Pontiac enhances G6 lineup with mid-year updates

The L.A. Auto Show is just days away, and as it draws near more models, updates and reveals are coming to light. Pontiac will be bringing a revised family of G6 coupes, convertibles and sedans to the L.A. Auto Show despite General Motors' widely publicized pull-out of its featured show vehicles.

Updates to the G6 range focus on efficiency, alternative fuels and improved value through added features. The mid-sized G6 will get updated exterior styling and reworked powertrains to achieve those goals, though the high-performance GXP models will only get the interior upgrade common to the entire range.

The G6 Coupe, for instance, will finally be offered with the 164hp (122kW) four-cylinder 2.4L Ecotec engine that's rated at 33mpg highway (7.1L/100km). The same engine is already on offer in the G6 Sedan, where it achieves the same fuel efficiency rating. The coupe also gets the company's new TAPshift manual-shift automatic transmission with steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters.

Markets that have high availability of E85 will also get a FlexFuel version of the 3.5L V6 engine, rated at 219hp (163kW), and the coupe will still have the option of the 222hp (165kW) 3.9L V6. The 252hp (188kW) 3.5L V6 found in the GXP models is the same as last year's model as well.

Exterior appearance features updated with the facelift include the front fascia, which gets a chrome surround for the grille. The rear fascias are also updated, accommodating both single and dual exhausts and larger exhaust tips depending on trim level. Seventeen inch chrome wheel covers are standard on four-cylinder sedans and coupes equipped with six-speed automatic transmissions. The Sun-and-Sound package will also get an updated 17" alloy wheel package.

Inside, the new interiors across the range feature new heating and air conditioning controls, an updated stereo with AM/FM/CD/MP3 capability and an auxiliary input jack. GM's MY LINK communications system gives the car Bluetooth capability, plus USB input for music player access. Dark satin nickel trim accents on the steering wheel, door panels and shifter plate plus two-tone seats in ebony/light taupe are available in both cloth and leather, which is a new option above the standard ebony seats. GT and GXP models als oget a new ebony-titanium leather seating package.

Pricing starts at $22,890 for the G6 coupe with the new four-cylinder option, while the E85 models start out at $24,125 for the sedan and the GT Coupe at $25,280. The 2009.5 G6 retractable hardtop convertible starts at $32,970.