Overview & Reviews

For better or worse (mostly the latter), the Pontiac G5 economy coupe was a rather obvious example of "badge engineering." General Motors started with a Chevy Cobalt coupe, made a few minor changes to things like the grille design, headlights, taillights, interior materials and trim, and then rebadged the vehicle as a distinct Pontiac product. 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 was not the case with the Pontiac G5. Its stylish twin-port grille had it all over the Chevy's generic bowtied nose, but otherwise the G5 was a Cobalt by another name. It achieved passing marks in performance and ride quality, but savvy shoppers realized that it lacked sophistication and quality. Pontiac's demise due to GM's 2009 bankruptcy fiasco shouldn't dissuade used-car shoppers, since the G5 is basically a Chevrolet. But the G5's numerous shortcomings prevent us from recommending it as a pre-owned purchase.

Most Recent Pontiac G5

The Pontiac G5 compact coupe was produced from 2007-'09 in two trim levels: base and GT. The base model came with a decent amount of equipment, including air-conditioning, powered accessories, keyless entry and a CD/MP3 audio system. The uplevel G5 GT added Bluetooth ('09 only), 17-inch alloy wheels, a sport-tuned suspension and cruise control. Additional options included a Pioneer audio system, leather upholstery and, depending on the year, iPod connectivity and satellite radio.

The front-wheel-drive G5 initially came with one of two engines, a 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine or a 2.4-liter four. The 2.4 was rated at 173 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque, and it was standard on the GT until being discontinued after 2008. The 2.2-liter was rated at 148 hp and 152 lb-ft until '09, when it became the sole available engine and received some internal tweaks that resulted in more power and better fuel economy. The standard transmission was a five-speed manual, with a four-speed automatic available as an option.

Inside, attractive gauges and a full-featured stereo give the Pontiac G5 a contemporary vibe, and metallic accents on the gear shifter, steering wheel and doors brightened the otherwise stark cabin. Materials quality was poor, however. Both models featured a trip computer that provided useful information such as outside temperature, fuel range and coolant temperature. But even with the optional premium leather trim, our editors found the seat design plain and lacking in comfort -- especially in back, where the bench is flat and low and the quarters cramped.

On the road, our editors noted that either G5 engine provided decent power under normal conditions, but made coarse noises when pressed. The smooth, quiet ride was judged commuter-friendly, but the car's handling on twisty roads was not impressive. Even the "sport-tuned" G5 GT allowed too much body roll, and the electric steering system on both models reacted slowly and with minimal feedback.

Beyond the powertrain adjustments, Pontiac G5 changes were minimal during its brief run. For 2008, all models received side curtain airbags and satellite radio as standard equipment, while the GT trim got stability control and OnStar as standard.

User Reviews:

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  My G5 - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Jessica - June 7 - 8:50 pm

  I bought my G5 a week ago and love it. I love everything about the car. The way it drives, the way it rides, absolutely everything. I could have not picked a better car for myself. And the price for a brand new car was amazing. Not to bad.

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  what a great car - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By 07G5gt - May 27 - 1:46 pm

  i just bought the G5 GT with the 5 speed tranny and i love the car. the power its got the sound of the muffler when you hit the gas is the best. it rides so smooth and the cabin has very little road sound comeing in. the sound system in that car is very nice with the 10 inch sub in the trunk and the XM radio free for the first year. i got the orange sunburst color and people always are telling me how nice it looks. i found a nice car and im very happy with it good job pontiac!

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  Simply amazing! - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By lrymal - April 23 - 12:10 pm

  I have this fun little car for almost a month now. Basically, it is as everyone else has said and if I were to fault this car at all, it would be for the interior plastics. The plastics are easy to scratch. Easy. I mean, you dont mean, but you look, and you see you scratched something. What did it, a coin? Ring? Finger nail? The design layout of the plastic pieces is good, and that is cause of the scratching. Theres a cubby hole for pens, an area to lay the iPod, lots of nice areas to lay thing, but that is how the scratches occur. I gave it "5" for interior design due to this.

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  Great first car but has its own cons - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Brendan McRobie - March 13 - 10:03 pm

  I got this car for my first car and I can pretty much say I love it. I got it used with two previous owners that didnt take care of it it seems. I purchased it and have drove it a lot. I found it needed a fan, sunroof drain pipe fixed, and now it needs new struts. The dealership fixed everything and hopefully will fix the struts. But all of that are used car problems especially when the last owner(s) didnt take much care of it. I love my car. Has everything that comes with it. I dont know if they are added features or if the GT comes with all of it. Sadly mine is an automatic tho. I love the pioneer audio, the heated seats, the sunroof, everything. Its a beautiful car and gives a powerful burst when on the gas even tho its only a small ecotech 4 cylinder. And when I go to fill it halfway up because thats when I always do. Never let it get below half is my way and I always fill it till its full. I spend only $13. Some cons that I noticed are the doors swing pretty far out. Not a con but the con is they can sometimes swing open with small force so Im constantly telling people be careful. Another con. Doors and trunk hit hard. When closing the doors and trunks the seem to slam. Doors I have no idea why but the trunk because the spoiler weighs a lot. Another con involving the trunk is the spoiler being heavy. Not so much a con but makes it hard to open the trunk because when pushing the button to release it it doesnt pop up very far and I dont like using the spoiler. One con is that it doesnt shift until the rpms are pretty high. Unless thats my way of driving. You may get better shifts and better gas mileage where Im averaging only 20mpg where it should get 25-30. Those cons arent that big of a deal but the worst con I have and the thing that I hate the most is the turn radius. You dont want to make a u-turn unless you are clear for a long distance. You may need to back up. I have a fairly big highway to u turn on and sometimes Im still scared. I can barely back into my driveway because where everyone turns into to back into the driveway or back out. Its a pit filled in with gravel and I always end up in the wooded part behind it. So thats my review on the Pontiac G5. I love it but be careful turning always.

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  G5 GT - Great Car - 2009 Pontiac G5
  By razer - February 23 - 5:43 am

  Just purchased the GT 2009, its a fun car to drive, lots of leg room in front, and if there isn’t enough leg room in the back for other people, then they can take the bus, or consider themselves lucky to get a free ride. I used to drive the Saturn 2006 Ion Red Line with 205 Hp, the GT only has 155 Hp, there is a difference in power but I noticed a bigger difference in gas prices when I fell up at the pumps. In the standard 5 speed model, in 5th gear, the engine revs very low which helps in reduced engine noise. For the appearance inside, I like it, everything is in front of you, seats are firm, armrest with storage.

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  Good Choice - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By eyc51k - January 19 - 6:33 pm

  I bought two vehicles in 07 this G5 and a mid size SUV. I drive 135 miles daily and picked this G5 over the smaller foreign brands for my commute. I am an old man compared to the kids driving this car. Have been driving 40 years and owned as many vehicles. I love this car all around.Handling, ride, and mileage obtained. At 80 MPH I get 30 MPG and at legal speeds on the interstate as high as 37.7 MPG! Power is good. Love the XM & seat comfort setting as low as it can go. I am 5’ 11” 215lbs and perfectly comfortable driving three hours daily. Good choice no regrets at 22K and climbing fast.

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  Awesome Car for the money! - 2008 Pontiac G5
  By Ashley - January 3 - 10:23 am

  In the time I have now owned my 2008 Pontiac G5, I have absolutely found nothing I have not liked about he vehicle. It was a steal at the price, with the five year warranty, plus it has all the extras that I wouldnt have been able to afford if I had bought the competitor vehicles such as the chevy cobalt. The car handles great, gets competative gas mileage, no better or worse than any other small car, and it is so quiet while running, and has great brakes in comoparison to other cars I have driven. It was definitely a great buy for my as a college student, but it wouldnt be something I would reccommend to a really tall person, as it would be too tiny, or someone with kids.

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  Great Little Car - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By pobaldwin - January 1 - 6:35 am

  Our 2007 G5 has the 2.2l and 4 speed automatic transmission. This car has about 165,000 miles on it and is still going strong. Being that we live in Michigan the suspension takes a beating, but components dont seam to wear out any faster than they will on any other car. The engine and transmission still feel strong and neither has ever had a leak. The gas mileage is fantastic, we can get about 36.5 MPG driving with the cruise set around 70 MPH with the A/C on in the summer time.

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  Dead Battery AGAIN!!! - 2009 Pontiac G5
  By PoorService - December 27 - 5:10 am

  Its an otherwise GREAT car but have had a dead battery 2-times!!! Serviced at Steinle GM in Fremont, OH but they cant fix it either because they dont care or dont know how. It has run down protection so the battery should never go dead. They just say "theres nothing we can do".

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  Went good to bad within a year - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By j9atv - December 25 - 11:56 pm

  Dont get me wrong all cars have their issues but the list is starting to grow on my new 2007 G5. So far within the first year and 35,000 km (21,000 miles) Ive had the fuel sensor and pump replaces, the rear bushings on both front suspension replaced, the radio replaced 4x!! because the original radio that came with the car at the time of purchase was black and the company that GM gets to do the warranty work does not carry radios with black faces (on going issue). So far Im really not impressed with the quality of my G5 and Im just waiting for the next thing to go wrong. I can tell you this my next car will not be a GM (BMW, Acura, Honda). Its sad because everyone in my family owns a GM.