Introduction

Pontiac Grand Prix -- 2004 Review: What's better? A juicy, piping hot, made-to-order Double Double topped with crunchy iceberg lettuce and grilled onions, or a greasy Big Mac slathered in special sauce that's been sitting under the heat lamps for too long and sticks to the roof of your mouth when you chew?

Like the vast selection of fast-food burger joints in North America, the midsize sport sedan landscape is littered with choices; some tasty and some not. When spending between $20,000 and $30,000 on a fun-to-drive four-door that can carry two pairs of adults, contenders run the gamut from the raw and rorty Dodge Neon SRT-4 to the plush and spacious Nissan Maxima 3.5SL.

2004 Pontiac Grand Prix Updates

In an effort to lure consumers looking for a little bit of driving excitement to Pontiac showrooms in 2004, General Motors has ordered a substantial upgrade to the Grand Prix, the company's most popular entrant in the speedy family sedan segment. The previous version, which debuted in 1997, had gone seven years without significant modification, rendering it an also-ran in the heated competition for consumer consideration.

However, GM wished not to expend more capital than necessary to bring the GP up to snuff, so the company cribbed a play from the Toyota rulebook: the basic platform and powertrains of the old model were kept, structural reinforcements were added, a new skin was penned and a redesigned interior was installed. The changes are substantial enough to call the 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix new, but this is not a complete redesign. For 2004, the Grand Prix coupe has been shelved in favor of a sedan-only lineup.