty vehicle. Equipped with either the automatic or manual transmission, a combination of city and highway driving will rarely see miles-per-gallon figures past the high teens. 

The GTO is an undercover muscle car. Ford's new Mustang or Dodge's Charger sedan might get more thumbs up, but the GTO trumps them both with stellar performance and an engine sound that should be bottled up and sold separately.